Animation

I'm totally stunned: American animation isn't dead. I just spent the last week watching Avatar: The Last Airbender (seasons 1-3) and absolutely loved it. I can't stop quoting it or searching for art on deviant art about it. The fact that this show aired on Nickelodeon still astounds me. Best characters are of course Sokka and Toph, and I'm a Zutarian (because heaven forbid I should choose the cannonical couple...) all the way. This show was just way too awesome. It combined all the best parts of anime and American cartoons while having some of the best characters I've ever seen on a screen. A friend lent me season one and I rushed out to buy the rest (in my defense I was going to buy Ouran High School Host Club part 2 but it was no where in sight). Kudos to American animation!

Also started watching an anime called Toradora! on Tony's reccommendation. It carries on the tsundere character-type created by The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's titular character in the form of Taiga, a tiny delinquent. It's a romantic comedy that's hilarious, told from Ryuuji's POV (a boy with a gentle nature but with "evil eyes") about the two percieved delinquents trying to help each other hook up with their respective best friends. Beautiful and punchy animation combined with hilarious voice acting creates a cracktacular series. Not as great as Suzumiya, but still promising.