Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 10:25 am
I must have watched the same recording of Summer Wars as Kimiko, but then I didn't want a big honkin' file on my increasingly crowded disk. Good stuff, and I can't wait for it to be licensed.
New season. Reviews, previews. Let's go.
(Still watching: Railgun, Kimi ni Todoke, Tegami-bachi, InuYasha, Kobato)
Nogizaka Haruka season 2: Well, it was one of the better "B" animes out there, but to be honest, the odd gags were the only redeeming quality of the show this season. Please, no season 3, there's no way they'll weasel their way out of a relationship now...
Nyankoi!: Argh, too short, and they didn't work the "helping 100 cats when you're allergic to them" angle enough. I'm sure they had enough material for 24-26 episodes, but they crammed an entire year (anime time) into 13 episodes. The premise of the show is gone, so unless they think of an excuse to keep going, this will remain a show that could have been a lot more.
At least the theme songs are good...
Blacksmith: See Nyankoi!. Of course, they're screaming "WE'RE GONNA DO A SECOND SEASON!!1!" with that ending.
Sasameki koto: I have to say, even though this production couldn't decide whether to be angst or comedy (it was more of the latter), I found myself enjoying it. Must be the insane-in-the-membrane personalities of the characters.
I should also mention that this isn't just yuri, it's yuri to the extreme, or as the Japanese call it, "gachi-yuri". The sole recurring male student has to cross-dress to get any meaningful attention in the show, which gives you some idea of how yuri it is.
Kampfer: The sole point of the show is to try to bring back the "tortured stuffed animal" toys that were sold at one point in Japan, but failed.
I'm dead serious.
The gags were funny the first time around, but they got recycled again and again as the show progressed. By the time I watched the final episode, I found myself skipping scenes because the plot was so badly conceived (hey, Eva called, it wants its betrayal theme back).
Asura Cryin' 2: I gave up after 3 episodes of fluff. There are a few similarities with Kannazuki no Miko and Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora (aka Shattered Angels)-- apocalyptic themes, giant robots emerging from hammerspace, love triangles, etc.-- but this series lacks the dramatic punch of the former and the angst of the latter (which shouldn't be surprising, as Kaishaku had nothing to do with Asura).
White Album: You know that stereotypical European (usually French) film creator? The kind that tries to take an absurd philosophical perspective in his work just because he can ("Zis is ze French Whose Line is it Anyway?, where nothing matters!")? That's what this reminds me of-- overly artistic, trying to be creative at the expense of realism or what would usually be considered common sense. I will concede that this is a good melodrama, but that doesn't make this a good anime. Besides, if I wanted melodrama taken to the extreme, I would watch School Days. *shudder*
In fact, the show tries so hard to be melodramatic, that it neglects too many of the fundamentals that make a good story great. As a result of all the plot twists and politicking, the ending leaves one unsatisfied.
Oh, well. At least Nana Mizuki got to sing the first theme song at the annual NHK Music Festival.
Sora no Otoshimono: If you like over-the-top fanservice (no explicit nudity like in Queens Blade), if you like over-the-top sexual gags (though not as extreme as Oruchuban Ebichu), and if you want to see a pure-hearted battle angel kick serious ass (though only for one episode), this is the show for you.
The plot and characters (aside from Icarus and Nymph) are pretty much pointless, so I'd watch the last episode and maybe the first 4 episodes. Yeah, the "flying panties" meme is crude, but the main character gets his just desserts for trying to exploit it.
Seito-kai no Ichizon: Every character in the student council has a "fetish" of one form or another, and aside from that (gaping) flaw, each one is otherwise normal. The focus is on the sole male character in the council, whose dream is to turn the council into a "harem".
As the story progresses to the concluding episodes, however, one begins to realize, along with the 4 girls of the student council, that he doesn't mean "harem" in the sense of a sultan's personal cadre of, ah, concubines.
The jokes are fantastic if fast-paced (thankfully not the methamphetamine pace of early GA episodes), and the story concludes on a heartwarming note.
But the guy's chances of getting a girlfriend are still zilch.
Finally, Natsu no Arashi! season 2. Between this and the final episodes of Bakemonogatari, SHAFT is really overextended, I think-- and it shows with the first episode of Hidamari Sketch season 3 (which I'll talk about in the preview). They need to hire animators, and they needed to do it 2 months ago; the last episode of Nadeko Snake was full of filler frames because they couldn't finish the fight sequence in time.
Although I like the show and characters, the plot barely moved at all, and some of the gags were recycled.
Previews for winter season 2010 (Akeome~!)
Chu-Bra: Hot on the heels of Otoshimono comes another show about lingerie... but despite the inevitably embarrassing positions the characters are placed into, this one's about a girl who obsesses over undergarments for girls and women.
Yeah, I know. Japan is nuts.
Hidamari Sketch mittsu-boshi ("3 stars"): New season, 2 new students, so 2 of each school year. Ume-sensei's humor is still fresh and creative. Now if SHAFT could finish those opening and ending animations...
Ohkami-kakushi (Amalgam of "wolf" and "mythological fantasy"): Peach-Pit of Rozen Maiden fame did the character designs, so when I saw the preview, I thought Kyoto Animation was involved-- their art styles are somewhat similar. This one combines school anime with horror/supernatural, and to be honest, the non-horror elements are lacking.
Along a similar vein, Omamori Himari, a comedy about a cursed boy and a cat-eared girl who fights off demons who are out to get him. And in a Nyankoi! twist, he's allergic to cats, too.
Dyurarara!! (onomatopoeia of a motorcycle?): This one's about a modern-day Sleepy Hollow, but in Tokyo-- a headless motorcycle rider. Might be worth it.
Lady x Butler: My-Otome meets Hayate no Gotoku and every bishojo game out there.
Sora no Oto (Sound of the Sky): Valkyria Chronicles or Pumpkin Scissors meets K-On!.
I'm sure the creators of the originals aren't copying from other people, but the timing is starting to get a bit ridiculous...
Nodame Cantabile: Finale: I don't know if Noitamina forces NA licensees to pay huge sums, but there's no NA release of this anime's first season yet-- come to think of it, another Noitamina anime, Honey and Clover was licensed 6 years after the original work aired.
Are they deliberately keeping their legit audience small?
Anyways, seasons 1 and 2 were solid productions with accurate animations of the musicians (seriously, watch any other anime where someone's playing a violin, like Corda d'Oro, and watch a recording of an actual violinist-- practically none of them know how actual musicians hold and play instruments), so I have high hopes for the final season.
Almost forgot: Smack on the front page of its official website, K-On! announced a second season. Groovy.
New season. Reviews, previews. Let's go.
(Still watching: Railgun, Kimi ni Todoke, Tegami-bachi, InuYasha, Kobato)
Nogizaka Haruka season 2: Well, it was one of the better "B" animes out there, but to be honest, the odd gags were the only redeeming quality of the show this season. Please, no season 3, there's no way they'll weasel their way out of a relationship now...
Nyankoi!: Argh, too short, and they didn't work the "helping 100 cats when you're allergic to them" angle enough. I'm sure they had enough material for 24-26 episodes, but they crammed an entire year (anime time) into 13 episodes. The premise of the show is gone, so unless they think of an excuse to keep going, this will remain a show that could have been a lot more.
At least the theme songs are good...
Blacksmith: See Nyankoi!. Of course, they're screaming "WE'RE GONNA DO A SECOND SEASON!!1!" with that ending.
Sasameki koto: I have to say, even though this production couldn't decide whether to be angst or comedy (it was more of the latter), I found myself enjoying it. Must be the insane-in-the-membrane personalities of the characters.
I should also mention that this isn't just yuri, it's yuri to the extreme, or as the Japanese call it, "gachi-yuri". The sole recurring male student has to cross-dress to get any meaningful attention in the show, which gives you some idea of how yuri it is.
Kampfer: The sole point of the show is to try to bring back the "tortured stuffed animal" toys that were sold at one point in Japan, but failed.
I'm dead serious.
The gags were funny the first time around, but they got recycled again and again as the show progressed. By the time I watched the final episode, I found myself skipping scenes because the plot was so badly conceived (hey, Eva called, it wants its betrayal theme back).
Asura Cryin' 2: I gave up after 3 episodes of fluff. There are a few similarities with Kannazuki no Miko and Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora (aka Shattered Angels)-- apocalyptic themes, giant robots emerging from hammerspace, love triangles, etc.-- but this series lacks the dramatic punch of the former and the angst of the latter (which shouldn't be surprising, as Kaishaku had nothing to do with Asura).
White Album: You know that stereotypical European (usually French) film creator? The kind that tries to take an absurd philosophical perspective in his work just because he can ("Zis is ze French Whose Line is it Anyway?, where nothing matters!")? That's what this reminds me of-- overly artistic, trying to be creative at the expense of realism or what would usually be considered common sense. I will concede that this is a good melodrama, but that doesn't make this a good anime. Besides, if I wanted melodrama taken to the extreme, I would watch School Days. *shudder*
In fact, the show tries so hard to be melodramatic, that it neglects too many of the fundamentals that make a good story great. As a result of all the plot twists and politicking, the ending leaves one unsatisfied.
Oh, well. At least Nana Mizuki got to sing the first theme song at the annual NHK Music Festival.
Sora no Otoshimono: If you like over-the-top fanservice (no explicit nudity like in Queens Blade), if you like over-the-top sexual gags (though not as extreme as Oruchuban Ebichu), and if you want to see a pure-hearted battle angel kick serious ass (though only for one episode), this is the show for you.
The plot and characters (aside from Icarus and Nymph) are pretty much pointless, so I'd watch the last episode and maybe the first 4 episodes. Yeah, the "flying panties" meme is crude, but the main character gets his just desserts for trying to exploit it.
Seito-kai no Ichizon: Every character in the student council has a "fetish" of one form or another, and aside from that (gaping) flaw, each one is otherwise normal. The focus is on the sole male character in the council, whose dream is to turn the council into a "harem".
As the story progresses to the concluding episodes, however, one begins to realize, along with the 4 girls of the student council, that he doesn't mean "harem" in the sense of a sultan's personal cadre of, ah, concubines.
The jokes are fantastic if fast-paced (thankfully not the methamphetamine pace of early GA episodes), and the story concludes on a heartwarming note.
But the guy's chances of getting a girlfriend are still zilch.
Finally, Natsu no Arashi! season 2. Between this and the final episodes of Bakemonogatari, SHAFT is really overextended, I think-- and it shows with the first episode of Hidamari Sketch season 3 (which I'll talk about in the preview). They need to hire animators, and they needed to do it 2 months ago; the last episode of Nadeko Snake was full of filler frames because they couldn't finish the fight sequence in time.
Although I like the show and characters, the plot barely moved at all, and some of the gags were recycled.
Previews for winter season 2010 (Akeome~!)
Chu-Bra: Hot on the heels of Otoshimono comes another show about lingerie... but despite the inevitably embarrassing positions the characters are placed into, this one's about a girl who obsesses over undergarments for girls and women.
Yeah, I know. Japan is nuts.
Hidamari Sketch mittsu-boshi ("3 stars"): New season, 2 new students, so 2 of each school year. Ume-sensei's humor is still fresh and creative. Now if SHAFT could finish those opening and ending animations...
Ohkami-kakushi (Amalgam of "wolf" and "mythological fantasy"): Peach-Pit of Rozen Maiden fame did the character designs, so when I saw the preview, I thought Kyoto Animation was involved-- their art styles are somewhat similar. This one combines school anime with horror/supernatural, and to be honest, the non-horror elements are lacking.
Along a similar vein, Omamori Himari, a comedy about a cursed boy and a cat-eared girl who fights off demons who are out to get him. And in a Nyankoi! twist, he's allergic to cats, too.
Dyurarara!! (onomatopoeia of a motorcycle?): This one's about a modern-day Sleepy Hollow, but in Tokyo-- a headless motorcycle rider. Might be worth it.
Lady x Butler: My-Otome meets Hayate no Gotoku and every bishojo game out there.
Sora no Oto (Sound of the Sky): Valkyria Chronicles or Pumpkin Scissors meets K-On!.
I'm sure the creators of the originals aren't copying from other people, but the timing is starting to get a bit ridiculous...
Nodame Cantabile: Finale: I don't know if Noitamina forces NA licensees to pay huge sums, but there's no NA release of this anime's first season yet-- come to think of it, another Noitamina anime, Honey and Clover was licensed 6 years after the original work aired.
Are they deliberately keeping their legit audience small?
Anyways, seasons 1 and 2 were solid productions with accurate animations of the musicians (seriously, watch any other anime where someone's playing a violin, like Corda d'Oro, and watch a recording of an actual violinist-- practically none of them know how actual musicians hold and play instruments), so I have high hopes for the final season.
Almost forgot: Smack on the front page of its official website, K-On! announced a second season. Groovy.