Another
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is a transfer student.
To the people who claimed that the season sucks after only half of the shows had aired: perhaps a bit of patience would have been in order, because this season also has a very good horror series. Another again doesn’t have the best premise. Heck, it yet again takes place at a high school. If there’s one flaw of this season, it’s that everything is centered around bloody schools. In any case though, this show understands horror. This episode built up this wonderful horror atmosphere with a good script, neat camera work and some subtle mystery that combined all really drew me in. This was the kind of horror series that combined the ordinary life with a lot of creepy hints. This episode was very uneventful, but it slowly revealed more about what was going on, which will very likely get continued into the next episodes. The ordinary parts about this episode in any case were a neat way to flesh out the cast, and in particular the script gave them some character that made them interesting to watch. They all had something interesting to say here.
OP: Ah, the ALI Project. That’s long ago. Their style still doesn’t really match here though…
ED: Dull ballad with dull images.
Potential: 85%
Ano Natsu de Matteru
Short Synopsis: Our lead character gets killed and then revived again.
Here is the thing with this season: its premises are crap. In fact, it’s been years since we had a season with less interesting original series. And yet, it’s got so many big names, there are so many talented people working on all kinds of different series this season. The best example of this is Ano Natsu de Matteru. Here we have a show which follows all of the romance cliches… only it actually is well executed. What does this mean? The characters act and feel real. The animation and acting is realistic and believable, rather than the overacting moe stereotypes that you usually see in those types of series. On top of that, this doesn’t feel disjointed, but introduced a few different subplots that should keep the show interesting, rather than having it hang apart from random incidents. This show has a degree of believability that a ton of other shows of the genre lack. And yet the lead character is wimpy, there were quite a few romance cliches, there is the ditzy blond girl. And yet it feels strangely interesting when it’s delivered so much better than usual.
OP: Finally some J-pop I like this season. The really good use of instruments did it.
ED: Simple yet interesting graphics. The j-pop was a bit dull, though.
Potential: 75%
Aquarion Evol
Short Synopsis: Our lead character can pilot a mecha.
There is one way in which this season stands out: the amount of teenaged sci-fi mecha epics in it. Rinne no Lagrange, Mouretsu Pirates and Aquarion Evol are all ambitious action/adventures, while they still all pursue a different direction with a different kind of execution. Rinne no Lagrange focuses a lot on its direction and script, Mouretsu Pirates placed emphasis on its characters, and Aquarion meanwhile has gorgeous action and a ton of eye candy. I mean, this is the kind of big budgeted flick you’d expect in the big seasons, not the small ones. Besides that, Aquarion has the least interesting characters of the three, yet they’re still an interesting bunch. Their biggest problem is that most of them blend into each other due to the cast being huge. A long show can fix that nicely (and it’s Mari Okada behind the script. She has shown often enough that she’s able to do this). The plot had these interesting elements of males versus females. I haven’t seen the first season, but heck, I’m curious where this will go.
ED: A well produced song that fits the epic nature of this series really well.
Potential: 80%
Satelight is on fire this season. Three mecha shows in one season!!
Is Aquarion Evol related to prior Aquarions ? I never watched them.
It is related to the previous series, though so far it’s just that it’s the same mecha operating on the same principle, in the same world (12000 years later). And a character from the previous series also showed up (different seiyuu, though, boo-hoo). The movie Amata and Mikono were watching in the beginning was an “adaptation” of the end of the first series (so if you were going to watch it you already know how it ends 😀 Oh, Kawamori).
The first series had a rather different setting and mood, though… this one seems to be a bit less endearingly silly so far.
(And of course the characters tie in with the previous series as well, but that goes without saying – those who have seen the original probably already see who is the reincarnation of whom. :D)
As cheezy as this was, I find the male/female concept super interesting and creative! I hope they will stay in that direction and not pull a guilty crown and be too generic!
Another and Aquarion Evol are definitely on my to-watch list. (Actually enough cute boys in both shows to keep me interested. >_> *shallow much*) And I want to slap that blue-haired girl in AE silly (useless indeed) but I hope she’ll get over her whiny-damsel-in-distress part… eventually. (I AM glad she got called out on it in canon though. Thumbs up for that.) I’ll check out Ano Natsu as well. ^^
as expected from director of onegai teacher and onegai twins he did very good job to make things realistic and my feivorite character for now is lemon
I loved Another. I think it’s one of the best shows this season so far, and I don’t think this will disappoint. I was worried since PA Works doesn’t exactly have a good record with plot and pacing, but they got the atmosphere and introductions down perfect.
What really annoys me a little is that there were few to no flaws in the first episode yet you still try to find something to nitpick. Really, does the fact that Another’s setting is at a school detract from the plot at all? Was there any need to try and point that out as a flaw when there weren’t really any anime school student stereotypes in there that deserved it?
and what do you think about ano natsu de matteru since it from the same director of onegai series is it good plot and is the characters rialistic?
It wasn’t just a nitpick on Another, but all of the series this season. I do want to stress that these posts that I make are impressions, not full blown reviews.
Doesn’t PA Works always have the best intro episodes? 😉
I don’t know, Another really rubbed me the wrong way.
The art was pretty decent, yes. But overall it felt to me like the show was trying way too hard. As if literally every element, from the character design to the direction to the music, was screaming “look at me! so scarrrryyyyyy!!!!” I only got around eleven minutes into Another before I couldn’t handle any more and went to do something else.
I think what made it difficult for me was that I’ve been playing Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni recently, and the way those games mess with text speed and music and pacing struck me as a lot scarier than anything in Another (note that I’m not even referring to any of Higurashi’s most infamous scenes–just to general atmosphere.) That’s even counting Higurashi’s terrible translation and occasional heavy-handedness, so that’s saying a lot!
And for those who are pissed off I’m comparing Another to something like Higurashi (admittedly they are executed very differently), I’d say that I found Mononoke and the Bakeneko arc of Ayakashi a whole lot creepier as well. Actually I can name any number of horror stuff I’ve seen off the top of my head (not that I’ve seen a lot of it) that’s at least felt less forced than Another did.
Maybe I didn’t give it a fair chance. Any fans of Another out there who think the show’s worth a shot?
@wendeego what do you think about the first episode of ano natsu de matteru?
Yeah, at first I got that impression as well. Heck, I still have it, but I must say: the creepy atmosphere was very well built, despite some not so subtle details. Of course, it’s just the first episode and we still don’t know a thing, so there’s room for improvement.
Really? I’ve actually been reading through Umineko no Naku Koro ni for a while myself (which is arguably scarier in my opinion since they make Higurashi’s murders look like child’s play). I still enjoyed Another very much and thought it had one of the best first episodes of the season. It didn’t really seem to me like it was forced at all.
Yeah, Umineko is pretty terrifying too!
When I mentioned Higurashi, I wasn’t thinking so much about the murders (which are, granted, pretty terrifying) as I was about the atmosphere, which in the second half of each episode really rides the knife’s edge between cloyingly cute and absolutely horrifying. It’s difficult to know which way the pendulum will swing and that’s what makes the series so difficult to read–it really plays dangerous games with the reader’s expectations.
From what I’ve picked up across the internet, there are a ton of people who really enjoyed Another. Even the people who weren’t blown away by it are still mean to keep watching it. And I think that even though I had problems with Another’s first episode, I’ll probably give it a couple more episodes and see if it gets better.
I think my problem with the first episode was that it came off as lifeless and a little manipulative. I get that the show was aiming for a grey color palette and weird, unsettling direction and to a degree they accomplished all that. But great first episodes have this spark of promise that carries you along, and I couldn’t find that in Another. So the attempts of the director to freak me out (slowly and psychologically, of course) struck me as a bit hollow.
By the way, I find it pretty hilarious that last season I defended the excesses of Mawaru Penguindrum, and this season I’m taking the piss out of a similarly polarizing show. Talk about irony, right?
I watched the first episode of Another and I like the creepy normal setting and it’s definitely got me hooked into finding out what’s going on. I look forward to the next episode.
Can I Was Aquarion Evol without watching the prequel?
can I *watch*
Yes you can, since the setting&charas from this sequel is different from the first, although there’s few references to the old series but you’ll still be able to understand the current series’s story anyway. Beside, psgels also didn’t watch the first Aquarion series.
Boo, Mikoko is so useless and annoying to watch in Aquarion Evol! Honestly, the entire episode would have been way better without her
*Mikono, sorry
@Anna. You bothered remembering her name? Really? >_> You’d think by all the times they say it in the episode, I’d remember it, but nope. Whiny girl, I don’t care about you and your useless little self. (Oh well, I’ll just ignore her and slash the heck out of redhead and the protagonist. Or maybe the cute little blond guy at the end. Hohoho~)
Ano Natsu doesn’t look bad per se, but I’m already annoyed with that Lemon chick. I get Orihime vibes from redhead girl, so she’s cute, and I love that both guys are megane-types (different kinds though.) But still, I don’t think I’ll be following it.
I disliked Ano Natsu. It was just so blahh… like, the creators of Ano Hana watched Super 8, and thought “oh, I just came up with this brilliant idea with kids, making home movies, a little romance, and aliens!” Counter to psgels, I thought the stereotypes were a bit more abrasive than usual, so I’m kinda surprised at the positive review. Plus, the main has the worst character design and least interesting personality of the cast for sure.
the director of this show is the director of onegai teacher and onegai twins and the character so you can say it anohana meet onegai teacher
it has nothing to do with super 8
Yes, I know Ano Natsu is not actually related to Super 8, sorry to confuse you. When I mention mashups, I’m talking about the themes and stereotypes, that’s all.
I haven’t actually seen Onegai Teacher, so I can’t comment on that – but if Ano Natsu is also a rehash of it, that would make this even more of a turd.
‘Another’ seems to have a really cliche horror plot right now. And the main character pissed me off. He is so… lifeless? Like he has no emotions whatsoever.
I think they did a really good job on the atmosphere though. It did somehow manage to creep me out.
And psgels, I seriously don’t understand what J-Pop you consider to be good.. I actually don’t mind most J-Pop OP’s there are some I really like, but AnoNatsu’s definitely isn’t one of them.
“No emotions” seems a staple of “mature” Japanese horror. I have no idea why.
At the moment everything in Another seems to be hinting that class 3 is dead. I really hope it isn’t that simple.
The main problem I have with another at the moment is that I believe this show is going to be mostly build up and I can’t see how we could get a satisfying pay-off.
Looks like things are picking up, which is quite welcome! How many series have yet to air?
I really liked the atmosphere of “Another.” I really hope that PA works is able to see this through. Anyone else think it is weird that guy with the heart problem is wasn’t in uniform?
I the headmaster or homeroom teacher was spooky with his line about how we all have to help each other get through the school year “healthy.”
Wow. Aquarion Evol was so hilariously bad that it turned out good. I didn’t expect much from this show as I’ve been reading some bad things about the first series but I was unwillingly charmed by its idiocy. I’ll give it a 3 episode test, meanwhile I’ll go watch the original for more lols.
after wathcing another ep1, got impatient and went ahead reading its manga…it start slow but when thing got moving, it’s gonna be interesing….it been a long time since i read such a good tragedic and mystery manga like this…hope the anime gonna be the same or even better…
higurashi and umineko is really good but the plot can be confusing…still battler is my favorite anime character….
I am one for quirky concepts if they are executed right, but the quirkiness of Aquarion EVOL combined with rather strange tempo made me kinda wary of watching it further. I meant: you got angsty boy that can’t do anything until a girl touched his chest, a girl that seems to be main character but cry and scream a lot, main mecha that doesn’t even look gook, and enemy mecha that’s totally used waaaay different than the design suggested.
To be fair, the way the dark haired girl acted was realistic for her situation and characterisation to that point. You don’t put civilians with confidence issues in a battle and expect them to keep their act together; everyone screaming at her to stop crying was also a good touch. Now just hoping she’ll grow out of it.
ano natsu
kiss revival and face in boobs? bleh
I’d say this show is mediocre, the last time I watched something with aliens and filming involved it was the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, that was fun and hooked me immediately, this feels uninspired for a first episode.
I think there were some moments that were supposed to be funny, but it fell flat for me.
“Finally some good J-Pop” — yep, that’s Kotoko of I’ve Sound. Same instrumentation style as Kawada Mami et al (think JC Staff shows).
Matteru was kinda lame. If you don’t get Birdy and AnoHana vibes, you’ve probably just never watched those anime. I enjoyed the scenery, but everything else felt a bit flat, and what was up with that ending? Am I watching a JC Staff highschool romcom or something semi-serious? Make up your minds..
Good lord Aquarion Evol is stupid. Stupider than Gurren Lagann, even. Just not over-the-top or self-aware enough to be nearly as entertaining. I mean, I can certainly find a level to enjoy Aquarion on, but why waste such a spectacular animation budget on it? It’s almost insulting to the animators.. almost criminal.
I have a good feeling that Another could turn out to be that elusive first PA Works anime that I truly enjoy wholeheartedly. It feels a bit more restrained that usual art-wise (aside from the cuts to pictures of dolls that I might find creepy if I was 10).
But mentioning Stephen King in your horror story is still tacky. I wonder if Guilty Crown mentioned someone watching “that Hideaki Anno mecha anime?”