Category: Natsu no Arashi

Natsu no Arashi – 02

by psgels, posted in Natsu no Arashi



Short Synopsis: This episode shows how Arashi and Hajime met each other.
Episode Rating: 7,5/10 (Enjoyable)
I had trouble choosing between this series and Saki to blog. In the end, I chose not to blog Saki, for two reasons:
– It’s being directed by the director of freakin’ Dragonaut.
– With a concept like that, it’s always going to remain in the shadows of the incredible Shion no Ou.

Natsu no Arashi has wit. It’s cast is a nice mix of children and adults and it’s really something different this time. It’s the first time I’m going to blog one of Shinbo’s series, and I’m glad to see that the guy is finally trying out something new and interesting again, since his past works just failed to impress me. Especially Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei was just Pani Poni Dash II, no matter how much I liked how it started.

I’m also surprised at how underrated this show has become. I’m finding it pretty enjoyable: it has characters with an identity, albeit some of them can become a bit annoying, I admit. But what I like about this series is how it combines slice of life and comedy with mystery. That’s not a combination you see often, and it works pretty well: on one hand this can create very interesting situations, like how in this episode Sayaka’s talents as a con artist got rid of the muscular guy who kept bugging them. And on the other way, I’m getting really curious right now what’s up with Arashi: why is she a ghost? why are people after her? who is she anyway? Who is this Sogoru-guy? Characterization is usually one of Shinbo’s weakest points, and yet here he proves the complete opposite.

I think that the reason for that is the addition of the director of ef and the guy behind ef’s series composition, who manage to balance out Shinbo’s crazy style. It’s an interesting combination without a doubt. There are no signs that this is going to turn into something overambitious like a tale of melodies, so I’m pretty interested in this series.

And of course, the art direction really rocks.

Some quick first Impressions: Metal Fight Beyblade, Jewel Pets and Natsu no Arashi

by psgels, posted in Natsu no Arashi, Some Quick First Impressions

Metal Fight Beyblade

Short Synopsis: Our lead character has uber l33t hax0rz skills with spinning tops
Chance of me Blogging: -30% (No)
Next up in the line of stupid shounen franchises that refuse to bloody die: Beyblade’s new installment, in which a bunch of kids battle it out with… spinning tops. No, seriously, those spinning tops are most likely going to decide the fate of the world at the end of this series; they’re serious business. In any case, it’s one thing to see little kids play such games, but when even tough street-punks squeal like little girls when they’ve been defeated in such a game, you know that something is wrong. Dull, generic, boring, shallow. Is there anyone uberhaupt planning to watch this series?

Jewel Pets

Short Synopsis: Our lead character gets visited by a magical creature from a fantasy world.
Chance of me Blogging: 0% (Obviously not)
Okay, so there’s obviously no way that I’m going to continue following those cheesy kiddie shows, but they are nice for a good laugh once in a while. Especially Jewel Pets isn’t half that bad for a kiddie show. Sure, it’s just another rehash of the same formula that has been repeated over and over again, but at least it has a sense of humour. I laughed quite a bit during this episode, though for once I laughed because the characters were funny, rather than because of the overuse of cheese or clichés like I usually do with these sorts of series. Still, that doesn’t mean that the setting isn’t utterly ridiculous: you’ll have a hard job to find a series that’s as pink and fluffy as this show, ranging from heart-shaped cherry blossoms to all sorts of overly cute pets, ranging from cats to bunnies to dogs.

Natsu no Arashi

Short Synopsis: Our lead character knows people who can travel through time
Chance of me Blogging: 30% (Depends on the budget for the rest of the series)
While there have been quite a few nice shows this season so far, I do have one complaint about the shows that aired up till now: the lack of originality. Up till now, there haven’t really been any series that wanted to try out new things, or push the boundaries of their genres, up to the point where my favourite show so far is a blatant Noir rip-off. But then again, this can also be attributed to the strange lack of series from Studio Deen, Madhouse and Production IG so far, which are usually responsible for those kinds of shows. Natsu no Arashi is Shaft’s latest series, and what do you know, it actually answered my complaints, although in a much different way than I would have expected. First of all, the camera direction rocks beyond belief, even for Shaft’s standards (which to be honest was starting to get a bit stale). There are lots of nice and creative camera angles and pans. The setting is also… quirky… to say the least. We here have some sort of cafe, run by the lead characters, but the whole things is spiced up by a number of characters who can travel through time or do other ethereal stuff. And what’s better to use those powers for than to find the culprits of stolen strawberry cakes?