Nodame Cantabile – Paris Chapter
Short Synopsis: Our lead character moves into his new apartment in Paris.
Highlights: Just as awesome as the first season!
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10
Well, there you have it, just like expected from Noitamina and Nodame Cantabile: this season aired a LOT of romantic comedies, and this one definitely stood above all the others as the one with the best first episode. And okay, it benefits from being a sequel, unlike the others, but even then this episode brought a lot of new stuff to the table now that Chiaki and Nodame moved to Paris. Their quirks were just as awesome as they were in the first season, and even the new characters already show promise after only three quarters of an episode. The OP is a bit less than the original one, but it’s nonetheless a very good one, and exactly what you’d expect from the Noitamina-timeslot (which is really infamous for its strange, unconventional and incidentally awesome OPs). My French is just as good as my Japanese, but with the added Japanese accents, I may need to wait for the subs, as long as they’re not too slow. In either way, Nodame at the restaurant was probably the funniest thing about this episode.
Chaos;Head
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is a figure-collecting otaku who manages to score a date with a pretty girl.
Highlights: A LOT to like, a LOT to dislike, but in such a different way from Kurozuka.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10
Really, after this episode, I’ve got absolutely no idea what to think of this series. It’s like what happens if you cross a generic harem with a gory horror-mystery. Some parts of this series screamed potential, while others were incredibly clichéd. The mysterious internet-guy was awesome. The corpse in this episode was also awesome. the inner-monologues also were nicely written, and the homeless guy also has nice potential for the future. So, why the heck centre this series around a bunch of pubescent males? Why make this into a potential harem? Why make all the females transform into cute battle outfits as the OP suggests? Why these uber-generic character-designs? The romance in this episode also felt a bit forced, but the most annoying character was definitely the guy’s sister. Really, this is one series that can go anywhere.
Tytania
Short Synopsis: Our lead characters… who were they again?
Highlights: Starts dull, but gets progressively better.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10
Really, when this episode started, I kept wondering what all the buzz was about. The OP is underwhelming to say the least, the characters all looked like each other, it was too caught up in its own gloriousness, much in the way of Glass no Kantai. But as the episode went on, more and more hints of potential kept showing up. Of course, a series like this one needs some time to really catch some steam. So far, I really like that this is a show about adults, and not a bunch of teenagers who somehow have high positions. The battles are also going to focus on strategy and politics, and these things promise to be very refreshing after Macross Frontier and Code Geass. This episode wasn’t as good as some of the other new shows this season, but it did show that the creators know exactly how to build up tension. It’s going to be interesting to blog this.
immediately as i see Tytania i start thinking of Legend of Galactic heroes so my hopes for this anime were higher than ever(i hate that),i kinda hoped that it will be at least half as good as Logh but it is still the beginning and there is a lot of potential
also i noticed that Tytania is not that popular on other forums and blogs,it seems this blog and its visitors were an exception
oh and yeah,it is great to see Nodame again,i needed a good and enjoyable comedy 😀
For me, Chaos;Head looks like an extreme annoying series, especially when focusing on the mainchara. It’s very dissapointing, what they did, because the story sounds initially very interessting, but with this huge clichés overall the anime, I can’t stand watching this.
Tytania had so much buzz because it’s essentially the spiritual successor to Legend of the Galactic Heroes (which any self respecting person should watch in their lifetime), as they were both written by the same author, directed by the same director, and animated by one of the same studios (LOGH had lots of people pitching in).
I had low expectations just because I’m like that, but was pleasantly surprised. The OP and soe character-based animation were very lame, but I felt everything else was quite solid and the story could really go places. Of course, subs would help in me making any sense out of it, if we’ll even get any anytime soon, as it doesn’t look like too many people are even watching it, I can barely find anything on it.
I too am one of those who harbour high hopes for Tytania solely on the basis of its links to LoGH. While response to the first episode have been less than stellar, lest we not forget, LoGH’s first two episodes were comparatively the weakest of the whole series and it only went from strenght to stregnth after that. Let’s hope that Tytania will also follow that trend.
Drat, -_-, there’s nobody subbing Tytania, Argh, *goes to download original*
Well, I can’t say I’m suprised, shame on Chaos;Head tough, such an intresting plot, and then turn in into a harem series :s, well, it dus say Romance among it’s genres :s
Well, since Nitro+ is involved in Chaos;Head, even if there is some harem involved, this is guaranteed to be a freaky-ass series (possibly even a GOOD one). Seriously, hasn’t ANYONE here played through one of their visual novels before? Lovecraft=win 100%.
Anyway…
Tytania – looks promising even with the lame character designs.
Nodame Cantabile: PC – just as entertaining as I hoped it would be!! So far, so good…
SPOILERS!
The dinner talk about her French studies was hilarious. (part after she orders escargot because she couldn’t read the menu)
Here’s a translation of the japanese subs.
Nodame speaking French:
N: Pleased to meet you! I am Noda Megumi.
N: I’m a wife, this is my husband.
N: Save me! Call the police! I’m being raped.
C: NO! (違う)
Chaos;Head may seem like a harem at first glance, but it’s not. There’s very little romantic focus at all.
Chaos;Head isn’t a harem (overall, the female characters aren’t utilized that well); the emphasis is on the protagonist’s psychology, along with the events that happen around him.
Anyone expecting a scary, bloody thriller is bound to be disappointed. The tone is closer to that of a suspenseful mystery (the game was rated 15+ after all, so the violence doesn’t come often and carries little descriptive detail) than horror, so fans have been overzealous in their assessment.
Ultimately, the appeal/hype lies in the game’s self-deprecating celebration of otaku psychology. While readers curse the caricature of a protagonist, they simultaneously identify with him and his way of life (hence the immense popularity with the 4chan crowd). The script is loaded with tongue-in-cheek descriptions of hardcore otaku/hikkikimori lifestyle, so it’s clear who they’re trying to elate.
I’m pretty interested in Tytania, being yet another LOGH fan, but I have absolutely no idea if this show will live up to expectations, since the material is supposed to be different enough.
Apparently the animation is a little bit stiff, which isn’t a huge problem for this kind of show but may require some tolerance.
Not much else to say about the characters or plot until someone subs this. I might also want to wait until a few episodes are out, since LOGH usually worked better as a series, especially in the beginning, than on an episodic basis.
Why is everybody so concerned about Tytania? I shall decide whether to watch it or not after the plot progresses. Never repeat the mistake with Code Geass or Dragon Ball. Don’t let yourself be sucked in too early 😉
As for Nodame… on the first screen Chiaki reminds me somehow of Kaiji…
I have already seen the Live Action version of Nodame, and can’t wait to see the anime. As with the original series, the France ark shifts focus from Chiaki to Nodame, and there are HUGE amounts of character development (more than in the original series!)
Can’t wait to see Nodame in her Beethoven costume! 😉
Chaos;Head is giving me the School Days vibe. First part of the episode suggests that the protagonist will be stabbed. This episode is a mess and as psgels has mentioned the show’s direction can go anywhere.
Chaos;Head comes from a doujin game. It’s also much gore. hereby the harem feel and the gore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos;Head
What’s new is the psycho main char. The anime depicts the worst otaku freak ever and the happenings are driven mostly by the freak’s own delusions and false perceptions. So i guess the serie will turn up very weird, mixing up reality and delusions. I think ther’s much potential
In my opinion there is not much point in watching Chaos Head now that working full English path for the original game is done