So yeah, this season I’m going to continue ranking the shows that I’m not blogging from best to worst. The format will be pretty much the same, although I’m not going to include Poyopoyo anymore. In terms of writing about 2-minute episodes, my inspiration has run out for that. However, if I haven’t made this clear by now: check this series out, because in terms of relatable slice of life you really can’t get any better than this.
#1: Shirokuma Cafe – 14: The premise of this episode was crazy. Both halves were; a polar bear and a penguin visiting the bech is already surreal enough on its own, but the first half of this episode really tole the show. It’s based on an idea so stupid that nobody tries it anymore. And here this show comes and goes with it. – **+ (Excellent+)
#2: Alice in the Country of Hearts: I’m not going to make an entry out of this, but I do want to say that against my expectations after finding out that this was yet another reverse harem with a ton of bishies, I really enjoyed this one. It has made not making any sense into an art form. Characters really appear from out of bloody nowhere and things jump from one place to the other without any explanation whatsoever, even for the standards of something based on Alice in Wonderland. But the charactrs are fun an interesting, the dialogue was surprisingly good, the music was used really well. This really had the charms that originally made me a fan of the shoujo genre. *+ (Great)
3#: Hunter X Hunter – 37: This was the first time in which I’ll admit: this episode was significantly better than its counterpart in the 1999 series. the 1999 version at this point was t its dullest point: so much build-up had passed, and things still didn’t look like they were picking up. this version though, is different. Ging’s background was done much better, and the whole lay-out of this story flowed much more. Also, what do you mean that this story is 13 years old? I’m curious to my younger readers: did you actually recognize those cassette tapes? – *+ (Great)
#4: Saint Seiya Omega – 14: This week’s episode was actually very good, the way in which it used someone from Saori’s past and delved more into it. The plot is also finally moving, but do you really meant to say that they still need to collect four more of those goddamn crystals before they can face the big boss? – *+ (Great)
#5: Phi Brain – 38: Jikugawa was one of the few characters who wasn’t affected by the past degeneration arc so his part in this episode was very god. However, now that my suspense of disbelief has been broken I’m starting to notice other thing. For example how empty the school is: Ana and Nonoha were supposed to evacuate the entire building, and yet we only saw one other person. It’s important to populate your world, people. – *+ (Great)
#6: Kokoro Connect – 01 – Part B: So I was surprised over all of teh feedback that I judged this series too early, so I at least figured to check out the second half of this episode… and right after the point where the first half left ff a crazy lesbian appeared from out of nowhere and started groping the girlIs this really common behavior? In any case, afterwards things got better and I may have been a bit too harsh rating this with 0% potential, but I still don’t really like how the dialogue is too tatic, or how random this show is: there is no point to these gender changes: theey’re just there for no reason whatsoever and unlike Natsuiro Kiseki there is no context behind it. What this show was very good at was describing the slice of life situations for the cast after they left school, but I really don’t want to see more of this show if it’s just going to base itself of unfunny perverted jokes. – — (Lacking)
I remember Gon’s mom being dead. And I don’t remember Ging’s face being shown this much. Did they change this between the two versions?
The 1999 version changed it a lot. They made Gon’s mom and Mito sisters. And her whereabouts or identity are unknown. Mito is also Gon’s cousin not Aunt
Ging actually spoke in this episode. In 1999, only his face was shown.
> For example how empty the school is: Ana and Nonoha were supposed to evacuate the entire building, and yet we only saw one other person. It’s important to populate your world, people.
Accurate comments is accurate, I just can “NAZE DA?!” to that scene. But still, better indeed than previous random-beach episode.
Please continue to follow this series until the end, please ^_^
“For example how empty the school is: Ana and Nonoha were supposed to evacuate the entire building, and yet we only saw one other person. It’s important to populate your world, people.”
The building was empty because they already sent everyone else home! Ana even says something about no-one remaining in the building (key word, “nokottenai”). It’s important to populate your world (which is actually exactly what the series did in the recent episodes) but it’s also important to pay attention while watching.
I interpretated his point as that we only saw Chieno’s evacuation and not a single other student, but I already got the impression psgels didn’t pay a close attention to what was being said several times, eg at the first season’s finale.
Phi Brain being in the dropped section feels weird since you’re still reviewing it in the kaleidoscopes but I’m not sure which category it would go then. Anyway, I am thankful you’re reviewing Phi Brain, and I know best how few people talk about it.
Instead of Kokoro Connect i wish they’d do “Ame Nochi Hare” ie “Clear weather after rain”. It’s about five boys transforming into girls when it rains and it’s really well made, but i guess there isn’t much material for an anime, only 5 volumes out.
Sounds like Ranma 1/2. ^^; Does hot water change them back? XD
haha no, they change back after some time, but it sort of treated like a mystery, because there are many question and up till now (i’m at volume 2) nothing been revealed which makes you want for more. It’s very well paced.
The context of the exchange should come next episode. It’s through the exchanges you find out more about the characters themselves. It’ll be more drama than boob touching, though verbal perverted jokes will pop up here and there. Dependent on how far they adapt the series there could be a number of huge plot twist
As a reader of the Kokoro Connect novels, I can assure you that perverted scenes are not common in the story. The next episode should explain how the body-swapping works. Character development occurs through such body-swapping as they get to know more about one another after literally being in their shoes. I hope the final philosophical discussion is done well, cuz that was the most interesting part of the book for me.
Still, I must say that the adaption isn’t as well as I had hoped…
So, I am an avid reader of psgels’ blog, and this is the first time I’m commenting on any of his/her entries (Yes, I dont know if you’re a girl or guy). I really think the criticisms and subtle praises that psgels sets up are respectable, and interesting enough to cause discussion over almost every blog entry.
But
In all honesty, every time psgels downplays a series for its focus on the “harem” and “fanservice,” I want to give that series a chance. Like psgels said, I was also afraid that Kokoro Connect was going to be another one of those half-assed series in which 90% of the jokes are like perverted/ecchi jokes. On top of that, the body switch was really pointless and didn’t seem to have enough of a force to actually move the story. But after watching the second episode, I realized that this “body switch” concept allows for more creative input.
And the fact that the reason behind this phenomenon isn’t revealed allows for viewers/readers to really continue watching the series.
*******From here we’ll have major spoilers from episode 2*****
The concept allows for creative input because:
1. The relationship between characters is the strength of the series, not the concept of switching bodies. You can already tell through yui’s simple motivations that she really likes nagase (whether as a friend or more). Yui is really conservative in front of boys. With the body switch happening more and more, I feel like yui’s development in character will really be interesting. Then there’s nagase’s family situation. None of the club members knew that she lives alone with her mother, and such revelations to the rest of the characters will really create different sentiments and bonds within each other. And I think the plot really moves forward after episode 2. Inaba in Taichi’s body tells the class rep that “Taichi likes Nagase” at the end of the episode. This is where the main cast is forced to help each other out and become much more intimate with each other for the sake of their normal lives. So, no matter who’s in who’s body from now on, Taichi’s body needs to pretend to like Nagase’s body. I feel like this will create a variety of developments.
2. It allows for a variety of stylizations per character. For example, when nagase switches body with aoki towards the end of the second episode, I was really impressed at how nagase’s serious side was amplified because she was in aoki’s body as she contemplates on “an individual’s identification” with taichi in the subway station. I felt like if nagase spoke all philosophically and sentimentally in her own body, I wouldn’t be able to take it as seriously, because from the beginning of the series we all register nagase’s body (whether she’s in the body or not) as a light-hearted, funny and playful person.
So, because of this, I really want to convince psgels to yet again, give Kokoro Connect another chance. I’m sure Kokoro Connect will be an enjoyable series if you take a look at the character development more closely.
psgels, I know that you watch probably at least 3 hours worth of anime everyday AND write blogs AND work, so you may be very busy to add this to your list of series you are watching currently. You probably know more about the anime industry more than I do. You observe the flow of each studio and even the flow of some directors/writers/teams in order to tell their specialties, tendencies, and etc.. but i hope you watch kokoro connect. I sometimes feel like you miss out on really great series because of their bad first impressions.
But really, thanks for years of your honest and authentic reviews.
-avid reader of your blog-