Touka Gettan
Short Synopsis: I’m not sure, but it involves cross-dressers, two people in the same body and a lot of tragedy.
Good: The tragedy-part, interesting characters, Kannadzuki no Miko-esque soundtrack.
Bad: Has a bit too much harem-elements.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
Wait, wait, wait! A hentai-game adaptation that doesn’t actually suck? Whoa, that definitely is something new to me. Touka-chan and his girlfriend were quite interesting to see, and I like the degree of mystery in this series. For a while, I was really impressed by this. That is, until the anime started to introduce your typical harem-lead, an army of maids and even more female bishoujo who are totally unrelated to the story. I didn’t quite like that. Still, I’ve got hope. This first episode was definitely better than the first episode of most other harems I’ve seen in the past few seasons. Now let’s hope it’ll revolve around more than just “who gets to date that main character?”
Wellber no Monogatari ~ Sisters of Wellber ~
Short Synopsis: The princess of Wellber ends up being wanted and in the care of a thief named Tina, after she kills her fiancée.
Good: Probably the best OP of the season, great concept for a story.
Bad: A few small flaws here and there, fanservice, a few deus ex machina, though nothing too major yet.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
While I watched the previous shows of the spring-season, I never really had the thought “I am going to blog this”, apart from Claymore perhaps. For these shows, I’ll be making up my mind after having seen the second episode. But with Wellber no Monogatari, I really feel that blogging it will be interesting. Especially the first half of the episode was very nice, when the viewer is just thrown into the events. Tina running into the princess who just killed her lover was quite an amusing moment. Oh, and finally we’ve got ourselves a princess who can actually do something, as it seems that she’s quite skilled in martial arts. The visuals are also quite pleasing, and while the music isn’t done by Yuki Kajiura, it’s quite good. I especially love the OP. It’s so simple, yet so different from usual. Wellber no Monogatari is promising some great things.
Kono Aozora ni Yakusuku wo
Short Synopsis: Main character wakes up with a half-naked girl in his bed.
Bad: A first half of PURE PAIN!!!
Good: With a second half which shows potential… what!?
Overall Enjoyment Value: ?/10
Okay, I’m baffled. The first part of this episode was just horrible. It starts of with one of the most cheesy J-pop songs ever. After that, our main character wakes up with a half-naked girl in his bed, who slaps him afterwards and runs away. The characters have the most annoying voices AND characters EVER. Lots of harem-clichés are there: the annoying student-president, the annoying tsundere, the annoying brother-complex sister, the annoying silent girl, the annoying teacher, have I already mentioned how annoying those characters were? Oh, and surprise, surprise: they all live with the main character in the same building. Boy, you will never see that coming, there is no way you will. Seriously, though, I had almost given up on this anime when it comes with a surprisingly heavy dialogue in the end. Okay, the tsundere will obviously end up somewhere in the main character’s pants in the end, but that dialogue felt strangely genuine. That’s probably the first ever for a harem-anime. As you’ve seen by the rating of “?”, I have no idea what to think about this anime. It’s got so many bad points, but at the same time the good ones have potential. I’m going to watch at least another episode before dropping it.]]>
Claymore – 01
Short Synopsis: Humans have been forced to coexist with Youma, who like to eat their flesh. In order to fight them, the Claymores appeared, after having themselves infused with Youma’s blood. Because of this, they’ve become feared as well, and everyone’s scared of them. Apart from one boy, that is, who has been saved from a Youma who killed his entire family by a Claymore named Claire.
Good: Knows its priorities for a fighting-series, nice art style, great ED.
Bad: Interesting, the first series of the new season with no bad points.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
About two weeks ago, during my post about the 1500th comment, I made a little experiment, allowing people to vote on one series of the spring-season. That series would be blogged no matter what. The result: Claymore. No need for a quick first impression, since it’s certain that I’m going to blog this, and so far, I’m impressed. A lot.
At first sight, this series may be about the bloody fights. Sure, there is lots of blood shown, but so far it’s been more about the characters than action. We’ve got ourselves a young, naive boy who tries to make contact with the main character: Claire. As Claymore are half-human, half-Youma, they’re feared by everyone. This guy, however, isn’t afraid of them. Heck, he’s actually grateful. It’s promising to be quite interesting.
I also love Claire. Because most Claymores are either feared or hated, she’s got a really cold personality, due to the fact that she’ll never be able to become friends with anyone. I apparently spoiled myself a bit on Wikipedia, but this did give me enough information in order to follow the episode quite well, even though it was in raw. Most Claymores fuse themselves with Youma-flesh unwillingly, though Claire is the only one who volunteered. It’s for quite an interesting reason.
The Youma already have proven themselves quite clever, being able to take on the shape of humans and all. The art style so far has been really nice, and different from usual. I like it. The background music features all kinds of eerie tunes, perfect for an anime like this. It’ll be interesting to see where this anime goes. I wonder when we’ll see more Claymores appear.]]>
Some quick first impressions: Heroic Age, El Cazador de la Bruja and Gegege no Kitarou
Heroic Age
Short Synopsis: Deep in space, some kind of super-human lives who can be able to save humanity.
Good: Epic music.
Bad: Formulaic.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 6,5/10
Heroic Age was one of the anime I looked forward too. Too bad I’ve been slightly disappointed, as the main force of the humans seems to consist out of a bunch of inexperienced teenagers. The encounter between the two main characters also leaves much to be desired, as it didn’t even bother to change from the ordinary. That main character also sounds a bit too perfect, if you ask me. But then again, that’s what happens when you get to be the first human to arrive on another planet and get blessed by the “Golden Race”. I also was a tad disappointed about these other races. I would have loved some depth on the Silver, Bronze and Heroic race, but I guess that this’ll happen later in the series. I’m suspecting that this is another one of those series that’ll only really kick off in the later parts of the series. I’m willing to give it a second chance for that, as the concept definitely has potential.
El Cazador de la Bruja
Short Synopsis: Unable to remember anything, a girl finds herself charged on murder and hunted by people called “Hunters”. A bounty hunter finds her and helps her.
Good: Excellent mystery, when Yuki shines, she shines like no other.
Bad: At times, Yuki didn’t shine.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Haha, so far, El Cazador de la Bruja has been the best series of the new season. Not the most solid one (that title goes to Seirei no Moribito), but I just loved the climax. Throughout the episode, I kept wondering where the geniousness of Yuki Kajiura went. I think that that was the reason the final part of the episode was so good. her music makes you keep curious about how it’ll turn out, only to whack you down when the moment is just right. In terms of the characters, I like Ellis. She and her companion definitely scream “Noir”, though the differences are definitely there. It’ll be interesting to see where this will be going.
Gegege no Kitarou
Short Synopsis: Kitarou, his father (a talking eye-ball), his grandmother (a sand-throwing hag), his grandfather (an old guy who can turn to stone), his childhood-friend (a catgirl) and some strange-looking objects are youkai-hunters.
Good: A fun little show, interesting powers.
Bad: Obviously, this’ll never win any awards.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
Like expected, this turned out to be a fun little show. It’s nothing special, but certainly not the worst of the season. The character-designs look quite interesting, and I love the catgirl. Finally we’ve got a catgirl who isn’t characterized by her nekomimi-ears. ^^; The first episode started off with a water-monster, and it’s like I expected: the fights are more about strategy, and using all of the character’s strange powers than about strength. I liked how the rain suddenly turned up, even though it may have been a bit too convenient for the monster.]]>
Deltora Quest – 07
Short Synopsis: Thaegan shows herself, and the lake shows to have more depth than originally assumed.
Good: Short but sweet. Just how I like it. 🙂
Bad: Seeing Thaegan get revived in the end was a tad disappointing
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Ah, this definitely was a great episode. I’m surprised but it seems that each arc will indeed be about three or four episodes long. Perfect for keeping up a steady pacing without getting dull or boring. The battles against Sorudeiin and Thaegan also were great. Instead of huge powers clashing, this episode is more about their characters than their powers. I loved the role of the flute for both of them. For Sorudeiin, it had a soothing effect, while for Thaegan it had an annoying effect.
It’s great to see that Deltora Quest puts many rules and twists inside the different items and characters. It’s great to play with these rules, if they’re creative enough. My only problem is the convenient full moon, and the effect this has on the Topaz which was revealed a tad too late. Still, it’s quite surprising that the people who have been abducted by Thaegan were actually turned into Sorudeiin, the statue and the fish inside the lake.
I loved Thaegan’s first death. I suspect that she’s going to play a big role as a mid-boss. I’d love to see some background from her side. I’m also curious about the next country that will be travelled to.]]>
Some quick first impressions: Hayate the Combat Butler, Seto no Hanayome and Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
Hayate The Combat Butler
Short Synopsis: A typical loser gets to be the butler of a rich girl.
Good: Hayate’s parents.
Bad: Oh god, where to begin? Ugly character-designs, thinks its funny but actually is horribly dull and much, much more.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 3/10
Ow, the pain. I knew that this series was going to be bad, but at least it was labelled as a comedy, so I would get a few laughs from it. At least, that’s what I thought. This anime just isn’t funny. Apart from that, we’ve got your usual loser who runs into a beautiful girl who quite conveniently happens to be rich and in need of a butler for no reason at all. He’s also got some inhumane powers, especially for someone of his age. Events are forced, don’t make sense or are just way too cheesy to be true. The only moderately interesting parts were Hayate’s parents. I’d love to see what drove them to neglect their child so much, but there is no way that this anime is going to focus on that. Avoid this one at all costs!
Seto no Hanayome
Short Synopsis: A typical loser gets to marry a mermaid. (Start to notice a pattern?)
Good: The Mafia-boss, concept seems to have potential.
Bad: The main character, appears to be trying too hard.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 6/10
Lots of people have been anticipating this, but I’ve yet to be impressed. The first episode so far was decent, but the fact does remain that the OP was the funniest sequence of the 24 minutes of airtime (seeing Mafia-bosses play in a band looked great :)). The rest of the episode basically consisted of the mafia-boss screaming, the main character freaking out, and the mermaid getting impressed over him. Like I mentioned above, it seemed to be trying too hard. But then again, Muteki Kanbanmusume also started off with one of its weakest episodes, so I’ll at least watch the next episode before dropping. But with a season with so many potentially good series, I’ll probably end up dropping this. I’ve also got lots of issues about the main character. Not only is he your typical loser, his character-design also looks rather ugly (luckily he’s the only character in this anime, as compared to Hayate the Combat Butler) and he’s rather annoying as well.
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
Short Synopsis: Ten years after A’s, we see two new (hopefully not main) characters… show their skills in a test-mission.
Good: Good to see this back.
Bad: A bit too much action and a bit too little characters.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
This one probably is the most hyped show of the season. Still, I’ve been looking forward to it myself. The original two series had some great character-studies, which is what I’m expecting from StrikerS as well. So far, the first episode hasn’t impressed me yet, but that was to be expected. Nanoha never was great in its first or last episodes. The episode focuses on two new recruits. So far, they’ve got the potential to be interesting, though I do hope that Fate will get off of her chair at one time. Her character-design looks a bit off, by the way. I also didn’t quite like Nanoha, this episode made her look like some kind of superhero, instead of a compassionate character. One final remark: why do all these new recruits have to be women? The first two seasons showed that the space-time agency also employs a fair amount of males. While it does give potential for cheesy romance, this series has proved before that it can handle a mixed cast, instead of an all-woman one.]]>
Les Miserables – Shoujo Cosette – 13
Short Synopsis: The moment is finally there: Cosette leaves the Thenardiers.
Good: Cosette was as touching as always.
Bad: How long is Jean planning to keep Fantine’s death a secret?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8.5/10
That was beautiful! I don’t know what it is, but Cosette and the other characters are incredibly touching. I especially loved how Jean gave Cosette some better gifts than Eponine’s and Azele’s combined. Not only because it was probably the first time Cosette got such a treatment in years, but it also angered Eponine and Azele even more. And something tells me that they’re still going to play some kind of role in this story. Same with Thenardier. For the first time, he actually got angry.
It surprised me that Jean didn’t break the news of Fantine’s death yet. But then again, I bet it’s extremely hard to tell any girl that her mother died, let alone Cosette. Still, the more he puts this off, the more it’s going to hurt when the finds out in the end. And he also has to make up some kind of excuse why they can’t immediately come go to see her. I really wonder when he’s going to tell her, as I’ve got absolutely no idea about this.
And thus ends the first quarter of Les Miserables. I’m actually curious about how the rest of the series will continue. After all, the Thenardiers can’t make Cosette’s life horrible anymore. I suspect that Javert is going to play a big role in the future episodes, as he’s got to find Jean some day, hasn’t he? So far, this series has been beautiful. I’m hoping for the rest of the series to be even better. :)]]>
Yoshinaga-chi no Gargoyle Review – 76/100
The Yoshinaga-family has won a rather strange prize in a local lottery: a talking gargoyle who acts as their gatekeeper. Through the course of 13 episodes, it explores the lives of the Yoshinagas, this particular gargoyle (also hilariously nicknamed “GAR-kun”) and the people from their neighbourhood, with some very strong references to the practices of ancient alchemy. With a lot of writer’s freedom, that is.
My main problem with Yoshinaga-chi no Gargoyle is that it has a number of the most excellent characters, but refuses to use them well. Futaba is a true delight to watch when she is in action. Too bad that this only happens in three or four episodes. Osiris and her owner make a perfect team. Unfortunately, they never get the chance to truly show their personalities for more than ten seconds. Gar-kun is one of the most original characters I’ve ever seen. Too bad he also has a dull side, which he shows more often than not. Futaba’s mother and father also make a perfect team. It’s just too bad that it’s only till the final episodes that the two of them get any decent development. Takahara Iyo works great if she’s the main focus of the episode. Too bad that only happens once of twice.
Ironically, most of the time in this series is wasted on a character who actually works best as a side-character: Hyakushiki. His background is also one of the more unbelievable of the series, and especially the middle episodes keep on dabbling about useless things that don’t even matter. Other episodes focus on rather dull cases, and only the first two episodes and the final two episodes are the ones in which the characters are really showing the best sides of themselves.
If there ever was a series in need of a remake, it’d be this one. It’s got some of the most amazing characters. If they’re actually used well, they’ll definitely make for an awesome series. But because it dabbles away too often in dull elements, it turned out merely above-average. Still, this anime was definitely worth seeing. The good episodes were a delight, and even the bad episodes showcased at least a bit of the different characters’ brilliance, making them a tiny bit enjoyable after all. :)]]>
Some quick first impressions: Seirei no Moribito, Murder Princess and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Seirei no Moribito
Short Synopsis: The main character, Barsa, who spends her life as a hired bodyguard, accepts to protect Changgumu, the second prince of the Yugu-Kingdom after he has been implanted by the egg of a water-spirit, and his father is after his life.
Good: Great animation, AWESOME background art.
Bad: I expected more of the music, but it doesn’t really stand out until the final scene.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10
I was quite surprised when I saw this appear on Tokyo Toshokan. After all, it’s supposed to arrive in a week. As it’s one of the series I’ve been anticipating, I eagerly checked it out. So far, it looked quite interesting. I can’t say much about the overall story yet, as this clearly was an episode meant to introduce the story. In the next episode, we’ll see a bit more of Changgumu, and how the two of them will spend their time in this anime. Barsa, so far, has proved that she’s quite a strong and intelligent character. I didn’t quite get why the palace in the end had to be burned, though. So far, it’s been a solid episode, but apart from the amazing background-art, I’ve yet to be surprised. Let’s hope this comes in the next episodes.
Murder Princess
Short Synopsis: Nah, won’t tell you. It’s best if you find out yourself.
Good: Rocking music!
Bad: Can the rest of this OVA be worthwhile without its shock-value?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Murder Princess started out rather dull, with a castle being run over by a number of monsters and cute girls. But then a very nice twist in the middle made it all worthwhile. It’s something I didn’t expect to happen, and it’s really best if you watch this OVA without knowing anything about it beforehand. After this twist, the second half of the episode turned out very interesting. Okay, it may not be the most serious story, but it was definitely entertaining.
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
Short Synopsis: Our main character is a boy who’s lived underground for his entire life. He digs a lot, and during one of these diggings, he finds the face of a mecha. Lots of destruction ensues afterwards.
Good: Very interesting characters. Great style.
Bad: Contains every element of the shounen-series-formula.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10
Okay, it may be a shounen-series, but it’s a damn entertaining one. Sure, the main character is a wimpy boy, but the main side-character definitely is worth watching, and he even makes sure that otherwise dull characters turn interesting. I love the style of this one, even though it’s filled with clichés. The main character may have found the robot on pure coincidence, he may have run into a beautiful girl for no apparent reason, he may live in a world where people absolutely never get dizzy, but the way this anime is presented definitely made for an entertaining episode. Oh, and this anime may have one of the shortest ED’s ever. :P]]>
Jigoku Shoujo – 51
Short Synopsis: The detective survives the attack, while Takuma and Hotaru get captured by the sinful village people.
Good: Excellent episode, great climax. 🙂
Bad: None.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10
With this, I’m convinced: the climax of the second season is better than that of the first season, and the final episode has to be really bad in order to change that. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that the second season overall is better. Personally, the cases in the first season appealed to me more than in the second season. Hajime’s and Tsugumi’s differences of opinion were very interesting to see, but the climax itself was more focused at showing Enma Ai’s background than resolving the conflict between the two of them. And they also just disappeared afterwards.
With Takuma, however, things are getting really interesting. The focus of this climax is much more interesting, and it seems like the entire series has been building up for this. It’s not the background of Ai’s dolls, like I originally thought. These were just some necessary episodes in order to flesh out their characters a bit. The real focus of the second season is to show people getting more and more lenient in sending a person to hell. Overall, I found the cases in the second season far less extreme than those in the first one. And I have to say, that while I originally thought it a bit unbelievable, I do admit that I really like the way this turned out.
Another thing is that Jigoku Shoujo is starting to become selfish yet again. This time however, it’s far more interesting, as unlike the first season, she doesn’t feel hatred, but compassion. Takuma and Hotaru were very interesting in this episode as well. Especially Hotaru freaking out in the boat was awesome. And even though the detective disappearing in the end had it coming, the results of this were so worthwhile to see.
It also becomes clear now why Kikuri showed Hotaru the pot full of candles. She knew that Hotaru would understand that Takuma has never sent a person to hell, so she’d get close to him as well, so that Takuma would lose another person who got close to him. I also assume that she alerted the detective of Takuma’s whereabouts. The next episode will be very interesting to see, as she’ll finally reveal her plans. Takuma obviously is going to do something to make Hotaru stop cursing him, after which she’ll probably make herself really hated.
One thing that’s too bad: Hell Boy not returning. It seems that the climax will really be about Kikuri and Takuma. Ah well, there’s always hope for a third season somewhere. In any case, I’m glad to see that Jigoku Shoujo still shines as bright as usual. :)]]>
Otogi Juushi Akazukin Review – 92/100
Otogi Juushi Akazukin is a children-aimed fantasy-series which can be fun for every age. It’s deeply rooted in the old European fairytales, with characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, the City-Musicians of Bremen, Rapunzel, Hansel, Gretel and the violinist of Hameln making cameo-appearances. The story is simple, an evil which had been sealed long ago broke free, and needs to be resealed again by our main character: Akazukin. Still, despite this fairly simple concept, I found myself mesmerized by this anime again and again.
For starters, it’s got some of the cutest character-design ever. The animation may range from flawed to good, the character-designs and imaginative background-art more than make up for it. The music also gives a perfect fairy-tale feeling to the whole atmosphere. Thumbs up.
Still, the parts where Otogi Juushi Akazukin shines the most are the characters and the storytelling. The series comes with a set of characters who complement each other perfectly. They start out as one-dimensional characters, but they soon gain lots of depth as the anime continues. Each with his or her own story. Overall, these characters were adorable, as they were featured in both serious, funny and cute moments.
Through the course of the anime, lots of different stories are shown. Even though some side-characters just serve the purpose of fleshing out some of the main characters, they worked out quite well. Still, the best stories were the ones who focused on the group of main characters. Especially after the second half kicks in, the show picks up steam, and some of the episodes were just amazing to watch. Each character got enough time to show his or her background, and near the end, there’s given enough time to close of their stories, some of these stories ending in the most amazing episodes. My personal favourite was the surprisingly sad Randagio-episode.
Any bad points? Well, the ending. Or episodes 36 and 37 to be exactly. After most of the stories have closed, and only the main storyline remains. Through the course of the series, this anime has done well at keeping its level of cheesiness just low enough for it not to be annoying, but these efforts all fail when it goes and uses some of the biggest clichés in the book. Thankfully, the final episode closes off the series well enough, but the fact remains that these episodes left a nasty thorn in an otherwise excellent series.
Excellent as it may be, I can see a lot of people disliking it. Especially people who believe children’s shows are too childish. There’s no denying that the series is childish at times, but for me, that was just part of its charms. If you’re not bothered by the fact that this is a children’s show, then it’s definitely worth it to give this a try, as the characters were just amazing.]]>