Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae
Short Synopsis: Our lead character returns for a third season.
Highlights: You can count on Jigoku Shoujo to make a bunch of angsty teenagers work
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,75/10
Time for some very biased fanboyism! I am SO glad to see more of this, and Mitsuganae promises to be the best season of Jigoku Shoujo yet. This episode wasn’t just an episode that would fit into Futakomori: it would have felt so out of place at that time. The creators are really planning to evolve the show with this season, most importantly in its style of direction. While Futakomori was very solid, the direction of this episode was all over the place. The visual effects were awesome (especially Ai in a Bee-suit immediately beat the teethed toilet). The only sacrifice that had to be made was that the stellar character-designer seems to have left the series, but if the creators were going for a chaotic third season, then I can understand how such a solid character-designer wouldn’t fit the mood. I honestly feel that this episode was just an awesome first episode, and it ranks after Hakaba Kitarou as the best first episode of 2008. Ack, I want more!!!
Shugo Chara Doki
Short Synopsis: Our lead character… doesn’t do anything.
Highlights: Bloody recaps.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 4/10
After this episode, I just have to wonder yet again: is there really no way to transfer some of Shugo Chara’s episodes over to Zombie-Loan? Really, it’s a win-win situation: Zombie Loan gets continued just as its plot and characters really get interesting, and Shugo Chara is relieved from its enormous amounts of fillers. Overall, I think that blogging Shugo Chara was one of the biggest mistakes I made with this blog after blogging Bleach, and this episode, instead of trying to win back my interest ends up recapping the things that MADE ME DROP THIS SERIES IN THE FIRST PLACE. And really, from the few original scenes that were in this episode, it seemed that the only thing the past fifty-two episodes have been doing is introducing new characters. The characters that I knew were exactly the same as when I dropped this series (at about episode 15). Okay, apart from that Nadeshiko finally decided to give in to his real gender. And I do admit, it was nice to see a bit of a kaleidoscope of what I missed in that final quarter, but none of that really impressed me.
Kannagi
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is supposed to be a crazy shrine maiden.
Highlights: Sometimes funny, sometimes dull.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 6/10
Here’s my dilemma: based on my own experiences, 90% of the comedies abide by the following rule: all mediocre comedies start with hilarious first episodes (example: Potemayo), all good comedies start with dull first episodes (example: Gintama) and all bad comedies start with dull first episodes (example: too many to list). Kannagi’s first episode was dull, so it’s going to be either good or bad. I just have no idea which one it’s going to be. This episode showed a few small hints of potential and chemistry, and some jokes were quite funny, although it pretty much went south as soon as it tried to make fanservice-jokes. Based on the OP, this will also turn into a cute idol-show, which also doesn’t seem like the most interesting and original premise. And really, I don’t feel like sitting through a 26-episode bore-fest.
The OP for Kannagi has nothing to do with the show period from the 9 chapters of manga I have read. Also are you sure it’s confirmed for 26 episodes? Fantastic news if true!
Kannagi will NOT trun into an idol-themed anime. Read the manga, or ask someone who did.
Westlo: it was more a general prediction than a fact. But it if were going to run for that length, it’d probably be separated into two different seasons, because four volumes of manga seems a bit too short for 26 episodes.
Kannagi seemed a bit of a dissapointment, in that they added generic Fanservice-blush “comedy” which was mercifully avoided in the manga. Plus Jin had to show off his naked ass to the audience, for some reason.
Oh well, it could remain good, but…ugh, it’s flagging already.
cannot wait for jigoku mitsuganae to be subbed xO!
jigoku shoujo was simply beautiful. Ending rolling credits sequence was especially elegant. not a fan of the franchise, but i’m definitely bowled over by the look and style.
is it necessary to know the other two seasons to watch Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae?
Youn: it’s probably sufficient to watch the first three and final six episodes of both first seasons, but without that you can still pretty much guess what’s going on.
I honestly wonder about all the gripe Shugo Chara gets for its fillers when they’re still so much more fun than most fillers for most magical girl show I’ve watched so far.
Then again, Shugo Chara simply isn’t for everyone I guess. They can dilly dally for all they want if they can keep on the cuteness and funniness.
Well, considering that Gintama is a complete crap – your comedic theory doesnt work.
Gintama is great.
I loved this first ep of Jigoku shoujo mitsuganae, it was awesome!!!! Can’t wait to see what’s coming next, I didn’t notice a great change in the charach- design, well maybe a slightest bit, are you sure it lost its prestige of the first two seasons?
Well in Gunslinger girl – the teatrino, the change was obvious , the charach – design went down and the characters lost their original features (it wasn’t that bad though) but here I really can’t see it.
Windy: well, in the first two seasons, the character-designs were flawless: no line felt out of place, while in Mitsuganae they’re a bit messier, like central girl in this episode, where her eyes were a bit out of place at times.
Yes, I see what you mean ( i also noticed it when Hone Onna was in the bar), but hopefully it’s not a total change like in in teatrino.
You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that someone else out there loves Jigoku Shoujo – I used to read your episode summaries all the time, since you were seemingly the only blogger to go through both seasons, and still enjoy the show. I’m dying to see Mitsuganae.
I think episode 2 and 3 of Kannagi are really good. I was laughing so hard in some moments, especially the case for episode 2. And after seeing the ending scene of episode 3 I can’t wait to see ep 4.
GIVE KANNAGI A CHANCE!!
Kannagi is so silly i laughed out loud like a dummy in fromt of the monitor. That’s exactly the right serie to watch to cool ones’ brain down.
Jigoku Shoujo. Uhm. It’s weird. Is it me or there’s just more fanservice than unual this time? Uhm… the visual seems very dreamy and beautiful after all…
It’s also weird it gained so less interest from the fans. Subs for the first episode arrived so late and little blogs covered it.