[jesh462]

BTOOOM! has done a great job of keeping me entertained.
Parts of it I don't really like, but all these things following are fairly minor. Ryouta's accent was the first thing that struck me. I don't know where his voice actor is from, but I hate how he accentuates his consonants sharply. Japanese is supposed to be soft and beautiful. The way he talks grates on my ears. This is the first time I've really noticed something I don't like about a Japanese voice actor.
Another thing that bothers me a little is Himiko's character. "I'm just a normal high school girl!" My ass. "Normal except I have blonde hair and blue eyes in a sea of Asian girls. Oh and except the huge tits. Oh yeah, and I maintain this figure even though I also happen to be a gamer girl, leading a sedentary lifestyle. Oh yes, and I also turn to online shooters to escape from reality."
Don't get me wrong. I know plenty of girls play video games online. Many of them are beautiful. I married one. I just think her character would be more convincing if she looked a little less like a porn star, had a reason to live except for Ryouta, and did more than be helpless 80% of the time.
This show also seems to suffer from a syndrome typical to this genre. Ryouta is the designated hero. Unless you're mentally 12 years old or under, you know that no matter what, he's not dead. By extension, Himiko won't die either. That kind of takes out a lot of the suspense that would really turn this show into something worth remembering. For now it's like a Michael Bay film. Mindless entertainment.. In a way like Maison Ikkoku.
There's nothing wrong with that, but can you imagine if Mitaka had slowly gone insane as he grew more and more jealous of Goudai? Then he tortures Kyoko and rapes her, is caught by Yotsuya who murders him. Yotsuya is caught by the police but escapes, a wanted criminal. Godai sinks into a depression and marries Yagami. Years later, while experiencing a flashback of Kyoko, he is killed in a tragic accident. Yagami is left a widow, somehow ending up in Kyoko's place. How many people would see THAT coming? It would definitely have been more memorable for me.
Other than these minor things, BTOOOM! is fun to watch. I'll actually wait around for the second season, when it comes out. For me, that's saying quite a bit. It still has time to improve and differentiate itself.

Discussing Himiko's character, or lack thereof, reminds me of someone who is exactly NOT like her, Tanabe from Planetes.
Planetes is probably about my limit for episodic-ness. The story was still connected enough to keep me watching, but there was less interconnection, I probably would have dropped it.
There were multiple memorable and developed characters, and Tanabe was a lot of fun to watch. I like how they made her "average" looking, but she still sparkled on screen. She was able to shine bright enough to touch the lives of many people around her.
I also liked how they made her pretty even when she cries.
There was a lot of moral issues touched on and the ending left things unresolved. However, I think that doing things in this manner actually made it better. After all, our reality doesn't get a happily ever after. We can still learn from the characters in Planetes and take their message with us though.
There were several moving moments for me while watching this. I was very satisfied, though I don't think it will quite make my favorites.