Category: Series which were Dropped

Yozakura Quartet – Hana no Uta – 03

by psgels, posted in Yozakura Quartet

Having superpowered characters who are really hard to kill does take away a bit of the tension, but it fits strangely wellin the light-hearted tone of these past episodes. This episode was about the background of some of the characters here, and the nature of the setting of this series. The villain only made an appareance like, once or something?

But yeah, this was solid build-up, because we now have a good grasp on who the main character is like, having bascially the responsibilit of sending demons to this unknown dimension that might not even exist, basically potentially killing them: that’s great conflict, and this episode cleverly showed us how he chose to deal with this by holding out on this until the last moment, and first showing all of the different sides to the issue.

Also, there was that scene with the car that came out of bloody nowhere. That really grabbed my attention for a bit due to how raw the action was. This show is really light, with these sudden dark spots inbetween, and it mixes really well. However, the creators do need to be building up for something: this light hearted stuff is fine and all, but only for build-up. Stuff needs to actually get darker after a while. If only because that will show more opportunities for the animators to work their magic.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Nagi no Asukara – 03

by psgels, posted in Nagi no Asukara

Holy crap, that main character! This episode really was great! I really liked how this episode elaborated on the cultural differences between the fish people and regular humans, and all of the trouble that comes with trying to hook up with someone of the other side. The star crossed lovers here are done really well because of how this episode explored all of the implications it had, and how it involved the perspectives of a lot of different people here: elder, teenagers, adults, students. They showed many sides of the same coin.

But dear god, this kid acts like this angry bear in the way he constantly lashes out at everyone. I mean on paper he’s not a bad character and the point of his character makes sense, but his aggression is just waay overdone. He constantly screams, he constantly acts like he owns everyone, he constantly thrusts his nose into other people’s business. This guy really tries his hardest to be unlikable.

Character-development. The creators are definitely going for that, and I know from experience that Mari Okada can turn annoying characters around. But even then this guy is currently just stomping all over a perfectly fine show and his flaws are just caricatures. On top of that they just hurt the show by turning everyone off of it.

So yeah, unfortunately the creators here have done better. Mari Okada’s script for Ano Hana was much better, because it actually balanced the characters together. The same goes for the first three episodes of Hana-Saku Iroha (despite its really weird third episode), True Tears, The director, Toshiya Shinohara, is a guy guy who seems to need plot twists: that’s where he really knows how to deliver, as shown with Bantorra and Kuroshitsuji II. Nagi no Asukara unfortunately is at the moment too much of a standard series, and while you can see that the creators really try to throw in some good plot twists, the way in which the kids stand in this spotlight only ends up hurting this series.
Rating: 4,5/8 (Good)

Kill La Kill – 03

by psgels, posted in Kill La Kill

So in a move to keep the pacing fast, this episode already broke the monster of the week formula, only to get back to it again next week. That’s good. Monster of the week can be awesome when done right, and having a fight with the main bad guy this early keeps things fresh. Aside from that, there are two other keys that are necessary for this format to work:
– ‘Interesting’ individual episodes (interesting can be anything, as long as it’s good)
– Building up to something, and using this at the end.

So far kill la Kill is on the right path. The fast-paced battles so far are enough to keep my attention from start to finish, and it’s too early to tell whether or not this is going to succeed in the long run, there still is potential for it either way, but it’s definitely not a bad attempt thanks to this episode spicing things up.

The acting also is pretty damn good: the villains all have presence and really are threatening, the main is engaging, and even that annoying side-kick for once is so weird that she’s somewhat endearing. You can really see that the creators here are big fans of old school anime, and they aim to put their own twists to them. Gurren Lagann was a homage to the mecha genre, Panty and Stocking were all about american cartoons a la Invader Zim and the Power Puff Girls, and now this show is about the school genre, taking the genre completely over the top using the exact tropes that were already abused so often and taking it over 9000.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Samurai Flamenco – 02

by psgels, posted in Samurai Flamenco

Samurai Flamenco is perfect for Noitamina: aimed at adults, creative, great characters, and really well written. I mean, Silver Spoon and Galilei Donna were nice and all, but this is going to be the next really big hit from the timeslot again after Psycho Pass.

There are two reasons why this show stands out. First of all is the characters: they are amazing. Pretty much the best of the season along with Kyousogiga. I can’t really say which are better at this point because both series have completely different ways in which they use their characters, but the chemistry between them is just amazing. Every character works well together.

Also, more than any other series, I have to say that this series is clever. Really clever. It may have an idiot as a main character, but everything is done very deliberately. Episode two played around with him brilliantly. It first portrayed his ideals as childish, immature, stupid. And then it completely turned things around, exactly by making this guy be the stubborn idiot that he is. That was actually amazing! You see, by far the majority of all stupid characters in any medium make the classic mistake of not knowing the difference between being “dumb”, and acting like you had your head lobotomized.

Our Samurai Flamenco clearly has issues, but he actually behaves like a character. He’s just simple minded and cannot see the results of his actions, and he lives in his own world.

And then there were these small details, like how this show also sheds some light on how much crap idol managers have to endure for their living, having nagging models on one hand, and the corporate drama on the other. She too is a great character.

I finally want to talk a bit about the guy who wrote all of this: Hideyuki Kurata. Why? Because this is a guy who has frustrated me for the past couple of years. Take a look at the shows that he adapted recently: The World God Only Knows, Asa no Yoichi, Dragon Crisis, Kannagi, all series with a terrible series composition. Oh, and he also did that Ore no Imouto show. That’s a pretty bad resume, right?

Well, the source of my frustration came from the shows he wrote before those: he’s the mind behind Read or Die, Now and Then, Here and There, Brigadoon, Kamichu, all brilliant and really creative series. What happened, really? Like with Manglobe, I at this point had given up a bit of hope on this guy, but right now it seems that he’s just really bad at adapting stuff. I dunno, but to me he just seems bored when he has to work on other people’s stuff, because his adaptations scream laziness all over. His original stories sparkle with personality, though. It makes me really wonder what happened. Couldn’t he land better jobs? Was he stuck in a rut?

Also, Manglobe. Really, the mentality they had when they created Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy, Michiko to Hatchin and House of Five Leaves: they need to get that back, even though it wasn’t commercially successful. Because those four series are an array of incredible series with a ton of creativity and heart. There really was a time at which Manglobe belonged among my favourite production companies, but yeah, we all know where that went. But at the very least they managed to stay alive despite their financial mishaps, so let’s hope that Samurai Flamenco will usher them to a strategy of a combination between cheap commercial driven series, and quality projects like this one.
Rating: 6/8 (Awesome)

Galilei Donna – 02

by psgels, posted in Galilei Donna

In order to be able to watch Galilei Donna, you need to be able to accept the fact that a middle schooler spent three years, cramped up in a basement, constructing a big goldfish airship and mecha including artillery, fancy interface and weapons. This stands out. A lot. Beyond that it’s an excellent thriller though.

Heck, we need more shows with a varied cast like this with lots of different ages together. What I really like is that the family has an entire history behind them already. They’ve basically fallen apart over the years, due to the divorce, the pushy mother and the diverging interests of the three daughters. That’s actually a pretty cool backdrop to start the series with, especially with so much going on here.

The end of this episode really did stress though that this series is about the girls, and not their parents, however I do hope that father and mother are going to be more than just damsels in distress. It’s been so long since we’ve had a series that had divorced parents, but it works so well. Just look at what Noein and Bounen no Xamdou managed to do with them. Here too, they deserve to be actual characters, rather than plot devices who are only important in the beginning.

So far though, I’m excited. There are plenty of series with action this season, but this series clearly stands out with its scope and ambition. It really aims to be a fast-paced and varied thriller, it goes for the epic, and in a good way. I feel that epic is way often abused, just to create some fake tension. It’s easy to give someone enough power to destroy the world. Blah, boring. This show fast-pacedly introduced a story that dates back centuries, it puts the protagonists against an organization that controls the police. The villains feel like a real threat, and the destruction that happens feels real, thanks to the talk about suing these buggers for destruction charges. Galilei Donna understood that, which is a great sign for the future.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Coppelion – 03

by psgels, posted in Copellion

Okay, this is just getting silly. I’m dropping this show for now, but I first want to drop a few lines on why. The gist is that the creators of the anime can’t write. I really had hoped that the series could continue with the style of the first episode, but unfortunately they’re going to continue with the style of the second episode, and the flaws really are standing out more and more.

I mean… this episode just made no sense whatsoever. It really just felt like the creators were blindly adapting the original story without really thinking about how to make it work. You need to cut stuff out. You need to pick one thing to focus on, and just remove some side stories or side-scenes, so that you can have a smooth pacing, instead of trying to get every single big thing in here, while skimping on the explanation or story and character building. Some creative freedom is needed for that. Don’t be afraid to use it, because there is no way that chapters will be perfectly paced for 20 minutes of anime. Just remember to keep consistent and sensible.

This episode just jumped from one line to the next. Characters were shocked out of bloody nowhere just because there was no build-up, and drama also just got pulled ou tof the characters’ asses because everything had to move so fast. And the thing is: this show doesn’t even make any attempt to hide it. I’m really surprised at how wooden the acting is. There’s no personality in the characters whatsoever, even though the first episode did not have this problem.

I also had to laugh when the whole radio thing happened: the girl’s boss just transmitted this radio signal, and the old man just “happened’ to pick that up. How pathetic is it when the military uses signals that can be intercepted so bloody easily? Have they never heard of encryption in this new world or something? Also, this is the future, right? These girls are part of the military, right? Has nobody really heard of a stealth bomber before? And even then, since the whole poisonous thing is apparently only a bit more than a decade old, people before must have lived normal lives, right? Then why did everyone take such a long time to recognize a stealth bomber? I mean, I knew that shape when I was a kid, and I certainly would never have mistaken it for a freaking CROW.

Gohands really strikes me as a group of very talented animators that got together, while forgetting to bring in everything else. All their series just scream wasted potential, if only they’d hire some competent writers. They can’t be THAT hard to find, can they? I mean, it worked with Mardock Scramble: there they had Tow Ubukata outlining the story of the three movies, and that worked! You could see how well everything fit together.
Rating: 3/8 (Mediocre)

Yozakura Quartet – Hana no Uta – 02

by psgels, posted in Yozakura Quartet

For those of you who don’t know: Yozakura Quartet is being directed by Ryo-Chimo. His previous works include the chief animation direction of Birdy the Mighty, the animation of some of the best-looking parts of Noein. This guy is an awesome animator, and with Hoshi no Umi, he showed that he can translate this to direction really well as well. So yeah, I was delighted to see a full series being announced on it.

Episode two was the kind of episode that would not have been possible in the OVA: just too little happened in it and it was mostly meant to flesh out the characters, something they very badly needed midst all that action. And this episode did a very fine job of making the various slice of life interesting, by paying attention to the fine details. Things like a character eating ramen may not seem like much, but they bring said character alive. That’s what this entire episode did: there were so many characters involved, the entire town felt alive and bursting. I suspect that this is a trick that Ryo-Chimo picked up from working with Birdy the Mighty Decode, which also had that.

But yeah, I didn’t notice this in the first episode because of all the awesome action and all, but really: were the groping twins really necessary? The fanservice in episode 1 was fine because it just flowed perfectly with the action, but this episode was like “let’s throw a horny nun here who likes to grope people and let’s spend a ton of inbetweeners on those scenes!” – Really Yozakura, your animation is awesome. You can spend your inbetween animation on tons of better stuff than a bunch of boob shots.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Gingitsune – 02

by psgels, posted in Gingitsune

I know my taste is really weird and all, but am I the only one who finds this show adorable?

The second episode again did not disappoint, and in one episode it created another really relatable character, plus it also built further upon the characters we saw in the first episode. Another great sign: this series doesn’t treat its characters as plot devices that only have one episode of development each.

To me, what Gingitsune does really well is create drama: it’s simple and to the point, yet poignant. There are times that are a tad too dramatic, but it’s nothing major. It’s mostly teenaged drama, but to balance that out is that fox, who still is my favorite character of the game. The wisdom he sprouts is just adorable and manages to create a good counterweight to all of the teenaged drama. And at the same time, he’s a central character to this series, so he’s not like your standard mentor, or “old guy who just watches young ones do stuff”.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Copellion – 02

by psgels, posted in Copellion

Copellion’s setting is great. The first episode really had me sold with its atmosphere. The second episode unfortunately was a step down, but I’m still quite positive here.

I like the post-apocalyptic setting here, and how desolate it is. And what this episode did well was how it showed how the few people who still remain at Tokyo are coming by. That’s great, and it was done quite convincingly. This series has a knack for painting the whole area as this desolate environment in which hardly anything lives, and it did this much better than a lot of other post apocalyptic series in this area. Heck, I can even believe the reason for the main characters to be young in this series: they’re clones specifically designed for taking on the hostile environment. You can’t wait for them to grow up to be thirty or something. I’m not sure why they had to wear the schoolgirl uniforms though.

What bugged me about this episode was the drama. Dear god, please lay it off with the cheese, will you? In comparison where Nagi no Asukara tries to balance its heavy drama out with different kinds of drama, this was all crying about the same thing over and over, it was just constantly gloomy and characters out of nowhere would go onto huge emotionally charged monologues about why things were so sad, in a way that broke my suspense of disbelief. This really needs to be done better in the future episodes, but who knows what kinds of effects this will have in the future?

Oh, and on a side-note: after watching the first episodes of all of the new series this season, I can say this confidently now: Copellion has the best ED of them all. The song is also better than all of the OP sons that we’ve got.
Rating: 4.5/8 (Good)

Nagi no Asukara – 02

by psgels, posted in Nagi no Asukara

So, Nagi no Asukara (apologies, I keep spelling the title of this series wrong) had an interesting second episode. The main character in particular was really unlikable and for a short while I thought of just switching this episode off, however he did somehow work as the episode went along.

Flawed characters are really difficult to write: it’s all too easy to make them too annoying to watch, however you NEED flaws for good storytelling, otherwise things will be too perfect and just boring. It’s often a case of balancing things out, and the way most series do it is by giving characters a simple innocent flaw that doesn’t stand out too much, or things like naivety or something. Mr Sparkly Eyes (I really forgot his name) yells, moans, acts like a spoilt child throughout this entire episode.

Somehow this was balanced out by the rest of the cast who keep pulling this guy back to the surface. The bit around his sister worked really well, and by showing how the adults in the underwater community are even more bigoted than he is when they found out really helped by showing him things from a different perspective. He feels like he owns that girl, and these episodes are really trying to break away from that. The second half of this episode also cleverly juggled the drama of the rest of the characters together, and that actually made quite an impression on me. If the creators can keep this up things will get interesting.
Rating: 4,5/8 (Good)