Ultraviolet: Code 044
Short Synopsis: Our lead character is a famed and feared assassin, probably the best of her kind. In the futuristic world this series is set in, she spends the first episode on two different missions.
Highlights: Excellent action; a feast for the senses; isn’t just dumb action; TOO MUCH FANSERVICE.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Whoa, in terms of first episodes, this one surely caught my attention. This is going to be an action-series, and this episode absolutely delivered in that department. The creators definitely wanted to start off this series with a bang, and the result is a very fast-paced introduction. The graphics were fantastic, and the music was awesome as well. The next question is obviously: will the creators be able to keep up this level. Even with 12 episodes, action series have been rather notorious of deteriorating after their first episodes. Still, this episode showed some good signs: there wasn’t only a lot of action, but also a lot of talking. The characters here aren’t just brainless, but they’re also critical of both themselves and their colleagues. Let’s hope that this proves to be good for the rest of this series. But really, there was too much fanservice. The creators took every chance to show as much skin as possible…
Slayers: Revolution
Short Synopsis: Our lead character apparently is hunted by many people, who in one episode already manage to destroy three ships and one city.
Highlights: Starts dull, gets more interesting as the episode goes on; the pirates suck, though
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
Well, so this was the first thing I saw of Slayers. There were things to like, and things to dislike as well. The main cast needed a bit of time to warm up, but they ended up being an energetic and spunky bunch of people. I was rolling my eyes whenever the pirates were on the screen, though. I don’t hope that every Slayers-minor-villain is as dull as these guys, because they’re all a bunch of stereotypes and they’re just not funny. Same with the giant fish-head (why did it need to hold on to a log at the end of the episode anyway?) Overall, for a comedy it was a decent enough first episode, but I’m not sold on Slayers yet. The problem with comedies also tends to be that you can’t predict at all whether they’ll lose inspiration or not, just by their first episode.
Sekirei
Short Synopsis: A girl with no sense of shame and a typical loser team up in a battle royale.
Highlights: Boobs?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 5/10
I’ve been told that Sekirei is more than just fanservice, so for that sake I might as well try to judge this series, without paying attention to the excessive boob-shots in this episode. What we have here is that a bunch of super-powered girls rescue a young boy from some kind of facility. Ten years later, one of these girls is still in love with this guy and wants him to be her partner for an upcoming battle royale. The thing is that I can live with the battle royale, and the rather questionable enlisting procedure of kissing each other. My problem, however, is this: how come this girl, after ten years, is still in love with that main character. I find it rather hard to believe that in ten years, not one single male has tried to make moves on her, or tried dating her. That’s basically my problem with most series like this one: they seem to think that the main character is the only one allowed to date girls, which results in a huge number of plot-holes. Since this season is small, I have enough time due to holidays and there are only going to be 12 episodes, I might as well give an attempt to watch this one, but I really wonder whether it can deliver in that time…
A quick note on those pirates: they were about as important as the bandits from episode 1 of the first Slayers season, if not even less. They ARE meant to be stereotypes BECAUSE they’re unimportant.
For a Slayers fan like me, the episode was a 10/10 enjoyment because it’s pretty much exactly what one can expect from a Slayers season beginning: a fun madcap romp with lots of explosions and a Dragon Slave being cast at the end.
You undestood SHIT form the first episode of Sekirei. First of all…..the girl who rescues the child in the beginning (Yume) is NOT the same one who is in love with the main male. The girl who was rescued (Mitsumi?) is the one in love. You REALLY try to bash all the shows with fansevice regalrdless of if you actually UNDERSTODD what happened
Essesus: granted, my japanese isn’t perfect, and I often make mistakes, though the fact that Mitsumi didn’t rescue the main male still leaves that big question open of “how did she fall in love with him”. The creators had better have a good explanation for that IMO.
Oh, and by the way, Ultraviolet had lots of fanservice, and I loved it so far, so I don’t try to bash all of the fanservice-shows. 😉
I’m honestly not sure if this new season will gain new fans in the current “moe” craze, but Slayers is tried and true formula with a great core cast – here’s hoping you enjoy it.
…….oh god…
She DIDN’T fall in love with him. Not yet anyway. At first she was super gratefull that he fed her. She didn’t kiss him cause she loved him, she kissed him cause she felt his power, power that got transfered into her after the kiss. And once again, Mutsumi WAS THE ONE RESCUED from the facility. She was rescued by Yume and Kazehane.
I’m afraid Slayers could be a clone of its gloroius predecessors. I still need to watch to it, and i’d like a subbed version to understand it better, so i’ll postpone any comment till then.
I only express my best wishes for a show that would add some charm and news to the old Slayers’ format and not blindly copy it
Just because psgels didn’t share sentiments with shallow fanservice swill like Sekirei, no need for profanities and CAPITALISING words. Bad shows deserve bad reviews.
Yeah…..and he CLEARLY understood what happened in the show and is able to figure out the show is crap from one episode…..he can also walk on water and resurrect the dead.
Please…..he can’t even figure out the girl who saved the child is not even Mutsumi. Or that the child saved is not the male character.
Essesus, not everyone can put up with vapid fanservice, and when that’s most of what a show presents in their first episode (or in the case that turned me off from ever considering the anime, reading the manga) try to understand that some people just do not want to put up with it to even try to see if there’s a good story in there. That’s all.
Then why do they feel the need to bash it?
Well it’s his impression isn’t it? O_o
I like fanservice-oriented series, and every season needs one or two IMO. They’re a good watch when you feel like turning your brain off and want to see some girls. I understand that you don’t like them, but don’t go calling people who do like them brainless otaku. I like these shows and sure as hell don’t want to be labeled just because of it.
I was talking to psgels btw.
eh.. I see a typical fan-rating-first-impression post..
Come on, FIRST IMPRESSIONS! Its not like most of us have the time/patience to watch an anime several times over to indulge ourselves in that universe before analysis. A typical viewer would go through the first ep while it’s on air and pass judgement as to whether to continue.
If psgels is REALLY WRONG about the series, we WILL know after reading through a couple of other bloggers/reviewers/posters. However, if psgels had to go read all those impressions before the post, it wouldn’t be a blog.
On the otherhand, if a viewer didn’t pick up the info that you did, then either the anime is ineffective in passing the info, or the viewer was delusional. Now, we have a knowledgeable-on-the-series verses popular-anime-blogger, so as of now, we’re more prone to believing you knew the info.
Anyways, I will be checking these out. Some of us do need the relief of fanservice once a while ^_^ (ah wait that came out wrong..)
essesus has a point though the presentation could stand to be better. Here’s hoping to clarify without spoilers.
Minato finds he’s failed to get into the college of his choice for the second time. He heads home trying to decide what to do now. On the way home a girl falls out of the sky and lands on him. Lightning hijinks ensue. After running away Musubi passes out from hunger. Minato takes her back to his place and feeds her hamburgers. She, appreciating his kindness, wishes that someone like him could be her Ashikabi. More hijinks follow. Minato ‘wings’ Musubi when they kiss making him actually her Ashikabi.
Notes:
‘Winging’ occurs when a Sekirei comes into contact with the DNA of a person suitable to become an Ashikabi. This is usually done through the saliva in a kiss.
It’s both correct and incorrect to say that they’re ‘In Love’. With luck the next few episodes will make clear a bit more about what winging represents. Musubi does like Minato’s kindness and gentleness, mind you.
They haven’t known each other for ten years. Their first encounter was when she landed on him. 🙂
This isn’t a series where there’s only one male character (nor only one male Ashikabi). There are definite harem elements to it, mind you, but they make a certain sense in the context of the ‘Sekirei Plan’ ‘game’.
The ‘rescued’ kid wasn’t Minato. And to call it a rescue is probably a misnomer.
In terms of Slayers, I loved the first episode. Definitely biased as this was one of the first anime I saw and thus has a special place in my books. Just reminded you that the series was back and all is well. Nothing like robbing bandits/pirates, they usually have good stuff. Was everything one could expect from a first episode in this series. Group is back together and will no doubt run into serious trouble. I say serious trouble yet there will be laughs along the way.
Poor fish girl had a few things to be scared of. #1 Lina Inverse is the enemy of all that live :). #2 She eats a lot, we’re talking an entire menu 3x over.
Will be enjoying this and should be a good season.
Dude’s calm down i have read 50+ something chapters of sekerei and it was like pokemon with girls, there is every stereotype in this manga, that it just makes me rolled my eyes, it takes to much time to get to the point, and some times you wonder if the story is taking it self seriously or not, and the huge amounts of fanservice in some parts where not needed, well i guess is the way of the author to try to fit in the shonen-senin realm since her past works were well yaoi, and this past more as guilty plasure than a ground braking work even my friend daid so lol.
Eh, well the fish-girl is a reference to an old joke from the very first series, so that was probably more enjoyable for old fans to see. ^_^;
This is one series that you’re either gonna love or hate.
Typical Slayers if you ask me. It always starts out pretty cheesy and corny then builds up to something truly special later on. At least that is the hope anyway.
The first three Slayers seasons were the same. The early episodes were iffy, but the comedy and action gradually gets better.
glad to hear that Ultraviolet is good i did not expect that,i won’t be starting Slayers since i only saw bits of other seasons and i don’t feel like watching it and Sekirei… not sure i start anime with much fanservice from time to time but almost never finish them ot it takes a lot of time so i will see if at least it is also worth watching for the comedy and not just plain fanservice
Slayers Rev. really is only for older fans who’ve seen it from the start, it was one of my first anime so I am already in love with it, but the show (atleast from previous seasons) def. gets better as the show goes along and turns into something pretty awesome, I’d say give it a chance. The summer season so far hasn’t produced anything good so far other than Telepathy Ran, but maybe it’ll get better as the episodes progress.
Well, on Slayers Rev, as an old time fan, I will be watching it. Because i know the series easily coasts from absurd to dramatic without effort, and smoothly. But there is that slight “what’s come before” problem, in that they are leaning on the old seasons (of course they are, its the same show).
On Sekirei….*HISSSSSSS!* I’ve already said http://wtf.animeblogger.net/?p=331 all i need to on it.
Would this blog by any chance be a Christian blog???
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because i totally support your soccer-mum approach. Ban all boobies ~
is ultraviolet based on the american movie? (which i still haven’t seen yet)
asdf: I assume it is, though it doesn’t seem to share any of the staff of the movie.
Ok, psgels I highly respect your opinion on majority of anime, so when you said Ultraviolet had great action I jumped at the chance to watch it. WHERE was all this different kind of action? I really was very disappointed with this show so far.
I am willing to give it a chance, after all I gave Mnemosyne a chance!
Maybe I’m too old to found any fun in fanservice… ’cause I didn’t like Sekirei. I mean it’s: boobies, panties, nekkid babe (and all over again)
When I saw the opening I believed there must’ve been some terrible error, first dark and gritty and then… a happy weell-endowed girl almost dressed jumping and fighting against another girls in the same attire.
“Sekirei” is “Rosario + Vampire 2”: “don’t care for the story, we have panties!”
Wow i just saw Slayers! It’s very… uhm.. Slayers in the first place XD I’m happy! Lina is always badass, Gourry always the clumsiest!! What a couple they are!
Maybe they won’t ruin a classic with this remake 😀