Inu X Boku SS – 02

Okay, with this I’m going to put Hunter X Hunter on hold for a while. At least until Hyouge Mono ends, and if Black Rock Shooter and/or Smile Precure turn out to be interesting, it’ll be for even longer. Some of the comments from my last entry gave me a lot of insight of what I want with this series, especially Machi’s. I can not blog this show like what I do with my usual series. Looking back though, what I enjoyed the most while blogging that series was comparing how the two different adaptations chose to portray the manga, in order to gain more insight in what they both tried to do. However, with that I have a really big dilemma. I cannot really talk about those things in front of people who never watched the original series. I know from blogging manga adaptations that overly nitpicky reviews like that are only annoying to those not familiar with one of the things you try to compare it to. It worked with Full Metal Alchemist – Brotherhood because the recap only took about 15 episodes. This though will look like it’ll take trice as long before we’ll get to the original content. And for that, there really isn’t much I can say about it if I’m supposed to ignore the fact that I already watched this story before.

As for the replacement, the dilemma was whether it should be Inu Boku or Ano Natsu. They’re actually pretty similar. They’re both the usual wish fullfillment: Ano Natsu is about getting to live together with a cute and big breasted girl. Inu Boku is about having a butler. Both are well directed. Both have good characterization despite these cliches. Both have things that just have to be supernatural in some way, though they’re mostly about slice of life and mundane conversations. Ano Natsu is shounen that can be enjoyed by all genders, while Inu Boku is shoujo, but can also be enjoyed by both genders.

The big advantage of Ano Natsu is that it’s anime original. With staff like that, it will develop somehow. What made me go for Inu X Boku, despite it being an adaptation of a manga that still hasn’t finished, is… um… actually pretty simple: I like the cast better. In the end, Ano Natsu just has too many annoying characters, and comparing the wimpy lead to Inu Boku’s cocky tsundere… I have to give it to Inu Boku. I can’t believe I just said that I like a tsundere.

It’s obviously not the tsundere part that makes me like her better, because in general this is a stereotype that still needs to die. Instead, it’s her acting and the way she’s portrayed. On one hand she’s witty and eloquent, but her weaknesses and especially her feelings of loneliness were well portrayed. On top of that is a colourful side-cast, where especially the main side cast is quite likable, and I’m interested. I also like how in essence, everyone in this show is a youkai. Nobody really is special here, ignoring the butler thing obviously. There are some issues: some of the minor side characters do have some acting issues. The blond woman in particular needs to learn that a character is more than just one quirk that you need to repeat over and over.

Now, this episode wasn’t as good as the first episode. The direction and pacing was less inspired, and in particular there was not as much emotion stuffed into it in comparison: most of the time just had the main character snark her way through its airtime. Yet, the show knows how to build up. The finale in particular was quite heart-warming. The episode also had some nice moments, though I really would have liked to see a bit less monotone tone for the first half of the episode. Out of all the new series I’m blogging, this one did end up the least interesting after episode two, but I have hope. Especially now that it’s clear that there’s a good end point for this series so that it won’t need a bad ending.
Rating: * (Good)

14 thoughts on “Inu X Boku SS – 02

  1. I found Ano Natsu 2 incredibly tedious. I must be in a bad mood or something, because it felt like watching a typical JC Staff highschool anime but bereft of all energy (for better and worse). I could barely get through the episode.

    Inu x Boku wasn’t much better. True, the characters feel a little more lively, and have a bit of comedy and chemistry, but the shtick is just as tired and lame. Nothing happened here either.. it felt like an episode devoted to showing us her weak transformation sequence, and to reduce her to mush already in episode 2.

  2. Love your cop out about why you are putting HxH on hold. The simple fact of the matter is even for people who watched the original series, your constant comparisons that always amounted to the exact same thing ’99 was just better because it was har har’ grew increasingly tiresome.

    But on to the matter at hand, Inu x Boku. Now I wouldv’e preferred you did Ano Natsu instead as that show is brilliant where as this is mediocre but what ever to each their own.

    Also unban me from the shoutbox I want to talk about Phi Brain

    1. Fact of the matter is that that majority of us had already seen the previous series and just wanted you to shut up and talk about the new series. Look back on your past reviews of HxH. Every god damn time you talk more about the old series than the new. You also repeatedly talk about the old series being better without giving any reasoning, not even once.

      Hence why so many people (myself included) became fed up with your overwrought and irritating HxH reviews. It is not an anime that should be compared, it honestly isn’t. What good does saying the first anime chose to do filler instead have to do with the current series? Nothing. What point is there comparing an incomplete and inaccurate adaptation with one that intends to be a complete and more accurate series? There is no point as we all know they are going to be different from the start.

      You should have just reviewed it on it’s own merits, but you are clearly not a skilled enough writer to handle such simple concepts.

      Now unban me from the shoutbox so I can talk about why Phi Brain is the best kids show in years.

      1. I think the biggest issue here Kevin looking back at majority of the posts is that what I notice is comparison are done between 99 series, manga, and 2011. The problem here is that, that I especially see with you, is many keep expecting psgels to praise the new series as it may ‘respect’ or more faithfully adapt the manga as compared to the 1999 series. I’m not sure if you understand the problem here or rather the hipocracy of the situation in that there were those angry that he kept making comparisons between the old and the new anime but miss out on the fact that those same people were comparing both animes to the manga.

        In other words what we come across here is essentially what you’d criticizing psgels for, namely talking less about content and focusing more on comparison between the old and the new series when many including yourself ended up comparing the anime adaptations to the manga rather than really going to the gist of the content (praise here and there for stylistics but yeah big whoop we’ve seen more impressive ones from other animes so it doesn’t exactly stand out – heck he’s just watched Penguindrum whether or not you like the series topping off the stylistics of that will be a tough act to follow – and furthermore we’re already well aware of the content so nothing much added here but a few sprinkled touches).

        Lastly you have another very important problem here many were rather discontent with psgels actually defending the original because he was completely unaware of the manga hence could not appreciate what fans saw in the new adaptation, faithfulness. Unfortunately, this quality is lost to him because he doesn’t read the manga and in turn posters were generally disappointed or would end up making extremely long posts with comparisons to the manga that he was unaware of. Simply put its not in his capacity to properly communicate anything about the faithfulness of the rendition or appreciate it because he never read the manga. Now given that he only knows of HXH from the 1999 version where else could he base his opinions from, and don’t tell me he can ignore not comparing the two given that you and and almost everyone end up comparing manga and anime constantly rather than content which you are quite familiar with (yet don’t bother commenting any further because you’re so familiar with the quality of the writing of Togashi). 1999 version for all its quirks was generally quite faithful in its own way as they only added or padded things not subtract from it, content wise they were fine, as for certain presentations (of which are dictated by censorship) there lies the difference which lets face it didn’t exactly wow him the way it did you. He wasn’t that wowed by Hisoka’s little trick at the tower, neither was I, the way I see all fans praising it to high heavens. Same with the current episode with Hisoka, I’m not saying its a bad scene its certainly well drawn but that’s about it well drawn can’t say its enough to wow me.

  3. I have to say, I also believe Ano Natsu to be the better show out of the two. It explores raw emotions at a level of brilliance, whilst Inu X Boku seems somewhat mundane.

  4. One of the times when I definitely disagree with psgels, second episode of Ano natsu is far more interesting that Inu x Boku

    I only managed halfway through the episode, because.. I just didn’t care

  5. I was really interested in this series based on previews, but these first two episodes just felt really cliche (a mixed bag of anime tropes from a variety of genres, I suppose).
    All the side characters have just one personality quirk… If the sparkling fox bishie was anything other than dutifully submissive for at least one second, he would’ve been at least mildly interesting–but instead he’s just another pretty boy. All the other side characters aren’t any better, and the protagonist is much less revolutionary as a “tsundere” than people give her credit for.
    I do like the animation and character designs, though. It’s a pretty cool-looking cast. But my interest ends there unfortunately.

  6. I love this episode’s ED too. I mean it’s weird at first and is too J-Rock cliched at other points but overall, it’s really fun. And the ending picture in the ED is slightly creepy to say the least. Foreshadowing? 😀 I have faith in David to make this into more than it seems like now. I mean if it’s David, I can see anything happen. Kinda how the first episode had that twist at the end. I just feel like this will be a fun series.

    And unlike the many here saying they would prefer Ano Natsu, I would prefer to see this one. Ano Natsu seems too… I dunno how to put it. Maybe it seems too much like something that could end as a soap opera or complete boring cliche. I mean this is just a feeling, but I imagine this show will become something very interesting. But then again, who knows.

  7. I tried watching the first 2 eps of Inu X Boku, but it seems pretty generic so far (anyone read the manga?). Ano Natsu feels very similar to Ano Hana, but is nowhere near as awesome at the moment. The first ep was great IMO, but the second was kinda tedious. Ano Natsu does have more potential, though, seeing as how at the moment, the only question that Inu X Boku really has to answer is how/when Ririchiyo met and saved Soushi. Ano Natsu, however, has the film that they’re planning on doing, Kaito’s ongoing negative reaction to Ichika’s healing, if Ichika will get to where she was originally planning to go, and the usual love triangle. The animation and music are also a notch or two higher.

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