Category: Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama

Hyouge Mono – 23

by psgels, posted in Hyouge Mono



This episode was about Sasuke’s new mansion as the lord of Olive. The mansion was… weird. Instead of being all flamboyant like with what Hashiba Hideyoshi did to his castle, this mansion was made to look old and run down…

The best part however was Sennou Soueki’s part in this. It’s been a while since we’ve seen any emotion from him, and in fact the only times we’ve really seen it is when he was touched by in his eyes beautiful works of art. That only happened once before. Furthermore, to actually force Sasuke to use a main room that he actually doesn’t like also was awesome. And heck, Sasuke’s name is already starting to spread because of the new mansion.

Next season… Thursdays will be completely crazy. Seriously, this season had the benefit that Usagi Drop was laid back, and No.6 was also fairly straight-forward. Next season, Hyouge Mono, Penguin Drum, Persona 4, Un-Go and Guilty Crown will all air on the same days. How much balls can you stuff into one day anyway?!

In fact, after I looked a bit more into the actual programming, the next season seems bizarrely strictly laid out: Monday will be the day of slice of life, with both Tamayura, Kimi to Boku and Squid Girl, Sunday will be the day for shounen with Hunter X Hunter, Gundam, Phi Brain and Mirai Nikki, Thursday will be for the older crowd with the series mentioned above. Only Saturday is a hodgepodge of random series. Incidentally the harem shows don’t seem to care about this pattern at all and just air whenever the hell they like.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Natsume Yuujin-Chou – 38

by psgels, posted in Natsume Yuujin-Chou



Oh my god, I’ve found it: after years of waiting, I’ve found the episode to rival the Hotaru episode of the first season. This episode was the single best episode of the third and second season combined, and very likely also the first. This also was the single most emotional episode I have watched in the entire summer season. It really got deep to me.

The story of when Natsume met Touko was incredibly bittersweet. This episode was incredibly powerful to me, especially because it showed how different Natsume has become throughout the series. Out of all the episodes of the series, this one did it best, by going so far into the past, and using an actual youkai that he himself met, rather than who ran into his grandmother (very clever by the way: when that youkai first came, I really thought that it was another youkai who Reiko messed with in the past). To think that he actually nearly was turned into the pet of that thing.

And seriously, after so many hints, it was amazing to actually see the point where Natsume got saved from his life style. And it’s not like the families who took him in were all evil. The son of the family he was in was actually quite nice, and his foster parents were mostly cold to him because they didn’t know him well (because he just kept hopping homes), his strange behavior, and that he was a burden on them to have to also look after.

This episode was perfect, and really came at the perfect moment. It made the entire third season for me.
Rating: **** (Fantastic)

Hana-Saku Iroha – 25

by psgels, posted in Hana-Saku Iroha



What can I say? This was a wonderful episode and an excellent climax to this series. The creators stuffed a ton of character development into just this one episode.

This is going to be a bit strange, but I’m going to compare this ending with Tiger & Bunny’s for a bit. The big reason for that is because during that final arc, the side-characters all felt a bit lumped together. This episode of Hana-Saku Iroha however, avoided that: every single character had his or her own presence. Just about every character had his or her moment in this episode. It was a complete chaos in the Kissuiso, and the creators actually gave everyone something worthwhile to do. And best of all is that through this chaos, there were a ton of characters who were forced to act differently from their usual self.

This is a show that celebrates working, and it definitely hose a very interesting climax here: how to avoid getting caught up in it? After so many episodes in which the characters worked incredibly hard, I was afraid that they wouldn’t address this issue, but this episode really completes the circle and balances things out. This episode really added a lot to this series, and this is the kind of ending that I really like to see: the one that takes the series, keeps its core qualities and pushes them even further.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée Review – 82,5/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews, Ikoku Meiro no Croisée




Here is a slice of life series with a twist: instead of focusing on the same old setting, Ikoku Meiro no Croisee focuses on a Japanese girl who starts to live with a French blacksmiths in the Nineteenth century. If you’re like me, and you like slice of life series, but not the ones where just nothing happens, then this is one for you.

This show has two focuses. The first is its cast of characters. The second is celebrating both French and Japanese culture, and the difference between them. The studio behind this series, Satelight, has a lot of French roots and connections, and they were utilized wonderfully for this show. Throughout the series, this show examines all kinds of differences between the culture of the French and the Japanese of the 19th century, ranging from food, weather, gestures, customs: a very wide variety. Supported by that is a team of absolutely wonderful background artists, who give a gorgeous depiction of Paris in those days. The setting in this series is amazingly portrayed.

In terms of the characters meanwhile, you get very heart-warming slice of life. Especially Yune and Oscar are great character. Yune incredibly adorable, while Oscar feels very refreshing, standing miles away from the usual “grandfather”-stereotypes. The rest of the cast also has a great chemistry with each other, though there are a few issues with them individually. Claude, the main character can get a bit too angsty for the sake of drama. He acts too unfriendly and bossy a bit too much for it to be really believable. Alice meanwhile will annoy a lot of people in her first appearance, because of how spoiled a brat she is. Both get better over time, though.

This summer season really was lucky to have two such good slice of life series with Ikoku Meiro no Croisee and Usagi Drop. The big difference between them is that with Usagi Drop the drama was very realistic, while with Ikoku Meiro no Croisee it’s a bit forced, while at the same time Croisee succeeded more in creating a heart-warming atmosphere.

Storytelling: 8/10 – A bit forced with its drama, but very heartwarming and relaxing.
Characters: 8/10 – Yune is absolutely adorable, great chemistry, though a few characters that take a bit getting used to.
Production-Values: 8/10 – Satelight has really improved: consistent and the background art is great.
Setting: 9/10 – Amazing depiction of France of the 19th century, full of cultural differences.

Suggestions:
– Hourou Musuko
– Ristorante Paradiso

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée – 12

by psgels, posted in Ikoku Meiro no Croisée



What an absolutely adorable final episode. This was just perfect to close off this series with a heart-warming feeling. At first the episode started off a bit uninspired, with Claude getting angry yet again, and Yune getting lost yet again, but as soon as Yune got on the roof of the Galerie, this episode never lost its charms.

It really forced Claude and Yune to talk to each other, and Claude to finally talk about his father, and the way the creators did it was incredibly charming. Throughout most of the series, my main issue with it that Claude might have been a tad too angsty was also pretty decently explained.

Overall, the big difference between this series and Usagi Drop: Usagi Drop was more realistic, while this series was better at creating its atmosphere. Because of that I believe that I like this series a bit better, and its charms hit me more.

Next season, it’ll be time for Tamayura. From the OVAs, we already know that it’s going to be a charming slice of life series, but it’ll be interesting to see whether it can surpass this series. The key will be the fact that it’s anime original: with that, you can make it do things that just won’t be possible in an adaptation, and I really hope that Sato Junichi will make use of that.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Hyouge Mono – 22

by psgels, posted in Hyouge Mono



Oh god, Sasuke, you’re killing me! This was the best Hyouge Mono episode of the past few weeks, and finally we get to see again what a complete crazy bastard Sasuke can be. The stuff he pulled (and actually got away with) in this episode was just absolutely hilarious.

It already started at the start of this episode when he and his henchmen climbed the castle of the Akizuki clan. The way in which he used his subordinate as a chair was definitely not something I expected him to do now that he’s got actual power over people. After that he rams the castle and instead of his original goal of taking the third of the legendary jars, he then runs into the daughter of the Akizuki clan and proceeds to seduce, deceive and kidnap the daughter of the Akizuki clan.

I also love how this guy takes advantage of every single chance he can get. At the end of the day when he found out that the Akizuki clan used a fake for the lid of the jar, the look on his face was just priceless. In fact, I just love that smug arrogance of his and this episode was full of opportunities to show this.

The second half of this episode then proceeded to go in an entirely different direction: Europe. Suddenly Sasuke’s younger brother came into the picture and we actually got to see quite an interesting turn of events on his part, when the relationship between the Hashiba clan and emissaries from the west take a hit due to an unfortunate incident with Hideyoshi. It’s completely different from the first half, but it fitted in really well. Hideyoshi also screwed up by completely getting upset, and I can feel that this is going to mark the start of his fall. I can’t wait!
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Natsume Yuujin-Chou – 37

by psgels, posted in Natsume Yuujin-Chou



and once again Natsume gets closer to the people around him. Seriously, are the creators really planning to keep this up for the entire season? There are two episodes left at this point (yes, this series has been confirmed for 13 episodes), and I’m eagerly anticipating what they will end up delivering.

Looking back, Brains Base really has been dominating this season. My two favourite shows that premiered back in July come from them, and heck: their third series Kamisama Dolls is currently fighting with No.6 and Kami-Sama no Memo-Chou for my third place. It’s been a while since the company with the most releases of a season actually delivered so well.

I already thought that Tatsunoko last season did well if you ignore Pretty Rythm. Studio Deen of Winter 2010 meanwhile was a complete disaster, while JC Staff delivered an impressive batch of four series, albeit it was flawed by both Bakuman and Index II dragging on for too long. Meanwhile AIC of Summer 2010 failed to deliver on every single series they came out with. I think it’s not until Autumn of 2008 when I can recall a single studio dominating an entire season more, bakc when Madhouse was on fire with six new series in one entire season, including the classics of Mouryou no Hako and Casshern Sins. Next season will have three studios with three or more series: Sunrise (4), JC Staff (3) and AIC (3). All of them are really looking out to be mixed bags, unfortunately: AIC has one very promising series, next to their usual moe shows again. Sunrise meanwhile has Phi Brain, next to the questionable Gundam Age, next to the even more questionable Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon, next to another kiddie show. JC Staff meanwhile has Bakuman, whose first season while impressive does seem to lack something, Kimi to Boku, which I really fear is going to be overshadowed by Tamayura, and… more Kugimiya Rie with Shana. To be honest, I really doubt that they can get anywhere near the level that Brains Base are currently delivering.

Anyway, I’m digress. The youkai in this episode was nice, but what really made this episode was Takeda getting a taste of what it’s like to be Natsume, and being able to understand him a bit more. By actually being able to see Youkai, he finally could relate to him in the same way that we have been for the past thirtysomething episodes. It was a great little premise for an episode.

For the final two episodes, I really hope that they make use of this development. I know that the story is still going on and that the manga is nowhere near finished and all, but that would be the perfect time for a great climax.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée – 11

by psgels, posted in Ikoku Meiro no Croisée



This episode increased Yune’s charms even more. It started with all kinds of hints towards Claude’s father, but eventually moved on to Yune confessing some bad experiences she had with her sister… while being rather tipsy. It was a really heart-warming scene. And at the same time we also pretty much know what the finale of this series will focus on.

Speaking of performances, Alicealso showed an interesting side of her when she wasn’t allowed to take Yune to the Grand Magazin. In fact, I have to give the overall cast a lot of praises for doing such a wonderful job of acting out the characters throughout the series. I think the only weak spot at this point is Claude, who has the tendency to just be a bit too angsty at some points. It’s up to the finale to make up for that.

An interesting part about this episode was also the theme of eye color. I actually was under the impression that Japanese people just had brown eyes, but Yune and her sister in particular seem to debunk that myth. I watched this episode raw so I might have missed something, but it’s still quite interesting that there are Japanese with such eye colors.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Hana-Saku Iroha – 24

by psgels, posted in Hana-Saku Iroha



… have I just been trolled by this series?

I mean, I was really looking forward to the characters all going their own way and moving on. And here this episode comes and hints that the Kissuiso actually isn’t going to be shut down. The only one who is still on my side is grandma.

This episode was incredibly unpredictable and created drama in the exact opposite of what I expected. That drama though… again was really good, like what we’ve come to expect from this series. We suddenly got to see a totally different side of Ohana’s grandmother, and her performance in particular was stunning throughout the entire episode.

I have no idea what the creators have planned for next week, though. The thing is that a cheesy life goes on ending just doesn’t seem to fit here after all that build-up. Will it work well as an anti-climax? If the creators can pull that off though, then I admire their guts. Either way though, they have something planned here…
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Hyouge Mono – 21

by psgels, posted in Hyouge Mono



Next in line of brilliant tactics: Hashiba Hideyoshi’s plans of this episode. Build the front face of a huge house in order to intimidate the enemy. It’s hiariuos, but very cleverly found and it fits this series to a T. Always thinking outside of the box.

Now, I do wonder when this series is planning to shake things up again. We’ve now had quite a few amount of episodes of relative stability, where Hashiba Hideyoshi was pretty much allowed to do as he pleased (aside from that one episode where Sennou Soueki pushed him perhaps a little too much, which indeed was one heck of a highlight). Something is about to happen. If my limited Japanese understood correctly, he is about to bet his hands on the third of those legendary pots, in the current hands of the Akizuki clan. My gut says that something major will happen to it. Either Sasuke will get his hands on it, or it will spell the start of his decline.

The characterization was again as rock-solid as ever, far beyond all of the other stuff this season. I still love those scenes where the creators try to make their frames as smooth as possible; this episode did that especially to people changing facial expressions. The highlight though… was without a doubt Tokugawa. What a quirky way to portray a man falling in love.

Oh, and I also love those little details that nobody seems to even mention. I mean, why did Hashiba Hideyoshi forget his left mustache at the beginning of this episode? (That line is probably going to sound really weird for anyone who hasn’t seen this series)
Rating: ** (Excellent)