I watched Lone Wolf's version, which currently is the best of the released versions. Good video quality, but huge encode (350 megs). Audio's fine, translation is good, and they even toss in a few notes.

I'm definitely watching this series to the end.

BONES caught the style of the manga perfectly, the fights are amazingly fluid and well done, music fits well to get the feeling going, and as always, the series looks like someone ate a bunch of Nightmare Before Christmas sets and clay models before throwing them all up over the screen in eye-bleeding technicolor. Love it.


As for the characters, some have complained about the actress playing Maaka, but that's just the way Maaka is. Cold and a little flat in the beginning. The scenes towards the end were well played, and there was even a little tug on my heart when she was ranting while remembering all the reasons she hates her father.

Who is hilarious by the way. The scene were the two hostesses were talking about him while he was between them was great. That had me laughing. He's just so pathetic. Yes, he's the stereotype loser-papa, but it hasn't failed me yet.

Lastly, I want to throw in the quick observation about the first fight against Jack the Ripper. There was one point in all the fancy swinging and twirling (I love scythe fights...) that Maaka looked over her shoulder. Just a super-quick glance to make sure she knew where the position of the stairs was. If I didn't already have a fondness for this series, that would settle it for me. Just that tiny attention to detail in the character, the writer and the animator.

It says a bit about Maaka's character, and adds some realism to the fight. If she's swinging and twirling away like a madwoman, she should definitely use her surroundings as well as checking to see her own position. Keeps her at the advantage, and it even let her win the fight. Fight smart, not just DBZ/(Ichigo in Bleach) super overpowered.