Some quick first impressions: Ray The Animation, Ah My Goddess 2nd Season and Black Lagoon

by psgels, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Okay! After a bit of waiting, the next bunch of new shows has come in. These three all have a woman with some kind of talent or special trait. Ranging from being able to see through object and being a goddess, to being having great gunning-skills.

Ray The Animation

The fights were interesting in this one, I loved the drama and the questions it induced. This looks like it could become a very good anime. It’s such a pity that I won’t be able to find out whether this is the case or not, because I’m never going to touch this series again. Our main character happens to be a surgeon. I’ll be honest. I can handle blood in anime. No problem. But when surgery is fully displayed, I just can’t take it. I’ve had surgery myself a fair number of times, and I just want to know and see as little of it as possible, in order to not get some weird ideas.

Ah My Goddess, 2nd Season

I have no idea why I decided to pick this up. I hadn’t even seen the original series, so I had no idea what went on in the previous series. Apparently, three goddesses went to live with a guy, and some kind of evil dude wreaked havoc and destroyed a good number of things. Anyway, it was a good variation to see the harem-cast consisting of just three members, instead of the usual five or even more. It’s also good that the two main characters are also meant to be together, and there is some interesting dialogue. Apart from that, however, this show’s just plain boring. Nothing really happens, and I don’t think I’ll keep watching this.

Black Lagoon

This will be something like an alternative version of the Stockholm Syndrom, as our main character pointed out. In case you never heard of it: there once was a bank-robber in Stockholm who robbed a bank and used a girl as a hostage. He got caught and the girl was free again. However, after a couple of months, she ended up marrying this particular bank-robber. It’s for a part the same thing. The girl has turned into a guy who’s just been working for a big company and has to deliver a top-secret cd-rom and the bank-robbers have been turned into modern-age-pirates. Of course, there have been a lot of extra drama and interesting characters added, and I have to say, it works pretty well. It’ll be interesting to see how both parties will develop. The only problem I have with the show is the cliffhanger. It was just so fake. I’m not going to spoil it, but you’ll know what I’m talking about once you see it. The ED was, by the way, one of the best of its kind.

.Hack//Roots – 02

by psgels, posted in .Hack//Roots



I really like Haseo. Even though he’s shy, he has a strong character. He doesn’t just hear things and obeys them, but he thinks on his own for a chance. Still, my guess is that he’ll end up in the Twillight Brigade. Probably in the next episode. Anyway, today we see the introduction of another pair of interesting characters. They’re both players who abandoned the Twillight Brigade, because they were just used by Ovan. It’ll be very interesting if these characters make some more appearances in the show, as I kindof liked them. After all, a friendly PK-er and a pessimist are always nice to see.

There isn’t really a good side and a bad side yet. There really are lots of differend sides. I hope it stays this way, as it brings potential for so many conflicts.

An element I found interesting is the fact that nothing out of the ordinary has happened yet. In every other .Hack//anime, the first episode would immediately introduce something supernatural which was happening. In //Sign it was Tsukasa being unable to logout. In //Dusk it was the undefeatable monsters appearing (I hope never to refer back to //Dusk again) and //Liminality had (along with //Sign as well) people getting into a coma. //Roots still has nothing, which makes me curious about what will happen in the next couple of episodes.

Noein – 20

by psgels, posted in Noein



I knew it! The future version of Ai does return. This time, she meets up with Yuu and Haruka from the past. Kosagi’s daugher brings them to her at the beginning of the episode, after the dragon’s torque saved them from the desperate Kuina. I just like this character more and more. At the beginning of this anime, I so would NOT have thought that he’d end up this way. Anyway, Atori regained his memory, but somehow, he doesn’t return to the bad side. That is surely an awesome development. To see a sick and demented guy like him join the good guys. I’d love it if he were to play another big role at the rest of the anime.

Holy god… this show ends at episode 23, if I’m not wrong. That means that there are only three more episodes to go before this incredible anime. I’m really curious about the ending. We still need another plot twist, as I don’t see the end of this episode make up for a number of three episodes. It’ll probably involve Haruka, in some way. And of course we get to see how Noein became who he was.

Because yes! We see Noein confirm his true identity. He has to have a very good reason in order to make it not based on coincidences. But then again, I feel that Noein has been neglecting this part a bit. Anyway, it’ll still be interesting to see.

The rest of this episode was even more awesome than the first part. Seeing how the first part already was amazing, it really says something about the quality of the second part. This really is one of the first times that I actually truly enjoyed the romance between the two main characters of a show. Those who’ve been reading some of my reviews and know about my dislike towards most main characters must know that this happens very rarely.

Another thing that really added up to this episode was the fact that the backgrounds are just too beautiful to be true. Starting from the dystopian La’Cryma to the utopian Shangri’La, everything looks gorgeos. And if that wasn’t even enough, the CG really gives that extra edge needed to blow you off your chair. And have I already mentioned that the music was as good as ever in this episode?

The Law of Ueki – 46

by psgels, posted in Law of Ueki



This episode focused mostly at Ueki’s mother, and the impact she had on the present. Well, I have to say, it was a pretty huge impact. But then again, she’s an awesome character. Her personality was just as forcing as Haruhi Suzumiya, while she just too innocent. It’s so sad to hear that she died. But that only makes the show more awesome.

Anyway, this episode consisted of three parts. Ueki&co celebrate their achievements and either his mother’s birthday, or her day of death. Kami-sama, meanwhile, reveals his intentions of why exactly he decided to host the tournament. I have to say, that this is a good reason. Showing the Hellions to look to the future, instead of the past, is a very good reason indeed. The third part consists of a battle between Kamisama and Margaret. Yes, the one the OP has been hinting at. It’s a pretty nice fight, but it was based a bit too much on power instead of strategy. The cliffhanger ends with a bang. Literally.

Bleach – 77

by psgels, posted in Bleach



Blah blah blah, Ichigo fights shinigami. Blah blah. Ichigo fights shinigami blah blah. Then Kuriya decides to finish it off himself, and of course, he’s uber-powerful and Ichigo doesn’t stand a chance. I guess only a ‘certain’ bankai will be strong enough to defeat him (*wink wink* *nudge nudge*). Thank you Ururu for not making this a total waste of time after all.

Some quick first impressions: Joshikosei, Simoun and .Hack//Roots

by psgels, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

These range from incredibly good to incredibly bad. I had a good time watching the last two, but the first one is just horrible.

Joshikosei

When I first read the premisse, I hoped that this would become an awesome series. I was wrong. Totally wrong. This is just an excuse to display as many pantyshots as possible in as less time as possible. The comedy doesn’t work, and it isn’t so bad that it becomes funny either.

Simoun

The main characters here fly with some weird machines which somehow remind me of Noein’s minions. Apparently, only girls up to the age of 15 can fly them, a la Evangelion. The character designs somehow reminded me of Gundam Seed Destiny meets Utena with a little dose of Paradise Kiss. When I first saw a picture of the main character, I was somehow reminded of the main character of Fate/Stay Night. After watching her in the anime, I’d have to say that she bears some resemblances, but mostly her character design is different. Her personality, however, totally reminds me of the main character of Mai Otome. The storytelling itself somehow reminded me of the complex dialogue in Trinity Blood. So. These were all the shows I managed to recognize. It appears that Simoun takes a little something out of a couple of good shows, mixes these together and adds a couple original elements. Fifteen minutes in the microwave, and it’s done. The results is pretty good. The music is just awesome, you can barely follow what’s going on, which forces you to pay attention, and the characters look just awesome (not to mention their kissing scenes). Though there are a couple of bad points about this anime. First of all, it’s nowhere explained that the persons in this world are all born female, and then get to choose to their sex at their fifteenth. If I hadn’t read this beforehand, I really would have been confused. The grown-up males with female voices are also a nice idea, but they don’t really work. It’s also a bit strange to just pick up a fallen comerade, her them talk, and then just ‘ throw’ them away again. I also didn’t really feel for the characters who died this episode. I guess that’s the toll of having complex storytelling.

.Hack//Roots

The main character is shy! Holy god, I kept hoping for a main character to be different from all of those enthusiastic, talented and loudmouthed common main characters. I can´t believe it!! The creators just took a large amount of the awesome points of .Hack//Sign (one of the best anime ever, in my opinion) and turned that into their own storyline. The results so far are AWESOME!! I recognized the special and freaky voice acting whenever a character is in pain. The style of the character designs is as awesome as ever. The dialogues are deep. I so love the different characters The music is just totally awesome, and I could keep on rambling for a while. The major difference with .Hack//Sign is that .Hack//Roots seems to focus more on the MMORPG-element than .Hack//Sign does. I’ll definately be blogging this. This was by far the best one out of the first episodes of the spring season.

Popolorcrois Story 1998 – 09

by psgels, posted in Popolocrois Story 1998



This time mainly focused on the relationship between Narcia and Hyuu. Especially Narcia needed a bit of self-confidence, which she certainly got at the end of the episode. I also find Gamigami more awesome after each and every episode.

We start at the Popolocrois Castle, which suffered some damages after last episode’s attack. Pietoro is enthusiastically helping the castle guards repairing the broken parts. Narcia, meanwhile, makes him some sandwiches. Then Pietoro talks about Hyuu again, after which Narcia gets an unhappy feeling. After a bit of struggle, she decides to go to Hyuu herself in order to talk with her.

She arrives at Gamigami’s castle, where she meets Hyuu, again in some deep thoughts. The two end up talking a bit. Basically, Narcia wants the Anemoritos and Hyuu doesn’t want to give it to her. Meanwhile, Gamigami just finished his new invention: a machine which knows an answer to all possible questions. He demonstrates it to Ston and Sanda, with hilarious results. In the aftermath, the castle shakes and an earthquake takes Narcia and Hyuu to some kind of sewer under the castle. Gamigami meanwhile isn’t too happy. I still find it brilliant, though, especially when you know that the answers of the machines are shown like those bars on slot machines. Ston and Sanda also begin to get more brilliant by the minute.

Anyway, inside the sewers, a cute little animal comes, swallows the Anemoritos and gets turned into a dragon. In the process of trying to turn this dragon back into the cute little animal it once was, Hyuu and Narcia learn to trust each other. It was beautiful to see. The glowing crystal-chamber was indeed a nice touch. Anyway, in the aftermath, Hyuu still keeps the Anemoritos, Narcia gets home, but she will try to find another way for Hyuu. I really liked this episode. Even though it was just an aftermath, I wasn’t bored at all. I’m looking forward to see how this will turn out.

Some quick first impressions: Utawarerumono, Makai Senki Disgaea and xxxHolic

by psgels, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Aha! These are the ones I’ve been waiting for. At least, some of the ones. Still no Good Witch of the West, but still, I had a very good time watching these.

Utawarerumono

I hope I spelled the title right, as it’s nearly impossible not to make any mistakes in it. Anyway, about the series, a total plus is the character art. I really like that. Some of the characters may be a bit stereotypical, though. For example, the female character who falls in love with our main character. The main character also was a bit too cool for his own good, but I guess it’s better than the usual twelve-year-old boy. I’m a big fan of the story. I can already see the conflicts coming. I think I’ll keep watching this.

Makai Senki Disgaea

Okay, this is just plain randomness. We have this demon, who’s been sleeping for at least two years. He’s being waked by the cutest apprentice angel ever, who happens to be an assasin from heaven. The demon is just plain stubborn, and the angel is just plain clumsy. Talk about a perfect combination? Anyway, we also get a little visit from a couple of star-trek-wannabes and lion-like demons. I’ll certainly be blogging this. The flying penguins should be arriving next episode.

xxxHolic

The art, characters, drama and comedy are all absolutely gorgeous. Both the witch and the butler haven’t changed a bit from the movie, and the two assistants finally talk! Mokona toned down a bit, though. There are still a couple of characters missing, but they should be arriving in the next episodes. The art has been turned into a bit less messy version when compared to the movie, but the long limbs still are clearly recognizable. The cg backgrounds also made way for normal backgrounds, but that seems logigal, seeing that this is a 24-episode-long series, and not a movie. The drama also was one of the best of the season, at least in my opinion. Both the witch’s speeches as the girl who tried to win her friends by acting were just awesome to see. This will definately be on my to-blog list.

Some quick first impressions: NANA, Zegapain and Air Gear

by psgels, posted in Some Quick First Impressions



Yay! I got my first 10000 viewers in! It does make me feel small a bit, after hearing that the guys of Kono-Sono managed to get 100000 in about the same time. Anyway, here’s another round of new anime. All these three titles didn’t really impress me when I firstly saw them. For some, my suspicions were right. But others turned out to be pretty decent.

NANA
The art looks great. It really overflows of elegance. Still, I don’t think I’ll continue watching this, as apart from the art, there isn’t really anything that really gets me interested in continuing this series. The dialogue is nice, the creators put some decent music in this, but none of these elements make me want to watch another episode, despite some of the original elements that were put in. After all, how many times do you encounter a show in which two characters have the same front name? In real life, it does happen (I know that from first experience, in a kindof extreme way). I’m also finding it a bit too confidential that both main characters just “happen” to meet again, after their train trip. I mean, Tokyo is a kindof big city (how many million residents did it have again? I already get lost if I run into a town with only ten thousand of them).

Zegapain
Ugh… this probably is the worst anime of the new series. Okay, it has some flashy graphics, nice CG. But the story’s horrible. Reasons? Who needs reasons! Everything seems just too coincidental and convienient for our main character and the poor thing is, this anime doesn’t even realize it. This also isn’t one of these series that’s so bad that it actually becomes funny. This is just plain bad.

Air Gear
I was a bit reluctant to see this. After all, it looked so much like a typical shounen series. And yes, it is a shounen series. But it certainly has some good points. The music, for example, gives this anime a very nice style. The humour works good, the different characters are certainly very interesting to see (I especially loved the main character’s wide variety of sisters), and the actions of the main character actually make some sense. Well, at least if you compare them to your average shounen-show. Overall, I had a nice time watching this, but there is a problem with this show. Each single element could have been executed better. And it wouldn’t have been so hard to do this. This is mostly noticable with the choreography. Okay, there are some nice stunts, but I can’t believe any of the great speeds that are achieved. Right now, it seems that everyone just drives at a measly speed of 20 kilometres per hour. But it’s not only the choreography. The music, although it fitted the theme greatly and certainly brought a good mood to the show, lacked a bit. At times, the character art looked a bit inconsistend and foggy. I think I’ll keep watching this for a couple of more episodes before I draw my final verdict.

Some quick first impressions: Princess Princess, Ouran High School Host Club and Gakuen Heaven

by psgels, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

I am SO jealous of the people who already saw Good Witch of the West: Astraea Testament. I just can’t wait for a fansub group to release the first episode. I’m dying to know about the first episode. The same goes for xxxHolic, which also just came out in japanese. Anyway here’s the next bunch of previews, this time featuring the yaoi-shows of this season. This has to say something about the immense amount of shows that’s featuring, as this is probably the first time that one season features three yaoi-series. Anyway, after watching these episodes, I began to notice a pattern: transfer students are amazingly popular main characters in anime. Two of these three anime has such a main character, which means that this entire season already features four shows of this nature. And I haven’t even seen the first half of them.

Princess Princess

Main character gets transferred to a new school in the middle of semester. Suddenly, all of the boys in the school start falling for this main character, including the most popular ones. The twist: this time the main character is a boy. Yes, I can’t believe how incredibly similar this story is to the opposite of Strawberry Panic. Though, it does have more elements than what I just described. Strawberry Panic decided to focus on drama and conflicts, Princess Princess decided to focus on comedy. And the comedy part just freaked me out. The fact is: out main character is a bishounen, the school is an all-boys school. One of the rules in these schools is that the bishounen get to dress up as girls, in order to make life for the other students a bit more exciting. I just loved the reaction of the main character when he found this out. There were so many horribly wrong scenes featured, it almost scared me.

Ouran High School Host Club

Here, we have a school for insanely rich people. Only the classiest of the classiest are able to study here. The Ouran High School Host Club is a club full of Bishounen in all different kinds of sizes, who try to win as many ladies as possible by playing “Host”. I know it sounds a bit vague. I haven’t exactly discovered how to precizely describe what it is that they’re doing. Just remember that it comes down to winning as much ladies as possible. Anyway, there’s one poor person who managed to get in the school. This person, of course, has no money for an expensive school-outfit, and only managed to get in the school because of the fact that she’s incredibly good in studying. Then she walks into the High School Host Club, and breaks one of their 8-million-yen vases. The chairman of the club makes her work for the club in order to pay it. The two nice things about these events are: 1. The members of the club are a totally weird bunch. One time, they act as the overdramatic version stereotypical bishounen, the other time they act as themselves, which isn’t really a step in the right direction either. I just loved the randomness of that. 2. Our main character may be a girl. She looks like a boy, resulting in the fact that the members of HSHC mistake her for a male. Of course, the fun begins when they discover that she has the cutest male-face ever. I’ll be watching this for sure.

Gakuen Heaven

We have this ultra-rich school (which of course, doesn’t impress me at all after seeing Ouran High School Host Club, but whatever), and out main character will be transferred to it. That’s weird, because he has absolutely no talents at all. He’s just mediocre. Apparently, the chairman of the school wants him for some reason. There weren’t any yaoi-scenes yet, but I’m suspecting that these will follow soon. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll continue watching this. There weren’t any things that stood out.