What was your favorite spring anime?

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Houtan

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A lot of anime premiered in the spring of 2009, far more than either the summer or fall 2009 seasons brought to us. It also brought in the largest amount of original content as opposed to the adaptation-heavy summer and fall lineups. However, there are plenty of adaptations to go around, from the more obscure (Asura Cryin') to the more famous (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood).

So, as the vast majority of these shows come to an end (except for FMA:B, which is only halfway done), what was your favorite spring anime? Feel free to discuss any of the anime that premiered in the spring and how you feel about them. You can also discuss why you may have dropped an anime that premiered in the spring or discuss your least favorite. Fantasy casts for the anime and discussing prospects for licensing are also allowed.

So, have at it. What is your favorite anime of spring 2009?
 
Ugh, that's probably a tough contest between Eden of the East and Guin Saga. Eden struck me as a very intriguing real-world story and I liked the heroine, so that's a sure buy when FUNimation releases it. Oh, and the premise is genius: if you get ten billion yen to save the world with, what do you do? Guin Saga is a heroic fantasy that seems to be building up a more intricate plot the longer it goes on, and Japan is apparently open to making more episodes of this very long saga if it proves popular enough.

I like Full Metal Alchemist, but I can't talk about Brotherhood much since for some reason I've only watched a handful of episodes, which is really ridiculous. That's priority #1 to catch up on once I get through some older shows that I'm working on. I may try going back to Shangri-La too, I just put it on the back burner because the first episode didn't manage to grab me. I have this hope that it'll look much better when I look again, since it'd be nice for Gonzo to have at least one series this year that isn't lame.

Honorable mentions to Cross Game and Shin Mazinger. Neither are for everyone, but they're good in their own way. Cross Game seems to vacillate between baseball and characters, making the show slow but endearing if you end up caring about the people in it.
 
[strike]Kamen Rider Decade[/strike] Er I mean, Eden of the East. HanRAB down.

Perfect story, excellent characters and having a really good cliffhanger ending. Seriously, it's very rare that anime shows do a cliffhanger right and that EoE did it. Plus, Akira+American movie references=win.
 
Like everyone else in this topic, Eden of the East. Because it feels so surreal, while in a more real-life setting. Characters are likable, some references here and there. Shin Mazinger is fun. More fun than the original I'd say. But, as GWOtaku said, it ain't for everyone.

I haven't seen enough of Guin Saga to say it's my favorite, but it seems to be good from the few episodes I started with. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood kind of alienated me after the first 6 episodes. But, with it entering the manga chapters, I may give it another chance. Though, I'm hearing the pacing and how it handles the drama isn't any different.

Everything else either disappointed me (Valkyria Chronicles) or...just not interesting enough.
 
It's not lame but it takes a bit for it to get going, plus Momoko will get on your nerves a LOT. But once the show's plot starts moving and the characters begin to get fleshed out, it's quite good. Eden of the East still beats it overall but Shangri-La is definitely a keeper. The entire series is on Crunchyroll right now (the show wrapped up on the 14th).

I haven't been able to get into FMA: B. The new episodes make me angry because they are skipping over a LOT of the manga for no reason. The show is advancing way too fast for no good reason and that makes me baffled. It's like the director doesn't want to do this material and just wants to write his own material so he steamrolls through the manga material as fast as possible.

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom is another keeper, it is slooooooow like the typical Bee Train show but it is Noir-quality stuff here. The characters are amazing and so is the plotting, once you pick apart the layers the show becomes immersive and eye-catching, and the firefights are well-done and choreographed. Really the only flaw is the 2nd OP (damn you Ali Project!) if you have enough patience to tolerate Noir-esque pacing.
 
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, even though it's still airing. It's too bad I'm still behind since the only way I can watch it is FUNimation's YouTube channel. It wasn't very exciting to watch the first season, since there were only slight changes from the first anime, but since it got to the second season, it's been keeping me on edge as much as the first one did.

Shangri-la is one I can talk about since the last episode just aired. Like GWOtaku said, it's nice for Gonzo to have a series that isn't lame. What other series have Gonzo had recently? Strike Witches, Linebarrels of Iron, Saki? Yeah, it's not saying much to say this is the best recent Gonzo series. Still, I found it quite good.

The most recent spring anime to end is the one that Crunchyroll has been simulcasting since it started in spring and ended today, Hayate no Gotoku !! (the second season). It was a hilarious comedy full of anime parodies that guaranteed a really fun half-hour ride each week, much like Gintama (although I will always like Gintama better). The plot is much different, though, and there are plenty of serious and well-executed romantic elements, although much of that also plays into the comedy. Unfortunately, this season was only 26 episodes, and I already know I will miss it and I hope a third season is announced before long.

Phantom: Requiem for a Phantom was good for what I saw. Unfortunately, it had a leak around the same time as One Piece, and FUNimation's video player has had too many problems for me since then. I'll buy it once FUNimation releases the DVRAB.

I haven't seen any of it yet, but based on this thread so far, I'll definitely check out Eden of the East when it's released.
 
Eden of the East gets the top spot from me. I was completely hooked from the first episode, intrigued and completely invested in finding out what was going on. Oh, and "Falling Down" is such an awesome song. I can't wait for the FUNi release.

Second place goes to 07-Ghost for me. I was interested but not completely hooked from the beginning, but I kept at it and am really glad I did--the payoff was totally worth it once episodes 7+ rolled around. And looking back, those earlier episodes have more appeal now that I see their function. The anime also got me hooked on the manga, which is one of my favorites that I'm following right now. Fantasy shojo is fun.

I only watched the first three episodes of FMA: Brotherhood. No real excuse other than laziness. I have every intention of catching up with it once I find some time.

I was also following Valkyria Chronicles which was fun, but I quickly fell behind and still need to catch up.

I tried the first episode of Shangri-La and could barely make it through. Doesn't seem like that's one for me.
 
Cross Game and Ristorante Paradisio.

I enjoyed both for their well written, yet simple stories and great casts. Character interactions are really what make these shows enjoyable, and they keep a good pace too. Overall I'd say they were the best series from Spring (although Cross Game hasn't ended yet), they didn't aspire to do too much and were a pleasant surprise. The rest of the season was full of shows that didn't quite live up to their potential, or were just flat out overrated. Honorable mention goes to FMA:B, despite a slow start the manga material has been a lot more interesting than I was expecting it to be.
 
I hope the recent issues involving Oasis doesn't affect whether the song makes it onto the English release or not. Remeraber, the guy who wrote and sang that song is no longer in the band.
 
Well, definitely Guin Saga, its the only 2009 anime that im still watching, besides FMA anyway (but i already know what happens, so...), so i totally like it best.
 
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