Another – 06

by psgels, posted in Another

You know what? Everyone keeps praising Ano Natsu for its down to earth romance, but with this, I think that Another has beaten it. Especially after Ano Natsu came with that awful sixth episode.

A large part of this episode just showed Mei and Kouichi casually talk to each other and about themselves, and surprisingly it felt really natural. There were no cliches like shyness or random fanservice, and for once the creators actually allowed them to talk. And holy crap. I just realized how not often such a thing happens: long conversations between love interests. There were also these small scenes of them looking at each other that were neat touches. The only thing that stood out as weird was that dance scene, but even there: I am so glad that for once the creators went with an original fantasy. Most of the time they just stick to males sparkling, and females undressing.

The second half fleshed out the basic premise of this series more. It’s interesting how there is one guy who pretty much has been with the mystery from the start, and also doesn’t really have anything to hide. Instead, the creators used this artificial amnesia to create most of the mystery after this point: traces of the ghost that it’s trying to hide in order to stay unnoticed. It’s in any case established that the death of Kouichi’s mother was something special. In the meantime though, we have a teacher going crazy.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Natsume Yuujin-Chou – 46

by psgels, posted in Natsume Yuujin-Chou

This arc was just wonderful. Here once again, Natsume’s character gets pushed forward. Before, he kept worrying and worrying about involving his friends in the youkai world, which is why he kept trying to distance himself. This time though, Tanuma actually gets hurt because of this, and actually would have gotten killed if it wasn’t for Natori. With this, I now also get why this season needed to put in episode 44, about the younger classmate that Natsume met: she was supposed to be the lead-in to this story, showing how the people around Natsume have gotten closer to him. That’s slightly different from the third season, which really was all about Natsume.

I loved how this episode placed parallels between Takashi, Reiko and Natori: Natsume is actually walking a path that the other two couldn’t. Natori actually gave up on it, while Reiko actually failed to do it? Is that why she was so involved with Youkai and kept stealing their names? Indeed, in the flashbacks we’ve seen her in, she always was with youkai. We’ve never seen her before with other people.

This episode also had some very expressive animation. There really were a lot of different youkai in this episode, and there were some scenes in which the characters looked really dynamic. It’s interesting how Brains Base have gotten better and better at animating this series here.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Chihayafuru – 19

by psgels, posted in Chihayafuru

So, last week I said that the matches in this series were predictable. Immediately this show goes and proves me wrong. Okay, I take the predictability thing back.

The thing was, that everything here was being set up for Taichi to overcome his struggles and advance to join Chihaya in Class A. And yet, Nishida won. In a way, it makes sense: Taichi has the advantage of just being really, really smart and good at memorization, and he used that well, especially near the end of the match. Nishida however, has the experience. He did quit for a while, but he was the number two of Japan, something that Taichi can’t boast at all. The level at which you play when at that point, even as a kid, is completely different from usual.

That leaves me to wonder: how the heck will this show end? With what kinds of match-ups, I mean? At this point, my guess is that the only way for this to work is that Arata somehow doesn’t make his comeback at class A (Yes! Yes! Yes! He will return in time!), and therefore has to compete with Taichi for the finale of Class B, while Chihaya takes on the Queen, after said queen wins over Nishida. That would be the most predictable course of events. In about a month and a half, it’ll be interesting to see how these predictions held up. Usually it’d be the more it diverges from this predictable path, the better, but we’re talking about an incomplete adaptation here.

Oh, and what’s also really important in this episode: the character development. This was the first time where Chihaya actually became aware of the people around her. It finally occurred to her that Nishida didn’t like his nickname. And in fact, the entire class promotion of this episode was a big symbol of change: Komano and Kana really changed over the past few months as well, which really showed in the aftermath of their match.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Aquarion Evol – 07

by psgels, posted in Aquarion Evol

Okay, with Shoji Kawamori it was inevitable, especially in a serise with so much sexual subtext, but it’s still annoying to see “the pointless love triangle”, as I’d like to call it. This is where there’s an overly obvious main couple, and yet the creators still try to bring in a love rival for the male lead for some artificial tensions. That guy with Mikono is excused because he’s important to the plot. But Zessica… just give her her own love interest. There’s no reason for her to be just part of Amato’s harem.

More criticism arise when you start to compare this series to series as Rinne no Lagrange. I’m especially pointing to how this show uses its setting: in rinne no lagrange, everyone is fully aware of where they’re fighting, and Madoka tries to keep the damages to her surroundings as small as possible for that. In this show, the characters just randomly destroy buildings and roads, which completely disappear again afterwards. Really, who found it a good idea to have these robots duke out in the middle of a city? I mean, I can understand it if the city was the target of these robots (why, though?)
, but with all the fancy technology, they didn’t even have a proper radar to intercept these giant robots or something, allowing them to fight in a place that isn’t as costly to rebuild?

Criticism 3: why the sexual context also involving the little girl?
Rating: (Enjoyable)

Phi Brain – 19

by psgels, posted in Phi Brain

Oho, very clever to use Gammon’s sister at a point like this. Because of this, we’ve only now gotten to the point where we finally get to know a bit more about him. Before it was apparent that he already had a feminine side when he started cross-dressing, but because we’ve nearly always seen him near Kaitou, the most we managed to see of him is his arrogant jealousy.

What’s also interesting is the following: Kaitou didn’t really do anything in this episode. And yet this episode was interesting. What I mean by this, is that Kaitou is an actually good example of a male lead who has episodes of angst. The big reason for this is that the side-characters are interesting enough to take over from him, and he doesn’t force himself into the spotlights when he does need to take a bit of time for himself. Gammon in this episode was more than enough to keep it interesting.

As for Nonoha, I don’t mind her, but she’s also not really the reason to make this series worth watching. She served her purpose, though: again of allowing Kaitou to angst and instead taking it upon herself to push the story further. At this point though, she still is a bit too much like “the love interest”. In fact, a lot of the females in this show are that: Gammon has two of them, who are basically just used because they flesh him out, rather than that they’re a major force in the storyline.
Rating: * (Good)

Hunter X Hunter – 19

by psgels, posted in Hunter X Hunter

Okay. I’m going to be a fanboy now. You see, this episode in the first season was my favorite Hunter X Hunter episode ever, outside of the Yorkshin arc. If I blogged it, it would have gotten a fantastic rating, and quite possibly even higher. There was no way in which this episode of the second season would surpass it. This entry will probably go a lot more in-depth than usual about the differences between the two adaptations. I know that these are two adaptations and should be judged as such. But I still consider this version to be inferior.

There first is of course the matter of the animation budget. That was probably the biggest disappointment of this episode. I rewatched this episode, and there Nippon animation really went all out. The art perhaps wasn’t consistent, but the way in which the characters moved around was incredibly dynamic. Here? We got several still shots of a fountain, and suddenly three hours pass. It’s a shame: apparently the producers seem too focused on making Hisoka look scary in that episode, but here they really passed up a chance. In fact, the animation in this episode looked too much like they just coloured in the manga pages, and had the animators put a bit of movement into them.

On top of that, there was the dialogue: some was the same, but the most disturbing parts were cut. In the first series’ version, Hanzo also disabled Gon’s eyesight and ears. It was completely disturbing to see how Gon was slowly being beaten to a pulp, and also how Hanzo described everything in the slightest details. Here, the dialogue was much more childish. However, I do admit that it was quite intense for a while.

And when, when Gon put up his anti-climax, something felt missing. Animating isn’t just about moving things around, it’s also about bringing things to life. It’s here where the way in which Gon immediately recovering from the poison dart starts to bite back: he’s not the fragile child he used to be in the first series. The first season really made it look like he was in pain. This was much more cartoonish. It didn’t really look like Gon was in pain when he stood up.

What also starts to bite back, is the lack of characterization on Hanzo. What I loved about him was that he wasn’t a major player in this story anyway: he was just a skilled warrior who also wanted to get his hunter’s exam, and completely disappeared from the story afterwards. And yet the first season treated him seriously. In this episode though, the acting of this guy was wooden. He just had two moods: quirky and serious. There was no subtle difference in it. It’s interesting: the dialogue between the two is similar at a lot of points, but this episode felt so barren, compared all of the little details that the first series put into it (everyone laughing at Hanzo’s blood nose, for example, or Hisoka laughing at Gon’s stubbornness, which made him much more than the usual psychotic clown). This is also why I pay so much attention at the people who are going to be adapting source material: the mentality that the creators are in when they depict their characters has a lot of effects on how well the source material is translated. Having good source material of course also is very important (heck, this episode remains very good either way), but it’s not the only thing.

What I also think played a part here was the use of the music. Like, the point where Gon kicked down Hanzo when he used that strange handstand of his: the music immediately started to play this out of place upbeat tune that somehow ruined the mood, rather than building up for it. Scenes that should have progressed slowly to build up an atmosphere suddenly had fast-pacing drums accompany them. It all just… didn’t fit here.

I understand that in this season, this episode could have just been building up to something. I did recognize how Killua was much less supportive of Gon, and I can imagine that this jealousy of Gon is going to play a major theme later. But heck, I’m being a fanboy here. Like I said above: this episode was my absolute favorite outside of the Yorkshin arc, and I am a bit sad to just see it delegated to buildup episode. I’ve got the same fears of the Yorkshin arc: I closely rewatched the original episode this time for some good comparison, and the dialogue was cut at a lot of points. The best thing about the Yorkshin arc was how well the dialogue was written.

And I know that I’ve been one-sidedly praising the first season. Don’t worry. Next arc will be the opposite. It’s there where the first season just dragged on for too much and took way too long to get going. That arc was why I ended up rating the first season of Hunter X Hunter relatively low, and where this new adaptation will really set itself apart. I admit though: I am completely biased. I know that it’s very annoying when people start talking about how differences in adaptations, and I apologize for that. This week though, my inner fanboy just couldn’t hold itself in.
Rating: * (Good)

Rinne no Lagrange – 06

by psgels, posted in Rinne no Lagrange

That was yet again an excellent episode from Rinne no Lagrange. The creators had a particularly nice role for Muginami here, leading up to a finale that finally made the whole premise behind this series a bit more intriguing. And on top of that the artistic direction was particularly solid this episode.

Also, this show has found a very good way to keep me entertained during the quiet parts when it’s building up. The chemistry between the characters still is as sharp as ever. I’m referring to those small details, like Madoka getting lost inside the building for a while, or the way in which the officer forgot one of her hair curlers. The energy drinks were fun too. It all just brings life to these characters, much more beyond what you would have expected at first.

The battle in this episode also wasn’t brainless action, but instead really focused on the characters here, as the titular Rinne finally makes its appearance.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Mouretsu Pirates – 06

by psgels, posted in Mouretsu Pirates

Whoa, this was actually a really well made episode. The script was just wonderfully written this week. And yet again this show turns completely different from what it was before. The variety in this show rocks!

The best way to describe this show was as a parody of pirate stories. And this isn’t in the predictable way, with everyone going “ARRRRR!!” and stuff. Instead, it showed what would happen if you added a bit more realism than usual to the usual “good pirate” tropes. I loved the bureaucracy in this episode, along with the little play that was set up at the end of this episode (don’t worry, your insurance will cover everything). I kept wondering how the creators would tackle the “legal pirate”-thing, but this was a very humorous look at it.

And then there was the scenario: the creators managed to stuff the bureaucracy, training, and stage into just one episode, without making things feel rushed. Things felt very natural here, and this episode added a lot to the setting of this series. Including its bizarre rules of having to do some pirating within 49 days, which is pretty much what Bureaucracy is about: overly complicated rules for the sake of consistency in the administration.

I also like how this episode didn’t bother to give a formal introduction to the rest of the crew of the Bentenmaru. They were just there, and there wasn’t the kind of forced introduction. Over the course of the series, we’ll get plenty of chances to get to know them. We already got a great start with the nicely named robot Schnitzer, who was very well acted: stern, but not the usual silent badass.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Last Exile – Ginyoku no Fam – 17

by psgels, posted in Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

It has been a while. Since I watched an episode that left me with such conflicted feelings.

This episode. There was no Fam in it whatsoever. Seriously, she had no scenes at all. But, Gonzo. Are you serious with this? Did you seriously just air a recap episode of the first season?

I mean just… what the hell. This episode even had the OP of the first season. Alvis basically narrated what happened to her in that season. Most of the episode was taken up by this. It was annoying, and I skipped through most of it. And then the new material came and suddenly explained what happened at the end of the First Last Exile, and it FINALLY showed the grown up versions of Claus and Lavie. My inner Last Exile fanboy rejoiced here and started jumping up and down with excitement, much more than I thought it would at the eventual revelation of this. On top of that, it all just looked so completely gorgeous and imaginative. As strange as it was, this episode definitely highlighted all of the character development that went on.

Okay, Gonzo. I’m game. I won’t judge this episode badly until the entire series is over. Last week I said that the final third of this series will be its worst. This episode instead did something I completely did not expect. If you’ve got a plan to just go completely against conventions, then I’d love to see it. If this recap was necessary for that, then I won’t mind. Right now though, it’s too early to tell.
Rating: #!&% (???)

Spring Season Preview – Movie and OVA Edition

by psgels, posted in Seasonal Previews

I’m really busy this weekend, so this preview will be a compact version, simply because I don’t have the time to look up and list the creators and synopsizes of all of the different DVD-specials, franchise movies or ongoing releases that are coming out next month.

When looking purely at the new releases, the next season will be small. There will hardly be any new OVAs beond the usual DVD specials and manga DVDs. In terms of movies, there are going to be three that I’m really going to keep my eye out… and beyond that everything looks dull.

DVD Specials

Comments: This season, we’ll get DVD episodes and specials from Maken-Ki, Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka, Sankarea and Another. Ignoring Maken-Ki, which is just going to be porn, and Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka (the first dvd special was horrible…), there are two interesting ones coming. Apparently Sankarea is going to be more than just another zombie comedy (still: two Zombie series in one season, which both have a DVD-special. Get back to your variety, Studio Deen…). The big one will be Another, though: this is definitely a DVD special with a clear meaning, and it’s going to offer some vital background for the main female. I’m definitely looking out for that one.

Franchise Movies and OVAs

Comments: These are the kinds of movies and OVAs that just keep returning with new installments and of which I don’t feel like covering them over and over again with each preview. This time I also included series like A-Channel and Kenichi, which are coming out with random OVAs that honestly, I don’t care about, having never finished the TV-series they’re based on. I’ve heard good stuff on Kenichi, but the characters were just too annoying to continue with when I first watched it. A-Channel also wasn’t really interesting, and it was mostly unremarkable moe with insert songs that took up way too much time. Beyond that, To Heart is coming out with yet another spinoff OVA, again pretty uninteresting. Oh, and the new Conan movie will be about soccer, for the people interested in that. Honestly, the only thing that stands out here for me is that there seriously is going to be yet another Precure All-Stars movie. Yes, the count has actually reached a staggering 29 main characters. Who are all going to be stuffed into this one movie. And that does not even include all the various mascots that have been collected over the years. Good lord, I’m going to watch that only to witness the complete chaos that can only result from it.

Ongoing OVA and Movie Series

Comments: These are ongoing Movie and OVA series, including manga who just keep releasing an OVA with one of their volumes, like Fairy Tail, Seitokai Yakuindomo and Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san. Of those three, the latter is the only one I care about, having dropped the other two really quickly. Still, the OVAs of Azazel-san are actually better than the TV-series, so it’s good that they keep making more of them. Beyond that, the Eiyuu Densetsu OVA will be continued, which honestly disappointed me a bit: the story there assumed that you are familiar with the original source material, which I am not. And then there is the second Scryed movie coming out. I’m still debating whether or not to watch it, but damn: these guys sure look constipated. The fifth installment of Gundam Unicorn will also arrive, but at this point I’ve pretty much lost interest. It’s a real shame: it’s incredibly well made. But the main character drags the entire thing down. Just like more than 50% of all other Gundam shows.

Moe Can Change

Summary: “Based on a game. The “playful bishoujo Miroid-raising/clothes-changing moe game” has the player joining a beta test program for an android, who the player must raise and dress up as a girl. “ – (Taken from ANN)
Type: OVA
Director: Takeo Takahashi

The Positives: Moe can change? Hah, I’d like to see that!
The Negatives: Takeo Takahashi is pretty much another porn director, with series as Aki Sora and Yosuga no Sora behind his belt now. Yeah, there is no hope for this one.

First-Glance Potential: 0%

Strike Witches The Movie

Summary: “The year is 1939 – it was then that the Neuroi appeared. Nobody knows where they came from or what their ultimate agenda is, but the fact remains that their attacks drove people out of their towns and cities. In order to take arms against them, humanity develops a new anti-Neuroi weapon called the “Striker Unit.” Using the power of magic to fight against the monsters, this new device enhances and amplifies the power of female magic-wielders. To use this device, young witches from all over the world have been brought together to form an elite task force unit called the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, commonly known as the “Strike Witches.”” – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Director: Kazuhiro Takamura

The Positives: Well, I guess they’re milking the Strike Witches cow here some more.
The Negatives: And here is the thing with this movie: when you look at the trailer, the animation didn’t really improve over what it was. It still looks quite generic, and apparently doesn’t make use of the fact that it’s a movie at all. This franchise really isn’t so complex that it warrants two whole series and a movie…

First-Glance Potential: 0%

Kimi no Iru Machi

Summary: “Kirishima Haruto is your average Hiroshima Prefecture countryside Japanese student that is about to start his 3 year High school life. But before that happens a girl from Tokyo, Eba Yuzuki, whose father is the friend of Haruto’s father, shows up at his house to live with him and his family so she can attend the same high school. Haruto isn’t happy of the situation; a stranger that happens to be a girl of his same age, not his relative, living in the same house like him will cause complications. Truth is Haruto has another girl in mind, Kanzaki Nanami, whom Haruto has hidden romantic feelings for since middle school. And so starts his complicated life.” – (Taken from ANN)
Type: OVA
Chief Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura
Director: Hiroshi Kobayashi
Screenplay: Momoko Murakami
Other Notable Staff: Kouji Seo (Original Creator), Ryuusuke Chayama (Character Designs), Akira Takahata (Chief Animation Direction)

The Positives: Akira Takahata is an awesome animation director: he also directed the animation for Natsume Yuujinchou, Karas, Durarara and Ookiku Furikabutte. As if that wasn’t enugh already, we’ve got the director of Eve no Jikan acting as the chief director here.
The Negatives: This brings me to the premise: a guy and a cute girl are going to live together again. I really wonder: is this kind of OVA really right for the guy of a caliber of Hasihiro Yoshiura? This guy should delve into hard sci-fi with experimental stuff, not some random romance OVA that is most likely just a promo for the manga it’s based on.

First-Glance Potential: 70%

Niji-Iro Hotaru ~Eien no Natsu Yasumi~

Summary: “The story revolves around a sixth-grade boy named Yūta on his summer vacation. His father passed away one year ago in a traffic accident, and Yūta now goes alone to visit a place where he and his father once shared memories. The two had gone often to an unused dam deep in the mountains to collect the rhinoceros beetles nearby. Yuuta suddenly receives a shock in a thunderstorm, loses his footing, and gets knocked out. When he wakes up, he see a small girl and a village — except this village is the one that should be submerged below the dam. Yuuta realizes that he slipped back time to over thirty years ago, before the dam was completed. Another summer vacation, and another chance for Yuuta to reclaim what cannot be reclaimed, begins. “ – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Director: Kounosuke Uda
Screenplay: Kei Kunji
Other Notable Staff: Takaaki Yamashita (Screen Design)

The Positives: Interestingly, Takaaki Yamashita has closely worked for a lot of the Mamoru Hosoda movies as a designer and animation director. The director will be the same One Piece director who’s going to direct the Ginga he Kickoff series. The really great part is the guy behind the series composition, though: it’s the guy who adapted Porfy no Nagai Tabi. This guy is perfect for bringing a coming of age drama to life.
The Negatives: The show does have a few cliches: this definitely isn’t the only show about a young boy, a remote village, and a dam that’s causing problems. The time travel thing however has some definite potential, so let’s see whether this show can set itself apart from these other series.

First-Glance Potential: 90%

Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Summary: “In the distant future, the war between the human race and the Gamilon has taken its toll on the planet Earth. Constant bombardment of radioactive asteroids has rendered the planet’s atmosphere uninhabitable. As a means of relief aid, Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar offers the Earth Forces a device that can completely neutralize the radiation off the planet. For this task, the space battleship Yamato is launched from the remains of its World War II ancestor on a 148,000 light-year journey. However, the crew of the Yamato has only one Earth year to travel to Iscandar and back, or the human race will come to an end.” – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Director: Yutaka Izubuchi
Screenplay: Ryuusuke Hikawa
Other Notable Staff: Leiji Matsumoto (Original Creator), Akira Miyagawa

The Positives: Yes, the director of Rahxephon is actually doing the Space Battleship Yamato remake. This is going to be awesome. I love remakes as it always brings out the best in the people working with them. Most of these series were really made by fans, and more often than not they are excellent vehicles to experiment in all kinds of new styles. The Yamato series as a space exploration franchise with a very simple story is perfect for this. I’m also definitely looking forward to that TV-series, whenever it’s set to come out.
The Negatives: AIC and Xebec? That’s about the last combination I’d expect when animating this space epic. Especially AIC, but I’m glad that they FINALLY are going to do something that isn’t moe again.

First-Glance Potential: 90%

A Letter to Momo

Summary: “A Letter to Momo follows a girl named Momo who struggles with her father’s sudden passing and resulting move to the countryside. Momo finds an otherworldly surprise at her new home.” – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Director: Hiroyuki Okiura
Screenplay: Hiroyuki Okiura
Other Notable Staff: Hiroyuki Okiura (Storyboard), Hiroyuki Okiura (Original Concept), Hiroshi Ouno (Art Direction), Masashi Ando, Takeshi Honda

The Positives: And ths is the very obvious big hit of this season: the director of one of the best anime movies ever made (Jin Roh), finally returning with another movie for which he took no less than seven years to write, direct and storyboard. This just couldn’t be anymore different to Jin Roh, and Mamoru Oshii also is not involved this time, but this still is chock full of talent, and a number of fantastic animators will be involved as well.
The Negatives: The coming of age movie is very overcrowded in terms of movies. That’s all I have. These guys will have to set themselves apart, but with such names behind this thing, I have no doubt that they will.

First-Glance Potential: 100%