Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.
Short Synopsis: Our lead character lives together with a cute girl.
Amazing! Wonderful! Excellent! Hell yeah! I really applaud Anohana. Finally a show that proves that you can do amazing stuff with moe. I refuse to tell why, though. Just watch the episode. The only thing I’ll say about this episode is regarding the production values: A-1 have yet again done an amazing job on the animation here. It’s in the same style as Fractale, meaning that there are absolutely no still frames. The characters move consistently across the screen and really come to life this way. I remember noting that Hana Saku Iroha would give Anohana some stiff competition this season. It’s at the same time also the other way around here: the battle for the best slice of life drama this season is going to be an awesome one.
OP: A decent ballad.
ED: A bit of a cheesy song, but works wonderfully here.
Potential: 90%
[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
Short Synopsis: Our lead character gets tempted by a weird clown.
Well, it had it coming, but this was definitely the prettiest series of the season. The quiet scenes already look very detailed, but the dramatic parts look absolutely gorgeous. The action scene at the beginning of this episode in particular had some really imaginative action. It’s typical of Kenji Nakamura, but at the same time his style is evolving: it’s no longer just weirdness for the sake of weirdness, but there also was a lot of conventional animation used. Characters actually were animated here. And the combination between the extravagant action scenes and the other quiet scenes works really well here. The story is also full of potential. It’s perhaps a bit like Eden of the East, with the big difference being that the main character is actually flawed. This entire episode was about him giving into temptation. He is mundane, yet well fleshed out: this episode takes him seriously and establishes him as level-headed, yet insecure, curious, yet unsuccessful in love (it’s a definite plus to see a potential love interest immediately established as someone who already has a boyfriend other than him). With a bit of luck, this is going to be what Eden of the East couldn’t be. The whole question will be whether or not the creators took into account that they have only 11 episodes to work with. But then again, Kenji Nakamura is a Noitamina Veteran (he and Kenichi Kasai pretty much set the timeslot apart), plus he is an expert on short stories, so this is really promising. The only bad part right now is the cleanup animation: there are quite a few distorted faces.
OP: Awesome graphics, and not a bad song either.
ED: Excellent graphics, but the song is still boring unfortunately.
Potential: 90%
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Short Synopsis: Our lead character gets to live together with a cute girl.
Well, this is yet another one of the moe shows of this season. The formula is pretty much the same here: transfer student arrives to town, meets his romantic interest, people talk, the girls try to be cute and there is fanservice. Still, it’s among the better of the bundh. It actually has some good ideas put into the characterization (I’d like to thank the lead female for spending nearly the entire episode wrapped inside a futon and being nearly impossible to undrstand), and the dialogue is definitely better written compared to the likes of Hidan no Aria, Sofuteni, Hoshikaka, etc. At the same time though, it was also pretty forced at times, the male lead was rather bland and very little actually happened in this episode. So, here is my issue with this episode: the end of this episode actually hinted to an interesting story. However, this is Shaft. The rest of this show could just as well be the characters randomly wasting time, and they’re not interesting enough for that to work. On one hand, this has Shinbo who is working on three shows at the same time this season. On the other hand, it has a completely fresh writer who has only been active for a few years in many excellent episodes. This really can go either way and this episode didn’t really change that.
OP: Agh, my ears! It’s like they put a cat in a blender and recorded it.
ED: Simple, a bit of a boring singer, but I’ve heard much worse this season.
Potential: 50%
ehem,this is Shinbo, so…
expect some decrease in quality in the second episode!
^ Ehem, Shinbo is God… ;D
Weird, the pv was the reason why I watched this show. And even then, the real reason was because the way they inserted the ed music into the PV. Jinta’s situation hit home pretty hard too.
This song is another version of the song in kyou no go no ni, but I like this version a lot more after it picks up.
Again, the premise is pretty interesting. Jinta’s situation is pretty sympathetic. Some grow up later than others and get left behind, and eventually become alone. Reminds me of my own high school life. Those who can’t keep up, gets left behind.
I’m looking forward to how this plays out. As an anime original, this could be really good.
“Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai”
Long name is long, well I’m absurdly surprised seeing you putting a 90 in that premise. Will see it later but, hell, It must pack a punch in characterization or in plot to have your praises.
By the way, The money of soul will be great. I belive it.
Sorry for flawed English.
I warned you about Denpa Onna’s OP didn’t I, psgels?
Is anyone fansubbing Anohana? It doesn’t look like funi picked it up.
C’s first episode was excellent…much, much better than Eden of the East in my opinion.
Ah .. nm. gg is doing Anohana.
Great to hear Anohana appears to be good. Looks like Mari Okada is on fire this season with this and Hanasaku Iroha.
“a show that proves that you can do amazing stuff with moe. ”
This is from the people that showed that you could do amazing stuff with the typical tsundere so I’m not surprised
(I really did try to not make yet another post about Toradora but I couldn’t resist)
I actually enjoyed the second episode of sofuteni (really, why NOT “soft tennis”?).
Anohana looks awesome!
The ending theme for Ano Hi Mita…
Secret Base was always my favorite ending from Kyo No Go No Ni, when this new version started playing all of the emotion packed into this episode just let loose and i started crying…
wow i’d never thought that this was possible but the moe in AnoHana actually works!! anohana and hanasaku are definitely the ones to watch this season.
After watching Anohana, I think it has one-upped Hanasaku in the emotional drama department, though I still think Hanasaku is still better in regards to the coming of age theme. Hanasaku is also better animated.
I am though thoroughly impressed at how Menma’s works at actually promoting drama.
Wish I could like Anohana as much as I like Hanasaku but… the female lead makes me want to ram my head into steel bar.
C the Money is amazing. I don’t watch many action anime these days but this show is too good to pass up.
Oh please. Fractale’s movement looked like the characters where poured water on and looked like deformed what-its (lolwut). Anohana looks awesome though. This is fluidity done right.
I’m actually surprised that Ano Hana was good for its pilot. I mean, I was not supposed to watch it, but out of curiosity I did, and it’s good that this and Hanasaku Iroha are providing something that past seasons lacked.
As for C, I was enjoying it until I say the sorta battle sequence which involved cards and monsters. It’s like Yu-Gi-Oh on crack.
Well, AnoHana was good though I wasn’t really that impressed. Maybe it’s because I had the idea it was going to be super good after reading your post.
I like Ano hana so far but it would’ve been SO much better if Menma’s voice was more natural instead of this unrealistic, affectated chirping. It’s so annoying.
Just by the first 4 minutes I was already hooked with AnoHana. I’m really glad I gave this a chance. Though I still can’t decide whether I like this show more than Hanasaku Iroha.
Okay is it just me or is Ano Hi Mita Hana Stephen Kings IT without a killer clown, which may have actually killed Menma or decided to appear in C instead.
Definitely going to enjoyed Anohana, though Menma’s character was rather irritating at times…
And just putting it out there, but “Secret Base” was originally by a girl group called Zone.
Anohana reminded me of a much less thriller version of 20th Century Boys. Still, pretty interested to see how the friends re-bond.
C’s character designs rub me the wrong way and I hope the story becomes more than a card game fight.
lol the distorted faces of money soul possibility control remind me of serveral code geass faces. the thing that worries me would be the last scene in the opening, which heavily suggests that its another story where some loser becomes an asskicker in a few days, also may suggest that everything is solved by action scenes, which would make money a completely irrelevant object. well just have to wait and see, though other than the unknown dataworld, cant really see a connection with eden of the east
Ano Hana was absolutely incredible. The story conjured up feelings I tried to forget. Clearly, he never got over it and I know far too well that feeling of guilt of not having done something while you still could.
Personally, I’ll forever regret never gathering the courage to visit my grandma at the hospital when I was a teenager because I was scared since I heard she was half-paralyzed. Once I made up my mind to go see her during the weekend, she died that very week.
I’ll look forward to the rest of the series. It looks to be a great production.
Anohana was AMAZING. i have a feeling that i’ll be crying throughout the series.
Hanasaku was also really good, but somehow Anohana just touches me deeper.