Zetman – 08

by psgels, posted in Zetman

After the hectic first episodes, I’m pretty surprised how slow the pacing in this episode was: it really took its time to show the aftermath of the previous episodes without feeling rushed, and the payoff at the end where Kanzaki’s story was resolved was short but very effective. There was some very good interplay between Jin and the rest of the cast here. Most rushed series don’t take the time for episodes like this, and when they do the result usually is a lot messier.

And apparently this episode also included parts that are only a year old in the original manga. Well, with this it’s confirmed then: the creators have no intention of making a second season: these 13 episodes are all we’re going to get, and they’re just trying to put the right content into them, rather than just animating this series up to one point and just stopping. Whether or not this approach works will depend on whether they actually plan to make it end…

The following paragraph has very vague spoilers about some of Atsuhiro Tomioka ‘s adaptations because this brings me to him again. Taking a look at his adaptations (that I watched anyway): Disgaea was full of filler but ended well, Nishi no Yoki Majo also had a solid ending, albeit really rushed, Samurai Seven had a great ending, Trinity Blood’s ending was crap and a complete rush-job that left way too many holes open and Zombie Loan ended before it even got started. Yes, this guy has done the entire spectrum of endings. He always liked to take a lot of liberties, much more than most other writers. Sometimes this is good, at others this is bad. Let’s hope that Zetman will remain among the good side of the spectrum.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Phi Brain – 32

by psgels, posted in Phi Brain

And from out of nowhere this episode reveals the big motivation for Freecell. And to be honest… it’s kindof lame. I mean, it’s clear now that in this series there are quite a few characters gay for Kaito, but this guy’s reason for being so seems to be the flimsiest of the bunch.

So, to recap: in the Crossfield academy Kaito stood out as a genius, amongst all the other kids who were being pushed to be the next Phi Brain. We know that Kaito had a really difficult time there: he lost his parents and suddenly was placed to some random school he didn’t know; it was Rook who probably got him back up to his feet.

During that time, he talked to Freecell exactly once, and promised to meet and play again. He broke that promise because it happened on the same day that Rook disappeared, which is logical. On the same day, Freecel’s mother died and because he was sad that Kaito didn’t meet him, his was sad to see him sad and so she died unhappy. And Freecell has been unable to move on for 10 years, to the point of devoting his entire life to get back at him.

Of course, things aren’t as simple as “this episode made no sense”. After all, these characters were kids. This episode raised some amazing points that really should not be overlooked: forcing kids to perform beyond everything, and neglecting to let them evolve emotionally. From the looks of it, the POG did not care about this at all and was such an unhealthy environment for kids to grow up, with the result of mental delusions. This builds further upon what the first season started, and it also showed how hard Jin’s task was to get everything under control: he could give guidance to kids like Kaito, but there were much more kids that he ignored. Probably because he was doing this in secret so his actions had to be limited. This is something I actually really like: the kids who were forgotten and not as lucky as Kaito.

The thing that bugs me lies in the storytelling and how it took some very convenient loops. First of all: having the mother die at exactly the right moment is a tad too convenient here. But my biggest beef: Kaito only talked to Freecell once. That’s all. There is no reason for this to have such a significant impact on Freecell. There was no time to develop their relationship. Losing your mother is a terrible thing, but even taking that into account I find it hard to believe that Freecell would bear a lifelong grudge against someone who made him sad on the day that his mother died.

Rook was an awesome villain because he had time to spend with Kaito: he changed. Freecell’s entire character is dominated by this revenge. The upcoming episodes will need to fix that and give him an actual character.

And on a side-note, Phi Brain: you disappoint me. Are you really planning to have five subsequent episodes, focusing on the same puzzle? That’s just lazy.
Rating: (Enjoyable)

Hyouka – 05

by psgels, posted in Hyouka

So, it indeed looks like Hyouka will be a collection of mystery stories, with this episode closing off the first major arc. And I have to say that even though most of the mysteries were solved last episode, this episode did a very good job of filling in the missing blanks, and making those important enough to be left out. This really puts everything together.

I have to say, it’s quite interesting for the author to have named the title of this series Hyouka of all things, especially since the origin of the word is a lame pun thought up by a high school student. He managed to put a lot of meaning to just that one word, though, with Jun being the victim of an uprising that he had been shoved into with the role of “leader”. The conclusion of this and the hints of how he felt about it: they were a great way for this arc to conclude.

The only big question remaining is who really organized the protests: the student who put Jun into his leader position. With this, I wonder what type of mystery series Hyouka will be: the type that strives to explain everything, or the type that deliberately leaves holes open for the audience to fill in themselves. At this point, both options are possible: on one hand, we are talking about an incident that happened 45 years ago. You won’t be able to remember some details and Oreki’s theories just remain theories without proof. On the other hand though, the past arc did meticulously try to answer the tiny details.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Uchuu Kyoudai – 08

by psgels, posted in Uchuu Kyoudai

Damn you, Uchuu Kyoudai and your cliff-hangers! Heck, not only are you one of the best series to come out more than a year, you’ve also got the most addictive cliff-hangers I’ve seen in a long while. I was ready to write up this entry and comment on how awesome Mutta was again, and then it pulled that bloody twist at the ending. We’re going to have to wait a week for those answers!

Seriously though, with this, I can say this for sure: for me, Space Brothers has the X-Factor: it’s that special feeling that is really hard to describe, but just grabs you as something special. The characters in this series have such an attraction that is really rare, and this is an effect I only experience with the best shows out there. Now, this is only the eight episode. I have no idea whether this show will be able to keep this up for all its airtime, however long that may be.

The television show was amazing. I especially loved how baffled Mutta was at the crazy behavior of everyone; like, the exact same reaction when we watch some of the strange Japanese TV-shows out there. The best thing however was how the creators used the element of luck in the point they tried to make with this episode. I mean, the twist they used is a standard one: a lucky break gives the protagonist the edge over his competition. However, it looked into this with much more thought than its counterparts: make use of the luck that’s handed to you. That really was a great find and I applaud you for that, Uchuu Kyoudai.

In any case, this episode also showed some very interesting new stuff about Hibito. First of all: he acted with the same smug as Mutta when looking at Mutta’s stiff performance on the TV-show. It’s details like that that really shows that the two of them are brothers, and didn’t just grew up together. And yes, there was that cliff-hanger. What on earth is in those letters!?
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Mouretsu Pirates – 20

by psgels, posted in Mouretsu Pirates

So, there will be a race on dinghies (special types of spaceships), Marika’s school has been some sort of demon in the past for this race, and Marika will be in danger from her competing pirate colleagues as soon as she graduates high school. These will be the three main ingredients for the finale of Mouretsu Pirates. This episode did all of the preparation work, all that’s left now is to mix them, put them in the oven and let’s see whether the result works.

With this, it also becomes clear that the creators are putting one of the main roles in the hands of that one girl with the short brown hair, I believe her name was Ai. I already found it a bit strange how much airtime she was given, but this explains it: she will be the star of the “race” part of the finale, while Marika and the others work behind the scenes in order to focus on the other two. Yes, this means that the main character actually does not stand in the spotlights. That’s not something you see often.

And then this episode also spent some time on some weird training techniques. The windsurf race in particular was a bit weird, as driving those things… I don’t think that that’s quite the same as piloting a vehicle that looks like it. But then again: this is school and this is supposed to focus on being fun, not trying to squeeze out the biggest winning chances. Kane in any case was having a great time.
Rating: *+ (Great)

Fate/Zero – 20

by psgels, posted in Fate/Zero

The previous two episodes really were an intermezzo: they were completely standalone compared to the rest of the linear storyline. In theory, they could have been shown at any point in the series. The place the creators ended up choosing is interesting. The effect is that this episode immediately started with the aftermath of what happened three, four and five weeks ago, only to follow with one heck of a climax as well.

I get the feeling that there would have no point in the second season where the past arc would really have fitted in: there are four different storylines going on at the same time and the build-up and aftermaths of all are so intertwined that it’s impossible to find one clear point where everything has quieted down. the first season had these moments, but it seems the creators were really saving that arc for the second half of the show. This is all a good thing, by the way. It’s a sign that the storytelling is great if there is always something going on like that.

The interesting thing is that this episode contained even more background, but this time it was much more weaved into the narrative. These really were the remaining bits of background that were still missing, like who the black-haired woman was, and why Irie devoted herself to the Grail War (her loyalty towards Kiritusgu did not turn out to be the only reason; that surprised me”).

And then there was Rider. First of all I really liked that this episode showed some of the things that went on in his mind during his monologues in the first season of Fate/Zero, but at the end of this episode he really showed a different side of his. The first person he actually killed, the black haired woman. After so much heroic talk, he finally shows that like Kiritsugu, he isn’t going to take it easy on his opponents. There was no chivalry in it whatsoever, which is a great point against Saber.
Rating: **+ (Excellent+)

Spring 2012 Kaleidoscope – Week 20

by psgels, posted in Spring 2012 Kaleidoscope

#1: Kimi to Boku – 19: Are Japanese girls really so weak that they faint if you so little as even bump on them? I know she was tired and all, but these girls have health issues… Anyway, I digress. An amazing episode with the love triangle finally moving somewhere. Chizuru in particular changed significantly. He’s the type of character who often gets done wrong, with some horrible results. With this though, he really redeemed himself. – *** (Awesome)

#2: The Legend of Korra – 06: This series has also just surpassed itself this week. Really good action scenes, and the creators just keep building further upon Korra’s naivety. I really like how this series is set to subvert a number of often-used fantasy cliches. – **+ (Excellent+)

#3: AKB0048 – 03: I do not have time right now so I’m going to delay deciding whether or not to blog this, and how on earth I’m going to fit this into my schedule, for one more week. But seriously, what the hell did I watch here? Yet again enough proof that the creators know what they’re doing here: this show glorifies idols, but this episode also showed the uglier side of this bizarre premise. Especially Mari Okada was on fire on this episode: this was full of emotion, yet not as extreme as with Black Rock Shooter. – **+ (Excellent+)

#4: Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki – 19: Oh my god, this was one of the best episodes yet. The sketch where Poyopoyo gets caught in quick drying cement was priceless. I was wondering why there were less jokes than usual, but the build-up was totally worth it. – **+ (Excellent+)

#5: Natsuiro Kiseki – 07: I hate the idol business in Japan. So why are the idol themed series so damn good? A thoughtful episode that highlighted the layers of the different characters and how they feel about the rock. – ** (Excellent)

#6: Nazo no Kanojo X – 06: That’s some impressive romantic tension you’ve got there, Nazo na Kanojo X. Nice aversion of the love triangle, and a very good potrayal of Tsubaki’s insecureties that make him less bland as a character. – ** (Excellent)

#7: Shirokuma Cafe – 07: Polar Bear is without a doubt my favorite character of this sereis. His deadpan humour in this episode especially was just hysterical. And that while the premises of each episode remain absolutely corny. – ** (Excellent)

#8: Hunter X Hunter – 31: “Let me drag out this fight by holding long monologues in order to explain you exactly how my powers work, giving you plenty of hints on how to stop me!” – This is exactly why I dislike the shounen genre dammit! The pacing keeps slowing down here! – * (Good)

#9: Jormungand – 06: I’m still missing something with this series. I mean, the backdrop of Africa is good, it’s nice to see the characters getting fleshed out and slowly reveal their pasts and the diplomacy is also nice, but I don’t know. The charcters still feel too one-sided and stereotypical. – * (Good)

#10: Medaka Box – 07: This was Medaka Box’s worst episode so far. Dull and forced fanservice, bland premise about art and a forced way to flesh out that new council member. Also I hate how creators can’t think of any light-hearted way to open a scene, so just go for the “walking into changing”-scene. Why has this turned into a default scene to use? – – (Disappointing)

#11: Sankarea – 07: Seriously? An entire episode dedicated to that cousin? With no scene of Rea whatsoever? And it only reaffirms her character as “I like the main character”, with nothing beyond that? Come on, Sankarea, weren’t you supposed to be this romance with creative twists? – – (Disappointing)

#12: Saint Seiya Omega – 07: I’m dropping this series. It has consistently ranked last amongst these rankings, and it got me thinking: what did it really offer in the past seven episodes? Nothing stood out, it was just a bunch of random hot blooded fights without much soul to them. There are too many other gret series this season for this. – – (Disappointing)

Eureka Seven Ao – 06

by psgels, posted in Eureka Seven Ao

Eureka Seven Ao’s best episode yet. Seriously, this episode marked a huge change from the first five episodes. It starts off like a completely different series when we suddenly move to Peru and Myanmar for some side-stories, only to turn over to Ao again with a message that lives really are on the line in this series.

And I must say that that death really made impact. It made great use of red herrings of the girls introduced last episode. I did not expect that so early on in the series. It took a second watch-through to make out what exactly went on during their deaths, but this was very tightly written.

Then we also get to see what looks to be the main villain of this series. His scenes were completely standalone from what happened in the rest of the episode, but the creators did succeed in making him seem menacing, and feel like a threat. Next up will be giving him flaws, motivation and background.
Rating: **+ (Excellent+)

Lupin III – Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna – 07

by psgels, posted in Lupin III - Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna

Unlike the previous episode this again was a fairly straight-forward episode centered around just one of the members of the side-cast. But it really made upfor that with the backdrop it chose: a very loose version of Cuba’s role in the cold war. I’ve said before that I love it when anime takes place in a place other than Japan, and even though this episode was full of Japanese references with taht samurai, it’s still very refreshing to see a country like Cuba pop up here.

This episode was this weird thriller about this over the top prevention of World War 3. It’s obviously heavily simplified with a lot of creative liberties taken, but the suspense for this episode was really well done Mine Fujiko again had some great interplay with the people around her, which overall again lead to a very enjoyable episode.

At this point of the series though, we should start seeing more things about the overarching plot, mostly about Mine Fujiko’s issues. The creators do have some sort of ending planned, but the only hints about that that we’ve seen so far are about her troubled past. We’ve entered the second half now, so it’s time for this show to evolve.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Tsuritama – 06

by psgels, posted in Tsuritama

Tsuritama’s true colours have finally come to the surface. After all of the build-up, it definitely was great for the stakes to be raised, things to change, and that legendary water dragon to come into play. And I love the way in which it did so.

The big reason why I was a bit apprehensive about Tsuritama’s direction was balance. Putting a lot of time into build-up is nice. However when you don’t get to the point that you’re actually building up to then all that buildup is for naught. This episode showed that the creators definitely have things in store for the second half. The question is how far they’re willing to go.

Nevertheless, the change felt very natural because of all of the build-up: we got to see Yuki learning to fish, the characters getting to know each other, and now that they’re sufficiently advanced they start heading into the parts of the waters that house that water dragon. The change was made even better with how that dragon also loved to use brainwashing. It’s here where the direction really shined again. The past episodes didn’t really take advantage of Kenji Nakamura’s talents as a director, but this episode really made up for that with the vibrant colours, great camera angles and creative action. The Enoshima dance indeed was wonderful.
Rating: ** (Excellent)