Tipped by a post at Protaku (if you think that it means "proto-otaku", you're wrong), I ended at ANIME.ign.com and found a 2007 Autumn review by David Smith. Seeing it was a good experience... if perhaps a little unpleasant. I'm taking one for the team here, because it's good to stay grounded in the surrounding culture.

The first thing which stands out in the review is how it omits ef and Sketchbook. Mr. Smith clearly does not see either as a potential success in R1:

In a couple of cases, a review didn't quite seem warranted. [...] Here are the big hitters of this year's fall season, though, and a couple of lesser-known series that might be worth a second look.

Not giving ef even a second look must sting, for anyone cares for opinion of IGN anyway. But before we get too uppity with our R2 imports, let's keep in mind who purse-holders might listen to. Then, I cannot help but notice this:

What airs in Japan today, after all, will show up on American DVD shelves tomorrow. (Or, if not quite tomorrow, then soon enough.)

I don't think that 12 to 18 months is "soon enough".

Thereafter, the reviews themselves are fairly conventional. Moyashimon is "much, much more interesting than it sounds" and belongs to "the oddball adult comedy-drama niche" together with H&C and Nodame (thanks for skipping REC and NANA). KnJ is labelled pedo but Mr. Smith leaves the door open to a chance that someone would license it just to exploit the forbidden fruit effect. He quickly stamps CLANNAD with "moe", Blue Drop – with "yuri".

Also included is Neuro, completely ignored by animebloggers. I suppose the rich and powerful in R1 are searching for the new One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh. Te same sentiment pronounced Hamtaro the Pokemon slayer a few years ago.

The whole opus ends with a major misjudgement of Bamboo Blade, which is pigeonholed as a harem. Perils of reviewing without actually watching, I guess. But it's a little weak for a halfway-over season.