Category: Other:

Some Quick First Impressions: Lance N’ Masques, Heavy Object and Young Blackjack

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Lance N’ Masques

Short Synopsis: A boy has a huge lance and a tendency for acting like tuxedo mask.

I will admit that this episode wasn’t as terrible as I was expecting but it has all the ingredients to become terrible by episode 2. The biggest problem however is not in the story but in the art. Whoever is doing the character art for this show, either step up or step down because the character art is downright ugly. Proportions are off, shading is blocky with no regard to light source and it’s just not pleasant to look at. What makes this most evident is the heavily detailed backgrounds which cause a huge disconnect with the far too simplistic character designs. The soundtrack has some interesting pieces of music Celtic vibes that I rather like. The main problem I have with the story is the very young age of the heroine. Its very creepy to see the show push for a romantic mood between the two. The setup has mildly intriguing aspects like the order of knights but there’s a harem, there’s most certainly a school coming and a large number of common cliches. The animation is quite limited and from the looks of things they blew most of their budget on the first fight scene. There’s not any hope for this one.

Potential: 0%

 

Heavy Object

Short Synopsis. The world now conducts wars by pitting Metal Gears against one another.

When watching the first few minutes of this episode I found myself wondering, why was it that I wasn’t all that impressed with this story when I read the Light novel? I mean the setting is great with huge potential and while the science is spotty, the Metal Gears are pretty awesome. So why was it I wasn’t sold on this? Then the main characters are introduced with two male leads talking exposition and the third female lead taking a shower because…because. On seeing that I suddenly thought “Ah yes. Now I remember.” This is Kazuma Kamachi after all. The man prone to creating settings with unlimited potential and squandering it by using it for the lowest common denominator of storytelling. The man potentially responsible for every overused Light novel trope under the sun. The parts regarding objects in this episode were decently engaging but was inter cut with some bad comedy and even more awful cringe inducing fanservice. The scene with the girls belts acting as bondage ropes and the main agonizing over undoing the belts while she was getting choked to death by them because to do so he would touch her breasts was quite painful to say the least. If these parts of the show don’t bother you as much as they did me then chances are you will enjoy this show. Me however, I will just lament  the death of an idea that could have been great in someone elses hands.

Potential: 30%

 

Young Blackjack

Short Synopsis: An intern doctor performs a risky operation on a young boy.

So far very promising though it’s old school sensibilities are a bit intrusive. It’s very on the nose about its story with not much subtlety and highly dramatized but the story itself is quite good. The main mature cast has potential with a drug addict doctor who can’t stand the sight of blood and the enigmatic blackjack. Though it wasn’t quite as dark as I was expecting and reminded me a lot of the Trauma center video game series. Very nice touch at the end of the episode which goes to prove that even if you do someone a huge favor, their are types who will weasel their way out of a deal. The next episode preview looks to be putting forth more moral dilemmas which is a massive plus in my book. I think this will be a show to keep an eye on.

Potential: 85%

Gangsta. – 58/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Currently Watching:, Gangsta, Reviews by AidanAK47

Gangsta is an anime with a lot of things going for it. A mature cast, gritty themes, a interesting setting and a trio of main characters who can carry the show. However due to a number of factors it never quite reached its potential. The main trio of characters are unconventional and quite interesting with them being a Prostitute, deaf man and a gigolo. The best moments of the show often come from the quiet times between the characters as their relationship and history make for some pretty engaging conversations. Gangsta really shines in the episodes where characters are reminiscing about the past or just talking to each other but these moments are often pushed to the side as the new super powered psycho shows up for our heroes to fight. Through the main trio are fairly decently fleshed out, the rest of the cast are not quite as developed and viewers can’t really gain an attachment to them due to brevity of their screen time. Which is a major problem as the last few episodes deal with too many side characters to bring a decent conclusion to the story.

One of the biggest issues of the show is the inclusion of superpowered humans known as Twilight’s whom turn the fights of this series into over the top Shounen bouts that contrast the overall more grounded aspects of the rest of the show. It’s an alien element which hijacks the show away from it’s more interesting aspects to focus on ridiculous fight scenes which throw all laws of gravity out the window. The plot was lacking a main goal and instead acted as a setup of characters and setting that lead to no payoff because the series ends unceremoniously at the beginning of a story arc. With little chance of a sequel at this time(Especially now that Mangalobe has gone out of business), this makes the series feel unfinished and nothing more than a poor advertisement to read the manga. Art and animation fluctuate between visually stylish to bad as fights are later hindered with still shots and facial features in certain shots, mostly regarding Alex, are positioned incorrectly.

Ultimately Gangsta is a show that attempted to present style over substance but failed due to lacking animation, a unfocused plot and over the top fight scenes. It’s a show I can’t really recommend due to its unfinished nature and good points being too few in number. As the last TV anime Mangalobe made it’s not too bad a way to go out but there is a sense that this story could have been presented better if picked up by those with a more stable company. In the end Mangalobe went out adapting the hard sell and paid for it. That’s commendable but in the end if you reach for high ambitions without taking into account your limits all that’s gained is a bad product. If Mangalobe is ever revived, I recommend you take this lesson to heart and work within your limits to present the best product you can. A polished, focused anime beats a unfinished ambitious idea every time.

Gakkou Gurashi! – 80/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Gakkou Gurashi, Reviews by AidanAK47

Gakkou is one with a good facade as promotional material would have you believe it was some dime a dozen moe slice of life. I was one who wasn’t fooled by the cute cuddly exterior but I was truly surprised with just how good this anime ended up being. Gakkou is one of those rare examples of an adaption which improves its source material by making use of the animated medium. With visual subtext and better presentation this adaptation took something that could have ended up a mere gimmick of a show and made it so much more. The direction is simply marvellous with little details hidden throughout to reward those who pay close attention. Be it in the slight changes in the opening from episode to episode or the minor details hidden in the background.

The characters are likable though not particularly deep and I fear that shallowness might be a turnoff for some. In a twelve episode series building deep characterization is a challenge that even the often praised Madoka didn’t manage. But Madoka managed to keep the plot in center focus and didn’t wander between it’s two moods. Some of the plot developments are foreshadowed too heavily leaving little surprise when they are finally revealed, though the reveal is often great to see for execution alone. Music can provide the necessary mood though for the large part it’s fairly unnoticeable. Art and animation are adequate with the real effect of scenes being mostly on the presentation of certain scenes.

There are flaws with this odd combination of genres of course and Gakkou still makes use of a lot of the fluff present in moe slice of life, even if it has a purpose now. There are a two or three episodes dedicated to random hijinks that act more to delay the plot. But when the plot takes a dark turn it’s often very effective with some excellent scenes that make use of music and camera shots to the best effect. Ultimately I wish there was more darkness in this show and the manga does have scenes which could have remedied that problem. But alas they were not made use of and I blame the largely unnecessary pool episode for that. The ending is another issue as it does make use of far fetched plot contrivances to provide an ending which could leave viewers cheated or disappointed.

Gakkou remained a consistently good watch throughout it’s run and it is a series which would benefit greatly from a second season. Fans of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica who are looking for a similar show might scratch that itch with this series, for others however the mix of Moe and horror elements might be too off putting or schizophrenic to enjoy. But to me the juxtaposition of the two sides of the show are what make it the most effective. If either element was played alone this show wouldn’t be quite as interesting but with the two placed together it makes you appreciate both all the more. Or to put it in other terms, Despair is at it’s peak beside the greatest hope

2015 Fall Season Preview

by AidanAK47, posted in Seasonal Previews

How the time flies. It wasn’t too long ago I was writing the preview for the last season and yet it’s nearly over. However while Summer was a season of surprising quality, fall looks to be weaker. There still could be some hidden gems here as my usual methods of checking source material came up short but I don’t see Fall being a season to remember. That said, even a bad season can have one good or even great anime.

As usual Straw poll is below to vote on what you want me to cover. Three animes are covered, two my choice, one yours. Voting ends by the time second episodes start airing. One of my Choices is One Punch man and the other undecided. Should my second choice anime be top voted of the Strawpoll, I will cover the second highest show on the poll.

http://strawpoll.me/5522575

First is the sequels, as usual if you liked the previous season then by all means continue. Otherwise I will save time and not cover them.

The sequels I don’t care about

Aikatsu! 4
Diabolik Lovers More,Blood
Haikyuu!! 2
Soukyuu no Fafner: Exodus 2
Yuru Yuri San☆Hai!
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka??
World Trigger: Isekai Kara no Toubousha
Noragami Aragoto
Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R 2

Series I don’t look forward to

Brave Beats

The story follows Hibiki Kazaguruma, a sixth grader who meets an amusing little robot named Bureikin while coming home from school one day. Bureikin, a dancer from an alternate-dimension dance world, challenged the dance king for the throne and lost. He has been deprived of Dance Stones (the stones of dance power) and sent to the human world. To restore his power, bureikin must collect all the Dance Stones scattered around Earth.
Meanwhile, the Dance Stones cause chaos on the human world. To retrieve the Dance Stones, Bureikin fuses with Hibiki and transforms into a Dance Hero.

It would be a huge surprise if this turned out to be remotely good. At most a harmless kids show, at worst a bad kids show. Still either way it’s likely going to be better than Teen Titans Go. Sigh…it’s sad when you see something you loved turned into a complete joke.

Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou

The stage is set in “another Japan” as a banquet of diverse superhumans unfolds… In an imaginary “age of gods” about 20 years after the war, Japan has grown and developed by leaps and bounds. What if all the superhumans ever written about in fictional stories existed at the same time? Superhumans who came into existence through different circumstances, and who are special in different ways — Titans from outer space, lifeforms from a mystical world, phantoms and goblins from ancient times, cyborgs created by scientists, relics that rose out of the ruins of ancient civilizations, and the list goes on. One segment of these superhumans makes no secret of their existence and has gained popularity in society. Others cloak their identities and fight in secrecy. There are enemies of superhumans as well, organizations that operate in the shadows. The Japanese government has taken many measures to secure peace and order. One is the establishment of an organization under the Ministry of Health and Welfare — the Overpopulation Research Laboratory, a.k.a. the Superhuman Bureau. Their mission is to identify and approach superhumans, then oversee and safeguard them. One member of the Superhuman Bureau, Jiro Hitoyoshi, is protagonist of this series.

I actually thought for a moment when watching the trailer that this might be trying to portray a chuunibyou disillusion as the premise and is about chuinbyou characters like KyoAni’s chuuni show. However it doesn’t look to be the case. Bones seemed to have picked up a bit from Blood blockade battlefront but this show I don’t hold much hope for. Mainly because it’s penned by Shou Aikawa. A man who’s currently writing one of the worst titles of the current season, Chaos Dragon and whose output is either great to outright terrible. Currently his writing has not been very good lately though perhaps I am just still angry over him ruining Red Dragon. The artstyle is odd to say the least and the animation is bones usual vibrant movement but I can easily see this being another Bones flop.

Garo: Guren no Tsuki

Producer Masao Maruyama announced at animation studio MAPPA’s Otakon panel that the second Garo: Honoo no Kokuin television anime series is slated for this October. Unlike the first Garo anime, this series will be a jidaigeki (period drama) set in the Heian period. It will have a female protagonist.

Studio Mappa is a pretty interesting studio. While Bahamut and Zaku no terror were far from perfect, they still were rather unique series. This too looks interesting but it has a big problem. Shou Aikawa. Yes, Aikawa is doing series composition for two series and that’s bad news in my book. Of course it depends on how much control he has but there’s also the issue of the director mainly being experienced in Shounen shows. A female protagonist is a good thing in my book but a show like this needs a mature feel. With these two at the helm I doubt it will be able to provide that. The series has four other script writers, all of which don’t have much experience with this kind of show.

Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan

The story follows Hakone, a hot spring spirit who descended to a spa resort on Earth. However, with her long slumber, she looks like a little girl on the outside. (The “Yousei” in the title is a wordplay on the Japanese words for fairy and a young child.) The high school boy Touya stumbles across her at a hot spring and ends up joining Hakone in retrieving her original powers.

Studio doesn’t have any heavy hitters, this is the director’s second anime and there’s really no potential in the story. It’s really about the hijinks of a hot spring spirit who can vomit hot spring water. Other than That I expect a good bit of fanservice.

Dance with Devils

The story revolves around Rikka Tachibana, a female second-year high school student who attends Shiko Academy in Shiko Town. She enjoyed her school life while living with her mother Maria, but one day, that balance fell into ruin. The anime is a story of Rikka being loved and being attracted to demons.

I would like to give Brains base the benefit of the doubt and assume there’s more to this that meets the eye. However from looking at it, despite it being an original series it looks to be exactly what it looks like. An age old bargain bin reverse harem. The staff haven’t worked on anything notable and I am highly skeptical this will bring anything other than a bunch of pretty boy devils fawning over a girl with no distinct desirable features.

Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai

The school action fantasy is set in a world where people with magic powers are close to being wiped out. Just as the balance of power and military might had once shifted from swords to sorcery, it shifts once again to guns. Takeru Kusanagi goes to “AntiMagic Academy,” a training facility for Inquisitors of Herectics who crack down on the dwindling threat posed by magic users. However, Takeru cannot use guns at all and can only fight with a sword. As a result, he is relegated to the 35th Test Platoon, the motley “small fry platoon” for poor students. One day, Ouka Outori, the ultra-elite pistol master who already has her qualifications for witch-hunts, joins the platoon.

I am tempted to add a category for generic light novel anime so I don’t have to repeat myself ad nauseum. Main is in a group where he’s the only guy and all the girls in the team are romantically interested in him or are going to be. Main also happens to be a secret badass as usual. There’s accidental boob groping, walking in on a girl in a state of undress, poor humor and one dimensional villains.

Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama

Cocotama are tiny gods born from the thoughts and feelings of objects that people use with great care. The fact that Cocotama wear part of the egg they hatch out of as underwear is proof that they are still apprentices. The Cocotama use a mysterious magic, and they train hard to be of use to humans and to become full gods. They live inside human houses and stealthily move around to help humans find things they have lost, although they make many mistakes.

Gah, it’s so sweet it makes me want to puke. Truth be told there’s nothing really offensive about this one. It’s a fluffy kids show made by a company who does kids shows. It’s simply just not for me. Even as a kid I wouldn’t watch this.

Hidan no Aria AA

A young girl idolizes the world-renowned S-ranked butei Kanzaki H. Aria and plans to follow in her footsteps. However, her test grades her out as only an E-rank! All is not lost, however, as Aria agrees to give her some pointers. Can Aria help this newcomer become a first-rate butei?

In the bargain bin of Light novel adaptions Hidan no Aria would be the one at the bottom with the 90% off price tag. The first season was terrible with storytelling that would make even the worst writer shake his head. Coming across as a poor knockoff of Shana with no interesting characters and a story involving the descendants of famous characters that is just downright ridiculous. Aria lost all semblance of suspension of disbelief when the main heroine was confirmed to be the descendant of Sherlock Holmes. God, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must be rolling in his grave. I remember a arc involved the characters facing off against Count Dracula for crying out loud. And if I remember, I heard something about how later down in the novels a man survives four bullets to the heart. This is just terrible tripe that might only qualify as so bad it’s good. Yet here I am, a man who would kill for a another season to Spice and wolf or Kino’s Journey, staring at a sequel to what may be one of the worst anime to grace the medium. Life can be cruel and unfair.

Lance N’ Masques

The battle action novel series revolves around Youtarou Hanafusa, a young man who is part of the last remaining order of knights in the 21st century, “Knights of the World.” As he fights as the mysterious Knight Lancer, he must hide his identity behind a mask.

The author of this piece of work wrote scripts for animes such as Campione, Gj-bu, Aki-Sora and a harem involving girls who are transformed soda cans called Akikan….I highly doubt I need to continue.

K Return of Kings

In modern Japan, where history has strangely overlapped with reality. There, seven “Kings” with great superpowers existed. Along with their clansman to whom they shared their own power with, the kings each formed clans. Order bound by blue, red flames that cause chaos, irregularities that shine in white, and reforms branched off into green. The Kings, each with their own abilities, now… With “jungle” once again jumping back into action, the fates of the various Kings are brought together.

The disappointments continue. K was a poor attempt to cash in on a anime which targeted every demographic it could and yet focus on none. The story was a mess, the characters were dull and fanservice laughable. It always just made me laugh seeing two male characters fight yet get their faces within kissing distance. Thats not just me assuming, the way those scenes where shot it’s obvious just who they were pandering to. When you are targeting both the shounen crowd and Fujoshi’s in one scene, I think its time to rethink the plan. People felt it had good animation but in my opinion it felt like average animation put into Photoshop, layered with Photoshop filters and blue hues. I knew a sequel was coming and just as I thought back then, it doesn’t deserve one. Gohands haven’t been doing the best either as their last anime Copelion was a truly legendary train wreck to behold. Frankly for the cool city filled with wacky badass characters senario, we already have another season of Durarara coming. I don’t think we need the poor second cousin who’s desperate for attention.

Owari no Seraph 2

A direct continuation from the first season. The story takes place in a world where an unknown virus has killed the entire human population except for children under 13. Those children were then enslaved by vampires. The manga centers on Yuichiro Hyakuya, a human who dreams of becoming strong enough to kill all vampires.

I haven’t taken the care to continue watching the first season beyond two episodes but from what I heard it reached a level of terrible that’s downright laughable. Nothing worth your time.

Owarimonogatari

A display from the Shosen Book Tower book store in Tokyo has revealed that NisiOisin’s three-volume Owarimonogatari novel will be adapted into a television anime. The display also reveals the anime’s October premiere date.

If you seen a Monogatari series anime then you likely know what you are in for. Heavy amounts of dialogue, fanservice galore and highly stylised Shinbou limited animation madness. I have never really been a fan of the series as I see it more of a harem being hidden under mountains of pointless dialogue and utterly nonsense visual metaphors. I find the series exhausting more than anything as attempting to follow the spitfire conversations for more than two episodes is mentally draining. This looks to be the final season of the series and with that I say so long and thanks for all the headaches.

Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan

The “school sword action” story revolves around Magic Knights, modern magic-users who fight with weapons converted from their souls. Ikki Kurogane goes to a school for these Magic Knights, but he is the “Failed Knight” or “Worst One” who is failing because he has no magical skills. However, one day, he is challenged to a duel by Stella, a foreign princess and the “Number One” student. In this duel, “the loser must be obedient for life.”

The best comparisons for this would be Sword art Online or Mahouka. So like Mahouka we have a magic user who’s known for being the weakest when he’s actually the strongest Gary Sue fantasmo. And like SAO it has the odd choice of deciding the main heroine in the first arc and then subsequently adding more girls to the harem afterwards, even though it’s pointless. The protagonist has some odd saying of boasting about how he will beat people with his weakness which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It might be translation issue or simply a poor attempt at being cool. Other than that it’s the usual fare for Light novel plots.

Gakusen Toshi Asterisk

In the previous century, humanity was attacked by an unprecedented disaster… The impact “Invertia.” The whole world was destroyed. However, humans acquired a new potential…”The Genestella.”

Originality is something that is near impossible to achieve. Even if you do come up with an uncommon idea, chances are you with be making use of a good amount of tropes on the TvTropes archive. But there are ways to make tired stories feel fresh and it is evident when you didn’t really try. As an example of not trying here we have Gakusen Toshi Asterisk, a by the numbers light novel story. This has been seen a dozen times and you know what’s the ultimate proof of this? See Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan up above? Both that and Asterisk start off exactly the the same, no joke. The first episodes of these shows will be near identical with its setup. Though regardless of which is first to do this idea, which is neither of them,I pick out this as the lazier of the two. Within its first chapter it sets up a Shounen hierarchy with an elite group known as page ones (they are definitely running out of names for these groups) and barrels of exposition which is essentially the same as other stories but with different terminology for the same things. If you want this kind of story you will likely be watching the above series. This one isn’t really worth your time.

Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou

The school comedy story is set in a junior high school and centers on the original manga’s characters such as Eren and Mikasa as they battle with Titans. The spin-off incorporates gags while using Shingeki no Kyojin’s story and notable scenes as its basis.

Nobody asked for this. Did anyone ask for this? I certainly didn’t ask for this, I didn’t see anyone else ask for this. Who was it that watched Attack on Titan and said “You know what would make this show better? If we set it at a high school!” Well let it never be said that I don’t give things a chance because I read the first two chapters of the manga. And it is awful. It’s just so cringe inducingly awful. The setup is basically that Titans are now bullying upperclassmen and taking things from the show and attempted to get a laugh by making the reasons stupid. For example, Eren still wants to kill all the Titans but not because one ate his mother. Instead a Titan stole his lunch when he was a kid and ate his cheeseburger. Yes people, that the golden comedy we are in for. Even if you were a fan of the show I highly doubt you would want to see this. The only value it has is taking familiar characters and seeing how they do in a school setting and doubt even fans are interested in that.

Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha Burst

The second season of Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha.

Sigh…I hate it when I am right. Somewhere deep down in my gut I knew this would get a second season. It’s just the kind of show that just gets lapped up. I can dismiss this as garbage, not recommended.

Hokuto no Ken: Ichigo Aji

The spinoff centers on a fun version of the Holy Emperor Souther as he tries to find ways to become friends with Kenshirou, demonstrates his party techniques, and sometimes plays with the Gosha Sei.

I have yet to check out Fist of the north star but I don’t think this would serve as a good introduction. It’s certainly a very…fruity show. Well for a show like this, it all comes down to the comedy factor.

Star Mu

The story starts when Yuuta Hoshiya enters Ayana Academy, a school focusing on show business activities, specifically music. The academy has a group of the three students with the highest grades in the musical department, and they are known as the Kao Kai (Cherry Blossom Flower Association). This organization stands at the top of the pecking order within the academy.

It’s the first work by a new anime studio with a team who don’t have anything under their belt. That line is becoming the new mantra for this season. Well the director did do Tsubasa but that’s really it. I don’t really expect much as this really looks to be a title made to earn some starting money.

Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid

Part of the Valkyrie Drive project which will include a console game, a smart phone game and an anime. The “beautiful girl sexy battle action” anime is set on five artificial islands.

It’s hard to make a good anime, potentially harder to make a good game. Attempting to make both at the same time and a phone game is just a recipe for disaster. Anime Game adaptions don’t have the best record either. But all hope was lost on the words “beautiful girl sexy battle action” the trailer had girls getting strong weapons and power through the magic of yuri. From the looks of things they need to get intimate with a girl to turn them into a weapon to use for combat. The target audience is clear and it’s a lost cause.

Osomatsu-san

The series follows the characters from the Osomatsu-kun manga after they’ve become adults.

I checked out the Osomatsu-Kun manga and found it to be a gag manga about six identail sixuplets. The humor was on the level of a Garfield or Archie comic so unless this anime is taking on a more mature tone this will be some squeaky clean comedy show. Comedy in anime is already a miss for me so this holds no interest.

 

Series I am middling on

 

Comet Lucifer

The story takes place on the planet Gift, where precious crystals called Giftjium are buried in the earth. A young man named Sōgo lives in Garden Indigo, a prosperous mining town. Sougo’s hobby is to collect rare crystals. One day, he gets wrapped up in a riot caused by his classmates Kaon, Roman, and Otto, and he loses his way until he finds a lake deep under the ground’s mining ruins. There, he meets a mysterious girl with blue hair and red eyes that gaze straight ahead. The story follows the adventure of what happens after this meeting.

Anime like this are the most troublesome for me. No source material, staff have only partially worked on some big name series and a trailer that explains absolutely nothing about what the shows about. That said it was a interesting and admittedly nice looking trailer. The animation studio is 8bit however, and I still haven’t forgiven them for those botched adaptations of Grisaia. Their output doesn’t inspire much confidence with such knockout titles as Infinite Stratos, Absolute Duo and Walkure Romanze. The best things on their portfolio is Aquarion Evo and Tokyo Ravens which were admittedly decent. No anime fan wishes for bad anime and I would like to hold hope that they can bring something great to the table. After all it does have a good artstyle and could be fun.

Komori-san wa Kotowarenai!

The manga revolves around middle school student Shuri Komori, who is too kind and is unable to say no when someone asks her for a favor. However, she has gained various amazing abilities as a result.

The main impression I got of this from reading the manga is that it’s a poor man’s Lucky Star. It’s a 4 koma manga whose main gimmick is that the lead character cannot refuse anyone’s request. Because of this she’s become really strong from carrying things, really smart from helping people with their homework, etc. That’s really all there is to it. I didn’t find the comedy funny but there nothing really horrible about it. It’s harmless mild entertainment.

Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans

300 years after a great conflict between Earth and Mars known as the “Calamity War,” a woman named Cordelia sets out on a journey to Earth to speak for the independence of the Martian city of Chryse, which is under the control of the Earth government. Escorting her is the private security company CGS members Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka. When a group named Gjallarhorn attacks CGS and Cordelia, Orga sees this as a chance to rebel against CGS and launch a coup. Mikazuki and Orga are thrust into a new conflict. To fend off Gjallarhorn, Mikazuki rides an old mobile suit from the Calamity War, powered by a nuclear reactor, the Gundam Barbatos.

This is a complete oddity in my eyes. My impression of the Gundam series as a whole is something that was never really my thing. The series advertises itself as a mecha combat show when it’s more a political thriller with some Mecha combat and the age old “War is bad” preaching. Still what makes this entry of the series so strange is who’s writing it. The writer of the series happens to be Mari Okada, a writer well known for Anohana and series often focused on teenage adolescent slice of life shows. She does happen to have other more varied series under her belt but is mainly known for shows surrounding teenage angst. I for one do not think Okada is a bad writer, as a matter of fact she can be a very good one provided that you can keep her under control. But this is the first time she’s been anywhere near a Mecha series and while Gundam has its share of love problems and angst she may have difficulty incorporating love troubles as the cast is predominantly male…well unless homosexuality is involved. Okada could turn it up to unbearable levels of ridiculous melodrama. However this is a show that’s different from her usual fair and If she is planning to use this to expand her writing skills into other genre that’s something I can respect. But another concern is that the director has only experience with slice of life romance so this could really end up being a unGundamlike Gundam show.

Heavy Object

The science-fiction war action story revolves around Objects — powerful, massive weapons that change the course of warfare — and Elite Object pilots. An odd Elite girl named Milinda meets Quenser, a student who aims to become a Object mechanic, with the soldier-in-training Heivia on a snowy battlefield.

On the surface Heavy Object sounds like a show with high potential. A series detailing the adventures of a group who find ways to exploit weaknesses to beat what are essentially Metal Gears. But then you take a look at the adaptor JC Staff and the original writer Kazuma Kamachi for that excitement to drain away. Kazuma is most well known for his Certain Magical Index series which may in fact be one of the titles to birth the Light novel formula used in every single unimaginative LN adaption to date. It is also the series which beat the Light novel formula to death and the author has been pushed to make two other protagonists to cover the fact that he has been remaking the same story arc again and again. Having read the first volume of the Light novel, I can say Heavy Object suffers from the same problems as his other works. Lame humor, characters defined by a gimmick and an endless conga line of girls falling in love with the protagonist. What could save this is the Metal Gear battles(Or..sigh…Heavy Objects) as it is interesting in how normal people find ways to take down giant robots.

Ore ga Ojou-sama Gakkou ni “Shomin Sample” Toshite Gets-Sareta Ken

In a hidden school surrounded by mountains, young ladies of good families are taught everything a high class lady needs to know. They are also completely cut off from the outside world, keeping them sheltered and innocent. However, a problem has come up recently—more and more graduates are failing to cope with the modern world after graduation. To deal with this problem, they’ve decided to kidnap a male commoner student, and enroll him as a student. They hope that this will be a gentle way to introduce the girls to the outside world. Kagurazaka Kimito is chosen for this dubious honor, mostly because he seems utterly average. However, the school leaders also seem to have concluded he’s a homosexual with a muscle fetish. When Kimito hears that the alternative may be castration (to protect the girls’ purity), he eagerly plays along with this misconception. Now he’ll just have to survive the attention of many high class young ladies that are completely out of touch with the world!

I have read the manga for this one before the anime announcement and overall found it to be decent. The focus of the show is more on comedy than harem hijinks and that comedy is actually pretty funny at times. The main bulk of the story has to do with a commoner club which is set up to introduce normal things to high class girls ignorant of the world. Naturally hilarity ensues as they misunderstand or take too well to foreign concepts. There is fanservice but it actual is a fairly enjoyable story with characters which are different from the usual stereotypes. With the right execution it could be a very watchable anime.

Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiruu

The novel series revolves around Shoutarou Tatewaki and Sakurako Kujyou. Shoutarou is a normal high school student with a serious demeanor who likes to show off his girlfriend Sakurako. Sakurako is an extraordinarily beautiful woman in her mid-20s from a rich family who loves “beautiful bones.” The two live in the city of Asahikawa in Hokkaido, and they get involved in various incidents regarding bones.

This has a promising hook but a few things have me concerned. It’s seems that romance may overshadow the “incidents regarding bones” seeing how much of the synopsis focuses on it. That isn’t inherently bad but requires your two main characters to have good onscreen chemistry. Spice and wolf has proven that a good character dynamic can carry the show even when the topic of said show is generally dull. In this regard the main male lead doesn’t inspire confidence having the general “average male high school student” design. The main female lead so far only has a gimmick of loving bones which looks to be something that will grow tiresome quickly. Other than that I predict the typical Sherlock and Watson relationship in regards to solving cases. But there are some pluses however, as it is a light novel adaption and from the looks of things has a notable absence of a harem.

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen

When I came to, I realized I was standing in the middle of a vast, snowy plain I knew nothing of. I didn’t know how I got there. And to add to that, I couldn’t remember anything, not even my name. I stood there, dumbfounded at my absurd situation. But then, as if to spite me further, a gigantic monster suddenly appeared, an insect-like creature that began to bear down on me. I tried desperately to run, but it cornered me into a hopeless situation. It was then that the girl appeared. Her name was Kuon. It was this beautiful girl, who bore an animal’s ears and tail, who saved my life.

I have watched the first episode of the first Utawarerumono anime and played the game/Visual novel which was a strategy game in the same lines of Fire Emblem. The game itself was decent with mediocre gameplay and a good enough story. It did have difficulties juggling what were slice of life hijinks and strategy gameplay. My biggest issue with the game was the deeply weak villains whose motivations barely went beyond being evil because they have high status. The director of this new anime has a large resume with some highs(legend of the galactic heroes, Katanagatari) and a lot of lows(School days,Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!) But my overall worry is this. This anime is based on a game that comes out at the exact same time as it’s airing. It’s clear that the anime is for the sole purpose of pushing game sales so how much effort is put into may be questionable. Making a good anime and a good game is hard enough one at a time but making both could make the two lesser. The game itself reminds me of Fire Emblem Awakening which I loved so it interests me but the anime I feel has a lot of hurdles to overcome. Tears to Tiara was anime of a game made by the same company and was done pretty well. But even so it was a decent anime at best. At most I see this being an average watchable anime that won’t really impress.

Young Black Jack

Young Black Jack is a prequel to Osamu Tezuka’s classic manga series about a brilliant maverick doctor who practices without a license.

Biggest concern here is that the one who penned the manga happens to be the same Mangaka behind Wolf Guy:Ookami no Monshou, which was…well a mess of rape and gore. But he also seems to be behind Akumetsu, a seinen manga which seems to have a positive reception from what I see. So I highly doubt this will be tamer than Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack manga, rather chances are the dark themes and gritty storytelling are going to get amped up. Which isn’t a bad thing in itself but dark storytelling requires a good writer or it ends up simply juvenile. I don’t have any experience with the original Black Jack manga though I have heard of the character but this could act as a decent introduction to the series. The animation studio seems very traditional having a majority of their works be Osamu Tezuka manga adaptions. I hope their animation is not also suck in traditional ways as there isn’t really a need anymore for speed lines and drawn out scenery shots. Or the heavily overdramatic overacted nature of old school anime. The amount of info on the series is limited so really it could go any way on this, still the concept of the manga intrigues me and I am always up for some dark themed stories.

 

Series I do look forward to

One Punch Man

The manga revolves around the titular super hero who has trained so hard that his hair has fallen out, and who can overcome any enemy with one punch. However, because he is so strong, he has become bored and frustrated with winning all his battles so easily.

In Shounen anime the common theme is the drive to be the very best. The best fighter, best cook, best monster collector, etc. But what would happen if you actually became the best? If you really were the strongest guy around who could beat anybody with one punch? Well enter Saitama, the hero of this story who shows us just how exciting being the best is. Namely being bored out of his skull because he hasn’t had a challenging fight or anything that requires him to go all out. One Punch man can be comparable to the manga Ratman or the anime Tiger and Bunny. It involves hired superheroes and the disasters which face the city. Disasters which Saitama usually solves instantly without anyone really knowing about it. This story isn’t a deconstruction of the Shounen genre but it is a highly entertaining and a funny action story. Madhouse does have its work cut out for them though. The manga is based on a webcomic with poor art, but the manga’s art is top class having been drawn by Yusuke Murata, best known for Eyeshield 21. The art of the manga is so good that there are pages of intricately drawn scenes which when put together in gif format can form some pretty impressive animation.(Look here to see: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2013/03/06/chapter-of-one-punch-man-manga-turned-into-incredible-animated-gif) Madhouse is a trustworthy adaptor so I can easily see this being the highlight of the season.

Subete ga F ni Naru

The story of the original Subete ga F ni Naru novel revolves around Souhei Saikawa, a member of the Saikawa Research Lab. He goes on a vacation held by the lab, and Moe Nishinosono, the daughter of his mentor, joins the group on their vacation despite not being a part of the lab. There, the two end up finding a corpse. The two work together to solve the mysteries of what becomes a serial murder case.

This and Sakurako make difficult shows to talk about as neither have source material that’s translated. The anime is based on a novel published in 1996. So I briefly checked out the first episode live action drama series made about the novels. What we have here looks to be a quite traditional murder mystery which I do quite adore. Nothing really makes you think more than a well written whodunit story. Though the beginning of the episode was very surreal hinting at the possibility of a supernatural element. I admittedly skimmed the episode mainly because I didn’t want to spoil myself on the show and secondly because the acting was pretty terrible. Most notable thing about the animation staff is that the director of Elfin Lied and Denpa Teki na Kanojo is directing this. Other than that genuine murder mystery is always welcome in my book, as long as it’s not the type of no thought required mystery Ranpo Kitan is showing. Truly good mystery stories require a clever writer that can make use of misdirection and setup. From my light viewing of the drama it looks as though this series will be presenting the viewer with the ingredients to solve the mystery themselves. The question is whether the characters can be interesting while presenting the mystery itself. A common problem with classic murder mystery is that the presentation of the mystery is first and foremost, thus the characters are limited in characterisation as their characters must remain enigmatic enough to be suspected. In this regard they can come across as plot devices for exposition about the mystery rather than genuine characters. I wonder if this story can dodge that particular problem but even if it can’t, this genre is one that is far too lacking in anime media.

Some Quick First Impressions: Aoharu x Kikanjuu, Joukamachi no Dandelion, Prison School and God Eater

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Aoharu x Kikanjuu

Short Synopsis. A girl dresses like a boy for some reason and gets in survival games.

The main character of this show confuses me, for she dresses like a boy, acts like a boy but isn’t transexual and wants to be more feminine. I don’t understand it and really when you get mistaken for a boy and forced into a survival game then really it’s your own fault. What’s also contradictory is that a man thinks she’s a boy yet keeps making suggestive advances on the main character despite clearly not being gay. I mean…I just don’t get it. Well anyway there’s not much to see here, we have highly over dramatic fights between people who act like they are having a live or death battle despite using toy BB guns. So really it’s just a show about the main starting to love survival games and trying to cover up the fact that she is a girl to the other team members.My interest is missing cause I generally know how this is all going to go, I have no interest whatsoever in surival games and the characters in this series don’t really interest me. For one the main character I find immensely annoying and while the host fellow doesn’t seem too bad I can’t really see him getting any more interesting. Might be some peoples kind of show but I think I will pass.

Potential: 0%

 

Joukamachi no Dandelion

Short Synopsis: A large royal family with superpowers must play games to decide the heir to the country.

Fairly decent I suppose, nothing really special but nothing that stands out too much. I find these shows the hardest to talk about. It’s not special but it’s not horrible either, just there. It’s a mediocre show that could interest but I find it just doesn’t have enough to get me to care. Though I must criticise that when you have the power to manipulate weight, that does not equal flight. In order to fly you need a means to propel yourself forward. The power of probability must be one of the worst powers as well considering that there are computers that can do the same thing. And the power to remember everything, so sort of a photographic memory? These are some truly useless superpowers. I think this one is something you can check out yourself and decide whether it’s worth continuing but I don’t think it’s something anyone will get really excited about.

Potential: 10%

 

Prison School

Short Synopsis. Five boys are forced into a school prison after trying to peep of girls changing.

There’s physical comedy and then there’s just pure sadism. Seeing this in animation as opposed to manga panel has had a strange effect on me, where the show is trying to make me laugh at these guys situation but instead I find myself getting filled with righteous indignation. While it is true that these guys are perverts with no redeeming value I find that the level of abuse thrown at them is quite potentially lethal and if their wounds didn’t magically heal somehow this would be a very different story. There are other problems with this series besides that, for one the cast of characters are all really unlikeable. The male characters are all desperate, pathetic sex crazed losers and the female characters are all sadistic superficial horrible people. The only exceptions to this is the main lead and what looks to be the main lead’s love interest, though the main lead is only just a small amount of good traits and the girl is fairly naive. The fan service doesn’t work not because of it being censored but rather because the female characters personalities are repulsive to me. Call me sentimental but I prefer girls that look like they would be fun to hang out with and looks aren’t everything. So the comedy is along the lines of gross out humor or sex jokes which I have seen every example under the sun and the fan service is ineffective so what does this show have to offer besides that? Not a lot it so seems. It is possible that maybe just the premise annoys me to the point that it stops me getting any enjoyment out of this. However this does seem like the kind of show that would only appeal to you if you like barrels of fanservice and low brow humor.

Potential: 0%

 

God Eater

Short Synopsis: Humanity lives inside walls and must send out teams to kill all the Titans…um…Aragami I mean.

Ufotable, I respect unconventional choices, I really do. It takes guts to adapt something that’s not really guaranteed to sell however I really wish you could have picked someone much more deserving than this. It’s clear that God Eater doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment, honestly it’s like presenting a five star meal to a hobo. The story is highly generic and the characters are fairly stereotypical with the main lead being the standard personality for this kind of show. But the visuals are certainly something, God eater sports a unique style where the characters all have this shiny look that reminds me of an oil painting. I am still on the fence on whether it looks good or not, as there are times when it looks impressive and other times when it looks just off. In particular I find the shading of characters to be inconsistent and not really adearing to where the light source is coming from. Music and animation are top notch but editing is a bit schizophrenic as some scenes have this jarring jump frame that looks like the film skipping on a projector. It seems to be there for a stylistic reason but I find it just distracting. This anime to me just looks like an experiment from Ufotable and while I think that it is interesting visually, I am afraid that story wise it has no value.

Potential: 30%

Some Quick First Impressions: Durarara!! X2 The Second Arc, Himouto! Umaru-chan and Sore ga Seiyuu!

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Durarara!! X2 The Second Arc

Short Synopsis: The adventures of the odd people of Ikebukuro

Second verse, same as the first. We still have another cour after this and Durarara doesn’t look to be changing its stripes anytime soon. So after being given a cliffhanger last season with Izaya getting stabbed and lying dying in the street we are straight away greeted by Izaya in a hospital bed, perfectly fine. This my friends is the problem with Durarara, the illusion of consequences. When the show constantly forebodes a looming threat and placing characters in dangerous situations, how can I care when I see Izaya brush off a stab wound to the stomach with a two day stay in a hospital? To me, none of these characters are in any true danger, and yet the show constantly tries to convince you otherwise. None of these characters are going to die, the author loves them too much do if there’s no real danger then what value does these dangerous encounters have. Durarara isn’t trying to put forward a meaning or a message, it’s just wacky people in a wacky place having wacky adventures and while that’s fun for a while there comes a time where I can no longer bring myself to care. Sure I still find the character interactions amusing but outside of that I am more or less watching out of obligation. In hope that maybe at the end of all this there will be true consequence.

Potential: 20%

 

Himouto! Umaru-chan

Short Synopsis: A brother needs to constantly deal with his demanding selfish sister.

There is a particular thing that comedy nowadays needs to take note of. When you make a gag in a comedy show or film, please take into account how that gag reflects the character of the person in the joke. There have been a number of examples of fictional characters who became horrible people just for the sake of comedy. One such example is Alan from the Hangover movies. In the beginning he was a strange but good natured person but when the third movie came around he became someone who didn’t even care when his own father died due to his negligence. Homer Simpson is another casualty as in the beginning he was a flawed person with best interests at heart but slowly became a dangerously impulsive person who never took into account how his actions affected other people. And so finally this brings me to Umaru, the star of this show. However instead of showing this character having good points we are immediately shown just how much of a selfish spoiled brat this person is and how she will go to any lengths to get her way. In another show this character would be a villain or someone pushed to reform but here the show seems to want us to be on her side even when she is treating her brother like a complete doormat. It’s hard for me to enjoy comedy when a lot of it is just mean spirited bullying by our ever so perfect Umaru-chan and the sad fact is that due to this shows nature as a one note gag that Umaru will never get that deserved slap in the face. This is a show about a spoiled brat that always gets her way. Feel free to enjoy.

Potential: 0%

 

Sore ga Seiyuu!

Short Synopsis: Voice actresses are so Kawaii!

My initial impressions remain true, Shirobako already did this and did it better. Plus with Gakkou Gurashi airing this season offering far more than this, this series just seems redundant. It’s like the quota for a standard cute girls doing cute things was not met so they just tossed this anime in. This anime has nothing to offer besides filling up an empty slot in the season lineup.

Potential: 0%

Some Quick First Impressions: Akagami no Shirayukihime, Jitsu wa Watashi wa and Classroom Crisis

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Akagami no Shirayukihime

Short Synopsis: Little miss bland is bothered cause she’s getting courted by a terrible prince only to run away and get courted by a more handsome terrible prince.

Look, I know I am not the right person to judge this show. I have an ingrained hatred of the shoujo genre that just interferes with any enjoyment that could be had. Every single line that comes out of that white haired prince’s mouth just makes me want to punch him in the face. I just can’t understand what people can see in such a bland and boring girl such as our MC and it just bugs me that she makes such a deal about this being her story yet from what I saw she was just a prize to be won. I am sure there are girls who look at harems and think the exact same way, I even agree with them. Plotwise i find it contrived, because this girl has red hair she is being forced to be a prince’s concubine who happens to be channeling the spirit of Shinji from Fate. Runs away and just so happens to run into the prince of a neighbouring country who takes a liking to her immediately. Terrible prince decides the best thing to do is send her poison apples, white prince eats an apple for some reason and then when Miss bland is about to agree to be a concubine rather spiritedly, white prince pops in an flaunts his authority. Only to take her for himself. It’s just so…irritating. I understand if you don’t agree and I don’t fault you if you like this show but I just can’t bring myself to feel the same.

Potential: 0%

 

Jitsu wa Watashi wa

Short Synopsis: A boy goes to confess to his crush only to find out she’s a vampire.

The thing that’s likely to make or break this show is how well the humor is executed because other than that there isn’t really much heard that hasn’t been seen before. The comedy doesn’t even work on me making it hard to gauge its value. Aside from the comedy it’s a pretty typical harem that eventually leads to the old harem purgatory of no progress or results. The animation seems fine and characters are decent but again its the comedy that will make or break this. But even if all you want is a decent fairly average harem show you will likely get your fix with this.

Potential: 10%

 

Classroom Crisis

Short Synopsis: A transfer student is taken hostage and his class makes a rescue effort.

It’s still not clear as to what this show will actually be about seeing as this first episode acted more as an introduction to our main cast and potential main character. For one I like this business transfer student who can manage to negotiate himself out of a hostage situation and its interesting that he’s mainly being sent to the class to find ways to downsize their budget. But I am just rather confused about the setting as the “classroom” is more like a club or a company. So far the school setting looks completely unnecessary and these characters could be easily made adults in the working world. It would also make more sense seeing as no matter how futuristic the school is, I highly doubt they would allow students to do something as dangerous and expensive as spacecraft building and piloting. Some of the characters are enjoyable and the setting on Mars colonized by different nations is interesting. But I would just like to know what exactly I am in for the rest of the episodes.

Potential: 35%

Some Quick First Impressions: Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan, Ushio to Tora and Gakkou Gurashi!

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan

Short Synopsis: How I learned to stop worrying about giant purple death beetles and cover my crotch in strawberry jam.

Well the standard generic light novel anime of the season quota has now been filled. I really wonder just what unwritten rule demands that one of these be made every season but well here it is. Nothing new to see, protagonist is a secret badass whom all the girls are after, cheap mistaken pervert jokes, bare essential animation and of course, a high school setting. I must really say that the music in this anime is atrocious, it doesn’t fit at all and just sounds grating to the ears. The villains of this show are about as intimidating as a puppy with  a soldier helmet and from the battle shown at the beginning aren’t even that much of a threat. The three main girls have at most one trait and are all annoying. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this.

Potential: 0%

 

Ushio to Tora

Short Synopsis: A boy and an invisible tiger fight demons.

This season is troublesome as they are so many interesting titles that I would like to keep up with. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this as some could call it Calvin and Hobbes Shounen edition. There’s odd trend going in anime to adapt old manga, in this case a manga made in the 90’s. The problems with this is that the animes are fairly dated in storytelling often bringing up the tropes of yesteryear. But on the plus side this is a completed manga and from the looks of things this is getting 39 episodes so they intend to cover the entire manga. The animation and art are quite pleasing but that at times it’s deliberately limited for the sake of comedy or just using old animation saving techniques like speed lines and still image after attack shots. Speaking of which the comedy is mostly slapstick and it’s hit or miss. It’s rocking an excellent opening that just gets you pumped for an action show though this is going to be not quite that action packed. The main thing that sets this story apart from other shounens is the dynamic between Ushio and Tora, they are a pretty delightful duo and their interactions can be most amusing. My main concern for future episodes though is when the episodic monster of the week formula goes away and a main plot kicks in that it may be a bit too stereotypical to hold interest.

Potential: 40%

 

Gakkou Gurashi!

Short Synopsis. Cute girls are living in a school and are having super happy fun adventures.

If you haven’t read my preview for the summer season and know nothing about this show then stop reading this post right now and jump into the first episode blind. Well that was certainly a successful first episode, made quite a number of changes from the manga but they were all for the best. I truly regret reading the manga now cause it ruined this episodes surprise but the great thing was just how subtle the foreshadowing is to the observant. There are hints showing that something is off throughout the episode and I only managed to catch half of them on a first watch. The blackboard was something I can’t believe I missed. Admittedly the meat of this episode is in the final minutes as the majority is typical moe fluff much like any other moe anime. But it’s well crafted and calculated that even I was second guessing what I knew was coming. What really could make this series is contrast, where two completely opposite genres strengthen the effect of the other just by the sharp tonal shift. Depending on how it’s handled, this could end up something special.

Potential: 80%

Some Quick First Impressions:Shimoneta,Aquarion Logos and Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai

Short Synopsis:  In a world governed with heavy censorship, one terrorist strives to teach everyone about the birds and the bees.

When I read the source for this anime I didn’t know how to react to it. Now with the anime I still don’t know. It’s a remarkable weird show with low grade toilet humor based in a dystopian society where the slightest mention of sex can get you arrested. It’s so utterly audacious that it’s strangely engrossing. I mean this episode ends with a class assembly as getting off to a video of two flies mating while the terrorist provides erotic voiceover. That’s South Park levels of pure absurd. I guess this show is mainly to satirise censorship and show that an extreme case that no matter how much you try to cover up the dirty details of life that people will naturally seek them out. Or in this case become even more depraved than they were without censorship. The key question that determines whether this show is can provide even more ridiculous scenarios because while setting has some potential interest, the humor isn’t enough to carry the show for a whole cour.

Potential: 30%

 

Aquarion Logos

Short Synopsis: A villain is using Kanji to destroy the world and the only defence is a combining giant robot.

Now I recall what Aquarion is all about. It was a pretty traditional mecha series that addeared to the tropes of old giant robot shows. So here we have a protagonist who can pilot a robot with no training whatsoever in the first episode, some pretty sexually suggestive robot combining and people yelling out flashy  finishing moves to defeat the monster of the week. There is certainly an appeal to this old style and I rather like how the monsters of this series are based around Kanji so that the villain infects a certain symbol which throws the world into chaos. In this case the Kanji for twist which results in people getting strangled by twisting scaffs and twisters appearing out of nowhere. Though the Kanji monster itself is pretty lame and I hope they come up with better designs for other symbols.  Admittedly it’s also completely ridiculous and really cheesy in it’s over the top presentation but well that can be it’s charm. My initial impression from the summer preview still remains however, that this is a show that you can enjoy watching but not one that you are going to remember.

Potential: 50%

 

Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou

Short Synopsis: A man has to take take of a Lamia girl as part of a demi-human species law.

This is an odd one. On one hand I do have a morbid curiosity about the whole thing but on the other it is indeed a pretty shameless harem material. Though this first episode did focus on only one girl and at least this time the lead has a real genuine reason to not become romantically involved with her, well besides the fact that she has nearly killed him three times in one episode. The aspects of demi-humans integrating into human society I also find interesting but there’s still a hefty amount of fanservice and it still got harem antics. The fanservice this time is also a little disturbing, taking into account that the girl is only technically human. Monster girls has always been a thing that veered too close to beastility for me.(Wouldn’t making love to a centaur be the same as getting it on with a horse?) But if you can get past that it’s…interesting I suppose. The ending card had a surprising amount of detail about various types of lamia that was fascinating. I for one never ever heard of a melusine before or knew there was a mythological snake girl known as Echidna. In a genre as stale as this, this is actually some rather refreshing creativity as questionable though it may be.

Potential: 15%

Some Quick First Impressions: Chaos Dragon,Rokka no Yuusha and Overlord

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Chaos Dragon

Short Synopsis: A boy is forced to take the path of a king

This isn’t a good start. The pacing of this episode was all over the place as the story moved to scene to scene much like a skittish rabbit. Very little of it having artistic cohesion seeing as it starts in an orphanage and when a boy hits another boy and mentions a war we are suddenly thrown into a giant infodump regarding the land and the ongoing war. The show jumps from visions to flashbacks to other character to pointless bath scenes so rapidly that it’s hard to get a clear grasp of the situation. The villains are one dimensional and purposefully idiotically evil. Watch as a man calls people savages only to decide after a sneak attack by a small group that the most logical choice would be to kill everyone in the entire town. Animation was inconsistent with some scenes having some good movement but then others resorting to speed lines and terrible still frames. The episode opens with a bad circular pan of the characters to a poorly animated CGI dragon. There is some potential as Nasu’s and Gen’s characters seem interesting and you can see parts of their writing style in the narrative. I am hoping the pace slows down and now that a hefty amount of info dumping is done we can gather the main cast and have some narrative focus. I am so far not impressed as we have a character death in the first episode and quite honestly it’s hard to feel for a character we have known for about ten to five minutes. Her death was also rather odd seeing as the main protagonist makes a deal to save her life and then the Dragon demands that he sacrifices her so he can…get the power to save her…hmmm try to figure out that logic.I would be pretty angry at that dragon in that case. This could still have the potential to turn itself around but I am starting to reconsider blogging it. If the second episode continues this then I will trade this off for Ranpo.

Potential: 50%

 

Rokka no Yuusha

Short Synopsis: A dirty fighting man is chosen to fight an ancient evil with five other heroes.

Well I am most certainly surprised. The experience of reading Rokka no yuusha was a rather mediocre one. Yet now that I am seeing the story get a large degree of loving care in the adaption this has turned into one of the best first episodes of the season so far. There was some rather clunky exposition in the middle of the episode where two characters recounted the legend of the six flowers for only the audience’s benefit seeing as both were well aware of the legend already. But the fights are beautifully animated and the art is very pleasing. It also helps that the main characters constant repeating of being the strongest man in the world is not quite as annoying. The animators made a lot of little changes too which make the story a lot more charming such as showing the passing of time with Adelt marking the walls of his prison cell with a sword and the princess of blades cutting up the cell and pushing all the guards in. Admittedly I am still expecting this to fall flat on it’s face once the real story begins but now a potential possibility has been shown. It could actually happen that the animes strength of presentation could make up for the stories shortcomings in writing.

Potential: 70%

 

Overlord

Short Synopsis: A virtual reality MMO player has found himself in the MMO world turned real.

It’s decent but overall just pure power fantasy show. There was some interest in the grief Momonga felt at having all his MMO friends ditch the game for real life. Leaving him, the last person who cares, alone to watch the servers get shut down. I really question how successful this MMO would be in our current market as a game which allows you to customise everything is just asking to get exploited and mechanically broken. But the servers shut down and Momonga realizes that it’s all suddenly become real and he is now the overpowered leader of a group of overpowered guardians. One of whom is a girl who he actually edited to fall in love with him at the last minute. Which he would need to do if he ever wanted a human relationship considering that he’s a skeleton…which causes me to question why the girl didn’t find it painful to have a bony skeleton hand grope her. She even offered to have sex with him which I am truly mind boggled as to the mechanics of how that would be possible. There is a charm of being an overpowered god in an RPG that can one hit kill anything but I often find that can become boring after  a while. I expect the same to happen here as it’s clear this won’t be a story about someone becoming mad with power and abusing his situation. CGI skeletons aside the animation is solid and art likewise. This could be fun to watch for a while but there only so long it can last.

Potential: 30%