Clannad
Wow, never thought that I’d see a major anime air at a 4:3-resolution these days. Ah well, it’s not like it’s bad: it worked great in xxxHolic. Anyway, about Clannad: it turned out better than expected. There are a number of flaws, but it’s also got a few enjoyable points. The cast of characters is quite huge. I’ve heard that the storyline for Clannad is more twice the length of Kanon, so I can imagine that this series could go on for 39 or perhaps even 52 episodes. About half of the cast is original, with the other half being stereotypes. I especially disliked the uber-strong girl who somehow beat tons of punks at the same time, the rugby-team, the clumsy class-president and her sister. I especially liked the male lead: my major problem with the male lead of Kanon was the fact that he was just too bipolar, and luckily Kyoani realized this and fixed it Clannad. There was quite a bit of foreshadowing in this episode, and it sounds interesting enough so far. The animation is quite good, though the character-designs still look unappealing. Ah well, at least they’re an improvement when compared to Kanon. I’m not getting optimistic about this series yet, though. Two of Kyoani’s previous series also had some great first episodes (Lucky Star, Haruhi), but turned into disappointments quite fast.
Shakugan no Shana II
Yup, the characters are as annoying as I remember them to be. Their intelligence also didn’t really progress much since the first season. They never even question why the antagonist laughed as she went down, and Yuuji doesn’t even notice how Shana tries to avoid answering an embarrassing question. Not such a good start, isn’t it? The music did change, though, I especially like that eye-catch in a comical way. I really doubt whether this season will avoid the pitfalls of the previous one, I mean what the heck happened to the plan of Yuuji, moving away from the city? He’s still being targeted, so that would indeed be the best course of action. I really want to believe that he’s actually going to travel along with Shana at one point, but something tells me that that plan was just a temporarily plot-device to give Yuuji a bit of background.
Shugo Chara
Ah, thank goodness. I’m a big fan of Mahou Shoujo, but ever since the Winter-Season, they’ve been really meager: Precure5 was too full of clichés, Kamichama Karin had production-issues and Nanatsuiro Drops ruined itself with its dramatic storyline. Shugo Chara doesn’t disappoint at all, and I’m glad to finally see another good series of this genre. The setting is overly elegant, with a castle-like school, and let’s not forget the guy with cat-ears, but it gives off a nice style. I especially like the main character, who is already shaping up to becoming a growing and versatile character. The art and music also are pretty charming. There’s only one bad point: the horrible Engrish. I’m not sure why anime try to use Engrish to sound cool, because it doesn’t work at all. Still, this is a series to keep an eye out for. :)]]>
Some quick first impressions: Clannad, Shakugan no Shana II and Shugo Chara
What do you mean by “bipolar” ? (When talking about Yuuichi-sama).
Also, Clannad already existed when Kanon aired. Actually, both are visual novels released by the group Key (Kanon was released in 1999, Air in… 2001 or 2002, IIRC, and Clannad in 2004) ; it just happens that a talentuous animation studio like Kyoto Animation picked them up.
So, well, you can’t say that “Kyoto Animation” fixed its “precedent” mistakes. 😀
Glad that you appreciate Clannad for the time being, though I still don’t know why you loathe Kanon this much.
I would also like to thank you for giving me a specific hope : you just informed me on how long Clannad script was, and with this, I can hope for more than 24 episodes. 😀
Anyway, if I were to watch this series while it ended, there’s only one thing I’d say : Itadakimasu.
Haruhi and Lucky Star were bad…. Me and most every other anime fan will have to disagree with you on that… thanks for playing though!
@voodoomage haruhi and lucky star were pure shit to the core. the show is just hyped. for everyone u can find that likes the show, i can find 5 that hate it. how people can love a character that is egotistical and a complete bitch to the core is beyond me. how can people like a character that is so conceited: me, me, me, me, me, me, aliens, espers, time travelers, me, me… it was charming the first 5 mins, but 14 eps of an egotistical character that turns out to be a frickin god?? wtf…
Most fans of KyoAni’s works are fans of moe, I hated Haruhi and Lucky Star as well just because moe is probably the worst thing that has happened to anime. Trust me although many love Haruhi, there are just as many who hate it. I disliked Haruhi because it’s extreme fanboys are annoying and the show’s characters did nothing for me. Kanon I found enjoyable on in a couple of character arcs like Mai and Nayuki but the majority of the show was just moe fluff and the male lead was awful
I was surprised with Clannad and I pretty much agree with psgels’ review of it, too many stereotypes but the interesting characters are appealing enough for me to return to have a quick watch. I loved the ending animation. Don’t know if I can handle 52 episodes of it though, I may just skip around. The male lead is alot more better here than in Kanon though.
Shugo Chara looks interesting, I’ll have to check it out.
@tman: Because, believe it or not, some people love girls that are “egotistical and complete bitches”. If no one did then this world would be boring. 😛
Anyway, CLANNAD was amazing for me. I’m going to love watching it every week. I haven’t watched Shana yet since I’m waiting on the sub but I already know it’s going to be awesome anyways. As for Shugo Chara! I think I’m going to check that out later in the day.
Wow, lots of hatred for Haruhi here. I actually really liked Haruhi, and can’t wait for the second season… and I typically DON’T like the shows that everyone else fawns over! I just thought the story, the presentation, and the way the characters were developed in Haruhi were all WONDERFULLY done… in short, I found it to be a brilliantly-WRITTEN series, which is what I look for most when watching an anime. (And yes, Haruhi herself was a little over-the-top and unlikeable at first, but I thought they did a very good job of developing her, and making her more of protagonist you could relate to.)
Lucky Star… not as into it, but I still think it’s an OK series. Very “take it or leave it.” But then, I actually like moe, and moe really IS the only thing Lucky Star has going for it. (:
As for Clannad… well, I have yet to watch more than an episode of Kanon, but I *loved* Air, so I have pretty high hopes for this one. I really need to watch through both Kanon and Clannad sometime… they may be horribly melodramatic and angsty, but when it’s done well, I don’t mind such things. (:
-Tom
Windspirit: I don’t know if it was the right word for it (English remains my second language), but with bipolar I meant that his personality switched from sarcastic to caring, depending on whether the story demanded it. It got obnoxious after a while, after I dropped Kanon after ten episodes because it didn’t even catch me once through that period.
Also, that itadakimasu, is that referring the fans’ habits to highlight the foods used in Kyoani-productions?
I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed CLANNAD considering I hated AIR and dropped Kanon 7 minutes into the first episode. I don’t think of it as necessarily good or epic at the moment but it’s enjoyable enough. What I liked the most is that they focused on family. I see too many orphans in anime nowadays.
I haven’t watched Shana II but hasn’t it always been a light series with major ups and downs? I kind of figured this was just kind of like “Okay people I know you all forgot what the Guze no Tomogara is so we’ll recap to show you”. I dunno.
I’m still downloading Shugo Chara but I’ve read the manga and I have to say it’s my favorite out of all the PEACH-PITT works. It really focuses on the whole theme of “finding who you truly are” which is something I don’t see much of anymore. Now if only the character designs were better….
about the three new anime i only care about clannad since it comes from kyoani who’s made some anime that i really enjoyed and i don’t care about shana II even if many liked the first season i must be one of the few who did not like it,it is the first anime that i dropped in the middle of an episode,i gave it another try but it is not what it is said to be
about the other theme in here i can say that i like psgels review’s,even if he has different tastes and he does not like anime that i think deserve more but he can give arguments for what he said but i cannot agree at all that haruhi is that bad of a anime as i hear it here,giving unrealistic statements like i read,some hate it some love it,but to pretend it is that bad is what i don’t like and if you don’t like something it does not mean that it is a bad thing
@kauldron26: Ah, still riding that wave, are you? I’d be willing to take you up on that challenge; I can actually provide you with the full names and contact info of thousands of fans of Haruhi…^_^
There’s a right way and a wrong way to criticize a show. You can talk about real flaws of a show, such as animation quality, plot pacing, storyboarding, character stereotypes, etc., or you can talk about perceived flaws that can only be supported with exaggerated hyperboles that fall apart upon examination. The most grievious error of the latter type is to question how anyone else could possibly like something that you don’t like. It makes you come off as arrogant, uneducated, and more detestable that the worst sort of fanboy. After all, you’d technically be displaying fanboying tendencies against fanboys…which is just laughably ridiculous.
I’m sort of at a loss here, specifically which Kanon series are you guys referring to? The 2002 adaptation with 13 episodes or the 2006 one with 26? Because to my understanding the first one wasn’t received too well, in comparison to the 2006 version.
i will continue to ride the wave, and the haruhists will continue to hail it as the greatest show ever. however i watch anime not for moe or loli, i watch it for characters and story telling. what was compelling about haruhi?? what was moving? how were the characters complex? how did the characters grow? what irks me the most is how otakuism embraces shows that embrace stereotypes. yet shows like terra, noein and kemonozume that are very original with compelling stories, 360 character arcs get ignored.
@ kauldron26: Your comment seems to be rather misinformed. You do realize that the Haruhi Suzumiya novels were already an award-winning series of seinen novels in Japan before the anime aired, right? Apparently, there had to be some substance outside of pretty pictures for it to be successful.
Haruhi skewered and parodied as many stereotypes as it embraced. It did a good job subverting and lampshading tropes, as well as being quite genre-savvy without degenerating into a total breakdown of the fourth wall.
Do you honestly think anyone but the most dogmatic critic would say that a show lacks anything that was moving, or complex characters, or character development? I respect the writer of this blog because even though I disagree with many of his views on anime, he at least does so with recognition that it is really nothing more than a subjective standard, as numerously different as the number of viewers. Since you’re already a member of AnimeSuki, I’m sure you can find hundreds of pages of well-written insights by sensible anime viewers regarding the many subtleties of the show. The character development and complexities are actually quite real, just not blatantly in-your-face like most other shows; they require reading into actions, not just reading the subtitles on your screen.
And as for me, I’m personally a complete cynic when it comes to originality. I believe there’s absolutely nothing new under the sun nowadays, and even the most original show you recommend to me will unvaribly be compared to all manner of literature and entertainment in the world. I am, after all, an avid reader of tvtropes.org, and after reading all that, nothing will ever appear original to me. You think originality is the most important thing? I couldn’t disagree more: execution will always be the lynchpin for my enjoyment of any series. After all, originality in it of itself is hardly anything great. It’s not mutually exclusive with being boring or uninteresting, is it?
JungleJim: oh, of course, sorry. I meant the 2006-version of Kanon, the one produced by Kyoani (hence the reason I made the reference).
Mirrinus: “Original” may indeed not be the best way to describe Terra, Noein and Kemonozume if you’re really picky. How about creative?
@mirrinus: no there doesnt have to be substance for something to be successful. look at most of the movies that end up being boxoffice blockbusters. where was the substance in pirates of the caribbean, shrek 2,3, transformers… all were entertaining and yes the very subject and themes u and i are talking about is or are subjective. however u might be right in believing that originality is gone. infact u are, and execution is important. but the issue i am raising here is the concept of the masses hailing or following one specific archetype. haruhi had its moments, but wouldnt u say that it was blown way way way out of proportion??
this however is just my opinion. but my point is that nowadays, the masses have started to adore specific anime that the masses themselves believe to be great. so instead of originality in anime continue to grow, the producers end up pumping more anime that please the otakus. but in the end, the aim is to make money. look at kyoani, because of success with air, they went with haruhi, then lucky star, and now clannad. to the point that it doesnt even look like the are trying to be different or eclectic, but making anime that people in turn would love, or attempt to love because it is in the same vein of what the loved before.
now look at madhouse and bones doing the complete opposite. stating that i cant understand how people can like something different from what i like is indeed flawed. that was the fanboy in me speaking. however when people refuse to view anime that is outside the norm, or too different, isnt art being sacrificed for commercialism?? imagine if kyoani made noein or terra in the same vein as their other anime u cant deny hpw different reception of those shows would be.
as the masses continue to ineffectually follow themselves, this can only hurt anime in the future because companies would be compelled to make what the masses want, instead of telling stories that they want to. and this decline can now be seen in how many bloggers, and folks are getting fed up with anime, and losing that spark that they discovered when they/we first set our eyes on the bebops, the berserks, the karekanos, the evangelions, and other classics that became popular in their day for their unique executions, and not for the demands or stereotypes.
@ psgels: I’d agree that creativity is a very positive word in general in the field of humanities, but does it necessarily translate in the same manner to anime stories? Not that your suggestion is wrong or anything, but I personally try to avoid attaching any undue positive connotations to words without analyzing what they really mean. Many descriptive words are thus neutral in meaning to me; “creative” is no better or worse than “familiar”, and its quality would depend primarily on the execution of the product. I by no means wish to criticize any of the shows (I dislike harshly criticizing most shows in general…except for School Days, lol. Which was technically “creative”). It’s just that I’m really a rather jaded and cynical person in general, although my preferred manner of speech usually conceals that fact.
You know, a political science professor from a while back once told me that it’s the cynical people who find themselves interested and amused the most. One can expect everything to be hackneyed and lackluster, but if you set your standards so low, you’ll invariably find something good that gets you excited and pleased. On the other hand, being optimistic will end up highlighting the worst parts over the best, and will likely cause one to grow more critical and unforgiving of faults. Perhaps that’s why, ironically, I actually do enjoy most shows that I watch, despite my cynicism.
“Also, that itadakimasu, is that referring the fans’ habits to highlight the foods used in Kyoani-productions?”
=> Rofl, nah. ^^ I just meant that 52 episodes of pure happiness would be a fest to dig in. Hence the “Itadakimasu”. XD
I know, it sucked. >_>
Anyway, as I said, I think you’ve got a biased opinion of Kanon. Since what happened until now is Yuuichi “building” up his relationships with the other girls. Makoto’s arc ended, this leads you to Mai’s arc, then Shiori’s arc, and finally, Ayu’s arc. In my opinion, these three arc are the real business. So, basically, I would say that you haven’t seen a thing yet. XD
Just a hint, here.
We are a bit off topic, here. ^^;
Not only want I to thank you about giving me the hope that Clannad may be longer than 24 episodes, but I also thank you for presenting me Shugo Chara, which may become one of this season’s best shows. Was the first episode enough to convince you to blog this show, psgels ?
I was curious about Shugo Chara aftering finding out its premiere to be out yesterday so I went and bought the first volume of the manga. It doesn’t disappoint at all as it actually went around a typical shoujo cliche which was pleasant. Soooo, after watching the first episode of the actual anime, some stuff were altered but not bad. I probably have to see a few more episodes to determine where this would be a hit or a miss with me. Usually, most animes that are derived from manga are misses from what I’ve seen. It’s only rare to stick by some that stay true or are pretty good.
Windspirit: I’m not 100% sure yet, though it’s got a good chance to be blogged, yeah.
@kauldron
Just because you hate Haruhi personality, doesn’t mean everyone does. I downloaded Haruhi without knowing all its hype (I was not heavily into anime then), but I like it. Kyon cynicism and Haruhi “spunk” make it work for me. Not everyone like it due to hype or KyoAni.
@psgel
I can’t say much about Kanon if it doesn’t fit your taste, but it has alot of foreshadowing. There alot of hints dropped along the way that make me go “Oh yeah, how could I miss this” when I rewatch the series. I am not an expert on this stuff, but I think that is good story telling. The moe might be hard to stomach for some, but I hope you could look past that and at least finish Kanon (and Clannad too) and give it a review. Hopefully nothing below 60 ^^;
Hey psgels, have you watched any more Clannad since episode one? I just watched up through episode three, and I’m actually really liking it. It’s plain to see that it’s from the same people who did Air, but that’s really not a bad thing, considering how unique and unpredictable Air turned out to be (a statement that might surprise people who stopped watching Air before episode 7, but shouldn’t even REMOTELY surprise anyone who watched past episode 9!). If Clannad turns out to be as compelling as Air, then it’ll definitely be my favorite show of the season, I think (aside from Higurashi Kai, anyway).
-Tom
Wyrdwad: I’ve watched up to episode three, actually, and I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s nothing perfect yet, but it’s good enough to continue, and I especially liked episode 2. There are quite an amount of annoying characters, though.