Winter Anime

I've been watching quite a bit of anime this winter season, and there are a few I am especially impressed by. So let's take a look at the merits and ...dismerits? of some of this season. I'm not going to cover any plot points, because there are other sites to do that. This list will include what I feel is the best and work it's way down. From what I can tell Bakuman started back in the Fall season, so while I enjoy it, it will not be appearing on this list. Keep in mind that these are my opinions, and all fans have a different genre they include.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
This is perhaps my favorite of the season. It offers a good plot line, references to several mythological keypoints, and a wonderful score. I'm going to hold off on analyzing this one until it's been completed to avoid putting my foot in my mouth later on down the line. One of the big reasons this is so visually and mentally appealing is perhaps the directors, Yukihiro Miyamoto and Akiyuki Shinbo, who previously worked on Bakemonogatari. Fans of this series should definitely give it a watch. The soundtrack by Yuji Kajiura, best known for her work on the .hack series, is perhaps one of the best of the series. It never makes itself too blatantly obvious, but is also ever present and providing the perfect mood.
+ Soundtrack
+ Animation
+ Visual Direction
- Wandering Plotline
- References not everyone may understand
- Potentially annoying protagonist

Fractale
Again, another series with a pretty fantastic director, this time featuring The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya's director Yutaka Yamamoto. As can be expected, there are some strange plot points that seemingly come out of nowhere, and for now I will say they'll probably be connected in the future. There's also a serene sense to the animation, trippy intro aside. Again, the soundtrack is especially nice, including the ever present insert song. This is especially impressive as it is Souhei Kano's first time out in the field. If anything take a look at this series for the mind boggling future scenario that is presented. Fractale is now streaming through Funimation.
+Soundtrack
+Character Design
+Plot
-Unanswered Questions [thus far]
-Menagerie of Characters
-Bathroom stalkers

Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko)
I'm not entirely familiar with this director, but I am certainly pleased with Ei Aoki's most recent work (I think the only thing he's been involved with that I know about is Petite Princess Yucie). I am, however, a big fan of this anime so far. I will give fair warning that his anime may not be to everyone's liking, since it is about two transgendered individuals. That aside, I think the best reaction I can give to this show is that it is like walking through a water color painting. As far as soundtrack goes, I haven't really noticed it, if it is present it is very ambient. This is a bit surprising as Haruhi  and Bakemonogatari composer Satoru Kousaki, then again  he pulls off the subtleness in his other works as well. Personally I enjoy it for its lightness. It's relaxing enough to watch at anime time and is a good wind down to the day. Wandering Son is now streaming on CrunchyRoll.
+Art Style
+Voice Acting
+Ending Theme
-Plot not to everyone's liking
-Potential underage relationships
-Forgettable score

Gosick
I'm not entirely familiar with this director either, but he seems to be a big fan of double entendre's. When ghost stories or fairy tales are involved, expect it to mean something entirely different. One thing to look forward to is the mystery in each episode, one that has a tendency to be a little bit harder to solve than some on Detective Conan. As of right now, there does not seem to be a larger plot present, much like how Otome Youkai Zakuro started, so it will be interesting to see where it goes. It's a little strange to see an anime in a fictional foreign country before World War II that isn't as happy go lucky as Hetalia. Gosick is currently streaming on CrunchyRoll.
+Art Style
+Ghost Story/Fairy Tale References
+Sherlock Holme's homages
-Unpredictable Storyline [there doesn't seem to be a main purpose]
-Standard Lolita clothing
-Good episodes on occasion, don't expect them all to be hits

Yumekui Merry (Dream Eater Merry)
Place your Inception references here while you can, because they'll be abound in this anime. At first I was not certain whether or not this was going to be a particularly good show given the first two episodes were a little slow. By the third, however, it seems to have hit its stride and found a purpose. Interestingly enough, this is not a project one would expect to find Shigeyasu Yamauchi. Then again, maybe it is given all the dream talk we had in Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door.  If your willing to sit through the first two episodes to establish some back story, then overall it's a pretty decent series. It ranks lower only because I'm not a big fan of the music, something explained by the fact that it is Keichii Oku composing (previous works include the unmentionable season of Digimon). Here's to hoping it continues it's trend upward throughout the season.
+Story Line
+Nightmare Kittens
+Character Design
-Soundtrack
-Long Plot Development
-Potential plot devices

Koreha Zombie Des Ka?
The sheer silliness of this anime is what makes me like it and hate it at the same time. Like most anime of its kind it does finally establish a plot, but much later than Yumekui does. The big bad is not revealed until episode six, and by then all the characters are fairly fleshed out, and there may have even been an episode of filler. The original idea of a zombie's one weakness being sunlight is pretty novel and amusing given how few times it is actually brought up. Given that there are still some characters to be revealed given the intro and ending sequences, it's going to be interesting to see where the series goes in the next few episodes. Koreha Zombie Des Ka? is now being streamed on CrunchyRoll.
+Silliness
+Magical Girl transforming sequences undergone by males
+Character design
-Silliness
-Long Plot Development
-No clear conclusion