Argh! Deciding which of the big slice of life series to blog this season was hard! I mean, Usagi Drop is just undeniably good. Its acting is more realistic than all of the other series combined. If it aired during any other season, I definitely would have blogged it. It’s heart-warming as hell. Okay, that’s perhaps not the most fitting metaphor I could have used, but you get what I mean.
In the end though, I decided to go for Ikoku Meiro no Croisée is because I just find it a really interesting experiment. For one, I like historical series a lot, but this series also really delves into cultural differences. This series also is slightly different than your usual series that takes place in Europe, due to the French roots that Satelight has (did you know that Basquash was originally conceived by a Frenchman?). From the backgrounds, you can really see that a lot of attention to detail has gone into this series to make it really authentic. With Usagi Drop, I don’t think that there will be as much to write about, not to mention that according to what I’ve read about it, it’ll never really get to the growing up arcs, which (as a non-manga reader by the way), I actually really would have liked to see. If Usagi Drop would have been 22 episodes, I really would have blogged it instead. But then again, Ikoku Meiro no Croisée is also just going to take up 12 episodes. That’s the one criticism I have about this season: there still are too many series that don’t go beyond 13 episodes.
As for the final series that I’m going to blog this season: it’ll either be Dantalian no Shoka, or another Kaleidoscope-type post series. I’ll decide that next Friday.
In any case, this episode was chock full of cultural differences: a lot of this episode was about different kinds of food, but this episode also looked at the differences in architecture, customs, mindsets and traditions. Yune being cute is nice and all, but it’s those things that really drew me to this series. In the background you can also see authentic birds and I’m also impressed at the creativity that was put into the people and buildings in the background.
The kimono is probably going to be the recurring plot in this series. It’s not the most interesting part of this series, but I can see why it was included. This is really set in a time where the big corporations started rising and steal competition away from the small merchants. It’s a tad forced and all, but it also definitely has potential.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I’m a big believer that one of anime’s considerable strengths is the variety it can tolerate. That might sound strange because it is common to criticize shows for being derivitive, but I have been so impressed over the years that great anime appear from so many different genres. I enjoy fast-lotted shows, and action shows, and even emotional drama-fests at times, but I also have enjoyed the quieter, so-called “healing” shows. I’m glad we have an example of the latter this season in Ikoku Neiro no Croisée.
With the large amount of good series thus summer (while, imo, anime started to die a bit – 2011 has been amazing and this summer season is the best in years), I think a Kaleidoscope type post would be fitting. Especially for slice-of-life goodness like Usagi Drop and Croisee, they might not be interesting to blog weekly, so Kaleidoscope works. And Dantalian – if it turns out episodic, it might also be more fun to not have to blog it weekly.
I like Ikoku Neiro no Croisée but I think Usagi Drop is the better program and would also have been interesting to blog since it deals with the reality of a single man raising a young child.
I really enjoyed the inclusion of the department store. It really adds a new dimension to the idea of progress and tradition and our place in it. The fact that the modern department store has taken an important keepsake of the past (kimono) was an interesting touch.
I liked the Kaleidoscope posts last season and, with so many good shows, I think it would work great here as well.
I was going to post Usagi Drop comments on the second episode on Usagi Drop, but since it won’t be bloged(blogged?), I just post it here.
After rereading the manga (I first read Usagi Drop quite a long time ago), I felt they should have made Rin a more quiet, and Daikichi a little introspective as they were in the manga. Or at least thats how I interpreted the scenes manga.
Overall its not bad, but I felt they missed the tone of the early chapters.
I really want to like this show, but so far I’m enjoying Usagi Drop more. I’ll continue to follow this in the hopes that new characters in the preview will hook me in more…
Personally I would prefer Kaleidoscope to return this season simply because there are a lot of good series not necessarily being blogged. Plus, I think that blogging both Kami-sama no Memo-Chou and Dantalian no Shoka would be repetitive just because of their similar concepts. Kaleidoscope offers a better variety.
I honestly suspect you won’t find much to write about for Croisee either, psgels.
Perhaps it would be best to group the two shows on a weekly basis, so you don’t feel you have to hunt for more to talk about?
Heck, I’d take a weekly running-post (like you do with your previews) for the episodes that you don’t feel deserve their own post. That way we could get your quick impressions on shows you’re watching, and you could focus on writing where you feel it’s deserved?
I like Hogart’s idea of quick impressions of the shows that are not worth giving a full post. Especially for Usagi Drop. But I’d be fine with the kaleidoscope too. I agree with Dot that doing Dantalian AND Kamisama would be too much of the same genre
I think, on top of blogging every series, you should cook my breakfast, and sweep my floors regularly. If you can’t do that, do what feels good to you.
@Joojoobees. Did I really come across as that much of an ass? If so, sorry psgels.
Hogart: oh no. I like those constructive criticism posts like that. Of course I won’t promise to go with every single idea that gets suggested, but it’s definitely interesting to see everyone come up with all kinds of suggestions.
Meh, I will check out the second episode but I really didn’t like the first. I was bored after 2 minutes. I’ll watch Usagi Drop though, I always watch noitamina ^^ It pays up most of the time (and then there was Fractale…).
Both of these shows are in the same boat for me. One step below ‘must watch’ but pretty interesting nonetheless. It would kind of suck if you chose this show of Usagi, though, considering how much the otaku are probably expecting Usagi coverage.
It saddens me that Usagi Drop will not be blogged about.
However, Ikoku seems to be a great anime as well although in my opinion the second episode was not as great as the second.