Category: Some Quick First Impressions

Kaze no Stigma Short Synopsis: Kazuma has been kicked out of the fire-clan because he sucked at throwing fireballs at people. Now, three years later, he’s back with wind-powers to prove the meanies from the fire-clan wrong. Good: Interesting, this anime already starts off by killing its major characters Bad: Someone please teach the writer the basics of human nature. Overall Enjoyment Value: 4/10 Ever since I saw the plain and ordinary character-art, I sortof feared that this anime would never become good, and this episode indeed proved my fears. The bad points also don’t limit themselves to the bad character-designs, either. Most notably is the hugely unbelievable behavior of the characters. The girl’s comrades have just been killed by the main male lead, and what does the girl do? She acts as if he just insulted her. She never even looks back at her former friends who just died, and instead she shows the behaviour of a standard tsundere. Sorry, but with a start like that, I don’t feel like checking out more of this series… Oh, and grown-up guys throwing fireballs at each other definitely isn’t cool. Heck, the entire episode made it look like there was not thought whatsoever put behind the concept. Ookiku Furikabutte Short Synopsis: A not-so-typical loser gets assigned as the pitcher of a local baseball team. Good: Surprisingly down-to-earth. Bad: The main character does remain a looser, and I’m fearing for the girl we kept seeing flashes of. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10 Like Kaze no Stigma, I never had big expectations of this, especially after the horribly boring Overdrive. But what do you know, this sports anime actually turned out interesting. First of all, we finally have a loser who doesn’t suddenly get introduced to Baseball, so that he can become the best baseball player ever. This episode also hinted at tactics, rather than raw power like most sports anime tend to dabble into (or so I’ve heard). We’ve also got quite an interesting cast, like the orange-squishing trainer, the very shy main character (probably one of the shyest characters I’ve seen thus far), and the other new guy. Even the girl who watched from the side-lines was quite funny, though I fear her becoming a main character. Kaibutsu Oujo Short Synopsis: A typical loser gets to live together with a bunch of supernatural beings, who quite conveniently all end up being cute girls. Good: Thankfully, the ALI project didn’t turn this into a complete failure after all. Bad: So…many….stereotypes… Overall Enjoyment Value: 3/10 I couldn’t help but compare this series to Murder Princess, both feature a blonde princess who likes to kill others. I do have to say, though, that Murder Princess is infinitely better than the rubbish that this series tried to present. First of all, ignoring the clichés for a moment, the main character’s sister has invited her brother to come live with her. Why the heck doesn’t se get worried when he doesn’t show up? Why doesn’t she call the guy’s cell-phone to ask what happened to him. Sure, okay, she’s just a completely stupid and irresponsible girl, okay. I can forgive that. What I can’t forgive, though, is the hospital-people who don’t even notify the guy’s family-members after he died, for goodness’ sake! Now, if you add the clichés to that (big-breasted sister in maid-clothes, cold princess, small uberpowerful girl who keeps beating up the main character, a typical loser male who has been pasted right from another random harem-anime, the metal bar who chose just the right timing to fall down on the princess, and of course the fact that this princess just can’t let the guy die and I can ramble on forever like this) the result becomes nothing other than garbage.]]>

Lovely Complex Short Synopsis: This anime follows two extremely energetic high-schoolkids: one very tall girl and one very short boy. Good: Surprisingly funny. Bad: Seems to be trying a bit too hard at times. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10 You know, I expected Lovely Complex to be another slice-of-life anime that would get boring soon. Still, it’s surprisingly funny. It’s probably one of the anime with the most different kinds of facial expressions I’ve seen in a while, and I have to say that most of the time, it works quite funny. It isn’t the funniest anime of the spring-season, though (that title goes to Ooedo Rocket), and some facial expressions may be trying too hard, but especially the female lead is quite charming when she is in normal-mode. The shy boy and girl also were quite cute. I’m somehow reminded of Ouran High School Host Club, which aired during the previous season. Now let’s hope it won’t keep milking on the same jokes like Ouran did. Lucky Star Short Synopsis: Lucky star follows the high-school life of four rather eccentric girls. Good: KyoAni without a cheesy romance? This can become actually interesting. Bad: It’s ironic that out of all companies KyoAni blew all its animation-budget on the OP. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10 You know, I think that KyoAni finally managed to come with an actually good show, after the disappointments of Haruhi and Kanon. It’s also quite interesting that most of the budget didn’t go in the animation, like you’d expect, but in the dialogue. This probably is the most dialogue-heavy anime of the new season, heck the only moment in which people didn’t seem to be talking with each other was the beginning of the episode, in which the main character ran for a short while. While the dialogues are about nothing at all (the ENTIRE first half is about what kinds of food the characters like), there’s some nice chemistry between the characters. The lack of a male character also makes sure that there won’t be any cheesy romance, which also is a nice plus. I’m glad to see that Kyoani finally hit the nail. Also, you have to love the ED. ^^; Bokura no Short Synopsis: a group of children are invited to play a game: piloting a mecha in real life. Good: Probably too much to just list here. Bad: None. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 oh god, the expression “save the best for last” really applies to this Spring-Season. I just love this, and to think that Dennou Coil hasn’t even aired yet. I just love how the character-designs are so generic. They really try to show you that this involves normal, everyday children, and not just the hottest girl in school, or the typical loser male. To top that, the cast is huge, and each child has a different personality and feels unique. I bet that they’ll all react to the horrible things that are about to happen in a different way, and I can’t wait to see the second episode to find out! The background music also gave a small taste of the same guy who did the music for Hi no Tori, I’m expecting it to really show up once the major climaxes start coming, as this episode was sortof one general introduction. One detail I absolutely loved is inside the control chamber of the mecha, there are a number of seats, and each of these seats is different.]]>

Kaze no Shoujo Emily Short Synopsis: Emily has a very strong bond with her father, but then he suddenly dies. She then moves in with her aunt: Elizabeth. Good: It’s only the first episode, and Emily already is a very interesting character. Bad: A few predictable moments, character-designs that take time getting used to. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 This has been one of the series I was looking forward to the most, and it doesn’t disappoint. Like expected, the first episode focuses solely on Emily, and she already is an interesting character, losing her parents early on. I loved her crying-scenes. The predictable moments were regarding Emily, living together with her aunt. A large part of the episode is about who Emily should live with, though the OP already reveals that it’s going to be Elizabeth. Still, this is just a minor detail, I can’t wait to see the other characters in the spotlight. Each of them sounds really interesting. Just take note, the art may take a while to get used to, as it’s not your usual style. I’ve already seen Danny comment on how ugly he found it, though once you get used to it, it’s not so bad. Blue Dragon Short Synopsis: A typical brat appears to have a huge power, called the “Blue Dragon”. Good: Potentially interesting characters. Bad: Akira Toriyama Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10 The second of three RPG-adaptations to come this season. I secretly hoped for this to turn out well, like other shows of its kind proved, though the Akira Toriyama-influences are just way too big. We first of all have that annoying male lead, the people powering up, the stereotypical characters, but most annoyingly a main character who wants to protect his friends and so gets to have an excuse to possess the strongest power ever. I’m going to go with Shining Tears instead, and in June Tales of Symphonia. Stay away from this one, in any case. Towards The Terra Short Synopsis: Long ago, humankind went to travel to distant planets, while the earth was left in ruins. Johnnie, our main character gets involved with some strange people. Good: I don’t know why, but I loved it! Bad: I want more dammit!! Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 Towards The Terra, another one of my major series to look forward to, and with a very good reason. I mentioned before that I’m an absolute sucker for mystery, and a show like this couldn’t be more mysterious. Where does the main character live now? What happened to the earth? What did these people do to him when he was brainwashed? Who are these people who he keeps seeing in his dreams? Add a great mother-son relationship, an excellent soundtrack, and I’m hooked. According to the OP, the cast of this anime seems really big, and I can’t wait to meet all of these people. This episode was definitely a highlight of the beginning of the Spring-season.]]>

Kamichama Karin Short Synopsis: Karin is a young girl, with no friends and whose pet just died, when she meets a few strange people, one of them refers to her as “Kami-sama”. Good: Kawai! Really charming, The ALI-Project shines. Bad: I’ve seen quite a few mahou shoujo up till now, but I still haven’t found the merit of those extremely long transformation-scenes. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 Ah, the Mahou Shoujo of the season. I’ve been waiting for this, and it doesn’t disappoint. The first episode already was incredibly charming and heart-warming. Karin and … somehow really remind me of Sakura and Tomoyo, which of course is a good thing. I already love this. The only thing I’m worried about is the beginning of the show, which gives a small taste about what’s going to happen in the future of this anime. I’m not sure, but it looked rather formulaic. Let’s hope that the future episodes will be able to introduce lots of new stuff, as the first episode definitely showed that Kamichama Karin has the potential to become great. 🙂 Shining Tears x Wind Short Synopsis: Two teenagers get transported to a different world. Twist: the main character actually isn’t a typical loser. Good: Excellent mystery, so many potentially interesting characters. Bad: Quite a few minor flaws (see below). Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10 As this was another RPG-adaptation, I’ve been looking forward to it. Let me first say that I’m a total sucker for mystery, and so it’s great to see that there’s been a huge amount of mystery thrown into this anime. I really like the potential in this one. Also, even though the concept may be generic, the main characters actually do know how to fight before the story starts. The way the main character also obtains his power also has much more detail than your average other anime who uses this plot elements. And surprisingly, the romance between the two main characters of this episode could have been done way worse. Overall, I’ve been quite pleased, but the fact remains that there are lots of minor flaws in this anime which could potentially ruin it, just like Star Ocean Ex did once. Most of all, the females. Their character-designs are a bit too fanservice-based, and I do hope that they’ll be more than just damsels in distress. Apart from that, the fights themselves are rather generic, with no outstanding animation whatsoever. The characters also could have been a bit more surprised at the sudden catgirl who appeared in front of them. sola Short Synopsis: The sky is beautiful, taking pictures of it is fun, no sky is the same… oh god, this guy needs to find himself a hobby. Good: The action-scene at the end surprised me. Bad: Harem clichés ho! Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10 The writers of Kanon and Da Capo collaborating for this project. Obviously, it wasn’t going to be exciting. Sure, it’s got a bit of a quiet mood, but the characters are nearly painful. There’s this main character who has another strange hobby, and obviously is a total loser, he runs coincidentally into a girl, and the two fall in love. Remember also that scene in NHK ni Youkoso, where Satou suggested to combine all sorts of character-traits into one character? Well, after watching this anime, I can’t help to think that the creators used that scene as the base of one of the other characters: the bed-ridden sister who acts cold and doesn’t talk much. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned out to be an android as well. Apart from that, we’ve also got the tomboy-childhood friend and the little girl who sleeps in a box. Okay, that last one may not be a cliché, but she doesn’t exactly have an exciting personality either. In terms of graphics, don’t expect too much. The art on the main website already wasn’t really appealing, but this art got toned down even more for the anime-version.]]>

Kotetsushin Jeeg Short Synopsis: A typical loser gets to pilot a big mecha. Good: Rocking OP. Bad: Sadly, the OP was the only exciting part; horrible main character. Overall Enjoyment Value: 4/10 The umpth attempt to remake a mecha-classic. While most of them turn out good, or at least decent enough, Kotetsushin Jeeg, turned out to be pure garbage. It features characters with a way-too high testosterone-level, the main character being the worst case of this. Basically, it’s just an excuse to show flashy action, while attempting to make its characters look cool (which, let’s face it, obviously failed). Such a waste of a good OP. Darker than Black Short Synopsis: In a strange city, people can make contracts, in order to gain strange powers. Good: Has potential… I guess. Bad: The main character. Overall Enjoyment Value: 5,5/10 Bones may have hit the spot during the fall-season with Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi, I doubt that Darker than Black will become just as entertaining. So far, it had a few interesting points, but nothing really stood out. Yoko Kanno also disappointed, in my opinion. The main character also just doesn’t suit my tastes, like I mentioned before. First of all, he’s perfect, and second of all, he acts like a wimp. The broken fingers at the beginning of the episode also were a bit too much. I don’t feel like watching any more of this. Koutetsu Sangokushi Short Synopsis: It’s a war-anime, focusing on a guy whose parents have been killed, and is now under the care of an important person. Good: Great combination of fights, characters and emotions. Bad: I’d like to know how the main character was the chosen one. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 Now this is more like it! Koutetsu Sangokushi was one of those anime I knew next to nothing about before I watched it, and it immediately comes with a very strong first episode. It wasn’t without its flaws, though, as the main character gets great powers while it isn’t explained exactly why he got them, but apart from that, I liked this episode a lot. Finally we’ve got a bit of a good main character, who’s really struggling with his own morals at the moment. He’s fairly young, but he’s already learning in this first episode. I was also fairly surprised when he saw his father’s killer. With a first episode like this, the rest of the series either has to be incredibly good, or incredibly bad. I definitely hope it’s the former. Oh, and also thumbs high up for the background music. Beautifully orchestrated it is. :)]]>

OverDrive Short Synopsis: A typical loser gets to learn to ride a bicycle. Good: Decent enough music. Bad: Yawn… err, where was I? Overall Enjoyment Value: 3/10 Sports-anime have never really been my thing. Strangely enough, I never really had a good reason to avoid them. Finally, OverDrive gave me one. God, that was awful. The main bad point about this anime isn’t really that it’s bad, but the whole thing is just so incredibly boring. I felt myself nearly fall asleep after the first few minutes. Oh and the main character is a fourteen year-old loser who’s never ridden a bicycle before and will somehow end up as the best cyclist ever without having to practice hard like everyone else does. I definitely do not hope that all sports-anime are as bad as this one. Fuyu no Semi Short Synopsis: Quite an interesting setting: Ezo. Two guys who want to open up Japan to the rest of the world fall in love with each other (yes: guys). Good: Nice historical backgrounds. Bad: A tad boring, but that may have been because I watched this right after OverDrive. Overall Enjoyment Value: 6,5/10 I was quite surprised to see Ezo as the main setting in this OVA. It takes place perhaps a few years after Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto, but without the magic and supernatural elements. What was even more surprising that I heard the name of one of the main characters: Akizuki. After a while, it appears that this wasn’t Youjirou, but Keiichirou. Brothers? Anyway, the episode self didn’t make me too enthusiastic. It does have some interesting historical elements, but most of the episode looked like some strange version of a dating-sim. Saint Beast Short Synopsis: I’ve been wondering this myself. Good: Nice OP and ED, I guess, albeit a bit cheesy. Bad: Oh god the Engrish… the horrible, horrible Engrish! Overall Enjoyment Value: 4/10 My impression of Saint Beast can be described in one word: forgettable. Yet again, nothing of the episode caught my interest. Heck, now that I’m writing this, I can hardly remember what this anime was about anyway. I believe it was about six bishounen-angels who live happily in a mountain-cottage, until they get summoned by a Greek God-ish type of guy. I can hardly imagine recommending this one.]]>

Nagasarate Airantou Short Synopsis: A typical loser ends up on an island with only young girls. Good: Could have become good… Bad: …if it didn’t have the most horrible concept to work with, didn’t include the main character, blood-noses or fanservice, didn’t seem to think that a guy screaming, getting beaten-up, hurt or getting chased was the funniest thing ever, etc. Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10 It took me a while to figure out that “Airantou” is actually a horrible katakanification of the word “island”. Obviously, I think that my opinion on this one is clear by now. Okay, I do admit I chuckled at some parts, I liked it when the characters went crazy, and the evil smiles had potential. But why the heck did the creators find beating up the main character over and over and over and over again funny? It’s horribly dull and his screaming and nose-bleeds are some of the most annoying scenes ever. If the annoying parts are scrapped (including the horrible concept) though, this could make quite an interesting anime, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. Definitely dropped. Romeo x Juliet Short Synopsis: Juliet, a former princess now lives underground, in the same city where she used to live. There she gets saved by a boy: Romeo. Good: Nice production-values, great ED Bad: …Gonzo…grmblrg….. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10 Okay, I may only have read certain parts of the book, the beginning not included, but I doubt that this first episode was very true to the book. For starters, I never recall Juliet having lost her throne. Someone once commented about how Gonzo likes to add their own elements to the stories they adapt, and only now I realize what that means. Heck, if I’m not mistaken, William Shakespeare even makes a cameo-appearance. I don’t think I’m happy about these changes. In one thing, it did make the story more generic. I was looking forward to seeing this, as the book featured a type of storytelling that you don’t usually see in anime. I also definitely do hope that Gonzo won’t be thinking of a different ending. I’d love to see such an ending, which makes perfect use of the different character’s weaknesses: their naivety. Les Miserables proved that staying true to the book doesn’t mean a bad thing, and I’m fearing that Romeo x Juliet will somehow ruin this classic, in an attempt to make it “mainstream”. Still, the episode itself wasn’t bad if you see it as just another anime, and not “another Romeo and Juliet story”. Gigantic Formula Short Synopsis: Somewhere in the near-future, each major country possesses one strong mecha, which fight each other. Two children end up piloting Japan’s. Good: Excellent production values, beautiful character-designs. Bad: Makey no sensey. Overall Enjoyment Value: 6.5/10 It’s such a pity. If I had to guess, then the creators spent lots of effort to create some very high-quality graphics, music and scenes, only to realize that they ran out of budget to hire a decent writer. The graphics look amazing in this one, but it just makes no sense. I kept wondering how two children can end up piloting such an important mecha, but it appears that all of them are very highly skilled. Even more than normal adults. I really do hope that the future episodes will give some explanation about why these characters are so skilled, as they need every little piece of background they can get after this first taste of the series. Thankfully, near the end of the episode we got a small flash of the history of the main character, but that definitely was not enough. At all.]]>

Ooedo Rocket Short Synopsis: In a fictional Edo, we’ve got ourselves a young kid who’s able to make some of the greatest fireworks. Unfortunately, what he’s doing is illegal. Good: Hilariously awesome, great parodies. Bad: Obviously, most people will never give this wonderful concept a chance. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 I never thought I’d say this, but boy, that was awesome. Obviously, this isn’t going to be the most serious story, but I just loved the parodies in this one. It’ll be a great replacement for Master of epic. Ooedo Rocket is one of the few obscure series this season, but obviously it’s just as promising as the other obscure anime of the previous seasons. The series comes with a huge cast of characters, each with their own different and unique quirk. Characters appear in all kinds of different sizes. We’ve got some small townsfolk with some of the most hilarious faces, there’s a bunch of teenagers, a couple of “normal” men and women, some strange monsters, and let’s not forget the guy who is so tall that his head almost always doesn’t fit in the screen. ^^ I also loved how the officer had a cleaning-obsession. If you like an anime which is different from usual, hilarious, and doesn’t take itself too serious, then this is a definite recommendation! Shinkyouku Soukai Polyphonica Short Synopsis: A typical loser can turn his tsundere friend into some kind of superhuman when he plays piano on his motorbike. Good: Good points? We don’t need no stinkin’ good points! Bad: Lack of thoughts behind the concept, too much fanservice, the fact that there just aren’t any good points. Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10 In a season with so many potentially good series, it’s good to know that some series are just never going to be something worthwhile. Shinkyouku Soukai Polyphonica is one of these series. The demolition showed me that this is just an excuse to show cute girls. Real demolition teams would never allow people to enter their construction-site, and they would make sure that all items and properties are removed from the building before they detonate. The addition of semi-classical music for the climaxes also just doesn’t work, and the main guy doesn’t look cool AT ALL when he’s playing his motorbike. Add a female tsundere with an unnaturally large amount of hair, and whose only purpose is to supply fanservice to the viewer, and you’ve got yourself a failure of a series. Engage Planet ~ Kiss Dum Short Synopsis: The current year: 2031. The greatest enemy of mankind: bugs. And lots of ’em. Good: Great climaxes. Bad: A bit too heavy on the techno-babble, teenagers, able to pilot complex machinery. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10 With certain series, I just know that watching the raws with my limited Japanese is going to be near-impossible. Kiss Dum is one of these series. Not really because if has more difficult dialogue than other series, but the pacing is just insane at times. I think that you’ll need to be able to understand this perfectly in order to enjoy it to its fullest. And it’s got quite some potential to become good, I especially liked the climaxes at the beginning and the ending of the episode. Still, the main force of the protagonist somehow consists out of either teenagers or young adults. I tried, but I never managed to find any veteran amongst the characters. I’m not really enthusiastic about these kinds of concepts (due to the lack of realism), but I do admit that I’m impressed so far.]]>

Touka Gettan Short Synopsis: I’m not sure, but it involves cross-dressers, two people in the same body and a lot of tragedy. Good: The tragedy-part, interesting characters, Kannadzuki no Miko-esque soundtrack. Bad: Has a bit too much harem-elements. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10 Wait, wait, wait! A hentai-game adaptation that doesn’t actually suck? Whoa, that definitely is something new to me. Touka-chan and his girlfriend were quite interesting to see, and I like the degree of mystery in this series. For a while, I was really impressed by this. That is, until the anime started to introduce your typical harem-lead, an army of maids and even more female bishoujo who are totally unrelated to the story. I didn’t quite like that. Still, I’ve got hope. This first episode was definitely better than the first episode of most other harems I’ve seen in the past few seasons. Now let’s hope it’ll revolve around more than just “who gets to date that main character?” Wellber no Monogatari ~ Sisters of Wellber ~ Short Synopsis: The princess of Wellber ends up being wanted and in the care of a thief named Tina, after she kills her fiancée. Good: Probably the best OP of the season, great concept for a story. Bad: A few small flaws here and there, fanservice, a few deus ex machina, though nothing too major yet. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 While I watched the previous shows of the spring-season, I never really had the thought “I am going to blog this”, apart from Claymore perhaps. For these shows, I’ll be making up my mind after having seen the second episode. But with Wellber no Monogatari, I really feel that blogging it will be interesting. Especially the first half of the episode was very nice, when the viewer is just thrown into the events. Tina running into the princess who just killed her lover was quite an amusing moment. Oh, and finally we’ve got ourselves a princess who can actually do something, as it seems that she’s quite skilled in martial arts. The visuals are also quite pleasing, and while the music isn’t done by Yuki Kajiura, it’s quite good. I especially love the OP. It’s so simple, yet so different from usual. Wellber no Monogatari is promising some great things. Kono Aozora ni Yakusuku wo Short Synopsis: Main character wakes up with a half-naked girl in his bed. Bad: A first half of PURE PAIN!!! Good: With a second half which shows potential… what!? Overall Enjoyment Value: ?/10 Okay, I’m baffled. The first part of this episode was just horrible. It starts of with one of the most cheesy J-pop songs ever. After that, our main character wakes up with a half-naked girl in his bed, who slaps him afterwards and runs away. The characters have the most annoying voices AND characters EVER. Lots of harem-clichés are there: the annoying student-president, the annoying tsundere, the annoying brother-complex sister, the annoying silent girl, the annoying teacher, have I already mentioned how annoying those characters were? Oh, and surprise, surprise: they all live with the main character in the same building. Boy, you will never see that coming, there is no way you will. Seriously, though, I had almost given up on this anime when it comes with a surprisingly heavy dialogue in the end. Okay, the tsundere will obviously end up somewhere in the main character’s pants in the end, but that dialogue felt strangely genuine. That’s probably the first ever for a harem-anime. As you’ve seen by the rating of “?”, I have no idea what to think about this anime. It’s got so many bad points, but at the same time the good ones have potential. I’m going to watch at least another episode before dropping it.]]>

Heroic Age Short Synopsis: Deep in space, some kind of super-human lives who can be able to save humanity. Good: Epic music. Bad: Formulaic. Overall Enjoyment Value: 6,5/10 Heroic Age was one of the anime I looked forward too. Too bad I’ve been slightly disappointed, as the main force of the humans seems to consist out of a bunch of inexperienced teenagers. The encounter between the two main characters also leaves much to be desired, as it didn’t even bother to change from the ordinary. That main character also sounds a bit too perfect, if you ask me. But then again, that’s what happens when you get to be the first human to arrive on another planet and get blessed by the “Golden Race”. I also was a tad disappointed about these other races. I would have loved some depth on the Silver, Bronze and Heroic race, but I guess that this’ll happen later in the series. I’m suspecting that this is another one of those series that’ll only really kick off in the later parts of the series. I’m willing to give it a second chance for that, as the concept definitely has potential. El Cazador de la Bruja Short Synopsis: Unable to remember anything, a girl finds herself charged on murder and hunted by people called “Hunters”. A bounty hunter finds her and helps her. Good: Excellent mystery, when Yuki shines, she shines like no other. Bad: At times, Yuki didn’t shine. Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 Haha, so far, El Cazador de la Bruja has been the best series of the new season. Not the most solid one (that title goes to Seirei no Moribito), but I just loved the climax. Throughout the episode, I kept wondering where the geniousness of Yuki Kajiura went. I think that that was the reason the final part of the episode was so good. her music makes you keep curious about how it’ll turn out, only to whack you down when the moment is just right. In terms of the characters, I like Ellis. She and her companion definitely scream “Noir”, though the differences are definitely there. It’ll be interesting to see where this will be going. Gegege no Kitarou Short Synopsis: Kitarou, his father (a talking eye-ball), his grandmother (a sand-throwing hag), his grandfather (an old guy who can turn to stone), his childhood-friend (a catgirl) and some strange-looking objects are youkai-hunters. Good: A fun little show, interesting powers. Bad: Obviously, this’ll never win any awards. Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10 Like expected, this turned out to be a fun little show. It’s nothing special, but certainly not the worst of the season. The character-designs look quite interesting, and I love the catgirl. Finally we’ve got a catgirl who isn’t characterized by her nekomimi-ears. ^^; The first episode started off with a water-monster, and it’s like I expected: the fights are more about strategy, and using all of the character’s strange powers than about strength. I liked how the rain suddenly turned up, even though it may have been a bit too convenient for the monster.]]>