Shinryaku! Ika-Musume
Short Synopsis: Our lead character wants to take over the world.
It’s awesome to see what a good comedy this turned into. It did just about everything right here with its first episode: it introduced the characters, played around with their characteristics, made sure that they’re not just based around one gimmick but have multiple sides, and it comes with a lot of different and clever little jokes. From watching this episode, I’ve gotten very positive about this series having enough inspiration for at least thirteen episodes: none of the jokes here felt really repetitive, and instead they were all building further upon each other, rather than this series bombarding us with as many random jokes as possible. The characters all have this thing that sets them apart, but they’re at the same time down to earth: essentially this is just a story about a squid girl who starts working with a bunch of siblings who run a bar at the seaside, and they actually have some pretty normal conversations in between the jokes, who both serve as building up the jokes and building their characters. I’m very positive about this, and this could very well be the best comedy of the season.
OP: Mostly foreshadowing a bunch of the jokes of the series, but again: it looks very diverse here.
ED: A decent ballad.
Potential: 80%
Otome Youkai Zakuro
Short Synopsis: Our lead character fights evil youkai.
With these first impressions: I don’t just look at the first episodes themselves, but also their potential, and that’s where my biggest issue with Otome Youkai Zakuro lies. I mean, this episode really was excellent, it had a great chemistry between the characters and gave an interesting spin to the youkai genre by just throwing all pretense out and just giving everyone the ability to see them, rather than trying to make one or two main characters feel special. Suddenly, we have a clash of different cultures that was definitely interesting to watch. However, I feel no potential from this one: the chemistry was based on a bunch of gimmicks that will become boring if they get abused too much. This episode gave no indication whether or not this series will use these characters optimally, or just dabble on with them. See, with series like Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, you could really see that the creators make use of every moment of their limited time to add more details to the story and characters. Otome Youkai Zakuro meanwhile dabbles often in useless comedy that, while funny, also can become a problem as soon as it starts getting boring. Still, my biggest fear for this was Chiaki Kon, but she really pulled off a great first episode here. This show can be a hit if it manages to use its episodes right.
OP: A decent OP with quite some solid visuals.
ED: Uninspired, both in the music and the visuals, which seem to be just copied from the manga.
Potential: 70%
Yosuga no Sora
Short Synopsis: Our lead character moves back into the town he grew up in with his twin sister.
God, not even more incest? As if we didn’t have enough of that already. Still, I have to grant this series this: they really seem to want to be doing something with the brother-sister love, instead of either parading around with how it’s supposed to be “daring”, or just inserting stuff for the heck of it: the incest is far from the biggest problem with this series, and works well enough because the brother and sister in question are well portrayed. the main problem with this series is that just about every other character isn’t. They’re all random harem stereotypes, all of them try way too hard and therefore are very badly acted, which only makes them more annoying. This series tries to force an entire harem around the lead male that has no business doing there, and it uses just about every cliche and superfluous plot twist to get girls to fall in love with him: there are a bunch of childhood friends, plus more “loves at first sight” than you can shake a stick at. Overall, this could have been a decent incest story, but it loses a lot of points for trying way too hard.
OP: A decent ballad to start the series with.
ED: I like EDs that show a bit of the past of the characters.
Potential: 35%
Meh, anyone here would to like vouch for Yosuga no Sora? Harems are a pretty tired out genre, I doubt you find anything new and exciting here. If you don’t feel like blogging the show, just avoid it and watch something else.
Impressed by Yosuga no Sora actually… I hate harems, and yeah, every girl had a crush on the main character like he is mr.perfect, but everything else was really good… Again I loved the quiet pace of the episode
And… Nudity?! That caught me by surprise… Plus the scene at the end, it seems this will be much more than just panty shots and the usual crap
hm….as the VN player,this VN adaptation is suprisingly good! It’s like,they know what scenes to cut and what scenes to add in this anime adaptation.Good job so far.
Uh, isn’t the VN an ero game? I think this will become just another softcore porn, and even worse cause it has incest.
Arrrg, normally I don’t have trouble with incest, but seeing it being used more and more often in anime and other people enjoying it really make me despise the theme badly.
Lol I dont get the hate for incest, I mean yeah its overdone in anime definitely, there must be something going on in Japan we dont know 😛 But so what?
Personally, I cant even imagine having feelings for my sister, its just weird… I cant see her “sexually” at all, but what if other people can? Not their fault you know, you dont control those things
@Frost
Well, I don’t know about others, but personally I don’t have anything against incest that much, esp. when it’s just fictional. My main problem is that there’re actually dumbasses out there who would drool over it, not knowing how totally wrong it is (e.g. “Wow, it has twincest! I must watch it!”). Urgh.
To make long story short, I think it’s fine as long as you know what you’re watching is wrong, that it’s just another guilty pleasure, and most importantly, just a work of fiction and not to be mixed with real life.
I am of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with incest. As long as there is no progeny that springs from it, and all parties involved are willing and consenting adults, what’s the big deal? I am not personally interested in having sex with any members of my family, so don’t misconstrue what I have to say. But take for example, 2 people who are honestly in love, and happen to be family members. Is it wrong for them to feel that way? Should society be allowed to step in and say “Hey, your love is wrong/an abomination/an affront to our god/gods. It needs to end.”? Why should any lovers feel the pressure of a social stigma, when they are only following the chemical and electrical impulses of their bodies? Sure, it may be possible for them to choose a different person to focus their affection on, but that is their prerogative (as long as it’s not a stalker type thing.)
I have no siblings, nor do I have family members close to me in age, so I never had any sort of “sibling rivalry” experiences growing up. Maybe that has affected they way I feel about things like this, since if I had a sister/cousin that greatly annoyed me through a large portion of my life, I might not be so keen on the idea. And if you are wondering, yes, I enjoy incest stories/manga/anime (H or otherwise.)
My point is this: love is love, body chemistry is body chemistry, and nobody should tell 2 people (or one person on a computer late at night) what to feel, besides themselves.
Sinisgood: regarding the incest, you have made some good points, and I pretty much agree with them.
Perhaps I should have been clearer about this, but my problem isn’t really the incest, but the way in which it is portrayed in anime. Not just Yosuga no Sora, but through the entire medium, and my big problem lies in how incredibly often series resort to incest, brother and sister complexes.
Nowadays, if you have a brother and sister in an important role, it has actually become more likely for at least one of the two to have have some kind of romantic feeling for the other, even when this is completely pointless in the story. This seems to suggest that it’s actually really normal for such a thing to occur. Especially the more tasteless series of the bunch seem to want to suggest that it’s natural for a sister to really like you, and that’s the part that I really don’t like.
Sinisgood wtf are you saying? Besides Psgels is speaking of an overused plot-device in anime, your comment is so messed up regarding real life i urge you go see a doctor asap!
Incest as a fetish and as a practice is a life choice, it’s not something that should be discriminated against. I mostly agree with Sinisgood. You can’t fight love.
For the people who are speaking against incest, or against people who are into incest (as a fetish), that’s a bit prejudicial don’t you think? I mean, if you think back to the beginning of time and until the post-modern era, people were still trying to keep their blood pure via incest. If you go all the way back, with how sparse the human specie was, I don’t think anyone was complaining. Incest is not wrong or right, it’s a life choice, like homosexuality.
(Granted they are responsible adult as Sinisgood had said.)
@ Sinisgood u have no sibs so it’ll be better not to express ur imaginary thoughts here u have no idea what sisters and brothers love is.. is a very sacred relationship a very innocently beautiful relationship . And for ppl who r saying that it is totally fine to love ur sibs and no one has the right to judge them seriously need to see a psychologist.. is a friendly advise.. this is a extreamly serious mental illness.. i was watching this anime with my sis just 10 mins ago.. we loved the artwork the animation and all that .. but start to feel really disturbed to see that maid with big boobs.. and then we just stopped watching it atonce where the sis was having thoughts of the past when they first kissed .. pukes! now don’t tell me that i have no right to express my thoughts here. if u all can agree so can I (disagree)! And don’t tell me not to watch it if i don’t like it.. I stopped before things cud go any worser.. I just had to find a place to vent my anger.. yah.. i wonder what the hell is the Japanese gov doing.. will it start to take action when brothers or fathers start to rape their sisters or daughter?? SHIT !!!!!
I mean, if you think back to the beginning of time and until the post-modern era, people were still trying to keep their blood pure via incest.
It’s a matter of ignorance. Sexual intercourse with relatives generates genetic defects. Look here: http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=243
This is one of those situation where a law or taboo is based on actual scientific reason.
@Sai, are you aware that you are using the same exacts same arguments that those used against homosexuality?
Let’s check:
-it grosses me out
-it’s a mental illness (homosexuality was considered a mental illness as well)
-associate it with rape
Why do you think those arguments have anymore validity now? It grosses you out? Fine, don’t do it with your relatives (to be frank, thinking about doing it with any of my relatives gross me out as well) Eating bugs gross me out too, doesn’t mean I will insult people who eat bugs or try to forbid it.
What does it matter to you if two siblings have sex if noone is harmed in the process?
@Solaris so what if those siblings never have children together, it shouldn’t pose a problem, then?
Quite frankly, when I was younger, I was also disgusted by those kind of relationships but as I grew up, talked to more people, I noticed that I didn’t have any rational reasons to disapprove of those. As long as the people involved are mature (legal age for both) and that there are no signs of abuse, such couple should be left alone.
As for the subject of incest in anime (after all, it IS an anime blog), I have the impression they only use it as a cheap gimmicks and while real incest still icks me a bit (can’t help it, it’s my gut reaction), incest in anime just makes me facepalm. The way it’s presented, it’s like a relationship at the same level as love childhood friend.
If u r not doing anything to harm anybody doesn’t mean that u can do anything u like to ! we r humans not apes we have morals . All i cud say is that the Japanese never fails to rot ppls mind. They can make the ugliest most disgusting thing seems beautiful and innocent which is extreamly dangerous. And ignorant ppl start to accept it blindly and start to feel that these thing is actually normal and ok! U say that as long as no one is hurt is fine! at the same time u r saying that if they never have children together it shud be fine! how can u be certain that the sister won’t get pregnant? and who’ll be responsible for the child’s death ( abortion) they r not only imortals but also murderers. For a second think if these anime characters were ugly ,bald and fat doing these things will u still accept it or even waste time to watch it? Japan have lost the soul to make real animes.. all they make now is jsut to grab the attention of the pervs otakus.. animes is 100% a business now.. where in the past it was a dream .. even a pillow case can sell for billions what else can i say? now tell me if these mans look totally fine or not.. no they r nodoubt retarded and seriously need help. http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/08/30/japanese-men-give-meaning-pillow-talk/
If u can accept that 5 yrs old kids can have sex together as long as they both r happy . and a mother can fcuk his son as long as they r both happy . if u can accept happily ur future kids having sex with each other ! then sorry I have nothing more to say… Cuz i don’t know how to deal with psychos.. really sorry.. 🙂
I love this line “how can u be certain that the sister won’t get pregnant? and who’ll be responsible for the child’s death ( abortion) they r not only imortals but also murderers.”
The child is going to die? Did you imply that it’s the most viable option for children born from genetic defects to be put to death? Lol. I mean, don’t go thinking that all of these children would be put to death.
And please read the opposing view before you counter-argue because you clearly didn’t get the subtext of the part where we stressed that it’s important for them to be adult (ie. the apex of maturity) and for them to be responsible (ie. knowing the facts about incestuous sexual-relationships).
@NguyenSon
Uhm, what does homosexuality have to do with this? It’s kind of wrong too, yeah, but not to THAT level. After all, you can change your sex but not your blood. And I heard that homosexuality has already been accepted in certain places over the world. I don’t think it’s the same case for incest.
Btw, I really want to know if your reaction would still be the same if they were not siblings but parent and child. (Urgh, I don’t even want to think ’bout it!)
To make it clear, I’m of the same opinion as psgels. It’s the way anime portrays it and makes it a fetish that rubs me the wrong way, not the theme in general. If we’re all adults who can think straight regardless of what we watch then it’s all good. But I’m not sure all anime viewers are like that. Think about the naive and younger minds who can be easily influenced by crowds of ppl that treat the theme as something normal/cool/ enjoyable and how it can influence them in their real life.
@Sai
First, do you really think insulting and beating strawmen is a valid technique?
I said: “As long as the people involved are mature (legal age for both) and that there are no signs of abuse, such couple should be left alone.”
and you respond with:”If u can accept that 5 yrs old kids can have sex together as long as they both r happy ”
Then you go on to say :”Cuz i don’t know how to deal with psychos.. really sorry.. 🙂 ”
All this after implying that those disagreeing with your morals are ignorant and have a rotten mind.
Insults and strawmen seem to make up most of your “argument”.
Would I watch an anime about incest between ugly people? Well, I don’t even watch anime about incest between pretty characters in the first place. As I already said (which you would have known if you had bothered to read what I said instead of making up what you thought I said), I found that incest portrayal in anime tended to be ridiculous and stupid. Whether they are ugly or pretty won’t change much.
For the argument about children, law should only interven if such couples have children, how they should do it, I don’t really know. There must be some kind of responsibility from the couple but at the same time, if you think that people should be forbidden from having children if it puts some risks for the future child’s health, should people with genetic diseases be forbidden to have children? If two people are heterozygous for the same disease, should they be disallowed to have relations with each others?
Any children is at risk of genetic defects, does it mean that noone should be allowed to have sex? Or is there a particuliar threshold for risk at which a couple should be allowed to have sex?(25%?, 12%?, 5%?) I mean, for you, any couple runs the risk of having children if they have sex and you seem to consider the morality of couple on what happens in the eventuality that they have children, that’s why I equivocated the two there. Should every prople be controlled by doctors before they can have sex?
As for how I arrived at my opinion on incest, it had othing to do with anime. I came to those conclusions after reading about testimonies from people involved in consenting incest on some news site (like the Times Online) or other sites.
This will be probably my last response to you if you can’t manage any honesty in the next post. Just fyi, strawmen and insults are generally considered dishonest and poor form when you debate. If you manage to avoid those, I will be happy to discuss with you.
@tanukichan
First, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with homosexuality. And I was just pointing out that Sai used the same arguments against incest as some other people used against homosexuality. Those arguments are generally considered invalid when used against homosexuality (from your message, it seems to not be the case where you live though).
As I also said, hearing about incest relationships make me feel a bit icky (much less than before) but as I expained with the bug eater example, my subjective feelings on the matter doesn’t give me the right to condemn them or forbid their actions.
As for anime, I don’t watch those focused on incest but most of my argument was about incest in real life. I thought that the way it is generally portrayed in anime is stupid and generally don’t like it much.
The difference is that in my mind, I try to separate the things I dislike and my morality. I’m more of an utilitarian when it comes to decide which action is right or wrong. I don’t say that I always succeed in this but that’s what I try to do.
Hey 18 comments about crap and not one merit not for the kawaii Squid Girl? I mean a coemedy trying to mock all of those moe heroines out there with Ika being as moe as an absolute and adorable selfish bastard! I heard elsewhere many of this comedy jokes were already in Keroro, but really, for this serie to make fun its own chars like that without neither one once of fanservice nor toilet jokes is quite refreshing for this years comedy standards.
@Solaris
Yeah I quite agree about Ika musume, but the heated discussion kinda made me forget about comenting about it :(. I haven’t watched Keroro so I can’t comment on its similarity with it though but I read a bit of the Ika manga and I enjoyed it. It was also refreshing to see a manga without fanservice. I know that fan service is not that predominant in anime but with all the fan service shows lately, it feels like a breath of fresh air (which is kinda sad actually when you think about it).
@NguyenSon
There is no cure for ignorance unless u start to learn and stop thinking thru ur own feelings and emotions. You r letting ur emotion take control over ur thoughts.. in ur mind there is only 1 thing “love” for u nomatter in what form it is as long as it is love it is beautiful! as long as it is love it is innocent! but that’s not the case at all. love can be beautiful but at the same time it can be ugly and dangerous. first of all u need to accept and understand that this world have a creator .He created us and set a system for us to follow. u cannot ignore it .and u cannot say that this isnt a religous talk. this have nothing to do with religion but it is the truth and fact of this world.Incest like homosexuality is a very great sin and God hates homosexuals and Incestous people more than any other human being on earth and if you think I’m kidding, google “Sodom and Gomorrah”. Why would someone want to sleep with his own father? Why would someone want to sleep with his own brother or sister? These are very abnormal behaviors even if we put religion aside and I think these people are abnormal human beings and must be treated as such.Anybody who says incest is good is not a sound-minded person.. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Anybody who commits incest or say that it is right is mentally sick and needs to be treated.
Btw i’m not a regular visitor to this site so dont expect me to reply u again.. i was just finding a place to express my thoughts about this anime..that’s how i bump into this site.. anyway i’m sure that u r going to read it.. just try to understand .. if nothing gets into ur mind.. I’m really sorry then .. i ahve noithing more to say to someone who have no sibs and knows nothing about this relationship how sacred it is.
Okay, Sai: this is enough. This discussion has gotten way out of hand. Please stop shoving your own ideals down other people’s throats, otherwise I’m going to start deleting stuff. You’re on very thin ice here with that “god hates homosexual”-line.
@Psgels
I just wanted to say that I agree with you, this discussion is getting way off topic for an anime blog. I won’t voice my opinion on the matter anymore, I already offered my opinion on the subject in general and on Sai’s particuliar way of “debating” and I think it should be sufficient here. Even though I don’t own this blog, I would like others to also stop debating the subject there, I think one closing paragraph would be enough if you feel strongly about it but remember that IS an anime blog.
As for the anime you previewed there, I guess I will mainly follow ika musume and will look forward to your opinion on Otome, to see if I’m going to watch it or not (Yeah I’m lazy, I know it). I just don’t like starting an anime then dropping it so, I only usually start an anime if I’m sure it will entertain me or if it gets reviews that will make me think I’ll enjoy it.
Hey back on hot stuff topic? What about my dear Squidchan???
Whoa, I really LOVED that first episode of Zakuro!
I didn’t expect much as it seemed to be just another bishonen series (and I’v been really disappointed by Hakushaku no Yosei as it had a really good storyline but the way the presented it was soooo lengthy and boring and with too much sparkles) but this episode reallyblew me away.
Thecharacters were really likable, the storymoved nicely and quite energetic, the funny scenes worked perfectly and although it had some cliches in it it they were used in an interesting way.
Also the characters work together really well, so for now I’m really looking forward to the next episodes!
Btw. I especially loved the scene where that blonde guy rescued the children… only to be stuck right benath the monster because he was so afraid he couldn’t move his legs! Hilarious!
that Sai guy,he’s must be something from these religious cults,how disgusting.
About that squid girl….she’s not moe,though she’s definitely trying,that’s all that I can said (‘___’;)
I’ve been itching to check out Yosuga no Sora. Those incest series seem to be getting more & more popular in mainstream anime.
I just notice there’s a whole debate on incest. Good grief, Anywho, I did write something about incest in anime & manga. You can check it out if you like.
What are your thoughts on Oreimo & Aki Sora?