Dakara Boku wa H ga Dekinai
Short Synopsis: Our lead character wants to have sex.
So, the second of the shows with a really bad premise this season. I can be pretty quick about this: unlike that incest show, this as least does have some impressive production-values to back it up, but that’s all pretty much nullified by this show being a poor excuse for action and porn, and any charm left in this series is completely sapped away by its characters. The male lead is this new type who popped up recently: the pervert who constantly thinks of sex and boobs whenever he’s with a female character and keeps raving on about how he wants to get into a girl’s pants. The lead female is a typical tsundere and the side character is a typical childhood friend. There’s nothing creative or interesting about this show whatsoever on top of all these problems. Yeah this one’s bad.
ED: Bad recap ED with a bland song.
Potential: 0%
Hagare Yuusha no Estetica
Short Synopsis: Our lead character steals the underwear from teenaged girls.
Wll, this is really a series that could have been good, if it weren’t produced by the single worst production company out there: ARMS. Its concept of a world in which it’s normal for people to travel back and forth does have potential, but that’s not really going to work when you throw in some really bad fanservice jokes around, and where every single female is just complete fodder for the male lead. Even the almighty daughter of the demon king needs to be protected by this guy. Granted, this episode was better paced than the usual stuff of ARMS, but that’s like comparing an Uwe Boll flick with an Adam Sandler flick: they’re both still bad.
OP: Unimpressive J-rock with random fantasy images.
ED: Really uninspired images of the lead female. And her boobs.
Potential: 0%
Natsuyuki Rendezvous
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is in love.
With these first impressions, it’s obvious that some episodes make a bigger impresion on me than others. However, it seriously has been a while since an opening episode completely dwarfed all of the other series, especially for a non-sequel. This first episode of Natsuyuki Rendezvous and in particular its acing completely flew out all othe shows so far out of the water. The hints are definitely there that the voices are recorded before the animation, and this gives the voice actors so much more freedom. The voice acting in this episode was incredible and the actors have a huge range, varying between very subtle and restrained to strong voices perfectly. The parts in which two characters were talking to each other also had that flow unique to Matsuo Kou’s series as Kurenai and Red Garden. These characters feel more real than any other characters this season, this show knows when to be funny and how to be funny, and on top of that the animation also really succeeds in bringing the characters to life. Now please: keep this up, because this series can become an incredible romance if every single episode is of this standard.
OP: Gorgeous images.
ED: Wonderful song, and again gorgeous art. Dogakobo, where did you suddenly get all these amazing artists from?
Potential: 100%
This is just beautiful, it really has been a long time since the last time an opening left me completely speechless.
Kou Matsuo is a wonderful director cause you can tell he cares about the voice actors and i LOVE how its all recorded before the animation, meaning smooth and crisp dialogue. Can’t wait to see the first episode
Strongest candidate for best anime of the summer season so far.
I think this one flows better in Manga format rather than as an adaptation but I still will be following this show its the one I was looking most forward to. I think that these type of series are really relaxing, I get involved in their atmosphere and feel they have this really natural air about them. I agree with you on the way the voice work is done here.
Its show like this where you forget your watching something animated.
Adult version of Ano Hana? Not really, somewhat familiar premise though
Also random thought, Why the pretense of underwear? If no one was going to see him, then it doesnt matter, if he want to scare away gentleman callers that can see him, I’m sure a naked man would be much more effective.
While that is true, I’m sure it’s just for the sake of keeping it ‘appropriate’ for television.
More like “Ghost : The Animation” if you want a better comparison
Protagonist for AnoHana annoyed me from the first minute. This one’s didn’t So I’d say no, definitely different feel.
you mean Jinta or Menma?
I read part of the manga, and i really wanted to punch the ghost husband
So good, really, I mean wow, I was blown away.
This is a really nice twist on the old Topper formula. Somewhere, the late great Thorne Smith is cracking up.
I liked how he confessed in the first episode. I was afraid the series was going to keep that for the ending or something.
Okay…it’s a been a while since I’ve seen such a perfect first episode! The acting is just…wow. It really show that it’s been recorded before. I also really like the character designs and how casual everyone feels.
So good! The last line though, not “ubau” but “netoru”…what?
It means to steal another mans wife, ie. have sex with her.
I recommend that you try http://www.jisho.org or the dictionary on alc.co.jp. You will be able to look up most stuff there.
That was great, thanks for the review to help convince me to watch it.
I was blown away!!! I just got back to watching anime…and this show shows much promise! I hope the makers keep it up!!!^^
This show! I’m so touched. This is so original and mature.
After Sakamichi another fantastic anime!!! Thursday is the best day of the week for these shows.
Well, it’s nice too see that Moyashimon and Natsuyuki Rendezvous,the only anime from this new season that I had high expectations for, actually deliver.
So far, Natsuyuki Rendezvous and Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita have been on my “must check out” list of this season, and both had decent opening episodes.
Looking forward to more, and thanks for covering this.
Give me a protag that in his twenties and I’m already half-way sold on watching it. Having a very interesting premise makes it completely sold on me.
Natsuyuki Rendezvous: Agreed, a very beautifully-acted and well-made opening episode, giving me lots of hope it will continue to be this good. Hazuki’s line “I’m gonna steal your wife” had me literally ROTFL.
The only thing this was missing was Hazuki tripping/falling on Rokka and accidentally touching her boob, whereupon she dropkicks him and henceforth calls him “hentai-kun.” That happens to adults all the time, right?! 😛
just from reading the light novels
Dakara Boku wa H ga Dekinai is actually way more interesting than Champione! or Hagare Yuusha no Estetica
Putting aside the fact that Arms IS a bad company, Yuusha no Estetica is based on a light novel, the characters and “plot” would’ve been the same with any studio or company.
The protagonist of Dakara etc. etc. is a “new type who popped up recently” now?
Did you start watching anime last month, dude? That’s one of the oldest character archetypes in japanese animation. Did you ever read/watch Uruseiyatsura?
Sarcasm!
Funny thing, this time around i decided to first read your impressions then watch the anime, “Hagare Yuusha no Estetica” and “Natsuyuki Rendezvous” in particular. Hagare sort of reminded me of weaker version of Bastard!!! (not as genius, but in both you have an almighty hero/anti-hero who is a perv and likes it that way better), on overall it was not as horrible as I was expecting it to be. Natsuyuki Rendezvous was good but nowhere as mind-blowing as you made it sound. In a way, perhaps, I would like it more if i didn’t read your review first. Oh well…
I love how Yuichi Nakamura (Hazuki) and Jun Fukuyama (Shimao) bat out the best in them in Natsuyuki Rendezvous! I can’t wait for the next episode! These guys mean serious business, especially Nakamura-san who seems to be the Voice Actor of the Year now LOL (Aquarion Evol, InuXBokuSS, Hyouka, Fairy Tail, Shirokuma Cafe, Arcana Famiglia and now this!)
Yay for more Jun Fukuyama!
Maybe because I was watching it in a noisy cafe, and with earplugs, but I was expecting to be blown away *esp with the 100% will blog mark* , and I wasn’t.
I enjoyed it yeah, but it didn’t get me excited like how the start of lupin, sakamichi, tsuritama did.
Hopefully it’ll be one where the characters develop more.
O__O I will definately follow Natsuyuki Rendezvous!