Winter Sonata
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is angsty.
Thank you Meep for pointing towards the first episode of this new series. This time, you should really consider this entry as a “first impression”, because I ended up watching this series in raw Korean despite knowing not a single word of the language (hey, at least in Spanish I know the words for one, two and three). There were subtitles in both Chinese and Japanese, but that too didn’t help me either since my Kanji is terrible. Anyway, my first impression of this episode: really pretty graphics, but the drama was sappy. It’s of course great to see a romance that focuses on actual ADULTS, rather than teenagers, but I would have preferred a bit more slice of life. Perhaps that’s yet to come in future episodes, but the characters were a bit too often staring into nothingness, rather than interacting with each other. However, I do support this series: it’s the very first attempt at a full-fledged Korean TV-series. If this can be the doorway to more and interesting premises that set themselves apart from both anime and western animation, then it’s definitely a good thing.
Also: Irony. There are a few English-speaking characters in this series. The good news: the creators actually hired properly English speaking people to voice them. The bad news: the creators still screwed up by miscasting a 30-year-old woman as a 10-year-old girl. She sounds like a strange witch now!
OP: Sappy love ballad. Not my style.
ED: Decent ballad. A nice way to end every episode.
Potential: 50%
Kuchuu Buranko
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is stressed out.
What is up with the raw providers this season? First Aoi Bungaku and now this. Are they allergic to shows that don’t focus on cute teen-aged girls or something? Anyway, Kuchuu Buranko… yeah. What is there really to say? It’s really an experience, and an awesome one at that. It’s full of the weirdest animation techniques, surreal art styles, and the direction keeps changing from one mood to the other. It’s really just a game of “let’s play psychologist”, with a different case looked upon during every week. With the best sense of humour of the entire season, I’m loving this series already. 🙂
OP: Heck, this is actually a really good song. Simple, but not annoying, and the strings int he background really work.
ED: Yeah, the best ED of the season. Funky, catchy and a great way to close off this series.
Potential: 100%
Kiddy Girl-And
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is a teen-aged maid who kicks bad guy ass.
Wow, Satelight sure is busy this season. With four shows, they’re definitely the most represented in this season. While last season, they produced some of the best-looking shows of their seasons, this time… not so much, and all of their shows look pretty generic on the outside. The epitome of this… is Kiddy Girl-And: yet another moe action comedy in which teen-aged girls have kick the ass of various bad guys. But what about the execution? Unfortunately, this also is pretty generic. The female lead is incredibly annoying to listen to; her voice actress keeps yelling and yelling, hoping to make an impact. The scenario also keeps hanging too long around panty-jokes. The gimmick of this show seems to be quirky and over the top action-scenes, but even they fail to stand out. While they’re nicely animated (especially for Satelight: for once the animation wasn’t rushed at all), but the direction lacks any sort of creativity.
OP: Obnoxious J-Pop. Do not like.
ED: A bit better, but still with that obnoxiously cute J-Pop voice.
Potential: 0%
Dammit, psgels, I read the title and thought Yotsuba to! was getting an anime. >:x
if this show is anything like its prequel then the first impresion is very misleading. It was the same way with Kiddy Grade one it was one of those shows that takes time to get good and only starts to shine in its second half. , It doesn’t mean that the sequel can’t turn out to be as bad as you say but if creators do a decent job of using the setting and development of the first season then this series may yet suprise you .
If this show is similar to the original, then the way it is now is quite expected. The initial 6 – 9 episodes were just bland at times and very fanservicey but after that, BAM! awesome action and plot.
Oh another thing, you know what’s the best thing? No “in your face” type fanservice. Those are just plain annoying but of course, nothing is near Queens Blade which is just garbage.
Bleh episode – my first impression of this series is not good.
Kiddy Grade takes like 6 episodes to get good, episode 9 is where it really got good. Give Kiddy Girl a chance.
listening to Ascoeur’s voice made me want to kill myself, not sure if i want to continue O_O
Yeah, I agree with Chris, tea and Silver, “Kiddy Grade” also started out as an annoying and dull series but then it just got better and better and ended up being an incredibly enjoyable and entertaining( mostly entertaining!) series to watch. Don’t let this first and maybe worst episode of “Kiddy Girl-And” discourage you from watching the rest of the series( I agree that this first episode was really horrible and stupid, well exept its animation qualities, I can’t find anything else to praise in it!), but I’m certain that , at some extent, this show will reach our expectations further on! At least I have high expectations of it, I hope it won’t crush them down!
i tempted to watch Kuchuu Buranko now….must wait until good raw out
Fuck yeah Trapeze.
Too bad the only group listed as subbing it is [gg] 🙁
Kuuchuu Buranko (Mid-air Trapeze) is definitely a must-watch of the season, along with Aoi Bungaku, adaptation of the most famous modern Japanese literature. These two series are a right direction for the future of Japanese animation.
I liked Kiddy Grade from the first episode (had some problems, but good character designs and action style, and attractive fan-service).
Kiddy Girl looks like total crap with stupid sophomoric fan-service, bad dialogue, and boring cheap action shots. I had to force myself to finish watching. Terrible stuff.
Wow, a 100 from you for Trapeze? 😀 I’m really excited~ Can’t wait to see the whole episode, the clips I saw of it looked crazy!
Yay, Trapeze ! ^_^ *higly poignant comment, I know XD*
The trailer had me quite hyped but for the nurse XD, glad the actual whole episode has met such a high praise from you. Hopefully gg will churn out subs soon ^_^
Still waiting for subs for Kuchu Buranko. I’m getting pretty impatient, cause I really want to watch it (wow, I want to watch an anime for once this year xD), and I plan to blog it as well.
This season really has the most horrible moe shows ever… Couldnt sit through the whole first episode of Kiddy Girl, and the main girl has such an annoying voice I wanted to stab her right there and then
Between this and sora no otoshimono I dont know, total garbage
gg’s subbed Trapeze, if anyone’s interested.
Glad to see you subbing this show as well! I think it’s my favourite out of this season (still waiting for Blue Literature subs though…)
I don’t like experimental animation at all, but gave Kuchuu Buranko a try, because it’ setting and ideas seemed to be interesting. Now I have to ask: how did it deserve 100%? It’s not pseudo-psychologycal troll (like Ghost Hound was, for me), but if you forget about animation, you’ll see there is nothing original here. We have another psychologist\barman\with solving inner problems of their clients and the first one was really weak. “He moved from place to place, therefore he has communication problems”. I know, that it’s a common and serious problem for Japanese people, but how many times they used it in anime already? It became interesting when they tried to connect this with racism, but in the end this theme remained undeveloped. And that thing about “fake medicine” was used sooo many times in “medical films” already (first time I saw it in “MASH”).
I agree with Nomus. I think the hippy animation is confusing people into thinking that there is anything of substance in this anime. The artistic style feels forced, and if you look beneath it you’ll see it’s covering very little.
Hey does anyone know if they are going to sub Winter Sonata in English?
Hullo, hullo! I wasn’t sure how to contact you directly, and I’m not sure how often you check these comments… But anyway, as random as this is going to sound, I really think you would enjoy Paranoi Agent.
I started watching it two days ago and I’ve been hooked on it ever since. (Still in the process of finishing it.) It’s 13 episodes, and what I’ve seen so far is just awesome. But you can judge that for yourself. x3
Just wanted to say that. Thought you might like taking a look into that. I enjoy reading what you have to say about anime, so I thought this series would be interesting to say the least.
WINTER SONATA…I watched the korean drama and the beginning was good. Then it got really annonying in the middle and end. The drama is LONG, LONG, LONG. I wouldn’t not watch the drama again.
I don’t know if the anime version will be any good. I end up hating the main girl and guy. The story line is nothing new and if you are familiar with korean dramas, there’s always the same story. I’ll give the anime a try and cross my fingers, I hope I don’t hate it. Sometimes, animes are better than the real live version. The drama is sappy and it’s gets annonying…it’s like the main girl can’t wake up and get her head straight. Most korean dramas are sappy but it has to be done correctly for you not to hate it.
When I found out that an anime version of it was coming out, my reaction was “OH MY GOSH! DON’T KILL ME.” The drama is very popular in other countries and I’m not Korean and it’s popular among my people. Okay, enough said…I’ll give it a try.
Myu Hime: I have watched Paranoia Agent, but I watched it before starting this blog, which is why I don’t have a review of it. It indeed was an awesome series. 🙂
psgels: I meant to type “Paranoia”… Stupid keyboard… But you replied! x’3 That makes me happy. I just finished it last night, and I’m thoroughly confused yet pleased at the same time, if that makes sense?
I’d still love to see you blog it, but if not that’s okay. Just a random thought that popped into mind. And now, I shall be out of your hair. Thanks for responding. ;D
First episode average at best, second sucks. But I loved the original KG, so I am really really hoping they will rescue the series… the original one is still in my Top 10 Favorite Animes.
I watched Winter Sonata episode 0 & 1 and even though it started out differently from the KOrean drama, it’s still the same story line and mood. It’s a Japanese anime based on a Korean drama.
What’s the worst part of this anime…it’s the complete Korean drama but in anime style. It’s fine that it even got the original Korean song at the intro which made the Korean drama so popular. What annoys me the most about this anime is the voice actors. They are the actors in the Korean drama…I hated the guy and girl actors!
I thought I’ll give the anime version a try but after finding out the voice actors, I’m dropping it. No need to watch the anime version when I saw the Korean drama already…no need to agonize over the same story again!