Category: Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama

Sarai-ya Goyou – 01

by psgels, posted in Sarai-ya Goyou




Well, so I could write another first impression post for Sarai-Ya Goyou and Yojou-Han, but since Noitamina airs so late this season and it was obvious that I was going to blog the two of them anyway, I fail to see the point. Sarai-ya Goyou really was the series I’ve been looking forward to the most, finally showing Tomomi Mochizuki in action again. And so far, its first episode does not disappoint.

This episode was an excellent introduction: it introduced the main characters, it showed who they were, it talked a bit about their past, so that we already have a pretty good idea of who they are. It was produced excellently: the animation is down to earth, but refined in the details and facial expressions. You can really see that it shares its original source-material with Ristorante Paradiso: composed, heart-warming and yet down to earth and composed. This really is going to be an excellent slice of life series, and who knows what it might turn into?

Also, Noitamina will be an hour long from now on, right? The upcoming summer-season however only has one Noitamina-series slated: Shiki. Since we already know that Yojou-han will take only 11 episodes, I have high hopes for this series to be the first Noitamina-series to go beyond 12 episodes since Nodame Cantbile’s first season. It’s really interesting to see this time-slot evolve over the years: it started out as a time-slot for those unique Josei and Horror-series. Starting with 2009 however, it started to experiment much more with different formats, and at this point it has pretty much become synonymous with a high-quality and well produced series.

The art style really is beautiful, and I also love the background music: it’s varied and subtle, and complemented the atmosphere greatly, but what I like most about this first episode was how natural the dialogue felt. The chemistry here was really good, while still remaining subtle. I’m really glad to see that this series lived up to its expectations.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Konnichiwa Anne Review – 77,5/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews, Konnichiwa Anne



People who know this blog probably know that I’ve been a big fan of the World Masterpiece Theatre for a while now. Especially Les Miserables belongs among my favourites. It’s a shame, however, that what very likely is the very last installment of the franchise doesn’t really live up to its name. It’s a mixed bag, inconsistent, cheesy, and while it has incredibly good parts, it also has parts that are incredibly bad.

Konnichwa Anne was meant to be a prequel to one of the most-loved characters of the WMT-franchise: Anne of Green Gables. However, let me say this right up front: the Anne of Konnichiwa Anne IS NOT Anne of Green Gables. She’s just a girl who happens to bear a few striking similarities, but there is no way that they’re the same person. The Anne in this series is a genius and a bookworm, even though Anne of Green Gables only later became interested in studying. Anne of Green Gables didn’t like to look back at her past, but this part tends to be completely overshadowed by cheese at times in Konnichiwa Anne.

And like I said, the plot really is a mixed bag. There are just too many episodic stories which pick out a side-character and give them a cheesy backstory and development, which only end up ruining that particular character. And this show does it over and over and over. One particularly bad example is Henderson, who plays a major role in episodes 11 to 20. She just keeps on whining with her cheesy feminist morals and completely takes away the focus from all of the interesting characters.

However, this also is a show that whenever it shines, it really shines like no other. Setting aside the cheesy side-characters, there is one character who is developed brilliantly throughout the series: Bert. The creators did an amazing job of making this hopeless drunk come alive and give him just the right amount of background and depth to really make him steal the show whenever he’s on. Heck, he’s even far more interesting than Anne herself. Really, whenever Bert and his family form the central focus of this series, it forgets all of the cheese and instead it creates what it should have been creating throughout the entire series: amazingly genuine and heart-wrenching drama.

While the rest of the episodes range from annoying to decent, they still miss that level of detail and realism that graces the rest of the WMT-series. The creators were just too immature and inexperienced to make this work, and while I really congratulate them on the truly excellent way they developed Bert, they really were the wrong staff that was assigned to this project.

Storytelling: 7/10 – Really cheesy episodic stories, but the main storyline is okay.
Characters: 8/10 – Bert rocks beyond belief, Henderson sucks beyond belief. The rest of the characters hover somewhere in between.
Production-Values: 8/10 – Nothing special, but does its job.
Setting: 8/10 – Good depiction of 1900s Nova Scotia.

Konnichiwa Anne – 39

by psgels, posted in Konnichiwa Anne



Meh, I’m not exactly happy. This episode really was the final nail in the coffin for our Anne: SOMEWHERE ON THAT SHIP, the real Anne must be walking around somewhere, anxiously waiting to meet the Cuthberts. This isn’t just a matter of Anne’s voice actress (who somehow kept the same voice through the entire series, and never even once tried to act like the real Anne), but the entire direction of this episode makes no sense whatsoever. Also, there was too much pointless dialogue in this episode. You could replace 90% of it with just “blah blah blah” and it wouldn’t have lost that much of its meaning.

Of course, it was an interesting idea from the creators to give Anne the time to close off her past by bringing her some letters from the Thomas family, however it just doesn’t make any sense. Right now, Anne can think back to those times with at least a happy mindset, but that goes completely against the Anne of Green Gables: she hated her past, and only talked about it when she really needed to. Right now, I can see how Anne wants to tell all her new friends about her adventures on Nova Scotia, just because the creators decided to slap this kind of a happy ending at the end.

I’m not against happy endings, but I’m really against the ones that don’t make any sense in terms of storytelling. I’m usually very lenient on anime, but endings are one thing that I’m very strict against: after all, these are the things that you’ll remember the most after finishing a series. This episode looked too much to the past. It tried to wrap things up that didn’t need to be wrapped up: I actually really liked that you can’t be sure what happens to the people you leave behind. Just leave it to your imagination what can happen to them. This episode instead should have focused on Anne’s trip to Prince Edward’s Island. In fact, it would have made a great ending, to just see Anne imagining what it would be like to live with the Cuthberts, which was pretty much glossed over in this episode. I’d love to have seen a bit of last-minute background on Spencer and Lily, for example (non-cheesy, of course).

Overall, if I would have been in charge of adapting this series, I would have done it really differently, especially after the Thomas-arc. It’s a real shame, but this really seems to be the end of the World Masterpiece Theatre for good: when even a remake of one of the most loved characters of the franchise fails, then there’s no wonder that Nippon Animation ended up deciding not to continue it. Still, I really hope that they’re not going to give up after this. After Toei, they probably are the oldest animation company still actively producing series, and I hope that they will come with new series in the next decade. Because even without the WMT, they have made their share of wonderful series.

Thankfully I still have plenty of WMT-series that I haven’t seen yet. Right now, I’d rank the ones of which I’ve watched at least 13 episodes as follows:
8. Konnichiwa Anne
7. Trapp Family Story
6. Tom Sawyer
5. Ie Naki Ko Remi (1997)
4. Anne of Green Gables
3. Perrine Monogatari
2. Porfy no Nagai Tabi
1. Les Miserables
Rating: — (Lacking)

Kuchuu Buranko Review – 82,5/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews, Kuchuu Buranko



There are a few things you must know about Kuchuu Buranko. It’s being directed by the director of Mononoke and Bake Neko, which were deep horror-mindscrews with deep stories and characters. Kuchuu Buranko, while you might think otherwise at first, is completely different.

It’s a series about psychology: a weird doctor and discusses 11 of his patients throughout its run. Instead of trying to surpass Mononoke in terms of depth, the creators decided to focus on something completely different: entertainment. The patients in this series really aren’t that complex: most suffer from some sort of Obsessive Compulsive disorder, and each conclusion often just requires them to realize one small thing. However, seeing this show explore their issues and struggles is where this series’ strength lies.

The characters in this serise don’t shine through their depth, but their simplicity. While they’re all exaggerated, they’re also down to earth. Just random people from all sorts of walks of life, and their problems are very easy to relate to. Especially in the second half of the series, where the creators take more and more chances, this results into a number of hilarious and charming situations.

While the depth in this series doesn’t come from the individual stories, it’s more layered when you look at the big picture. This series loves to put in easter eggs or references to past (and in some cases even future episodes), but the general message that it in the end wants to convey is genuine and yet simple.

Storytelling: 9/10 – Very entertaining and interesting.
Characters: 8/10 – Not deep, but fun and easy to relate to.
Production-Values: 8/10 – Unique art with great direction, though the actual animation is minimal
Setting: 8/10 – Lots of references to other episodes, nice moral.

Kuchuu Buranko – 11

by psgels, posted in Kuchuu Buranko



Ah, screw it. I originally started to follow the subs because I couldn’t pick up all of the details with just the raws, but I’ve gotten impatient now. Besides, this episode wasn’t really that difficult.

But boy, what an episode the creators decided to end this series with. You can see that the creators put their last bits of creativity here in the direction. I really liked it, and I’d rank this as my third favourite ending this season (after White Album and Aoi Bungaku). It’s basically a follow-up to the cellphone kid episode, where this time we see that his father also has issues.

It’s hard to describe exactly what was so good about this episode, and I think it was a combination of many things that created its charms. The way this episode completely broke away from the formula that it had previously built up, the weird tantrum scenes of this doctor inside the toilet. I also liked the characterization of that doctor for some reason. He’s very much one of those dads who is a workaholic and neglects his family, but the personality this episode gave him was a bit more than most of these stereotypes. And really, that’s the thing with Kuchuu Buranko: its characters don’t try to be unique or multi-sided, and yet they’re entertaining because they’re so down to earth.

As for the Christmas episode, well, the creators indeed stuffed the Christmas party into the final minutes of this episode. The morals at the end of this episode were a bit cheesy, but it’s also interesting how well the creators really managed to summarize this show with just three words: nobody is perfect. That really is Kuchuu Buranko in a nutshell. Whether you’re a student, journalist, writer, doctor or famous baseball player, everyone has something that he doesn’t like. And sure, in Kuchuu Buranko they were very exaggerated, but the series also tended to be spot-on at times.

As for the next Noitamina-show, it’s going to be another Nodame Cantabile. Because I’m searching for eight shows that are going to be interesting to blog, there’s a really good chance that I’m going to end up covering it, however my big worry for it is Chiaki Kon. With a show like this one, will she really be able to match the brilliance of Kenichi Kasai’s first season, or will it just be another quirky romantic comedy that, while nice to watch, isn’t anything special?
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Kemono no Souja Erin Review – 85/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews, Kemono no Souja Erin



I’ve said this plenty of times now, but my biggest problem with anime at the moment is its “we’ll animate the second season only when the sales are good”-tendency. That’s why it’s good to see that there are still series that take risks and plan a full 50-episode course and plan in the full story that they want to tell. Kemono no Souja Erin is a slow-paced series, but because of its length it can show things that would not have been possible within 26 episodes.

What makes this series unique is its huge focus on taking care of wild animals. Erin starts as a little girl, but as she grows up you can see how her fascination with these wild beasts grows and develops, until she actually ends up taking care of them for real. This is done with a real attention to detail, and it’s really focused on Erin thinking outside of the box to find out the best ways to take care of these animals (in her case, Beast Kings, a huge kind of fictional dog-bird). Erin, and the trouble she has raising these animals are really one of a kind, and really the reason why you want to watch this series.

Aside this, the series also spends quite a bit of time on politics, but these just aren’t as good by comparison. The country’s background is a bit one-sided and just not as interesting as Erin and the challenges she faces trying to raise Lilan, the main beast of this series. On top of that, as the politics take over the show near the end, they end the series with a really cheesy, cliched and sloppy ending.

The animation is also a bit of a mixed bag. The art itself is beautiful: the backgrounds are very original, and whenever a beast is about to attack someone, it gets all surreal, as to symbolize the chaos that’s going on in the mind of both the attacker and attacked. This would have been a great series to look at if it wasn’t for the constant use of flashbacks, recycled frames, and even entire recycled scenes. Normally I’m don’t often notice this, but this series really takes it a bit too far.

Nevertheless, this is one of those shows that puts nearly 50 episodes into the development of its lead character. Erin really stands out as a memorable character, and her growth from just a small child into adulthood is very detailed, making her into one of the best developed characters of the year. The side-cast also all have their own moments to shine. It’s a shame that there are a number of weaker episodes, but the good ones really make up for it.

Storytelling: 8/10 – Slow but very solid and imaginative. No cheese aside from the final episode.
Characters: 9/10 – Erin is an exceptionally well developed character.
Production-Values: 8/10 – Great art, both foreground and background. Solid animation but too many recycled frames.
Setting: 9/10 – Lots of depth on taking care of beasts and wild ainmals. Solid albeit one-sided view of the country the show is set in.

Kemonoo no Souja Erin – 50

by psgels, posted in Kemono no Souja Erin



So far, the endings this season have been pretty generous for me. 11Eyes was pretty exciting, Darker than Black’s finale also had its good points, and White Album’s ending was really good. This however, was just bad. I wish that I could at least praise it some, but it did just about everything that you shouldn’t do in a final episode. Let’s make a checklist of what all went wrong here:

– A Disney-ending: the lead character is hit. He/she falls to the ground, seemingly dead. But wait! She turns out to be alive anyway. This is completely pointless in terms of storytelling: it accomplishes nothing, and is just used to generate some cheap sentiments for the lead character. Let it be the characters who create the drama!
– The lead character is cornered, about to be killed. But wait! Something unannounced suddenly pops up to save her. Again, pointless and cheap! If you want to do something, then at least show Lilan take off or something.
– It forgets to take its surroundings into account. What happened to the Touda riders? They completely vanish after Lilan screams. Where the heck are they?
– The villain, battered and defeated, finds a weapon and takes a final shot at killing important person X. Only to be obviously stopped. Cliched! Cheesy!
– “Save him! Save my precious loved one because he is about to be killed! The others on the battlefield? Who cares. I just want to be with the person I love.”
– And they lived happily ever after. seriously, all of the conflicts magically resolve themselves. Very sloppy.

I mean, this was exactly what I feared when I first found out about the staff of this series. The director has shown that he can adapt a story well, as long as he’s given enough time. But he’s utterly terrible when he needs to write stories for himself. There are so many things wrong with this episode. It’s not just a case where it’s simply rushed, and just could have used some extra episodes. Even with ten extra episodes, what happened here would not have made any sense.

I mean, I seriously wonder what happened to everyone on the battlefield. For some reason, everyone aside from Shunan completely disappears. As if those lives are completely unimportant. That completely shatters the previously built-up themes about the hardships of war: who cares if people get hurt? They’ll just disappear anyway. Let’s send those kinds of armies toward each other!

This really is a bad timing for this series. You know, if the series had simply ended at episode 49, it would have left a better impression than right now. Here I was, really happy with the slow build-up of the past few episodes and that the creators were actually trying to let everything play out naturally… and then they pull this. Oh come on. And added to that they even have the guts to pull a “nearly dead”-twist TWICE. I mean, what were they thinking? This is just me, but I personally hate it when a show has to resort to these kinds of plot twists. Especially near the end.

Overall, I like the series, but I think the parts I blogged weren’t the best. For me, this show was at its best from episode 30 to the episode in which Erin lost half her hand. After that, it was just build-up for this particular episode, and that was just all dumped down the drain in less than 20 minutes.

Ah crap. I was going to give this show a very positive review, and then it pulls this. I’ve noticed this plenty of times: great series with bad endings, as much as I hate it, do end up leaving a very bad aftertaste. There you go, show. Thanks for pissing me off.
Rating: —- (Bad)

Konnichiwa Anne – 38

by psgels, posted in Konnichiwa Anne



Aaah! No, not her! The annoying feminist is back! Get her away!

Yeah, I’m betting my hat that that part was anime-original. I can imagine how it might have seen heart-warming to the creators to bring back a few old characters… but of all the people you could choose, did it really have to be Henderson!? She ruined enough of this series as well. On a good note however: Eliza shows something of her again! Yay!

overall though, this episode thankfully avoided the pitfall that I thought it was doomed to fall in: Amy Thompson. Like expected, she indeed shows her past in this episode, but instead of giving Amy herself some shallow development, it’s used to convince Anne out of her tantrum, and make her go to Prince Edward Island. Okay, I can very much live with that, and I admit that it was very nicely done. Overall, the orphanage arc has been pretty mellow for this series: it was nowhere near the worst, but also nowhere near the best of this series. It’s a bit of a slow way to close off this series, but I guess that it could have been much worse.

It’s a bloody shame though that this means the end of the WMT-franchise, especially because no new series has been announced yet. As much as I loved Les Miserables and Porfy, their sales really didn’t do that well, and this attempt to revive the WMT-franchise was a financial failure, and it just never got the recognition and popularity that it received in its golden age. All we can hope is that Nippon Animation won’t give up with this. Even without the WMT, they’re a great animation company that uses its simplicity, to focus on strong themes or hilarious premises.
Rating: (enjoyable)

Kuchuu Buranko – 10

by psgels, posted in Kuchuu Buranko



Now THIS really is this series at its best: a great sense of humour, a very fine selection of references to past episodes, it continues fleshing out this series’ themes in a rather clever way, and it actually has a really good story with a great main character this time. It’s really here where this show makes use of its formula that it’s built up over the past few episodes, and gives it a very interesting and creative twist.

It’s interesting how in this episode, the lead character didn’t turn into an animal. Or to be more specific: he didn’t need to be turned into an animal because he already had taken on a strange form: that of his 30-year-old self. Throughout the entire episode, we just see this version of him. There are quite a few points at which things don’t really make much sense this way: how can such a young person be president of a country, why does he have flashbacks of the construction of Tokyo Tower and why is Irabu suggesting retirement to him at that kind of age…?

It was definitely a nice twist, and out of all the Kuchuu Buranko lead characters, the personality of this guy ranges among the most colourful. With him, you can really see his development in a way that isn’t superficial, cheesy or rushed, but it’s really genuine.

And I’m actually pretty curious to see what the creators have planned for that final episode. Especially with this kind of a series, you can really put anything there. Considering that it airs at Christmas Eve in Japan, not to mention that the creators have been dropping countless of Christmas hints for the past few episodes, I really can see them doing a Christmas-themed ending. Pretty heart-warming for the holidays, if this turns out to be true.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Kemono no Souja Erin – 49

by psgels, posted in Kemono no Souja Erin



So this is it: the moment where this series doesn’t just need to show off the build-up of the previous episodes paying off, but the creators also need to show that even when shifting the focus to the war between countries, instead of raising beasts, it can deliver. And you know what, it actually did.

The big question-mark here of course was Damya: would such a stereotypically evil person really be able to pull off a good villain during this show’s climax? Well, he didn’t really get much depth in this episode either, but his betrayal to the queen, his plans to use the Touda army to crush the duke’s army even after Seimiya’s surrender and his constant evil presence did great preparations to the real point of this episode: the decision that Erin had to make: resent war in every way possible and never use Lilan to fight, or take up the role that was given to her, and making use of the power that she controls, even though the potential for a complete disaster is oh so great.

And that’s really what made this episode work and tied this arc in with the rest of the series. I must say, that the build-up during the past episodes has been really great, and seeing it actually pay off makes it even better. I suppose that it would have been even better if the villain was fleshed out a bit more, but ah well. This is a series about Erin. Not the country. The politics in this series were interesting, but they were always inferior to Erin and her struggles into better understanding beasts like Lilan. For a series that’s purely about politics, there’s always Tytania anyway.

Now: that final episode. I can sort-of guess what’s going to happen, so it’s all going to come down to execution. I really hope that the creators are going to be able to use this episode to create a great ending.
Rating: ** (Excellent)