Strait Jacket
Well, this OVA has been pretty dull so far. The biggest reason for this is a rather dull cast of characters. None of them really stands out, and they’re all rather stereotypical. On one hand, the creators want to be all serious and dramatic with gruesome deaths and killings, and on the other side the biggest priority of the cast of main characters is whether or not they look good. So far, the first episode did introduce the concept, but the overall storyline (which should be important for an OVA like this) is dangerously ignored. The premise is solid so far, but the creators do need to try harder in the next episodes if they want to make this work out.
Minami-ke Okawari
I dropped the original series after two episodes because it just wasn’t that funny, but I became interested in this series when I learned that this season of Minami-ke would be handled by an entirely different production-team. The three main characters still aren’t that interesting, though. They’re all a bunch of stereotypes. I do admit that the side-characters are quite funny, though, when they stand in the spotlights. The OP is quite interesting as well, though I don’t think that these factors will make up for the rather lacklustre lead-characters, so I doubt that I’m going to continue watching this series. If you were a fan of the original, though, you might want to check this one out.
Gunslinger Girl – Il Teatrino
One thing that should be noted first: yes, the character-designs changed. Is it me, or are animators getting lazier nowadays, with hardly any attempt to look different? In any case, the second season of Gunslinger Girl starts with an action-packed episode. While it was definitely exciting, it’s not what the original series great, and I hope that the new staff realizes this for the second season as well. But there’s no need to worry for now. The first season also started with the most action-packed fight of the entire series, and this episode gave enough hints to the deep characters and dialogue. Fans of the series will have to get used a bit to the new style, but apart from that this episode couldn’t have been a better introduction to the second season, and I’m glad to see more of the concept. The new soundtrack also is great. Along with Porfy’s Long Journey the best of the season.
Minami-ke was one of the best animes of the last season. You shouldn’t have dropped it, seriously, it took epic directions and ended up being the best comedy of the year, even better than Seto no Hanayome, Lucky Star or even Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Yes, the three main characters are stereotypes, but who cares, they’re funny, Kana is a savant idiot and Chiaki is an evil child (Bakayaro + Violence + Yamada (
(remember the little rock Chiaki played with naming it Yamada ?) = WIN) and they make a cute and funny duo. Oh, and Haruka IS awesome. 😀
About the new Gunslinger Girl, I’m getting afraid. The chara-design is more colorful (I prefer the Madhouse version, more cynical, serious and depressive), and the synopsis seems to promise a thrilling story about terrorists and gunfights and conspiracies and gunfights… and gunfights… It’s not like it’s bad, actually, the only thing that the first season lacked was a more wrapped and fluid plot, but it’s just not Gunslinger Girl.
I seriously hope this doesn’t turn into a simple “killer lolis” series…
i’m not worried about gunslinger girl,I think they wanted to start with a bang so they put in action filler (only stuff from the manga is henrietta’s present and jose’s flashback) but i really don’t mind at all,the mangaka is writing the screenplay,so i’m sure he knows what makes the series so great,and there’s 15 episodes so unlike chugo chara there won’t be the need to have much more filler to fill out 51 episodes lol
the music is different from the first season but i love it.
Solid start,i’m sure the best as yet to come.
One thing I am really disaapointed about Gunslinger Girl is CV…..
For what reason did they have to change??? I don’t understnad….
Well, if I had to guess, then the original company that produced the first season had no intention to make a second season, and there were still enough people who desired a continuation of the concept, so a new company was assigned. As after so many years, I can imagine how hard it would be to get the original staff behind the first series back together, and it seems that this failed, so the new staff, in stead of completely mimicking the old style went with a new one.
Ok here i am. I couldn’t wait for a fansubbed version of Gunslinger Girl II and quickly grabbed the first raw i found on tokyotoshokan site.
I also managed to undestand some random speech and i never expected to understand so much as i did o.O”
I say i’m gladly impressed of my almighty comprehension of the gibberish, or maybe it’s all cause of the scanlated manga i recently read and therefore i already knew most of the episode plot anyway 😛 who knows ^^
If the anime plot will continue following the manga plot we can expect some great stuff. With the lastest volumes the story moves from being carachter based and much focus is given to the poliitical events and the war with the Five Republics. The story develops further and it will become a full action anime. In other words the plot will develop those concepts that were left apart in the first season.
I would like to be enthusiastic of the graphics too, but unfortunately what i saw absolutely doesn’t compare with the last season. Well, Madhouse isn’t a top studio for nothing.
I praise Artland for not trying to mimic Madhouse style, thus giving their personal touch to Gunslinger Girl, but maybe they could have avoided some rough and cheap effect, expecially during the action scenes.
I am referring to those the still frames horribly shaken around to give the impression of the movement. Geez i hadn’t seen that stuff since the very old Star Trek Serie when they moved the camera around to simulate heartquakes and explosions on the Enterprise x.X
Let’s call it a nice retro style special effect. Yes it’s vintage for sure >..>
Last opinion about the music. Op and Ed seem nice to me, but i still have the older ones singing in my ears… they were so … perfect fit with the dark atmosphere of the anime Gunslinger Girl was.
I must take a new habit.
Yes, as a conclusion i must calm me down and reconsider everything of this serie. I am still so shocked from the changes. I’d better consider not the old one Gunslinger Girl. they simply don’t compare. This is a totally new anime and i must take it as it is >.
What was so funny about the Yamada stone with Minami-ke? Am I the only one who thinks its not funny?
It wasn’t supposed to be “funny”, it was supposed to be “cute”, revealing that although being evil, negativist and cynical, Chiaki is still nothing but a little girl.
It was cute. Therefore it was funny. This is how the scene was supposed to be understood.
Are you all sure it’s the second season ? Because I’m not so sure about it . Well, mostly because of the character – design and then the plot seemed changed somehow , but maybe it’s just cause it hard to watch the same characters who are not themselves anymore. Personnaly I prefer the previous design but this one is exactly like in Gunslinger manga books . Honestly, I feared the creators would one day use that kind of design. I think the characters were so cute before that changing them was a bad idea . But maybe my point of view about them would change. Despite this, I found this first episode great and I’m sure I would enjoy this anime till the end even if I would rather the character – design hasn’t changed.
Moreover, we haven’t seen Angelica yet. She was my favorite character and I’d love to see her again ! Do you know if she’d be back ? And do you know if “Gunslinger girl” is a shoujo or a shonen? I always thought it was a shoujo cause the main characters are five girls but I’ve somewhere it’s a shonen manga ( maybe it was just about the book ).
I can’t wait to see how Gunslinger Girl turns out. I haven’t seen it yet, but I have high expectations for it. I hope it’s as good (or better) than the first season was.
Tania, as far as I know, the Gunslinger Girl manga/anime is intended for older male teens and adults.(Seinen)
ADV’s english release of the GsG manga has an age rating of 15+.
Some subjects/topics and violent visuals/gore in the manga/anime are not really suitable for young boys(Shounen) or young girls(Shoujo).
Gunslinger Girl has also been serialized in the monthly Seinen “Dengeki Daioh” manga magazine.
Sorry i was busy with my job, so i couldn’t watch to the english fansub of gunslinger girl Ep 1.
I watched raw and already wrote here my first impressions.
Now i just finished translating it into Italian and can spend some time chitchatting about the plot.
The first episode starts exactly like the third volume of the manga and it follows the manga pretty well. But on the other hand, the Kaleidoscope episode is still an introspective episode, an episode devoted to the relashonship between Henrietta and Josè.
But this second serie is devoted to full action and there was the need to add some to the generic kaleidoscope plot. So They invented the brand new Coliseum Strike scene ^^’
But the main event is and remains the Kaleidoscope. That episode shows another time how Henrietta may be a tough warrior, but’ she’s a child and her emotions are so pure and innocent.
She went on a errand and ends sneaking, like a real little sister, in the room of her big brother.
Here she notices a present she tought addressed to her, but the name on the plate isn’t her one.
She minsunderstands it all and feels betrayed.
How emotional is she, and certainly cute, but never moe!
This is not the moe stuff people are blabbering about. It has a deeep meaning. And that nice add on @ the Coliseum reminded us Gunslinger Girl is a dramatic thriller story, after all.
I really liked the Strait Jacket anime I just got it today and I liked it.
I would say this season’s animation looks a bit too “anime”. Compared to the first season, where the style leaves you with a stronger impression, the second season’s animation seems like a typical low budget anime. One of those animes you go, “EHhh..it’s one of those… main character is a typical dork but he has 3-4+ hot chicks fighting for his attention…” Not to mention the bubbly soundtracks, when the gunslinger girl talks with her male partner screams towards this direction. They should’ve just waited til they had the budget and not kill off a wonderful series. Just as most writers killed Disney’s classics with number 2, animation was killed for this series.
Haha, I could tell it was a low-budget project when they drew an image and then started shaking it around instead of animating the scene. Well drawn, not as great as first season, but the bubbliness just kills it.