Galilei Donna
Short Synopsis: Our lead characters are the descendants of Galileo Galilei.
Aah, this will be one of those series: the type of anime with lots of ambition, with a very short airing length and a very inconsistent execution. Lots of stuff is added, some which works really well and others which are… questionable. Sometimes they work out quite well, like with Gatchaman Crowds, at others they bomb horribly, like what happened with Fractale. Galilei Donna has tons of ideas. I like how it tries to have a diverse cast: the main characters are a middle schooler, a high schooler and a college student, and it managed to really show how all of them are in different stages of their lives. On top of that their parents also play a really big role in this show and they too are unique. The action is the same: at its worst it’s badly animated CG fluff. At its best it’s a really engaging thriller with intense animation. The characters? At their best they really are likeable and engaging. At their worst we have a middle schooler piloting all sorts of crazy mecha. The plot of this episode was the same. But here is the thing: I’d much rather have this, than a show that doesn’t have any ambition at all. In the past I have shown a ton of support for these kinds of series and I will continue to do that, because experiments like these are just so interesting to watch. After all, the more ambitious you are, the more things that can go wrong. Screw playing safe! Let’s go crazy!
OP: This would have been the best OP of the season if it just ran for half a minute longer. Now the song just ends in the middle of the best part.
ED: A pretty standard ED.
Potential: 80%
Samurai Flamenco
Short Synopsis: Our lead character meets this weirdo who wants to be a superhero.
This series has the potential to become something really special. It’s an original story, probably 22 episodes long. To me, this series stands at the top of the season, along with Kyousogiga and Yozakura Quartet, though unlike those two it’s much more grounded into reality. The thing that’s immediately noticeable here is how good the two main characters are: both adults with jobs and lives and histories. And the chemistry between them is just hilarious: the two of them fit together really well. But here’s what really sold me on this series: the way it deconstructs the superhero genre. Forget those fancy promo images that this series advertised itself with. That’s just a show within a show. This series is about a cop, and a wannabe superhero, and this episode really proceeded to drive home that you should leave heroism to the people who actually know their stuff. Within one episode it already managed to drive hom a great theme and message. Let alone what it can do with 22.
OP: The best OP song of the season I guess. Not like the competition was particularly great though…
ED: Generic poppy ED with the girls of the show who didn’t even make an appearance yet.
Potential: 90%
Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru
Short Synopsis: Our lead character gets hit by a girl falling from the sky.
Well. This series was one of the biggest surprises I have had in years while doing these first impressions. And I’m not kidding. The premise of this series is a horrible excuse to make a cute girl fall from the sky and do the bidding of the main character. It looks and sounds exactly like your umpth obnoxious harem show. Every single character is your obnoxious harem cliché that has been done to death, and all of the female characters have these annoying squeaky voices. This should have been utterly horrible. This should have been a contender with Yuusha Blahblah and Walkure Romanze for the worst show of the season. And yet the creators gave it the best rendition that it possibly could have had with these horrible ingredients. This episode had me in stitches. I laughed so hard at times. I’m not going to spoil why. I just applaud this show for doing what I thought was impossible.
OP: FANSERVICE
ED: Live action used well? In a series like this?
Potential: 80%
Yup…. surprised the hell out of me. I was dreading this one, but damn if it didn’t please me. I didn’t think it could be done.
EVERYONE IS THE OBJECT OF HIS FUTURE.
Thank you, Kotomine Kirei.
There should be a rule limiting the number of words in a title.
Maybe Psgels’ blahblah could become an international norm, approved by the United Nations technical offices.
It’s dependent on the originating language, really – Japan has a thing for long titles, especially upon romanisation. That said, Psgels only listed three series.
I was wondering about this show, must say, just reading the premise made me think this was going to be utterly stupid, however, I can’t complain. Actually I had trouble finding out what the hell NouKome was for a few minutes.
So it turned out to be a really good episode.
Yeah, I also thought after reading the premise that this can’t possibly be any good at all. Then I watched. Haven’t seen something this insane in a while… 😀
I find it hard to call it “good” in a sense of any kind of depth or meaning behind the comedy. But in terms of execution of the timing of this thing and its power… well… yeah. I just hope it can keep it up!
Honestly, I didn’t find the episode’s exuberance all that endearing. Felt more like that obnoxious kid waving his arms, jumping up and down, and shouting nonsense in a desperate plea for attention.
Wow, psgels actually liked it enough to spell out its full name…. talk about unexpected.
I was gonna skip this until I saw your post. I watched it and was utterly surprised that it made me laugh. that usually never happens for series like this. I felt wrong enjoying this show lol. Anyway, part of me wants this show to stay this funny throughout it’s whole run, but I seriously, seriously doubt it. That would be a problem, since the comedy is the only thing this show has going for it.
I watched the first episode of NouCome and I was sure that other anime bloggers would hate it. I loved it personally, but it just had that harem feel to it. Now that I know otherwise I need to figure out how to convince my friends that something which sounds so awful on paper is actually worth watching.
Typo: “Potential:%” I’m guessing it’s high…
Samurai Flamenco is Manglobe’s better show in years.
It’s not on the same level as Samurai Champloo, Michiko to Hatchin, and House of 5 Leaves, but it should do
Whaaat? But sacred blacksmith was a masterpiece!
(I’m joking)
Ahhh, the Sacred Blackshit. That gave back not so good memories. Oh, the agony, and that ending.
Love Galilei’s old school feeling
Exactly agree with you! To me it is reminiscent of the old school family adventure movies. The villain, while a bad guy, doesn’t carry a loaded gun and has a form code of conduct.
When thinking back to some of my favorite childhood movies the movie ‘Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang’ keeps popping up in my mind. That or some of the Bond movies.
In my case, it reminds me of the animes that aired early-mid 2000s. It just has that feeling, even the OP video
i actually laughed watching samurai flamenco. humour in anime has never got to me so this has to be a first. this season’s shaping up to be a much better one 🙂
Samurai Flamenco’s weak storytelling was a bit of a letdown but I love Tokusatsu and the concept of the show is interesting. Also, the two main characters could end up being a really good pair, so I just hope they don’t end up adding fujoshi bait between them.
I loved Samurai Flamenco. I love the characters and I especially love the social commentary. When Hazama talked about his actions being proof that he actually cares about them, I immediately felt like the author was challenging the passive way that people tend to handle things in Japan, especially since Goto mentioned that very reasoning earlier in the episode.
Really good stuff.
Wow, Samurai Flamenco has good comedy but it has also tragic undertones.
Almost too serious for a anime, or at least very unusual.
Too serious for an anime? What’s that suppose to mean?
i guess Amo means just how realistic it is in portraying how people act everyday.
Although there’s lots of shows that are serious so.
The set up here isn’t one where the MC can carry on like he is and not get seriously hurt. I have no idea how this will end!
Yes Kero you guessed right.
In fact there are two elements as far as I am concerned.
First the “taste” of this first episode. It’s like you were prepared to drink your morning coffee and suddenly you realize there is strong whisky in it.
Apart from the violence scenes, you can notice how realistic it is, for example in the depiction of a summer night in town. You can almost feel the warm air on your skin.
Second, I work for publishing, and a very particular kind of publishing which is realistic documents. And last week as I watched this I was also working professionally on a case of political assassination, with minute details of time and space.
If you wish it’s a bit like being a doctor and watching a fight scene in a anime. You can understand it is only fiction, but the whole day you have had to define exactly what a bone fracture is, and you would have been sanctioned if defining it like in an anime fight scene.
This is why I prefer animes which are explicitly over the top and don’t try to be realistic.
But here despite the superficial layer of comedy, as you evoke Kero there is a possibility that it will be a slow and sinister evolution towards a gruesome and realistic death.
And… I watch animes for entertainment, not for realistic sinister scenes.