Phi Brain – 34

by psgels, posted in Phi Brain

This was just bizarre. It seems that the editorial department realized that the writing staff intended to have the same puzzle in five episodes in a row, and they probably were just in time to salvage this and reduce the whole time of this arc by one episode by having the last match be a team-up. The thing is, that Sato Junichi most likely wrote this (he went from being the director in the first season to writing the series composition in the second season). He should know better, right?

And yeah. I didn’t think it was possible, but the creators actually provided an explanation for all of the other complaints I’ve been having over the past episode: nobody can think straight because they’re consumed by these orpheus rings. That’s why every villain is gay for Kaito, they make such ridiculous leaps in logic and have these extremely out of place mood changes that seem to come from out of nowhere.

And with this, the goal of this series has changed from “defeat the orpheus order” to “save the orpheus order”. Now, the question remains whether or not it’s interesting to watch an entire season dedicated to mentally deranged villains. It’s impossible to relate to them in any case, so instead this show is really going to have to develop these guys as victims instead.

The big potential pitfall is going to be making the ofpheus bracelets god-moded: justify every stupid leap in logic through them and relaying every dumb or over the top statement that these guys make just on “they weren’t thinking straight”. It takes away all character from the orpheus order, and it’s just lazy storytelling: normally writers have to take suspense of disbelief into account, and have characters acting reasonable. If you’re going to play with mental issues, do so with rules and structure, and don’t just blame everything on the “stupid virus”.
Rating: * (Good)

Uchuu Kyoudai – 10

by psgels, posted in Uchuu Kyoudai

Space Brothers, you are awesome!

No, seriously. This episode had a fantastic premise. Just grab a bunch of characters, and have them talk to each other. I’m a fan of good characterization, and this episode was just absolutely perfect for that. Why has no series done this before?

?This show is also THE proof that you don’t need a big budget to be an amazing series. I mean, this episode was literally just characters talking to each other.And yet: this episode introduced something like ten new characters. And at the end of this episode we already have a very good feeling of who they all are. This episode broke the ice in such a wonderful way and it just had so much life in it. It wasn’t just Mutta who was amazing to watch, there were a ton of othrer characters who were in their element.

Some highlights were conversation between Kenji and the old man, both fathers, between Mutta and that obnoxious yet observant guy, and those two guys who just sat there next to each other without saying anything also said a whole lot about their character. But really: just about every short conversation added something here.

This episode took a set-up that shounen-series sometimes like to pull by having characters face off in a fight, and reduced that to its essence: getting characters to interact with each other and showing this in many different ways that would not be possible normally. And this wasn’t even the end of it: the next episode promises to become even more interesting because every single one of these fifteen people will rank each other. This means that we get a lot of time devoted to seeing how everyone thinks about each other.
Rating: ***+ (Amazing)

Mouretsu Pirates – 22

by psgels, posted in Mouretsu Pirates

That cliff-hanger…. was that guy seriously standing on a spaceship, in the middle of dead space, without some kind of helmet?

Putting that aside though: after all those 6-episode arcs, I did not expect that this series would close on an arc of only four episodes long. That suddenly explains the increased pacing of last week, but I really don’t mind this: this isn’t a last-minute rush job because the pacing was increased way in advanced, giving this a nice effect of a series that takes its pace in order to build up, only to switch up a gear near the finishing-line.

This episode immediately starts off a new arc, and there is minimal build-up before we already get to the center of the matter here: strange spaceships which have been hunting pirates. These final villains are so badass that even the laws of physics don’t matter to them. Joking aside though: they have potential. It’s a bit more orthodox compared to finishing things with that race arc, but still: this episode hinted that it’s going to explore what makes a pirate, and how things can change when every pirate starts working together. In order to explore those themes, then this set-up is quite good for it.

This episode also did its homework by looking at the future: we’re really going to get a life goes on ending, and Marika talking about getting a pilot’s license and wondering what she’ll do after graduating, it was all leading up to that.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Fate/Zero – 22

by psgels, posted in Fate/Zero

This show picked a really good use for its “calm before the storm”-episode: some last-minute character backgrounds that give a really different dimension to the characters involved. Waver and Irisviel had some very shocking plot twists here.

Waver had a surprisingly genuine moment with his grandfather, or the guy he used magic to turn into a grandfather. I’m not sure if it was revealed why he had to do this, but he probably used this as a guise to hide out from the other masters and servants. This was both an interesting revelation and a great way to flesh him out at the last minute, because you could really see that that talk made a huge impact on Waver.

And then there was Irisviel’s death, which eventually turned into that really trippy scene where ends up in the holy grail or something? Was she made specifically so that this would happen? And so how did she end up with Kiritsugu of all people? Did he make her, or was she created by somebody else, who left behind that huge pile of dead Irisviel’s bodies?
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Spring 2012 Kaleidoscope – Week 22

by psgels, posted in Spring 2012 Kaleidoscope

#1: Another – 00: I don’t feel like writing an entire entry about Another’s OVA, but I do want to say: this is how a prequel OVA should be done. If you liked Another’s quiet moments, then this is a great recommendation because it adds a lot to Mei’s character here. The suspense build-up also was really well done, and the shout-out at the end of the episode was a very nice touch as well. Excellent way to close off this series. – **+ (Excellent+)

#2: Medaka Box – 09: Now this is more like it. Finally stuff happens, and I like the new direction. The action scenes finally delivered, and I really like how the different weapons and moves used poked fun at shounen conventions. Will this be enough considering there are only three or four episodes left, though? – ** (Excellent)

#3: Nazo no Kanojo X – 08: Lots of teenaged hormones running rampant this week, but they were done with such restraint that the tension really got addictive. Usually boob touching is completely and utterly shallow and just for the sake of fanservice , but here it played a huge role in pushing the main couple closer to each other. – ** (Excellent)

#4: Jormungand – 08: One of the best Jormungand episodes so far. They came with an interesting character for Koko to face, it used its politics nicely and some more side-characters got fleshed out. Let’s hope that the next episodes will also be like this. – ** (Excellent)

#5: Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki – 21: What’s so amazing about this show is how easily it is to relate to these characters. This episode was a wonderful example of highlighting all sorts of different habits that pet owners have, and I don’t even have pets. – ** (Excellent)

#6: Shirokuma Cafe – 09: The first half of this episode was boring. The problem with Rin Rin is that he’s just an over the top stereotype, and focusing more on his characters just exposes his flaws. The second half though had Penguin and Polar Bear both in their best element. – *+ (Great)

#7: Hunter X Hunter – 33: Getting back to the explanations: so first we have an actual match in which some of the powers are explained. Then we have the aftermath in which Hisoka explains his powers. And now we get even more explanations as Gon and Killua also have to figure out what’s going on. Just weave that into one; it’s not really a major fight that deserves so much airtime. The end of the episode though. That was quite good. I’m still not a fan of how this series prefers shading over actual animation during the really heavy standout parts, but finally Killua showed off something new. – *+ (Great)

#8: Saint Seiya Omega – 09: Things are finally getting excited. The problem with the first episodes was that the fights lacked impact. Here though, they were interesting to watch and exciting as they were intended. The animation still has miles to go before it can reach Heartcatch Precure and Casshern’s levels, though. – *+ (Great)

#9: Sankarea – 09: An episode entirely dedicated to the sister. Okay. Surprisingly, this resulted in all of the annoying characters being completely absent, and resulted in a much more bearable episode. It was a kindof touching episode. On a side-note: Sankarea is stating to turn into a pet, rather than a human being. She needs to do things for herself as well. – *+ (Great)

#10: Natsuiero Kiseki – 09: This is a strange week: the boring series surpass themselves, while the usually strong series have a week off. The problem with this week’s episode of Natsuiro Kiseki was that it was too forced, but in a bad way. Some parts that would be really surprising are just slided off for the sake of convenience. The biggest example was the end of the episode: when a naked girl just randomly appears, it should be a huge shock, but the two girls here seem to have forgotten about that mere seconds afterwards. Not to mention the bad boob jokes. – * (Good)

#11: Kimi to Boku – 21: Hmm, this was the weakest episode of the second season. I’m not really a fan of the “let’s see how much trouble the characters can work themselves into”-storylines, especially when they involve slapstick, and it was too forced. Better luck next time. – (Enjoyable)

Welcome to the Aniblog Tourney

by psgels, posted in Special Articles

Well it has taken a bit longer than expected, but it’s finally Star Crossed’s turn to go up in the aniblog tourney. You can find the link here:

http://aniblogtourney.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/round-3-group-1/

Also please be sure to check out the blogs I’m up against: 8thsin Fansub Anime Blog, Amaenbou Dane~ and Shameful Otaku Secrets.

For the ones who came here for the first time: welcome. I’m the kind of writer who tries to cover as much as possible. Be my guest and have a look around.

Eureka Seven Ao – 08

by psgels, posted in Eureka Seven Ao

It’s back to the regular storyline with this episode, as we finally get a good look at the president of the whole operation. He’s a rather witty character who isn’t afraid of manipulating the international news in order to get his way. He’s an interesting character, reminiscent of Shinji’s father from Evangelion, but less of an asshole on the surface.

For Ao, this was an episode of bonding and getting to know his team mates. Right now I’m most afraid of the romance getting forced in, but at least so far this just got limited to some delusions from a side-character. It’s also a plus that Fleur’s character doesn’t just exist for Ao, but she has her own issues and will too. The car accident backstory is a bit forced, but at the same time it is very vague: this episode showed some of her feelings about it, but not all of them came to the surface. This series can be really subtle and un-subtle at the same time, and I like that about it.

also, Ao hates his dad. That’s something pretty major here being casually revealed. How does he know his father if Eureka crashed down from the sky being pregnant of him? Why does he hate his “father”? Did he actually meet him?
Rating: *+ (Great)

Lupin III – Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna – 09

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

So, this episode was nearly entirely dedicated to one big chase scene. It showed Mine Fujiko in a completely different state than usual, making Lupin the good guy to root for for once and making a very big change to the dynamic of this show. Like expected this episode properly starts the finale of this series, but I’m surprised that it’s not centered around the assholes who abused Mine Fujiko, but rather about her feelings themselves and how her past still haunts her.

The one thing I noticed with this series is that it isn’t the easiest series to blog. This series’ strength doesn’t exactly lie in its depth, but rather it’s style, and beyond that it’s just a really enjoyable adventure series that bothers to be different, but I don’t have as much to say about it compared to other series. So yeah, that’s why this entry is rather short.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Tsuritama – 08

by psgels, posted in Tsuritama

The explanation behind this series… actually turned out to be pretty simple: there is an alien who controls people using water. Haru and his sister are out to stop him. Duck investigates both of them. That’s it, and I’m impressed that the creators managed to make an entire series out of just that.

What this show did was very risky, but still: I like how it didn’t force anything here to put in extra tension. This episode pretty much explained what was going on. There will be one point of confrontation with that alien: the typhoon. The characters took a while to venture out to its location because in the first half of this series, they had no reason to, and they’re not going to go back again because they’re not stupid. This show is about fishing: being patient and letting things come naturally. The downside of this is that you also don’t know if you’re going to catch something.

And that’s the double edge of the series structure that this show picked of letting everything evolve naturally, compared to the series that start out action-packed: I’m not advocating action, but rather characters and storylines who show themselves off and bring up emotions. Having a slow pacing either works out really well because it allows us to really get a feel of the characters, or become completely boring because nothing happens. The trick I use in an attempt to guess how well a series will end up based on just the first few episodes is by looking at its potential: what is it building up to? Is the characterization good? How do the characters work together? And this is where Tsuritama scored really high.

all that’s left now is the pay-off: these final episodes have the daunting task of using all that build-up and delivering a very memorable finale. You can have amazing characters, but if they don’t do anything or don’t get pushed to their limits, then it’s a bit of a shame. The one thing I noticed in this episode was the impact that the scenes about the Bermuda thingy made to me: I got really excited there when the music started playing. Keep that up.

NB: holy crap Natsuki looks different now!
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Sakamichi no Apollon – 08

by psgels, posted in Sakamichi no Apollon

This really was an episode that focused on the different romances going on, to the point where the first couple has been formed. The end of the episode is pretty much the point where this series goes back to being a love triangle, but a very messy one at that, with character A thinking that character B likes character C while she is growing to like character A more unbeknownst to him, at a point when character C has realized that she had a crush on him.

These love triangles are very easy to screw up and devolve into a soap opera, but what I really like is how the creators made use of Rituko’s character development to further complicate things, rather than pulling some random twist for the sake of drama. The way she came to like Kaoru after spending a lot of time with him, knowing he has a crush on her, while trying to move away from Sentarou… it’s plausible for all of this to happen: over the course of the past episodes we were given enough reasons for her change.

The problem I have with series about teenagers is that there are too many of them: it gets harder and harder to stand out. However, when one comes along that is as well acted as Apollon, I’ll gladly shove these biases aside. That doesn’t change the fact that I want to see more variety in anime, especially considering that “seinen”-series that are supposed to focus on young adults feature teenaged lead characters more often than not. I can’t really fault the creators for picking an excellent manga about teenagers and animating it incredibly well.

But still, we’re currently in a very important half year for Noitamina: these are four series that really need to do well after the Guilty Crown disaster. Apollon and Tsuritama for being really well executed. Natsuyuki and Moyashimon meanwhile need to succeed in order to prove that there still is an audience for series about adults.
Rating: ** (Excellent)