Having spent all my life in Ohio, I am veeeerryyy familiar with the four seasons. Winter in particular is a rough one for us. Some years, like last year, winter hardly even comes at all, and all we receive is an early and extra long Spring. And then other years, like this year, snow falls nearly every day, the ground turns muddy and gross, and as soon as the weather warms up a little bit, the whole lawn turns into a massive lake of standing water. Ick, ick, ick.
As much as I enjoy parts of winter, I do suffer from a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder every time the dead of winter hits. For those unfamiliar with the wonders of SAD, it's essentially a minor depression that arises based on patterns of weather. In my case, I get a bit gloomy when the days get darker and the sunlight goes away for long periods of time. It's not so much that I suddenly think life is a black abyss or anything, but I lose a lot of energy, motivation, and high spirits when the weather outside is gray and blah and uninspired.
Luckily, sun lamps and a positive atmosphere help with SAD, and one of my favorite things to do on gray days is to watch a handful of my favorite episodes from my favorite shows. Since I usually don't have enough energy to invest myself in a new plotline, it's fun to go back to a story I'm well familiar with and just sit back and enjoy. The episodes I choose are usually ones that can stand alone, and that can be shown to someone unfamiliar with the story and still be simple to comprehend. Filler is usually a four letter word, but when I find a quality episode that takes a break from a serious storyline, I don't mind stockpiling them for these kinds of days.
Here are some of my favorite blah day anime from various genres, although since it's me, you can expect quite a bit of CLAMP :)
Code Geass- Season 1, Episode 6: While this episode covers details important to the plot including Suzaku's transfer to main character Lelouch's campus and the overarching battle between corrupt empire Britannia and rebel Japanese forces, the main story of this episode features a mischievous cat stealing a mask meant to preserve the main character's double life. And said cat is very talented at evading capture, and said main character, while being a total genius, is quite physically weak. Hilarity ensues when the school president offers a reward for whoever retrieves the secret that cat stole, which Lelouch desperately wants to keep secret. It's overall the most lighthearted episode to a serious action show.
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| Code Geass might have taken a completely different turn if it was Cat Geass |
Natsume Yuujinchou- Season 1, Episode 13: All you really need to know to enjoy this episode is that main character Natsume is a young man who can see spirits and returns power to them by giving them back their names, which were once collected into the Books of Friends. Aside from that, you can simply enjoy a touching bonding moment between friends, as well as the growing connection growing between Natsume and the spirits he helps. The setting is an autumn festival, so there are familiar tropes to make it an easy watch along with the supernatural twist.
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| This touching episode of Natsume Yuujinchou features ayakashi alongside a beautiful festival and hanabi viewing |
Ah! My Goddess- Season 1, Episode 5: Simple plot summary? Main character Keiichi makes a wish for beautiful goddess Belldandy to live by his side, and promptly falls in love with her. In this episode, he tries to work up the courage to tell her his feelings, but unfortunately for Keiichi, Belldandy is a bit... clueless... when it comes to matters of the heart. For romance fans, this is a sweet and simple episode, while also showing off the series' comedic elements. But if you're looking for tips on how to confess to the person you love... this may not be the way to do it!
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| Nice try, Keiichi, but the road to love won't be that easy! |
Junjou Romantica: Season 1, Episode 3: For a quick fix of Boy's Love, watch the beginnings of the Hiro x Nowaki pairing in this episode. The first two episodes cover the relationship between Misaki and Usagi, so you really don't need to know anything about the rest of the show to enjoy this episode (although I would suggest deciding if BL is your thing or not before trying it, because softcore sexythings do happen). The story features Hiro finding a new chance at love with an unexpected partner, although his tsundere tendencies and pride may cause a few troubles along the way!
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| Nowaki and Hiro won't fail to satisfy a craving for the BL genre! |
Ouran High School Host Club- Episode 11: Girl who looks like boy gets forced into a host club. Boys in host club find out she is a girl. Girl stays in host club dressed as boy to pay off a debt. Now that you've got that basic storyline down, watch this hilarious episode where the members of the host club try to bond a lil sis who's afraid of the dark with her occult-crazy older brother who hates the sun. Nekozawa is comedic gold, and the brother-sister elements are quite adorable and kooky.
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| Nekozawa (and his puppet) isn't quite capable of your standard family reunion |
xxxHolic- Season 1, Episode 19: Snow ball fight! Main character Watanuki lives in a spirit-ridden world where anything is possible, and when his employer Yuuko, a powerful witch, is thrown into the mix, nothing is quite so simple as it seems. In this episode, Yuuko initiates a snowman contest with Watanuki in his friends, but things get interesting when their creations come to life and start battling one another. Who will win the battle, and what will the amazing reward be?
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| And with a Mokona snowman on the field like this, you can bet the battle will be fierce! |
D. Gray-man- Season 1, Episode 8: In this show, exorcists battle against demons called akuma, but the conflict with big bad Millinium Earl is set aside in this episode to make way for a rogue robot called Komlin II created by a Komui, a scientist with an off the charts sister complex. Komlin II goes haywire in the exorcist headquarters and starts trying to off the exorcists, and it will take quite a bit of work to defeat him when his creator will do anything to preserve his "masterpiece." D. Gray-man can get heavy, but a rambunctious Komlin episode always does its job in providing comedy.
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| Behold! The majesty that is Komlin! |
Cowboy Bebop- Episode 7: Spike, Faye, and Jet Black make a living as bounty hunters, catching criminals in order to receive the price on their heads. In space. That's all the info you need to start watching this episode, which features Spike teaming up with a tough-as-nails female trucker V.T. to nab a dangerous explosives smuggler. Don't forget, Cowboy Bebop has one of the best English vocal casts of all time, so it might not hurt to watch the dub of this show rather than the sub!
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| V.T. only factors into one episode of the show, but's she an incredibly likable character |
Maria Holic- Season 1, Episode 11: The basic set up is that lesbian Kanako is attending an all-girls Catholic school with the intention of falling love, but is constantly tormented by her roommate Mariya, a boy secretly cross-dressing as a school girl. In this episode, we meet rogue and clueless priest who not only has an eye for the lovely Mariya, but is tricked into using his baffling psycho-analyzing skills on Kanako, who is terrified of men! I'm a Catholic not easily offended by people poking fun at my religious culture (as long as it isn't meant with pure hatred), so the perverted priest trope didn't really bother me, but if this doesn't sound like your thing, feel free to pass on this one (although I will add, the humor in this episode is hysterical!)
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| To figure out why Kanako is yelling about Trinidad and Tobago, you'll need to watch the episode! |
Tsubasa- Season 2, Episode 11: Tsubasa actually has a ton of horrible filler, but one episode was quite funny. Dimension travelers collecting magical feathers that contain the scattered memories of Princess Sakura end up in a world comprised entirely of chibis! It will take the inventiveness of Mokona to get them out of the comic book world and back into reality to continue on with their journey! This episode does contain a few flashbacks to earlier episodes, but for the most part is a humorous stand alone episode where the characters look way too cute for words!
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| Fai, Syaoran, and Sakura look quite charming in the chibi style! |
Enjoy, and chase those winter blahs away!
