Spice and Wolf
So… this is what you get if you hand an award-winning novel to an animation-company like Imagin: an authentic atmosphere, interesting characters, and a main female lead who spends nearly the entire episode without any clothes whatsoever and basically ruins the entire series. Still, I do admit that this series turned out better than I originally expected. I can see the potential here in this series, and this episode also took its time in telling the story. At times, I’m just not sure whether the creators’ minds were on storytelling or cheap fanservice, and seeing their reputation (Love Love, Cosmopolitan Prayers, Smash Hit…) there is enough reason to worry about this one to fall into a fanservice-fest.
Noramimi
Ooh, this reminds me so much of Tetsuko no Tabi! Not in terms of story, but in terms of execution. The graphics again are simple and again there’s great chemistry between the characters. Basically, in this series people live together with things called mascots. Noramimi is about a sort-of dating-service company, which basically matches people and mascots so they can live together. It works quite well, but yet again, I don’t see this one getting any chance of being subbed. Still, any series that features a hamster smoking a cigarette deserves to be watched.
Hakaba Kitarou
Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I can’t believe I was wrong in my entry about Shigofumi! The best first episode of the season definitely belongs to Hakaba Kitarou, and yes, I’m serious about it. Gegege no Kitarou, which aired last year, got dull quite fast, but Hakaba Kitarou turned into a really well-done and freakish horror-series. Whether it can keep up with the same quality for the rest of the series remains another question, but still the fact remains that this episode absolutely ROCKED. If you’re tired of all the moe-shows, you should definitely give this one a chance. I LOVE what noitaminA has been doing for anime for the past few years!!!
I believe the nudity that was in the episode (of Spice and Wolf) was actually in the novel, so I think it’s rather silly to say the entire series is ruined based on that.
>Spice and wolf … bla bla … a main female lead who spends nearly the entire episode without any clothes whatsoever … blabla bla bla
ok i’m definively watching to this >.>” XD
annd what about this …
>If you’re tired of all the moe-shows
and the links points to a my beloved Gunslinger girl… tell me what’s moe there ^°,..,°^ i will bite anybody who speaks bad of my beloved Henrietta!! Gaooo!!
I’m not really surprised Hakaba Kitarou turned out this way…it’s really easy to confuse it with Gegege no Kitarou, see, or even the original incarnation of Gegege, ‘Hakaba no Kitarou’, but it’s actually a brand new series and horror-driven. Whereas Gegege tries to make peace between youkai and mankind, Hakaba pretty much is a magnet for trouble. (The original ‘hakaba no’ also starts with creepy ‘Hands’, but it’s comparatively campy compared with ‘hakaba’)
It’s somewhat sad since Hakaba seems to be what the West would like, but it’s so easy to confuse if you’re not already a Mizuki fan. :/
I was really having the impression that Spice and Wolf didn’t use nudity for fanservice rather than they just made it look like it just didn’t matter.
Big focus on butts and breasts – unless it was to denote the protagonist actually noticed a woman’s assets? Only on fully clothed Chloe.
I didn’t find it too fanservicy. I just found it expecting a degree of maturity from the viewers.
Oh, Horo found clothing now. One would think that she’d keep them from now on, but later she finds a reason to remove them. Without spoiling much, that part in the manga was pretty casual stuff of “I’m removing everything, drying off and putting on dry clothes”.
Solaris: well, that was more of a subtle jab to all the complaining about Il Teatrino than the show itself. 😉
flou, Zoberraz: I guess my biggest fear for this show is that it’s animated by a company like Imagin, which doesn’t really have that good of a record.
solaris:what are you talking about ?Rico was so moe in episode 1,did you see that smile before she shot the guy down,so cute 😉
nudity isn’t always fanservice,i mean,fanservice was the farthest thing on my mind when i was watching elfen lied
The majority of the Winter anime shows look pretty dull, but maybe Hakaba Kitarou will be a nice surprise for me. And by surprise I mean I’ll be scared by the “freakish horror”.
First off Imagin were rather faithful to the manga with the nudity and the manga is a faithful adaption of the novel. Also I saw the Chloe scenes as more “sensual” than the naked Horo scenes…. If it was going to be more fanservicey they would’ve made Horo’s assets a lot bigger and changed the position of her hair and tail during those scenes….
Chloe wasn’t in the manga though, so that’s a bit of a fanservicey aspect, yeah? O:
>solaris:what are you talking about ?Rico was so moe in episode 1,did you see that smile before she shot the guy down,so cute 😉
Totoum, wrong perspective, that wasn’t a moe smile. Remember that Rico is the most enthusiastic girl in the group. Go back to watch S1, ep3. Rico enjoys life, as she suffered a terrible illness and may treasure every moment of her life, thus she may enjoy herself also if Mr Jean is scolding her, she likes the sun that warms up on her face or just shooting to you with a smile. She could care less XD In some way she’s the most innocent girl and that was what the villain saw a moment before his death. An angel that shoots you down! That was a very good scene
>Nicholas-Chloe wasn’t in the manga though, so that’s a bit of a fanservicey aspect, yeah? O:
Hmmm…NO. Entire episode was about 2 chapters. They just decided to add a character to expend the story(Lawrence and Horo meeting had more realistic reaction in anime then manga). As long as they keep the core of the story and add side characters; it will turn out to be great series (as long as script writers will do their job). And who said fanservice is bad? Wolf and Spice probably aims at audience around 17-20.
Solaris,sorry I was (mostly) joking,don’t worry i’ve seen all the episodes at least 10 times 🙂
wow, I’m surprised you liked Hakaba Kitarou. That was one of the series that I really planned on avoiding. Maybe I’ll consider watching it now ^_^
For Spice and wolf I didn’t find it to be for fan service. I haven’t read the manga but to me it was just how Horo was. She says that she’s not a god but a wolf and In the first episode she talks about her true form which appears to be a giant wolf. because of this, wearing clothes isn’t in her nature. As others have said, Chloe was the only character I saw that suggested anything more.
Thanks for your work.
Your site is interesting for me I want to often visit your site from now on.
「Japanese NARUTO anime、E
http://japanese-naruto-anime.blogspot.com/
Please come to see at any time.
Please link to this site.
Japanese NARUTO anime
and I have added you to my blogroll already.
Please come to see once.