Tamayura More Aggressive
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is entering her second year of high school.
Well, there was no way for this not to, but Tamayura just delivered my favorite first episode of the new season so far. But yeah, we’re barely in it yet, and this show does have the advantage of an entire season plus OVAs of build-up so it did cheat. But nevertheless: that was so adorable. I really missed this, and throughout this episode I nearly dreamt away at its leisurely pace and soothing soundtrack (the music also is the best of the season so far). There really were a lot of flashbacks in this episode, so this probably is not the best episode for if you decide to marathon the entire season, but I have to admit: I got so nostalgic that I got a bit teary-eyed from how incredibly genuine this episode felt. Now, I expect this season to do more than the first season. Being such a relaxing series has its limit, so Sato Junichi, you’ve got your work cut out for you: develop these characters! Do something interesting with them! You’ve got the right ingredients, so don’t be lazy and take the easy way out!
OP: The music of the actual series was better.
ED: D’awwwwwww~~
Potential: 90%
Free!
Short Synopsis: Our lead character likes to swim.
Seriouly, my first impression when I started up this episode: “These guys all sound like girls!” – Thankfully this just seemed to be about their child-versions and Kyoani just couldn’t be arsed to get convincing actors for children for just two measly minutes, but the fact the entire cast has girly names doesn’t make things any less obvious. Now, on a more serious note: this was decent slice of life, with its positives and negatives. The bad points are two of the main characters, who are nothing but annoying straight men offering pointless commentary and still acting way too muh like girls. Tis show is also really weird in showing the obsession that the characters have with swimming. Being passionate, okay, but putting on a semi-naked apron while cooking is just ridiculous. What I liked was the chemistry between the two lead characters. It brought up interesting points about how people change significantly as they grow up as adolescents, and if this series can actually focus on this then it will become quite good (but do note that this IS Kyoani, whose slice of life shows are pretty infamous for NOT doing that…). And yeah, the animation is really good, and the soundtrack has some pretty catchy tunes, like expected. Also, why the dubstep?
OP: A standard J-Rock opening where the singers try a bit better than usual.
ED: Silly dancing!
Potential: 60%
Brothers Conflict
Short Synopsis: Our lead character gets to live in a house full of hot guys, eh brothers.
This show… it’s shows like this that make me ashamed of being an anime fan. If this was a standalone incident, then I’d just write this off as one of those silly gimmick series. But I’m sick of all these goddamn incest shows! They just keep making them! Why is there SO MUCH demand for them? You really want to turn this into a genre? I mean, the girl arrives at her new house full of brothers and immediately this show keeps throwing around romantic hints. If you want to make a harem that badly, then go for a harem! Also, if things couldn’t be any worse, the creators also for some inexplicable reason threw in this animal mascot who is supposed to protect the (incredibly bland) female lead from all of the advances that her brothers make on her. WHAT!?
OP: Again, why the romantic hints? WHY!?
ED: Dear god… those vocalists are terrible
Potential: 0%
Yeah. All these darn incest shows really need to die already. Seriously, what drugs are these people smoking?! It’s a good thing the incest shows have no market here in America!
I second that. Can’t they just let the incest be in the mangas .
Technically they’re not blood related so it’s not really incest.
But yeah, Brother’s Conflict looks awful and judging from your impression, I’m probably going to stay far away from ever watching this.
As long as there are idiots, there will be idiotic pandering shows.
The premise was GLARINGLY SO OBVIOUS I think people should stay away if they don’t like the themes
This would probably make a great hentai.
Nakadashi X Times Consecutively (X being the number of ‘brothers’).
Let the baby-batter flow!!
Exactly this. If you are going to go pervy or kinky or into fetishes, just go full porn. The people who don’t like it will stay away, and the people who are into it will get some TnA.
Why do these show keep getting made? Is there seriously a large enough audience for this half-sexed bullshit? Do the pervy otakus really have that much sway.
My favorite explanation for the reason these shows exist is: the people making the show or comic looked at it and said “hmm the characters are boring and no one gives a crap about what happens to them. I know, let’s add some kinky twist to ensure someone will read/watch our product. Oh look, incest seems popular.”
Judging from the images for the show, each family member can only show one eye at a time as well ;P
the vocalists for the ED of Brothers Conflict are Asahina Brothers and Juli, ie the voice actors themselves. singing is definitely not their strength.
I think this tren goes to both sides. Since a girl wants her Prince Charming and the guys want a submissive girl they can protect and embrace. The taboo connotations I think are a sloppy way to show the difference in status of both sides.
I have friend girl that loves this kinda of things.
As for me I only find it generic as hell. Since it doesn’t show any conflict as far as description goes.
Waiting for someone to sub Tamayura is killing me. I think it’s the only show I have this season that I haven’t been able to find some group planning to cover.
@qwert: Its my top pick this season so I know how you feel.
Definitely know how you feel. Last season we had to wait a week for each episode! But really … I absolutly love this show and it’s Sato Junichi at his SoL, Aria style best.
aria always da best. Blu ray when?
Aria wouldn’t benefit very much from a Bluray release as it was never planned to be HD. The first season wasn’t even broadcast widescreen. Mind you they gave the Toradora masters the Bluray treatment so who knows.
The subbed version out is done by UTW and FFF so should be pretty good. As soon as work ends I’m heading home to watch it!!!
There’s a subbed version out, FYI. No idea about the quality.
So….
Free! is basically Guy-On!, Tamayura is still un-aggressive (no harm in that), and Brother’s Conflict really wants to be a trashy AV/porno.
Hmmm…
FREE being released on the independence day of the land of the FREE. Reminded me of that time where Kiritsugu kills natalia on mothers day and then proceeds to kill ilya on father’s day. Oh what trippy coincidence is japan going to come up next?
Well Kyoani did plan the release of the last episode of chunibyou with the end of the Mayan calendar and used it as a major plot point so who knows?
Free! gives off a so bad it’s good feel to me. It’s not a good show by any means but it loops back into being hilarious with all the ridiculous stuff going on in this episode.
I actually liked the two straight man characters in Free. It was a cute start, if they can keep up this level of slice-of-life comedy, I’d be happy to watch it for the next few months. C:
I wonder what studios are thinking when weighing the production costs with how much a story is worth animating. How big of a market are incest harem shows anyway?
I agree with Brothers Conflict; it’s supposed to be my guilty pleasure this summer… Guess that’s out the window. And Free… I sincerely hope for future episodes that are similarin quality to the Kanya fest eps from Hyouka.
Brothers Conflict is better than The Duggars (aka 5^5 -4 Kids And Counting or Agrestic With Twist) because it [swallows 54oz Caf-Doubts-Fixation with local flavinoids] focuses on the family direction traditions of the female head-of-household, and runs around toy experiments of parental direction and remarriage to suggest choices in family capabilities basis algebras. Oh, but there’s a dating game if you want to just think of it as an M&A Family sort of thing (the ___ Family of Companies, pure-plays and shareholders etc.)
Do not let this keep you from making the S2, S3 posters and PV (and BroCon room planning) at deviantart featuring cleft palates, eczema, Down’s, and Dead Ringers references. Or, claims for how the talking squirrel keeps the reverse-harem troubles of Fushigi Yuugi (where [all die] happens) are of course well vetted options, along with the non-sequitur in fashion (outside Russia) this poses. Go on, count Vera Wang’s kids and tell me why Versace didn’t have a kid in politics…
Free looks like a silly excuse for all the characters to walk around stripping their clothes off. A bit too much like Fairy Tail’s Gray. All the water effects had me laughing imagining it was Ouran’s Karizuiwa “refreshing men” battle. A bunch of bishies doing a whole heap of awkward things looking ridiculous while playing it cool.
Without a doubt the most emotionally powerful, moving, sweet, and adorable episode of the season so far. And like Free!, a school club is being started where the members will actually be DOING something! (swimming in Free!, photography here).
As for Free!, we like the idea of former friends clashing in the present, as executed so well in AnoHana. It also made us really want to jump in the public pool down the street…it’s getting hot round these parts!
brother’s conflict would have been much better as a true harem. they could have made the plot so that the bland flat cola of a girl moves in to a dorm or whatever they call them in japan and have meet the guys, who look like rejects from a yaoi manga by the way,and then throw in all the romantic stuff. it would have been more acceptable. all this incest stuff ( even if they are not related by birth ) makes the anime feel like its storyline was taken from a hentai. i accidentally watched 10 minutes of the 1st episode. now i have to watch SNK to get the bad taste out of my mind. sorry. but this anime is bad.
I enjoyed the first episode of Free so very much. It was hysterical. I couldn’t stop laughing at the constant silliness and the over the top posturing/posting.