Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo – 04

by psgels, posted in Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

What also fascinates me about this series: it’s two cours long, and already really engaging. This isn’t like Sankarea or Nazo no Kanojo X that just go on for one season. It’s got me intrigued, because it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen such a long romance series that made good use of its time.

This episode was quite sappy, but I liked it a lot. The point of this episode was pretty much to get Sorata to stay at Sakurasou, but the way in which they made him realize this was something I really liked. There were a lot of subtle and not so subtle hints thrown at him, and I really like how Shiina turned into his inspiration to pursuit game development.

Jin meanwhile is quite a bit unpleasant to watch at times, not necessarily in a bad way though. It’s not just his utter refusal to date Misaki despite his obvious feelings for her, but also how he stops Misaki from running after Sorata… only to go after him himself. As if he doesn’t trust her with anything.

EDIT: Holy crap, I just realized that Rintaro, my favorite movie director along with Satoshi Kon, directed the ED for this series. The ED indeed is quite stylish.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Magi – 04

by psgels, posted in Magi

Keeping with the theme of not getting the main party together early, this episode told two different stories: one about Ali Baba and what happened to him, and one about Aladdin and a tribe he runs into.

I remember how a lot of adventure series troll their characters with treasure: every time they look like they’re close to getting vast riches… some deus ex machina comes along and makes them lose everything. Supposedly because they need to remain underdogs or something. Because of that I like how Ali Baba put his treasure to some actual good use. And at the same time it’s a very good reason for the pink haired girl to join him.

Aladdin meanwhile got lost in some local power struggle. This episode was meant to show that there is much more to this world than what was shown in the first three episodes, and that a lot of people in power can be big assholes. I like the politics, and this also seemed to show that “Love and peace” will be big themes for this series. Let’s see whether it can add something new to this mix.
Rating: 4.5/8 (Good)

From the New World – 05

by psgels, posted in From the New World

I love these kinds of episodes: the episodes that just say “screw it” to consistency, and instead go on with their own style based on the vision of someone on the episode staff. It may look weird, but I find that it gives each episode so much personality. I really encourage creators to put i their own styles to spice up the story they’re animating. It’s so much more interesting than the same thing over and over again.

This episode’s animation may not have been as crisp as usual, and there were a lot of distorted faces, but yet the animation was really good. It was full of creativity: the camera angles brought out so much in the characters, and there were plenty of scenes that had movements and actions that are very uncommon in conventional animation. It’s not just the scene at the beginning of that Queerat blowing up, but also where Satoru gets cut on his forhead, the scene at the end of the episode with the slime. The backgrounds looked utterly gorgeous inthsi episode as well, and what also caught my eye were the scenes that focused on touching. They had a strange focus in this episode (not to mention the near-sex scene was stunning).

So let me check for a moment who was behind this episode… and everything suddenly becomes clear: Shigeyasu Yamauchi was behind this episode. Holy crap, this guy is just amazing. I’m not sure whether I want him to do another series, or to keep doing episodes like this, because he is both incredible as an episode director and a series director, bringing out the best in the characters and not caring for conventions at all. This is the first time since Casshern however, that I’ve seen him on an episode that was intended for a more mature audience. Seriously, this is where this guy belongs. His work on shounen shows and romance series is nice and all, but this episode was just incredible, and this is where his style shines like no other.
Rating: 6,5/8 (Amazing)

K – 04

by psgels, posted in K

This was a build-up episode. It was fun, and I get its purpose, but something tells me that the creators could have been a bit more ambitious with it. Every single subplot was dropped aside from the one between Shiro and Kuro save for two small scenes, even though the chaos of having so many subplots is part of the charms of this series.

What I liked most about this episode was how Shiro and Kuro were retracing Shiro’s steps during the night of the crime, trying to find an alibi. The abovementioned chaos. thankfully was present in that night when a lot of crazy things happened that night. They were all played for laughs, and it definitely got some nice chuckles out of me, but with such an idea I wonder whether the creators could have taken it a bit further by toying with that flashback even more. Right now they’ve got gold in their hands with that if they use it right.

Just forget what I said if this was just a build-up, and the creators used this episode to set up things for later when things really get crazy. There were a lot of hints in this episode that more happened than what was just shown in this episode. It’s tricky to do that though. And in the case of this series, I have no idea whether the creators will actually be able to pull it off. I mean, this series has shown that it has a knack for animation and character chemistry. Build-up is an entirely different matter, though.
Rating: 4/8 (Nice)

Uchuu Kyoudai – 30

by psgels, posted in Uchuu Kyoudai

Agh! That build-up!

This was probably one of the slowest episodes of the entire series. Holy crap, it took its time. They showed everything, from gearing up Hibito in his seat, locking the cabin, the wait for everything to get ready, the procedures in the control room. And Mutta getting kidnapped by this old NASA instructor.

But that’s also what made this episode so incredibly good. I can only imagine that one major part of the experience of such a launch is the wait and the tension that builds up. If the creators immediately cut to the launch here and didn’t use that damned dog as a red herring, the end of the episode would never have had the same impact as it did now, and I also wouldn’t be yelling at my screen at that cliff-hanger.

Space Brothers has really nailed the slow pacing. It’s really dangerous to use, because you still need to be continuously interesting to avoid dragging on and taking way too long. Space Brothers for me has never had a dull moment, and this episode in particular had me on the edge of my seat, hoping that everything would go right.
Rating: 6/8 (Awesome)

Kyosogiga 2012 – 02

by psgels, posted in OVA Impressions

Kyosogiga is so delightful, even if it isn’t about anything, like in this episode. Whereas the previous installments were about something heartfelt, this was about a lost remote (no, really). But there is just so much passion put into this show that it doesn’t matter how silly it is.

This is a short post because the episode itself also was just seven minutes long, but I just have to talk about this show and highlight what a wonderful project this is (I’ll also do this with Masaaki Yuasa’s upcoming project when it gets released). Screw the standard episode length of 20 minutes if 6 minutes also fits this show well. This episode had plenty of style to make up for it and the animation in particular just went all out.

And again this is more than just style over substance because it did create a very enjoyable cast of characters with very simple means. The crow chase scene in particular was great, and even though the henchmen of that one girl were all huge stereotypes, they were also for the first ime in a long while actually lovable. They’re different from the usual thugs you see who always yell at every opportunity. It’s a small difference, but definitely stands out here.

Hunter X Hunter – 53

by psgels, posted in Hunter X Hunter

Holy crap. I knew what would happening this episode. And yet, it was a shock to see it again. This is just so un-like any other shounen out there. I mean, Hunter X Hunter already was unique as a shounen series, but this time it really set itself apart. This is something you’d just never see elsewhere.

I think it’s clear now why the Phantom troupe is my favorite shounen villain group ever. With this episode, it just becomes clear how cunning they are, and how far they’re willing to go. They actually managed to hi-jack the entire auction with their powers and connections. Last episode’s battle ended with a huge anti-climax, orchestrated by Chrollo himself. And at the end of it it was revealed that Chrollo could have easily killed the Zoldyck family if he actually tried to kill them, instead of taking their powers. This episode just screamed professionalism in every way. Aside perhaps from Kurapika’s actions.

Kurapika. All of that build-up has come now together in this episode. After all his hard work, someone beat him and defeated the Phantom Troupe instead. He felt utterly terrible in this episode, and the creators portrayed that so well. That only lead to an amazing scene where he was forced to bid for the scarlet eyes.

Seriously, this episode had like three moments that I was looking forward to for SO LONG now. AND IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. Oh and for your information, after this there will be a short part left, and then we’ll reach the part where the original Hunter X Hunter TV-series ended. After that will be part that turned Hunter X Hunter into one of my favorite shounen series ever.

Overall, the 2011 series is a lot shorter than the 1999 series. At this point, without taking future episodes into account, I still recommend the 1999 series over this one. The Hunter Exam arc in that series is just better, and that’s necessary for a good introduction in this series, rather than having to wait through like forty episodes to get to the good stuff. However, I do have to say that the Zoldyck, Skytower and Yorkshin lead-up arc are done better in the 2011 series.

As for the actual Yorkshin arc itself. I’m not going to even bother compare. Everything about this arc is amazing. I don’t care whether some details are done better in one or the other. It’s not worth it. Just watch any version you’d like.
Rating: 6.5/8 (Amazing)

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure – 04

by psgels, posted in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

This episode put the “Bizarre” in “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”. Jojo fights someone other than Dio this episode in this crazy serial killer that Dio brought over to the dark side. Even a minor villain like this guy is done completely over the top, with knives appearing all over his body, not to mention his ultimate weapon that is this gigantic row of scissors tied next to each other. And this came from more than 20 years ago.

I’m really beginning to understand why this series was so influential. I mean, this manga started two years after Dragon Ball, and aired right next to Dragonball Z, which looks even more boring in comparison here. It’s obviously inspired by Fist of the North Star, but even then it was its time far ahead.

Also, the basics behind the powers of this series really are imaginative, and I loved how over the top this episode was with something as delicate as breath control. I’ve practiced Karate for 13 years now, so I know how important breath is in fighting: it can make a world of difference in terms of the impact of your attacks. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure takes that concept, and just brings it over 9000 by giving it all sorts of powers and magic sparkles.

In fact, this huge power with delicate things seems to be a very big theme in this series. This episode also had that magician guy do all sorts of fancy stuff with his pinky finger, the behind Dio’s powers is also something that can probably be easily broken. And the way in which that magician used pepper when he was first introduced (and sneezed himself off the fence in result) probably also has to do with it.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Robotics;Notes – 03

by psgels, posted in Robotics;Notes

This is a question to the people who pilot real robots: is it really comparable to video games?

You know, I have never controlled robots other than your occasional radio-controlled car as a kid, but it seems to me that there is much more involved than just learning the controls. Most notably: keeping the balance. As a video game programmer, I’d want to make controlling a character as simple and easy as possible, but is that really viable with a robot that is bound by real physical rules, and who tumbles over if the balance is even a slight bit off?

This is criticism, but I don’t think that it’ll hurt this series that much. I personally think that Btooom’s lack of realism in its bombs is a bigger flaws. Still, I think it’s worth to think about how robots would really move in order to better understand this series, compared to doing this when the plot twists really start coming and all hell breaks loose, based on these flaws. I remember having trouble to accept some of Steins;Gate’s biggest plot points (which I won’t mention here due to spoilers).

In any case, this episode was surprisingly witty. I liked how the characters already went to a local robot tournament and had a bit of fun in the matches, but especially that Pleiades guy was a very nice twist. It’s a very creative way to introduce a new character. This episode also introduced the actual character of Frau, and her character too seemed pretty interesting based on her off-screen actions and that single smirk of her.

What I also like is how this show also has exciting music in quiet scenes, most notably the build-up scene right before the match.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Sword Art Online – 17

by psgels, posted in Sword Art Online

This show is starting to piss me off now. It makes no sense! My suspense of disbelief is gone! What the hell is it doing!?

First of all the details in this episode that made no sense: isn’t flying the core mechanic of the game? In that case, why did that blond girl (otherwise known as the cousin) not find it strange that there was this guy who was awesome at fighting, yet a complete newbie at the rest of the game? On top of that, the races are all supposed to be hostile to each other, signified by how that cousin and that friend immediately wanted to attack Kirito for being a different race. That’s nice and all, but what about everyone else? I mean I don’t know whether this has changed in the past few years… but there were a lot of assholes in online gaming who just basically attacked anything they could. This is not Sword Art Online anymore, so nobody dies or anything.

Second of all, there is a very big flaw in the core mechanics of this game. I”m referring to the main quest of this game, in which the world tree needs to be climbed. This episode heavily hinted that two races need to work together in order to get there. That’s probably another reason why Kirito is special, because apparently he is the first guy who will probably try that.

Now, there were a few years in which I played a lot of MMORPGs, and what really surprised me is that the creators overlooked the possibility of using multiple accounts. Like, just create a team of different races, and when the world tree is cleared everyone can just start playing as the race that got the wings.

Those were the plotholes. What pissed me off the most though, was the main villain. The really annoying thing is that there really is potential here: using gaming technolgy as it further evolves to more and more take control of people. There is so much awesome stuff you can do with that if you put some thought into that, but this episode comes and just turns it into an excuse to keep Asuna hostage. What kind of oversimplification is that?

I mean, this is like Fractale: the setting was fascnating. I’d still love to see a properly done series about a society in which touch is non-existant. But the points that the series decided to focus on… why?! My big problem with the new arc is that there still is very little to make it worth watching.
Rating: 3/8 (Mediocre)