They aired after the main Legend of the Galactic Heroes series, but make no mistake: the two Gaiden series are prequels. One Hundred Billion Stars, One Hundred Billion Lights tells stories about the past of the main character, Reinhart von Lohengramm. In theory, they could be watched at any point in the series after episode 3 of the TV-series. The benefit you get from watching it early is some solid characterizations, backgrounds and introductions before the series gets really fired off. The benefit you get from waiting to check it out until the series finishes is a very solid background arc.
Now, the main series did hint at various events that happened in Reinhart’s past that we never fully got to see. Surprisingly though: this OVA doesn’t address those at all, and creates a whole array of new stories throughout Reinhart’s teenaged years. There are three small arcs of four episodes, followed by a big one comprising of 12 episodes. The last arc is typical LoGH: it focuses on large scale tactics and strategies, while weaving the stories of all kinds of characters together while at the same time asking many poignant question about the nature of war and commanding an army. Reinhart here shows a version of himself that he did not show throughout the main series, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
And then there are the short arcs, which really surprised me. It’s here where Legend of Galactic heroes shortly dabbles into other genres than its area of expertise: large scale space warfare. Each of these arcs are completely standalone and surprisingly varied. One of them even turns into a murder mystery, but in particular the third arc is masterfully told: it combines Legend of Galactic Heroes’ signature style of thoughtful dialogues and complex motives, and throws it into a story that instead of being told by reason, is told by emotions. That was the highlight of this season for me.
Now, these side stories miss the grandeur of the main series, so I can’t rate it as highly as the first. The stories are all really good, and again very intelligent, but they don’t come together as well as the main series did with its 110 episodes. It’s not that this movie is as unconnected as the first movie was. It’s still pretty much the best you can get in terms of warfare on a much smaller scale. It lacks the politics that made the main series so unique, though, and they definitely add a lot of things to this series and its cast. In terms of the big picture it’s just a matter of comparing a panther to a gigantic lion with wings.
| Storytelling: | 9/10 – Surprisingly varied: actually experiments with different genres, while keeping up its distinct style of very intelligent dialogue and storytelling. |
| Characters: | 9/10 – The characters in the original Legend of Galactic Heroes were already really well developed. The side stories allow them to show off even more sides of themselves. |
| Production-Values: | 8/10 – Actually an slight upgrade compared to the main series. |
| Setting: | 9/10 – This show doesn’t have the chance to get really grand and daring with its setting like the main series did, but it’s still a ridiculously solid portrayal of fleet warfare. |
Well, those were three opening episodes that were as good as I could have hoped for. At first I thought that this show would take a bit of a gear back in order to slowly show Chihaya growing into Karuta. And instead it wrapped up the childhood arc, ending with the three main characters all going separate ways for a while. Again a lot of stuff happened here. It’s a great idea to take the first three episodes to develop the cast when they were kids. With this, the only show this season that has a chance to beat this series’ first three episodes is Un-Go if it plays its cards right.
Why I like this show more than the others: it’s got both the best characters, and the most energy in its direction of the season. This show is both really well acted, but it also manages to really put a force into each of its scenes that makes every minute interesting to watch. Compared to the series that carefully build up their stories (for example Hunter X Hunter, Fate Zero, Persona), it’s much more engaging, and compared to the series that try to deliver immediately (Mirai Nikki, Ben-To) it’s the best at setting up a great base for the rest of its series, both in terms of characters and atmosphere. Again with the sole possible exception of Un-Go, and again that series is going to have to put in real effort to actually be able to beat this thing.
With this, the creators also gave a great depiction of the tired trope of childhood friends. This usually sucks because it’s often just slapped on. You want two characters to have a special bond? Wham! Childhood friends! This show turns the tables around by first of all creating the young versions of the characters, and have them grow from there on. Their younger versions feel like they’re a part of them, rather than just some plot devices. This episode was also full of the tiny details like Arata’s movement while he was sick, or how much emotion the animators managed to bring in just about every shot.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]> 
The more I watch this show, the more I’m baffled by one thing: why?
Seriously, within these first three episodes, the creators have yet to explain a single thing. This doesn’t include the big questions, like why the bad guys are challenging the world’s best puzzlers to puzzles, or why the main character is blackmailed to solve them. It’s also still a mystery of what the entire side cast is doing here. Why is there suddenly an inventor kid showing up? Why did he dislike puzzles, even though mathematic equations are just another version of puzzles? Why does the red hired guy follow the male lead everywhere where there’s a puzzle? Why did he bother to give him a bracelet that gave him headaches while he was thinking, even though you NEED to think when you’re inventing something or solving a math problem? Why didn’t the male lead just get a large pair of scissors to get that thing off? Why did the puzzle maker of this episode want to blow up the city he planned out like he was playing SimCity? Why is every of those puzzle makers a sore loser? Phi Brain, I will be seriously impressed if you actually manage to answer all of this.
I am beginning to see the intentions of the creators, though. The key of this episode was that the red haired guy somehow joined in. Last episode I found this really random, but now that I’m thinking about it: the creators are aiming to create a cast of six characters who all together try to solve the puzzles that get thrown at the main character at the same time. That explains their outrageous and the really weird and childish banter: when this gets developed, it can lead to some really fun and interesting scenarios. This episode was rather weird, in particular the kid’s development, but at the same time, it was surprisingly fun when they started to actually solve the puzzle.
What also makes this show weird is the way in which it allows its audience to solve the puzzles first: by assuming that there’s a pause button somewhere. It’s a bit weird to rely on that, but they always provide everything you need to know to solve the puzzle, only they don’t allow the viewer to solve things unless you’re a really fast thinker. I can understand why: with so many people who think at different speeds, this indeed is the more solid approach without making the fast ones wait and cutting the slow ones off.
Rating: * (Good)]]> 
This show is crazy. But that’s the interesting part about it. It’s completely over the top action and suspense, and it’s bound to be one hell of an entertaining series. The question now is: can it keep this pace up for the rest of the series, without self-destructing under its own ideas?
That bomb girl that appeared in this episode particularly over the top, where she pretty much had planted bombs around an entire school building (not an unimpressive feat, by the way). It lead to quite an interesting episode to watch. Her major flaw again was that she’s portrayed as this complete psycho, without much more (you’re a terrorist bomber? That’s great, but how do you make money and where do you get your materials from?). Thankfully she managed to escape so that she can at least get some development later on, but so far this is the part where this series needs to work on the most at this point: giving a reason to care for the other diary holders.
The chemistry between the two main characters is wonderful, though. Yuki in particular is how a wimpy male lead should be done. Instead of just acting bland like how most of his counterparts are done, this guy really acts scared and pathetic, especially around people he believes can help him. Also, did two main characters just kiss willingly in the second episode already? Thank you for not beating around the bush, actually!
Rating: ** (Excellent)
OP: A contender for the best OP of the season, if it didn’t spoil some of the rest of the characters.
ED: A bit more subtle in introducing the rest of the characters, but also a bland song.]]> 
One of the things that I find the most annoying about shounen series is the huge amount of time that you have to wait before things get good. Gitnama’s first 13 episodes were significantly less funny than the rest of the series. Bakuman took a huge amount of time to get going, and Nurarihyon no Mago was especially bad at this. It’s because of this that I refuse to watch One Piece, Fairy Tail and Rurouni Kenshin: out of all of them, I watched their first episode at some point, and none of them contained any hints whatsoever that they’d turn out better. Sure, they probably will and all, but I really don’t want to sit through seasons of mediocrity with no hints at quality whatsoever before that happens.
I may have given this show a lot of criticisms, but really: it’s already much better than the majority of shounen series out there. And heck, out of the shounen series that do have a good start, the vast majority of them turns sour after its first arc (Bleach, Ao no Exorcist for example). In three episodes, Hunter X Hunter 2011 has already showcased a lovable cast, an imaginative and detailed setting, a great atmosphere and a ton of intrigue. For that, I have to praise it.
Now, for the criticisms: I had one big issue with this episode: Hisoka. There were quite a bit of differences in this episode, but the only one that really was a downer was how Hisoka was introduced. The first season did this really well: he just stood there, and the only think you knew about him was that he was really dangerous and that he killed an examinator. It created a tremendous aura around him. In this episode? Some one bumps into him and he starts acting like this smug “I’m stronger than you hahaha” villain.
The other major difference in this episode was Tonpa, the rookie killer. In the first season it actually wasn’t clear that he was one until he started to double-cross the main characters. Here, they outright state it. It had an interesting effect, though: introducing all of the colourful side characters that will be appearing in the next number of episodes. He did it in quite an interesting and enjoyable way, making introductions which normally are just a boring side-task, fun and interesting.
For the next episode though, I really do hope that the creators take their time with the running exam. That’s just something that needs to drag on, otherwise it’ll lose its entire point of testing the endurance of the different characters. This episode already made a step in the right direction though. I really liked how it showed everyone just waiting for the exam to start. It’s a great way to build up atmosphere.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]> 
Ah, this show passed the second episode test. And you know what, I’m going to blog this thing. It unfortunately has harem elements, but really: this IS the show with the most entertaining action of the entire season. I’m not going to just ignore it like what I unfortunately did with Dororon Enma-kun Meera Meera.
Of course, I was very cautious with this series. Especially after how Majikoi turned out in the end. This second episode kept the balls in the air, and introduced new ideas and characters. And what’s also interesting is that this show is visibly holding back one of its main characters. The blond girl who features prominently in just about every promo material… she hasn’t made a single appearance so far. It takes balls to pull that off.
In any case, what makes this show great is that it’s full of these tiny clever ideas that spice up every episode, on top of being a show about fighting for half-priced lunch boxes that just has to be done every single evening. The huge housewife who used her shopping cart as a weapon was hysterical, but I also love how this show gives everyone nicknames that all seem to have double meanings somehow. Or what about that glasses guy who is just standing there in the background? What’s more: it does the impossible for a harem show: it actually hints at how the different girls have crushes other than the male lead. Hana is a fangirl for the monk guy, and this episode hinted very that the witch and the wizard had some former relationship. Whether this gets actually developed or not remains the question, but still: this is a first.
What also sets this show apart from the average harem: its acting. Finally we have another harem that’s well acted. The characters aren’t annoying idiots but behave down to earth. The scene in which You and Hana just had their cheap ramen and onigiri dinner in particular worked really well. But overall, the characters know exactly how to act without trying too hard. The side characters too are all very likable and interesting. It’s much better than, say, Haganai, in which the characters are just trying too hard to be like their stereotypes. The music is also just fantastic. Some of the best of the season.
Long story short: in the past two episodes I just encountered one flaw: the fact that this is a harem.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]> 
I like the ED, how it shows the lives of the servants before they became… servants. I do have one major problem with them though: why did they find it a good idea to spoil the looks of the servants before they appear in the story? The OP is like that too. I mean, the whole point of not showing certain characters, while introducing them, especially in such a series where the amount of characters is fixed from the start, is to build up suspense. What will these servants look like? Just showing them takes away part of the suspense.
Aaand that’s about the only negative thing I have to say about this episode. The major theme of this Fall Season is taking time to build up your story and characters, with Un-Go and Ben-To being some of the major exceptions. In that area, Fate/Zero is among the best in the building up department. While other series might have more lively characters, a more imaginative setting or a more exciting opening, the dialogue is very well written and presents its exposition in an interesting way, the acting is rock-solid and the build-up is slowly but very solidly creating its atmosphere, helped a lot by Yuki Kajiura (that’s why I’m so disappointed at the OP and ED for trying to go against that).
It’s a bit of a shame that there’ll be a 3-month pause in the middle, but at least that will ensure that those episodes too will receive the attention they deserve, rather than rushing through the ending. This episode was solid and promised a lot for the next episode. I hope that like last week, the battles in this series instead of dragging on, they are to the point. Those fit this kind of series much better, when it’s expected of everyone to think smart. Everyone is actually very busy keeping surveillance on each other with the use of familiars (I also like that we don’t exactly see who the four people who watched on last episode’s battle were; again, suspense). My prediction on the first one to fall is Rider. His master so far has been the most naive of the bunch.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]> 
Towa no Quon 02 is an improvement over the first movie, which is good to see. The animation budget went down a bit, but everything else is more interesting than the first movie.
The characters are less annoying, Quon is less perfect, the main side characters are better fleshed out, the lead female is much less of an idiot. Overall it’s a good movie spent, and proves to be a good antidote for all of the optimism that was present in the first movie. This puts it at least above Break Blade, where all of the movies just looked too much like each other. This movie instead is about a supernatural murder mystery. It’s actually well built up and the movie has a clear structure. That helps too.
Having said that though… the culprit behind the murders turned out to be one heck of an emo. The acting for the culprit was very bland, one sided and done to death. And overall, this movie still hasn’t really solved the way in which most of the characters are just too one-sided. This movie fulfilled its purpose in building up well, but it’s not there yet. The next number of movies need to continue this upward trend.
Oh my god. I’ve finally finished the first part of this behemoth of a franchise. Legend of Galactic Heroes is completely unique. It took more 12 years for it to completely finish, from the opening movie to the final side-stories. It was un-rivaled at the time when it came out, and nothing like it ever appeared again. With amine being as it today, I don’t think there will ever be another series like it. I know that it’s long (it totals a whopping 162 episodes and three movies), however if you have the time to watch it and are tired of anime’s trends towards moe and cheap entertainment: by all means give it a chance.
This is one of those series that actually changed my perception. After finishing this series, my view of how to portray tactical warfare, strategical warfare and politics are completely different. In those three areas, this series just blows every other anime out there out of the water with its complexity, maturity and ingenuity. Instead of basing itself on weird logic, just about everything in this series is carefully thought through and fleshed out. The main cast of this series is intelligent, without being perfect: everyone in this show has his or her flaws to make up for it, ranging from hypocrisy to laziness and temper.
I remember that my biggest criticism for the first movie was that the creators tried to make the main characters smart by surrounding them by rashly thinking officers who can’t see the big picture. This thankfully also got fixed throughout this series. Not by just removing it, but giving it a very deep meaning within the story. Whereas the movie was just a depiction of a space battle, the TV-series has very strong themes about Autocracy versus Democracy, what it means to be a ruler and commander, and what it means to be a hero. The incompetent people who fail at their jobs are used perfectly in order to illustrate how difficult commanding an army can be.
And then, there is the character development. This series has 110 episodes, divided over 4 seasons. All four seasons stand on their own as different, and this particularly shows in the character development, and how the characters think and act. The main cast changes subtly, but significantly, but even the side characters grow throughout this series. And really: the cast of this series is ENORMOUS. What this show also likes to do is take minor side characters who haven’t appeared for what feels like 50 episodes, in order to put them a bit in the spot-lights and show how much they’ve changed.
Now, this series has undoubtedly parts that it does better than any other anime out there. Did it turn into my favourite series, though? For that question, I’m afraid that my answer is no.
At this point, Legend of Galactic Heroes is ridiculously hyped. Let me however clearly state what this show isn’t: it is not a roller-coaster ride. It’s also not a series that is easy to get into, it’s not a series that blows you away time after time, it’s not a series with an impeccable atmosphere, nor is it a series that’s very easy to watch and draw you in.
The storytelling in this series is very composed and polite. It’s so very calculated and the plot twists feel very natural, but I did have to force myself to really sit through such an emormous amount of 110 episodes. The direction delivers its plot twists as they are, and rarely adds extra spices to the storytelling in terms of inventive camera work, or passionate voice acting. The animation as well is very composed: it’s good enough to keep character models consistent, battles interesting, but only one out of 10 or so episodes really goes beyond that. And heck, the episodes with the best animation aren’t the most important ones to the plot, and there is one character death episode that actually suffers from very bad animation. It’s a bit like reading a history book, really: it is incredibly interesting to see how everything plays out, but it still feels like something is missing when you compare it to other forms of entertainment.
110 episodes is really long. Nevertheless though, I still believe that this was the absolute best that anime had to offer until Escaflowne came out.
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is a young genius pilot.
Well, first things first: it’s awesome to see Gonzo back. It’s not just the series they make. It’s because of their balls: they like to take risks like no other studio out there, and that’s why I became a fan of them, even though they did release their fair share of crap. Now, as for this series: it looks just gorgeous. The CG is still up to Gonzo’s high standards and the creators didn’t just copy designs from the first season, but came up with a whole new set of eye candy that certainly does not stand out as inferior to its predecessor. As for the story of this episode: it’s definitely more childish than the first season, and shows a bunch of teenagers being able to disrupt an entire fleet. The first season had this too, but was a lot more subtle about it, especially with the enemy fleet having very stuck-up commanders and deploying no vanships whatsoever to intercept the main cast. There’s also fanservice, though thankfully not as much as was feared. The acting is overall very good, though it does have a number of weak points. The direction is also quite solid, despite the lighter tone. This is a typical example of a first episode with a lot of potential to become amazing, but also with quite a number of things that can hold it back and didn’t work out as well as you’d hope. Yup, that’s Gonzo alright.
OP: The OP of the first season was much better.
ED: A familiar voice. The song is a bit redundant after hearing it in other EDs, but the picture slideshow looks nice.
Potential: 80%
Guilty Crown
Short Synopsis: Our lead character meets a half-naked girl.
That was absolutely gorgeous. The first episode of Guilty crown is a visual feast, in the way that just about every frame is meticulously detailed and well drawn, in the way that only Production IG can do for a television series. If they keep this up, then this will very likely be the prettiest Noitamina series of the year. As for the rest of the episode though: there were a number of issues I had with it. The biggest is that outside of the visuals, I miss creativity: the scenario of this episode had a been there, done that”-feeling, and the main characters are a bunch of walking cliches. On one hand you have the really bland male main character, and on the other hand we have this female who has special powers, is his childhood friend, and gives the male lead a special weapon that he can use to kick ass. There have been way too many shows already with that premise, and the only thing that this show really added to that was its gorgeous visuals. This is a show that needs to grow significantly. But heck: at least the characters are far from as stupid or annoying as they were in Fractale.
OP: Good idea to combine it with the content of the episode.
ED: A bit of a dull ballad with nice art from the promo images.
Potential: 75%
Un-Go
Short Synopsis: Our lead character solves mysteries.
Here is a very interesting one, and I don’t mean that in the way you might expect. At first this episode started off like your average murder mystery series: the protagonists happened to be stuck in a room full of people where someone conveniently got murdered. It was well built up, but strangely mundane. Then however the second half came around and this episode just kept switching moods, themes and atmospheres. This series is attempting to breathe a new wind into the episodic murder mystery genre. This episode had science fiction, horror, and the post-apocalypse all stuffed together. This was the strange case of not the culprit getting some surprise added depth, but the setting itself became a lot more intriguing once this episode started putting the pieces of its puzzle together. On top of that, this episode was well produced and well directed with very natural camera work. The creators definitely took creative liberties on the original work it’s based on, and the episodic set-up really allows them to try a wide variety of different stuff. Oh, and as an added bonus this episode had the best use of music and sounds of the entire season so far. My only warning for when you plan to check it out: the characters. They are not on the list of priorities for this series.
OP: A bit of a dull song, but lots of neat eye candy.
ED: By far the best ED of the seasons. Heck, even the OPs get nowhere as close to the imaginative visuals and music that was displayed here.
Potential: 90%]]>