Review: Anime Winter Season 2016 – Second Episodes

If you enjoyed my reviews for the first episodes of the anime winter season, then I’m back for the second episodes. I couldn’t quite make it through everything for a second and third episode roundup, but hopefully before the fourth episodes I’ll get there. You’ll also notice that this list is much shorter… like much shorter. I trimmed the fat quickly and I don’t regret it. If there’s something you’re watching that I’m not, let me know how it’s going and maybe I’ll check it out again.

ERASED – 5/5

FUCK! This show is so fucking good! This is one of the few I already watched the third episode of, but the second episode didn’t disappoint. We see the main character, who’s 29, in his younger body trying to figure out school. He’s trying to remember his friends, where he sits and figure out why he’s gone back in time so far. We also see him connect with his mother and remember moments that he had clearly forgotten when he was older. Their relationship is very different from what we saw in the future. The only thing better about this episode is the next one. So fucking good and I can’t stay away. I had thought about waiting until it was over to binge it, but I can’t. I’m dying to see more and unravel the mystery.

SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU – 4/5

Not quite as good as the first episode because it was missing some key components, mainly the characters that were so good. It was still a really good episode though as we see the Rakugo master becoming an apprentice and the events in his life that lead him there. It’s interesting for sure and it really makes me wonder how the story arrived at the point we saw it at. I’m definitely sticking with this one and looking forward to the third episode.

DAGASHI KASHI – 2/5

I love the art. I love the character designs. I hate the story. It’s just a candy ad. Some of it is cultural and so it’s lost on me, but comedy is universal and these jokes suck... a lot. The purple hair chick should be 200 lbs considering all she eats is candy, but she’s not. She really only eats candy and the plot didn’t move forward at all in this episode. I don’t know if I’ll bother with the third.

GRIMGAR OF FANTASY AND ASH – 4/5

Grimgar is surprisingly good. We see our group kill their first goblin and it’s rough on them. They get injured and see that this goblin wants to live as much as they do. Killing it, isn’t a simple and careless task. There’s a lot of emotions put on this episode on all ends of the spectrum. Also the art looks like something off of the promo art for Final Fantasy Tactics which should be enough reason for anyone to check it out.

GIVE BLESSING TO THIS WONDERFUL WORLD – 2/5

Talk about a disappointment. The beginning of the episode was okay, but then it added the eventual third character which is a shame. This series really could have broken the mold and just kept it a duo, but nope… had to go typical. The third character is so bad and over the top that they’re not funny. Their motivation sucks and they’re there just to pad the character count. I’m giving it another episode, but I was really disappointed by how boring and generic this episode was.

MYRIAD COLORS PHANTOM WORLD – 3/5

This second episode was okay. They add another character because… anime. The new character eats the yokai to seal them and there’s more boob stuff. I did enjoy the scene in which the main character attempted not to be typical during the mandatory “fall on top of each other scene”, but that his little fairy friend got in the way and made it worse. Otherwise it was just okay and I will give it another episode.

PLEASE TELL ME! GALKO-CHAN – 2/5

Remember when I said that this was worth 8 minutes of viewing… I was wrong. Second episode sucked. The jokes are for teenagers that know nothing about human biology or at least the biology of the opposite sex and the jokes just wear thin. It should be a nice trip down, “I remember being a dumb teenager” lane, but instead it’s a little too dumb. I might watch one more episode, but the effort to view it is starting to outweigh the entertainment.

GIRLS BEYOND THE WASTELAND – 3/5

This series gets a point just for not wasting my fucking time by having them spend half the season collecting their characters together like Boring Girlfriend did. That doesn’t mean I like it, just that it didn’t waste fucking time doing that and I appreciated it. Ever since the swerve at the end of the first episode I have been bored by this “let’s explore the otaku genre” story. Once or twice is special, every damn season… not so much. It’s like a comic book about making comic books that reboots every six issues. I’m tired of it.

DIMENSION W – 3/5

I checked this one out again because Robert aka Mr. Skippo said he liked it. It was actually okay. I’m still not in love with the world and I find the mystery to be extremely transparent. Here’s a hint… there are no such thing as illegal coils. The characters are okay and I’m really not sure why they’re making the girl robot/not-robot be cutsey with the main dude, oh wait… anime. I liked his backstory and I think that would have made a better series to follow. And I have to mention that I find the dancing during the opening to be beyond ridick and doesn’t match the tone of the show. I will probably give this another shot.

BUBUKI BURANKI – 3/5

I want to rate this higher, but the story is just too fucking confusing. I like it and we get a bit more info, but some of it still doesn’t make sense. Why did the mom go to the island to stop other Buranki from falling? Why the fuck are they up there in the first place? Where the fuck are his sister and father? The entire landscape of the world is still super confusing and the dickhead character is beyond unlikable. I feel no sympathy for him because he basically kicks puppies and we’re supposed to feel bad because his dad’s got a drinking problem, pshh! My dad’s got a drinking problem I don’t go around beating up animals and being an utter dickhead. I might ride this one out to the end, but I’m beginning to think that there’s too much the world needs to explain in order for it to work and it’s not showing it, but rather telling it and even that is a rarity.

ACTIVE RAID – 2/5

More of the same. A villain is introduced and big surprise, the new girl sent to spy ends up doing the same amount of damage as the rest of the team. This series would be great if it wasn’t trying to make fun of politics at the same time. It’s too corny, too often, for me to give a damn. And as good as the art is on the suits, the rest of the animation is pretty generic. It’s good, but nothing we haven’t seen before. That and one of the gags for the episode involved the boss and her sister and they were the exact same animation. I get that that was the joke, but it wasn’t funny. Kind of lazy and stupid if you ask me. It was a maybe before and now it’s a no.

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Well there you go, second episodes done! I should have the third episodes done sooner than later and be just in time for the fourth episodes or just barely late for them. Let me know your thoughts and if any of these shows have caught your attention.

Review: Anime Winter Season 2016 – First Episodes

There are a ton of new animes this winter season and rather than just reviewing a few I decided to do a quick review of all of them. Well, not all of them. Just the ones that were new or weren’t continuing a new season. I’ll be honest I think I skipped one or two that I just knew absolutely weren’t for me. After watching over twenty episodes… well there were a few more I wish I had outright skipped. More than likely I will check in with these reviews narrowing down my list because watching twenty plus animes is really time-consuming just for these small reviews. Though a few of the better series may actually get full episode reviews in the near future. At any rate, I will also be adding whether or not I plan on continuing with the series or not. Enjoy and please leave a comment letting us know what you’re watching or not watching.

ACTIVE RAID – Maybe

It wasn’t the worst show I watched, but it seemed fairly obvious with its formula. Mech suits and bureaucracy. The humor comes from the bureaucracy and the red tape that the team has to cut through in order to get the job done. They bend rules, blackmail and really a bunch of non-morally questionable stuff that of course goes against the rules and shit. Frankly it wasn’t very interesting and it’s pretty predictable as to what’s going to happen. The only reason I would check it out is to see if there’s any real meat to the story or if it’s just formulaic shit.

AJIN – No

I hate the art style. It’s that’s cell-shaded CGI stuff and while this is probably one of the better looking series to use it, the story wasn’t there. Ajin are basically immortals that just showed up a few years ago on everyone’s radar and now I’m to believe that they teach about them in grade school even though no one knows dick about them. Big old pass for me. Especially since it’s the whinny crybaby lead, “I don’t know why life is like this!” Yeah… me either.

FOUR RHYTHM ACROSS THE BLUE – No

Four Rhythm Across the Blue is a harem comedy of sorts. It’s about an island with flying shoes and they race calling it a fucking circus or some shit. I could actually tell you what it is, but it’s just dumb. There’s a boy that doesn’t like to use the flying tech, obviously there’s something tragic tied to his past, but a new girl will bring him out of it. I was bored with just how typical and average this was. I’m also really tired of thinking I’ve found a show without a male lead only to be duped by the art.

ERASED – Yes… hell yes.

Erased was one of three shows that I enjoyed the ever-loving shit out of from the beginning to end. The concept behind this show is kind of like the movie the Butterfly Effect, but our main character gets “Revival’s” that Groundhog Day him a few minutes into the past. After a big event happens he finds himself transported back to his childhood. Fan-fucking-tastic.

BUBUKI BURANKI – Yes

This is a very soft yes. I loved the opening and the concept there, but then it moved settings and picked up a lot of tropes that are a bit overdone now thanks to Attack on Titan. It has the potential to be good, but it depends on how revealing it’s going to be. The opening saw a father and his two kids shot back down to earth in a mech suit. The government used the crash to cause drama and basic magic users are hunted and imprisoned. There’s more, but it would take a full review. The art is great and again, there’s potential, but the main character is a bit of a crybaby and there’s a large cast of supporting characters.

DAGASHI KASHI – Yes

I expect nothing from this show. It’s about a candy shop owner who’s been recruited by a candy company heir to work for her. The catch is that he wants his son to take over their candy shop and he wants to be a manga artist. It’s weird and funny and that’s about all there is to it. It could get really typical, but for now it’s enjoyable and has great animation.

DIMENSION W – Maybe

The world has clean and free energy being pumped to it from another dimension… go ahead and guess which one. There’s a collector dude that chases down illegal “Tesla Cells” in exchange for gas for his classic car. He loves blades and runs into an android girl that’s a bit more than she appears. It was okay. I doubt very much that it has anything to offer in the way of surprises that I couldn’t already figure out for myself and may give it one more episode.

DIVINE GATE – No

Divine Gate has a tragic hero who can use water powers. Why? Because certain people can use elements and via a device and such. Our main character is literally always crying either inside or out. His parents suck and his brother probably killed them, but he took the blame because they served him cold food and made him live in the shed. It was real whatever and quickly became a chore to get through. The art was good and that was about all.

GRIMGAR OF FANTASY AND ASH – Yes

Basically a bunch of high school kids are transported to another land in which they get to live like RPG characters. It’s some real D&D type stuff and its pretty damn cool, even if they don’t know they’re living like that. I’m curious about why they’re there and if they can be successful. That and one of them actually got to pick to be a thief and join a guild. It’s cool stuff and the animation is very different. It’s like a water painting a lot of times. Hopefully it continues to be just as good as the series goes on.

HARUTA & CHIKA – No

I actually gave this one two episodes because I wasn’t quite sure after the first. It’s a solid “No” now. I love stories about musical instruments, but this one… well it could be anything. It could be a fucking kickball team because the music really doesn’t matter that much. There’s a of research, but it doesn’t seem genuine. It comes across more like someone watched Kids on the Slope and thought, I can do a story with musical instruments. That and the main character knows way too much for his age making him a very Sherlock-lite type of character, but twice as annoying. I honestly hope to never think about it again.

GIVE BLESSING TO THIS WONDERFUL WORLD – Yes

At first this seems a little like How To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, but then it got strangely good. An otaku dies saving a girl only to learn that he died of shock and the girl would have been fine. The goddess that’s in charge of his afterlife assignment entices him to pick another dimension to go to. He’ll be able to keep living there rather than be reborn or go to heaven. He’s allowed to pick one item to bring with him and he picks her. They bond in the first episode and it’s pretty deep and quite good. I really enjoyed this one and the art was of course really detailed and colorful.

KOUKAKU NO PANDORA – No

This is one of those that I should have trusted my gut about and skipped. The concept is okay. A girl has been put in an android body because of an accident or medical reason. A crime lord runs into her and befriends her, manipulates her and uses her. It’s pretty obvious where it’s going. I might end up giving it one more episode to see if I’m correct, but I won’t lose sleep over it. Great animation because it’s 100% women, I think maybe one dude might have been accidentally animated.

SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU – Yes, Fuck Yes!

This might end up being the crown jewel of the season. The first episode is the length of two normal episodes and it was incredibly good. The animation has the production value of a movie rather than a weekly TV series. The story, well that’s hard to explain. It’s about the dying art of Rakugo and it will make you want to revive it yourself. The characters are complex, the stories they tell are fitting and match what they’re going through in life, it’s by far one of the most impressive animations I’ve seen in years. Watch it!

GIRLS BEYOND THE WASTELAND – Maybe

I’m getting a little tired of the Otaku harem genre. This one almost seemed interesting because I didn’t read the synopsis beforehand, but then when the swerve came at the end I sighed a lot. Let’s make a dating sim… oh well. The animation was actually really good, mostly it was the coloring and I enjoyed how it started off just showing this dude’s life and how he was a bit different from everyone else. Then it went typical and that sucks.

SCHWARZESMARKEN – No, Hell No

Schwarzesmarken is the result of combining Attack on Titan with the mech suit genre and some weird fascination with Germany post World War II. If you know your history you should be a little concerned about this fascination because the creators are trying to basically make a new Nazi empire, but they’re doing it subtly. It’s not great. It’s pretty bad. The characters suck. The world sucks. The CGI on the aliens suck. It’s not a good story and you really could have played another angle with another country and maybe been fine. Instead it went risqué and it didn’t pay off in my book. Instead it raised some flags.

UNDEFEATED BAHAMUT CHRONICLE – No

Let me get this straight… you have a school of elite soldiers, all of which are women, but when a real attack comes they all run and leave the one dude on campus to do most of the work in defeating it? Now that doesn’t unempower the entire school now does it. This story has one and only one interesting thing going for it: the former royalty has to wear collars as punishment. That’s it. The rest is so typical fan service, with mech’s as the added element. Lots of mech stories this season, not a lot of fan service shows and even less that are actually good.

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2: THE ANIMATION – No

This is a commercial for the game right? The game that you can’t play because Sega is a shell of its former self. The story is about a high school boy picked at random to be the student council vice president and his only job is to play Phantasy Star Online… 2. It’s terrible. It’s predictable. It made me want to play the game, but I know it’s so far past its prime that it’s not worth it. It brought back some good memories and for that I thank it, but I will bow out before it ruins said memories.

PLEASE TELL ME! GALKO-CHAN – Yes

This is one of those really mature short animations. There’s not really a story, just a big boobed blonde and her know-it-all friend. They’re all sexual or weird questions that are asked and then answered and then somewhat acted out by the blonde… because she’s dumb. It’s okay, for 8 minutes I can keep watching it and hope for a few laughs.

NURSE WITCH KOMUGI-CHAN R – No

This was another show I knew wasn’t for me. What I didn’t know was that it was for kids. It’s basically just the magic girl genre mixed with the new idol genre that seems to be growing and growing. Sorry, but cartoon idols aren’t interesting to me and so I don’t watch any show with idols in it. Also, no idea where the name comes from. Must have missed it when I started zoning the fuck out.

NORN 9: NORN + NONET

Everyone’s got powers, the time line is wrong, they’re on some kind of fucking space ship and one of them is a traitor. That’s all I got from this show. I could again tell that it wasn’t for me, but I tried. I hated it. The story was intentionally confusing which isn’t the sign of complex storytelling, but rather people who think they’re being complex. It came across as a show that was trying to give people characters to cosplay rather than characters to care about.

RAINBOW DAYS – Maybe

I didn’t expect much from this one since I usually would have passed on it. An emotional teen boy has found his dream girl, but she’s weird and sleeps a lot. She also works at a karaoke club and sleeps on a teacher’s couch a lot. It was okay, but only because of the supporting cast. I would give it another few episodes before I decided to drop it completely. After all, it’s rare to find an anime about one boy and one girl.

MYRIAD COLORS PHANTOM WORLD – Maybe

Fan service and yokais. That’s basically all there is to this. I’m not joking. I have nothing else to say about it. It could get decent, but considering the main female character must rub her breasts to use her magic… well that says it all.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THUNDERBOLT – Yes

You cannot like the mech/Gundam genre, but you’d be hard pressed not to like this series. It’s mature, its animated like a movie and the jazz is great. It’s Gundam through and through, but there’s just something really gritty about this iteration. The story is pretty typical at the moment, but it’s clearly going to follow two soldiers, one in the Gundam and one in whatever they’ll deck him out with. But it’s an interesting look at war and reminds me of World War II dog fight pilots. Good stuff.

LUCK & LOGIC – No

I’ve seen enough magic harem comedy/actions to know that Luck & Logic isn’t anything special. It’s trying to be, but it introduced all the tropes for this hodgepodge genre in the first episode. It also took forever to get rolling and even longer to make sense of what the timeline was. It was really whatever and I didn’t even care to finish the last few minutes it was that redundant of a show.

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Well there you have it. Since the second episodes for most or all of these shows are already out, more than likely I’ll jump back on with the third episodes for my review, but you can expect at least three individual series reviews in the future as well. I’d love to hear what others are watching or not watching.

Review: Boruto: Naruto The Movie

Seeing Boruto: Naruto the Movie at NYCC with a room full of insane Naruto fans, after having the movie introduced by Kishimoto himself, is far and away the most exciting experience I've had at the movies ever. Burned out from two full days of commuting to the city super-early for NYCC, I got up slightly later than usual to catch a 9-ish train into the city, in order to get on line for Boruto at the Hammerstein Ballroom around 10:30.  I knew the showing would be at 11:30, so there was no way I'd be first in line, but I'd probably beat all of the slackers underestimating how long the line was going to be.

Sure enough, the line was already too long to see the entrance to the ballroom.  People had likely been filtering in since sunrise, or at least as long as they were allowed to stand there, since the first one hundred people in line got to attend a special signing with Kishimoto.  I had thought about trying to make that, but there was talk of some people camping out for the opportunity, and one day, let alone two days of NYCC, makes my bed too tempting for any such shenanigans.

Okay, fine, I'll talk about the movie.

Boruto fucking rocked.  It fucking rocked my face off.  Everything about seeing that movie in the context of NYCC and the Kishimoto festivities was incredibly unique and supremely special for me as a fan of the series for roughly half of its fifteen year run.  I can't even imagine what that all felt like to someone following the series longer than me, but regardless of who was following Naruto the longest, the crowd--mostly made up of early college and late high school folks--was so loud, so engaged, so much fun to watch the movie with that I completely forgot how much I absolutely hate people making noise during films.

Boruto is the story of Naruto's son, "Boruto," and the fact that he has to deal with his father's general absence from his life because of his duties as Hokage, head of the ninja village of Konoha.  Kishimoto has always put a lot of himself into Naruto's character, and this was no exception: here, Kishimoto is empathizing with his own children and what it must have been like to have a father who was similarly dedicated to the village of Konoha.  Of course, Kishimoto was drawing Konoha, scribbling away non-stop for the better part of fifteen years, and not ruling Konoha like Naruto.  But the time-consuming responsibilities of a mangaka rival many world leaders, I assume.

Kishimoto had a hand in this movie in a way he has not in any of the previous movies: he wrote the entire screenplay himself.  Additionally, Boruto is itself a continuation of the events of the series after the fact in a way that only The Last Naruto Movie (what an unfortunate name the second-to-last Naruto movie has, huh?) has done before.  So, rather than being filler, or semi-canon that fans can write off, Boruto is not only an extension of the Naruto series but a final augmentation carried out by Kishimoto himself.

I talked about this in my reviews of the Scarlet Spring manga mini Kishimoto wrote about the later years of Naruto's life as Hokage, but Naruto as a series is and always has been a story with a massive emphasis on legacy.  An individual's talents in Naruto are tied inextricably and explicitly to a web of influence which usually takes the form of an unbroken teaching lineage that can be traced back to the roots of the ninja world itself.  It's something no other series has quite done the same, and was, to my mind, by far the most unique as well as the strongest aspect of Naruto as a series.

Ending the series with Boruto, then--and I mean, really, actually, legitimately, finally ending this fucking series--is a stroke of genius on Kishimoto's part.  Sure, maybe it leaves things open for future sequels (I really hope not), but more than that, it emphasizes that just as Naruto's generation had their teachers, Boruto's generation has its teachers, and its own unique dynamic as to how those teachers relate to their students.  Additionally, Boruto crams a handful of commentary on modern life versus an older way of doing things and, because it wraps things in the context of the ninja world, never seems preachy or condescending.

This was a movie about not taking shortcuts, appreciating what others can teach you, and appreciating that you yourself are only really teachable if you're willing to bust your own ass on your own time.  There's really a lot of intellectual and emotional material jammed into this one movie, and considering it is, for all intents and purposes, Kishimoto's first complete movie screenplay, it's a pretty damn impressive outing in that respect.

Fans of Naruto will want for almost nothing in this movie.  Understandably some things will go unexplored because it has the runtime of a film and not a filler-laden two hundred episode anime season.  Further, the villains are, essentially, leftovers, but this does prevent this film from detracting from the ending of the Naruto series proper.  The fight scenes are some of the best in Naruto since early Shippuden and, in some respects, they are actually much more tightly choreographed.  The movie wastes no time catapulting the viewers into a stellar opening fight scene.  Still, the overall quality of animation sometimes leaves the viewer wanting, as I find the style to be more washed-out than early Naruto and early Shippuden, but there are still plenty of visually stunning set-pieces.

I know fans probably want me to gush about what characters are in it, what kind of moments they have, what new jutsu people learn, how they kill everyone off--yeah, I'm not going into any of this.  The cheers that each character received during their first appearance on the screen are probably only going to be echoed in the other screenings by two or three people, rather than the entirety of the Hammerstein Ballroom.  I'll let you savor that sliver of the Naruto fandom yourself, because you all deserve to be as excited about watching this film as I was.

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Score: 5/5

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Boruto: Naruto The Movie Director: Hiroyuki Yamashita Writers: Masashi Kishimoto, Ukyō Kodachi Run Time: 105 Mins Release Date: 8/7/15

2015’s Top Summer Anime

The summer anime season brought out too many shows to watch. Frankly I couldn’t keep up with it all and I doubt you could either (sadly, fall’s lineup looks more intense!). Because I couldn’t keep up you may have noticed that I didn’t post a single damn review for shows. I know, I know… what a dick move. Anyway, below you’ll find my list of shows that stood out and were worth watching in my opinion.

Prison School

Hands down the best anime I’ve seen in a while. When you put aside how perverted this series is, you’ll actually find a well-plotted story that’s pretty incredible. It covers all the prison tropes and all the high-school tropes at the same time. Even better is the schemes to escape the prison and the battle between the prisoners and their jailors the Underground Student Counsel.

The comedy is also very intelligent. Sure there’s easy jokes like sex and such, but the interaction with the Principal and his daughter was always amazing and subtle. Not so much for when he would get busted for being a pig, but for how he would learn from the experience and improve for the next battle.

I doubt I’m alone when I say that Hana’s story was the most interesting and strangest to watch unfold. Especially the last two episodes which are just nuts and left me wondering how the hell this wasn’t censored to the point of being unwatchable.

The artwork was my favorite of the season. Mostly because it walks the line of what you’d expect from an anime, ie, being gorgeous to look at and all the women are beautiful, to being incredibly ugly. There are so many times when there’s a close up on someone that is just painfully gross or awkward, but it becomes one of the funniest things about the series.

Overall, this was the show that made me want to watch more the minute I was done with an episode. I couldn’t get enough and I hope that a follow up isn’t far behind. In the meantime, I’ll be picking up the manga.

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Charlotte

I almost didn’t watch this one because of the name. That would have been a mistake. The premise is that teens have super powers. The catch is that they’re really incomplete powers like teleporting, but not being able to control the landing and getting hurt in the process. The show starts off simple, but then every few episodes destroys the status quo.

It’s amazing that way. After a character’s death the main character goes off the deep end and it’s just fucking great. Once he’s pulled back from the edge though and you think we’re getting the story back on track… bam, it happens again. These shocking moments work because until they hit the series feels like a rom-com. Afterwards, it feels like a drama with lighthearted moments.

The artwork is killer. It’s some of the best of the season in my opinion. Very detailed, but also colored wonderfully. There’s clearly a big budget here and they used it to create a series and world that looks wonderful. And when I say “world” they really travel the entire world.

Lastly I will tell you it’s called Charlotte because of a comet. I had to watch ten episodes to learn that and each week I just wondered why the hell it was called Charlotte when no one had that name. It’s a solid show that offers a lot of surprises and a new look at teens with powers. Think of it as a flawed X-Men.

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GATE

I’m fairly certain that Gate will run into the fall season, but this series has been a treat. Sure it has harem elements, but the concept it what sets this story apart. Japan is invaded by another realm that is more in line with our fictional medieval fantasy literature. Obviously once the Defense Force is organized they make quick work of the invaders, but now Japan is left with the problem of what to do with the portal to another world.

There’s politics involved, military protocol and basically a lot of things that given the situation would really happen if it was the real world. The main character is a lovable oaf and yet brave, caring and a natural leader. He saves the show and though he has a very generic harem of supporting characters, the story never falls into the trap of dealing with him picking a girl. The world and story are just bigger than that.

The animation is also very well done. There’s a ton of detail and the animation team had to illustrate both modern Japan and a medieval fantasy world. The battles in particular are very detailed and realistic looking.

If you’re looking for a story that’s different and really holds a lot of real world views, then you’ll want to check this one out.

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A Boring World Where the Concept of a Dirty Joke Doesn’t Exist

That’s a super long and annoying title. I liked this show, but I didn’t love it. There were some great moments, but the final third of the show really fell flat for me. The big baddie of the series could have easily been defeated had the main characters just communicated better and not rushed into everything. The title didn’t match up. A dirty joke to me is more than just saying Penis or Dingleberries, but the show would have you believe that those words and words like them are dirty jokes.

The concept was funny though and I’m again amazed that so much of this was able to air the way it was. In the story Japan has had all perversion eliminated from it to the point that young girls and boys have no idea when they’re looking at the others genitalia. SOX is a group that is out to inform the public of sex and basically pornography at the same time.

The best part of this story was Anna. She’s insane, but her “love nectar” scenes were magical. Also I loved that she basically ends up having all the same neuroses as all the other perverts, but somehow she’s not a pervert because she only cares about one guy and the preservation of innocence.

This was a decent show. I had fun with it for the most part, but it was pretty heavily censored. Unlike the other shows, they chose to make the censoring “fun” and instead it just became really annoying and bothersome. If you’re looking for some real pervert shit, this is for you.

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Gangsta.

After hearing some great stuff about the Gangsta manga, I was really looking forward to this series. The world and concept are pretty interesting. There’s a group of people with enhanced abilities that are known as “Dog-Tags” because their classified by strength and speed. They’re treated like third-class citizens and their existence has brought special rules for the city. There’s a lot more, but I feel like I could spend way too much time explaining this and still not do it justice.

Our two main characters are Handymen and basically do odd jobs for the city. One of them is a gigolo and the other is a Dog-Tag. They have a long history with each other and during the first episode they save a hooker and take her in to stay with them. She’s our window into this world and our character’s lives.

The pacing isn’t great. It takes a lot of episodes to learn all about the world. Thankfully the story also builds up a coming conflict at the same time, but that too felt slow building as well. Another slow aspect, the reveal of our main character’s backstory. We learn some, but you kind of want the story to give you the cliff notes already so you know.

The animation is good. The action could be better and overall I liked the character designs. It’s an interesting world populated by interesting characters, but I wish it wouldn’t sit around so much. It did have my favorite opening which is saying something since I hate almost every anime opening and closing.

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My Wife is the Student Council President!

Another series with a title that’s way too long. This was the season for softcore hentai shows apparently. I have to wonder how they got away with so much though. My Wife… is actually a seven-minute show. Usually I don’t bother with these shows, but I found the pacing and the way the story was layered to be pretty good. It’s actually the perfect high school show because it kind of goes through a lot of what high school relationships are about, but obviously cranks them up a bit.

The animation was solid for how short the episodes were. If anything its worth checking out for the main character and just how difficult his life gets by having his “wife” live with him.

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Jitsuwata, The Truth is I Am

There’s always going to be at least one harem comedy per a season. It’s been a while since I saw a truly great one, but Jitsuwata is the one I enjoyed this season. Basically there’s a student in high school who can’t hide his emotions or the truth from anyone. One day he discovers that the girl he has a crush on is a vampire, but by discovering her secret she’s forced to leave school. He promises not to let her secret be discovered so she can stay. Along the way he learns other girl’s secrets and finds out that his school is strange as hell.

The story is all a bit typical. There’s a few curves, including a major one at the end, but then it gets back on track to the expect ending which hasn’t aired as of writing this. This is one of those Tenchi Muyo type shows though in which the main character will never actually pick a character because for some damn reason creators don’t want to piss off part of the fan base that may be rooting for a different girl.

Anyway, it’s a fun story, not a great one. The animation itself is pretty good and falls in line with what you’d except from the high school harem genre including an amusement park and swimming scene.

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The Instructor of Aerial Combat Wizard Candidates

What the hell is with these long ass titles? This is another kinda sorta harem story, but there’s a lot more drama. I almost didn’t watch it, but once I burned through a few episodes I became interested in seeing how the main character was going to out clever everyone else. Otherwise the characters are generic and lack any depth.

I also didn’t see this one becoming a harem style show since there’s a slight age gap between the one male character and the female characters, but I guess that was their way of playing off the teacher/student romance angle without it being too gross. None of the girls have much of a reason to like the dude other than the fact that he gives them the time of day and pays attention to them, but hey… I guess that is enough. At times, he’s a bit too smart, but sometimes that’s enough to hold my interest. Also I liked the dystopian future it created even if I didn’t understand why magic users were forgotten by the rest of the world if they died. It’s an average series at best and really just something to fill the time or just a guilty pleasure. If high schoolers with magic weapons fighting space beetles sounds interesting, then check it out. I needed this first season to deliver a bit more on the background of the world and so I doubt I’ll check out the second season… if it even manages to get one.

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Well that’s my list. I’m sure there were some others worth checking out, but this is what I had time and interest for. If you have a list, let me know in the comments and look for my next list of anime shows which will be about what I’m looking forward to checking out from the coming fall season.

Review: Show By Rock! 1.2 & 1.3

I didn’t think I’d be back with another review for Show By Rock! The first episode wasn’t the greatest thing in the world and the three styles of animation was very off-putting. Yet here I am talking about episodes 2 and 3 (I kind of dragged my feet on episode 2). The thing that gets me is that the main animation is really good and the character designs are fantastic. Some of my concerns about the first episode were addressed and others were only kind of brought up and ignored. For instance the Manager (he’s the little egg guy) was toned down a lot in both episodes. It makes his jokes actually hit with the super detailed animation they love to use on him. They also toned down the CG super cute style which was the best thing they could have done.

Things not really addressed… Cyan. The Strawberry Heart guitar gives her some insight saying that she’ll be called upon to save the planet and she comments saying she hopes to get it done before Golden Week. Not, where is my family, just before Golden Week. Obviously that’s not the point of the story, but it’s still strange to see it completely ignored.

The second episode introduces label mates Shingan Crimsonz which is the boy band. They’re all basically the same character and each is more over the top than the last. The story largely focuses on them as they get a gig to open for the other band introduced in the first episode. On the Plasmagica side the girls begin to bond when Cyan sings a song in the bathtub.

With the third episode the girl’s band is challenged to a “Battle of the Bands” which pits them against a middle school band on a rival label. Plasmagica is faced with their biggest problem, they’re technically sound, but they don’t have charisma. Cyan fixes this somewhat when she tweaks a song at the last-minute, but only when Retoree says she’s giving up and going home. The episode focused a lot on Retoree who joined the band to make friends which make her and Cyan kindred spirits. Ultimately the girls lose the battle, but they’re spirits are renewed and every one of course is paying closer attention to Cyan whether she knows it or not.

There’s still technically three animation styles which is annoying and not my thing, but I guess a lot of people like it that way. There’s the main animation which is great looking (see pictures), there’s the CG super cute animation and then the 2-D super cute animation that’s used for the audience while the bands are in CG super cute mode. It makes for a rough transition back and forth. It’s a shame because the normal animation is really good. In fact some of the best of the season, but I guess this way gives them less to animate overall.

The story is predictable, but I like the humor and the main animation enough that I’ll keep watching it. Hell the toned down Egg manager is enough of a reason to keep watching at this point. I doubt I’m ever really going to fall for the story, but as long as it continues to be simple and amusing I’ll give it a view. Who knows if I’ll continue reviewing it though.

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Score: 3/5

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Show By Rock! Episode 2: “With Our Crimson Gaze… etc” Episode 3: “Yes! Idol Declaration” Official Website show by rock! 1.2 & 1.3

Review: Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches 1.1 & 1.2

I didn’t have a chance to review the first episode of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches last week, which is a shame because it’s easily one of my favorites of the season already. I love the simplicity of the story and the fact that it’s funny without trying hard. The first episode introduces us to the bad boy of the school Yamada, he’s got a mean look and blue hair and walks as if his nuts are constantly being pinched or an example for people who don’t get that, as if he just got done riding a horse. He has no friends and basically everyone fears him. His teacher tells him to be more like the class “ace” Shiraishi which annoys him. So much so that he races her up the stairs and as he looks back at her with arrogance he slips and falls into her causing them both to fall down the stairs.

Yamada wakes up in the Nurse’s office only now he’s in Shiraishi’s body and he’s very confused, but then being a man he takes advantage of the situation and checks out Shiraishi’s goods. I have to admit that this was so dumb, but funny. He doesn’t do anything inappropriate, he just looks which is what any guy would do. Now stuck as Shiraishi he attempts to act like her which is really terrible. He finds his body which of course has Shiraishi inside and drags her out of class. She/he tells him/her that she can’t miss any more class and that he’ll/she’ll have to wait until after school. Since he doesn’t know what’s going on Yamada agrees. He soon discovers that Shiraishi may be the ace of the class, but she’s not very well liked by the other girls.

Eventually they solve the problem, but not until they throw each other down the stairs several times. It’s as simple as a kiss. Apparently they kissed on the way down the first time and so they give it a shot and sure enough… it works and they’re both back in their bodies. Unfortunately there were seen by Student Council Vice-President Miyamura.

For some reason Shiraishi agrees to switch bodies with Yamada again to help him on a test and Miyamura finds Yamada in her body and tricks him. The jig is up, but Miyamura just wants in on the weirdness and to reopen the Supernatural Studies Club. Hijinks ensue and eventually Miyamura kisses Yamada after Shiraishi refuses to kiss anyone else for practical reasons and it’s discovered that Yamada can switch bodies with anyone he kisses.

Episode 2 introduces a new character who wants to be a part of the club. Her name is Ito and she actually believes in the supernatural or at least comes off that way when she brings in a bunch of fake shit to convince them. They can’t deny her application so she begins bossing Yamada around to clean the clubroom up. Eventually Yamada and Shiraishi are caught kissing to switch for a test and Ito is heartbroken by the club being “fake.”

She spreads rumors around the school about the two kissing and forces Yamada’s hand. He invites her to the clubroom and kisses her and then punches her/him in the stomach and goes around to do damage control. He quickly discovers that no one believed her because she’s a known liar.

The problem is when he goes to get his body back, she’s gone. The club tracks her down via her phone and Yamada learns that the fake crap she bought was from other students that were exploiting her desire to be popular. Basically to show she wasn’t a liar. Yamada in Ito’s body beats the shit out of the guys (because he’s a bad ass in whatever body he’s in) and they explain to Ito and have her join the club.

The episode ends with them all switching bodies and Ito going ga-ga over the boys kissing, even if they’re in different bodies at the time.

The show makes me laugh. It’s not so perverted or full of fan service that it’s unbearable and the fact that it has something for male and female audiences makes it well-balanced. The other humor comes from Yamada when he switches bodies with the women. The over the top hip swaying that he does is just ridiculous, but it makes me laugh each time. It’s honestly very realistic and probably exactly what a guy would do if his mind was switched into a woman’s body. That and the fact that he walks the same way as a woman was just hilarious.

Now I didn’t read the manga and I don’t plan on reading it so I can’t tell you where the “Seven Witches” part of the story comes into play. Are they really witches or is it something else? We’ve technically been introduced to two of them, but nothing else has been said to imply witches in the story. Frankly I don’t care to know and would rather the show explain it to me. So please don’t spoil it with a comment.

The animation is solid. The character designs are all pretty typical manga/anime style, but it works for the story. Main characters have crazy hair color and spikes for days, but (and this will sound weird) they’re all very cute. Even when Yamada is being a bad-ass he’s cute. It’s a cute show that isn’t trying to be too serious even when it’s having serious moments. It’s a very successful supernatural romantic comedy.

There’s something about this show already that has me hooked more than any other. I mean I bumped it up my review list because I wanted to talk about it. Is it the break out hit? Maybe just for me, but as long as the series continues this quality of story and animation it definitely has me as a viewer.

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Score: 4/5

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Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches yamada-kun and the seven witches 1.1 & 1.2 Episode 1: Turnover Episode 2: Tricot Official Website

Review: Re-Kan! 1.2 - This Is My Friend

Well we have our first casualty of the season. Re-Kan!’s first episode was okay and offered a few intense moments, but the weird mixture of horror/supernatural and comedy just isn’t working for me. It really comes across as not knowing if it wanted to be a comedy or a horror story because it doesn’t do both. I know you’re asking, “Can’t it be both?” and yes it can, but it needs to be both at the same time. What happens in Re-Kan! Is that when it’s a comedy it’s only a comedy. When it’s a horror, it’s only a horror. It shifts back and forth and never smoothly which is the hardest part to tolerate. It really wants to be a horror comedy, but it’s not.

This episode Hibiki is sleep walking or more accurately being lead around by a bunch of ghosts most of which are perverts and not only is that weird, but no one acknowledges that it’s creepy. One of the other characters (I forget the name because she does jack shit for the story and two of them have hair over their eyes and act the same which makes them the same character) takes pictures with her phone and can suddenly see ghosts in the pictures. She doesn’t act upon anything and this doesn’t prove anything to the disbeliever, but whatever. In fact the episode would have been better spent establishing why Narumi is so afraid of the occult.

The one and only redeeming thing about the story is a samurai that’s paying back Hibiki for taking care of his grave and feeding him. Since she’s sleeping all the time in class (which is a joke that also doesn’t hit) he answers for her. Everyone can hear him and it’s clearly a dude, but even the teacher just moves on like everything is cool. The funny part comes later when he fucks up saying “Present” and the other students give him shit for it. Then he learns how to email…

This show could be funny. It could be terrifying. It could have kept me as a viewer.

There’s just nothing I want to come back for. The cat was ruined in this episode and clearly they’re going to keep using him for the same cheap pervo jokes. The supporting cast of characters are barely one-dimensional and more than a few of them come across as duplicate characters. That would be fine, but they don’t do anything for the story other than give exposition which is just bad storytelling.

There’s enough out there in this latest batch of anime to really invest your time in and unless you just like the cheesy jokes that this show provides there’s no reason to keep watching. It’s about a girl who can see ghosts and the story isn’t building towards anything else making every episode the same… a girl who can see ghosts. That’s like saying I can eat pizza and trust me no one wants to watch that every week either.

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Score: 2/5

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Re-Kan! 1.2 – “This Is My Friend” Official Website

Review: Plastic Memories 1.2 – I Don’t Want You To Hold Me Back

The second episode of a series often dips from the first. It’s a shame because I can think of other series that have won me over by the second episode, but more often than not they dip. Plastic Memories dips, but not so much that it’s unwatchable. If you didn’t pick up on the fact that Isla is getting closer and closer to the end of her nine years, four months in the first episode, they really hammer it home here. They finally spell it out to the view at the end of the episode telling us exactly how much time Isla has, but no one thinks to tell Tsukasa… which doesn’t make any sense. It’s about 83 days in case you were wondering which is way more than I thought they’d do.

We meet a new character as well which makes for two senior characters that really know Isla. We learn that the way their department runs is not the norm. Basically meaning that other departments more than likely take the Giftia’s by force rather than making them sign the paper work and actually say goodbye.

It’s also very clear that Isla is getting worse and Tsukasa begins learning her part of the job in order to help cover for her. He even takes some blame for her from the girl who is already developing feelings for him even though he’s done jack shit. That’s anime logic for you. “I’m new and I don’t know this job very well, but I’m a nice guy so fall in love with me.” The reason it works is because that’s basically what we all want from life. It’s why I can’t fault its use.

My hope is that with Isla’s shelf life now established they’ll do something interesting with the story. Our main characters seem destined to fall in love with each other which of course is going to make things messy. I can see where the stories going for sure, but I want the journey to be entertaining so for that reason I’ll stick around.

The animation itself was a bit lazy this time around. The lighting was minimal and the richness of color was limited due to the settings picked for the story… which was three. It was okay, but a far cry from the beauty of the first episode. The first episodes coloring was very impressive and part of the drawl.

Overall there was a dip in quality and story, but not so much that I hated it. I just knew that it could have been better based on what I had viewed previously. Again it happens, but now the story really needs to hook us.

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Score: 3/5

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Plastic Memories 1.2 “I Don’t Want You To Hold Me Back” Official Website

Review: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? 1.2 – Monster Festival

There were things to love and things to chalk up to formula with the first episode of Dungeon (the abbreviated form of the title). Overall though it interested me enough to come back for more. Unfortunately the charming qualities of the first episode aren’t present with this second episode. Monster Festival is an event held by the god Ganesha and with that the other gods attend a party. Hestia decides that she’s going to help Bell get stronger even if he’s doing it for a woman that’s not her. What her plan is, we do not know at the moment. Bell is left alone for a few days and he pays his bar tab that he ran out on. The owner and bar maids are all very nice about it because the Syr has a very obvious crush on him. Though I have no idea why the story felt the need to introduce two crushes in his life since it’s not going to do anything for the story or why they put this much thought and detail into this particular “crush.”

I’m fine with the harem trope, but at some point as a viewer I just start writing characters off. Syr does nothing for the story and we already know that Bell is never, ever, ever going to attempt a relationship with her.  So anything involving her now is just wasted story. At least Hestia plays a role in the plot even if she’s in the exact same boat. It’s the harem trope done wrong if you ask me and the story doesn’t even need it. The world is interesting enough without this crap.

Eventually some shit goes down at Monsterfhilia and another god who I guess we’re not supposed to suspect, but we totally do, has interest in Bell and so she releases a fucked up gorilla to attack Hestia and of course Bell won’t let anything happen to her. BUT DOES SHE GIVEN HIM THE FUCKING KNIFE SHE HELPED MAKE!?!?!? HELL NO.

I fucking hate that in animes because it defies all logic.

“Oh I want to give you this knife to help you..." "Oh your knife broke...” “Oh you won’t let me get involved in the battle so I’ve forgotten TO GIVE YOU THE KNIFE!”

If it wasn’t already the end of the episode I would have turned it off, it was that fucking dumb.

I liked this story. This world is interesting, but it’s being weighed down too much by tropes and the well-worn formula of the many, many, many, many, many other stories that used it before. Formulas are okay as long as you bring something new or different to the table. You have to find that angle that makes it work for you in a fresh way and I’m afraid that Dungeon isn’t trying to do that. The story feels like it’s playing it safe and just eek by with fan service and character design.

The animation is still really strong, but when hardly anything happens in the episode it’s hard to compliment it. Also they used a lot of tropes of the art form that weren’t in the first episode and brought this series down to being more common than before. All in the name of a boob joke that wasn’t even funny.

There was a lot to be unimpressed by in this second episode and the third is just around the corner. Usually I stay until episode six on a show, but I’m already feeling myself not care about Dungeon and especially the main character Bell. He’s a bit too much of the formula underdog hero for me to really care and worse yet root for.

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Score: 1/5

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Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? 1.2 “Monster Festival (Monsterphilia)” Official Website

Review: Blood Blockade Battlefront 1.2 - Pursue The Phantom Ghost Wagon

As I said with my review of the first episode of Blood Blockade Battlefront, I’m familiar with the manga. I’m not watching this anime to see a straight adaptation. I think collectively we’ve all seen enough straight adaptations to know that they suck because they don’t take advantage of the art form they’re in. I was very glad to see that Blood Blockade Battlefront’s first episode didn’t try to be the first volume of the manga. It changed things by either adding or subtracting content and it worked really, really well. I still worried about this episode though because nailing it once doesn’t mean that the rest of the season is safe. This episode continues to tow that fine line of staying close to the manga, but knowing that it’s an anime and so once again picks and chooses elements to use. The story is about Leo seeing a dry cleaner van that’s not actually a dry cleaner van. He’s of course the only one that can see the illusion, but the creatures that are capturing humans to eat can’t take any chances on letting him run free. They come for him and injure Zap in the process. Zap may be out of the hunt, but he’s not out of the game. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but its one of the coolest fucking things that the series has done and it looked so much better animated.

That’s the really great thing about this series thus far, the animation is taking it to the next level. It looks at Nightow’s manga and says, “Yeah we can make that cooler” and they do. The last big sequence was so damn good and just wonderful to look at. The animation is still really fucking good on this episode. There’s no dip and frankly it had the best action sequences of the week. Even if the story starts to bore me I think I would stick around just for the art. Klaus’ finisher towards the end was a thing of beauty and Zap’s lighter sequence, gak! So good.

The only problem I’m seeing with the anime is the same problem I have with the manga. The pacing is strange, even for a manga it’s strange. Instead of feeling like the episode has come to its natural conclusion, it instead comes across as starting another episode. The ending to this episode could have very easily have been the opening for the next (it could still be, but that would be shitty), but instead it tries to be a cliffhanger. The problem is, it spends too much time on the scene to be a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger is to leave you wanting more, but here it leaves you wanting too much because it feels like it’s going to keep going and doesn’t.

Though I will say that it looks like they’re introducing a new character or I need to re-read the second volume because I don’t remember this character at all. Again, this is where they’re succeeding with the anime. Taking opportunities to add to the world in a good way.

The episode’s not perfect, but this series is quickly standing out to me as one of the best of the season. The next episode tackles one of my favorite volumes of the series so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what’s the same, what’s been changed and what’s new.

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Score: 4/5

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Blood Blockade Battlefront 1.2 – “Pursue The Phantom Ghost Wagon” Official Website

Review: High School DxD BorN 3.2 – Gathering of Young Devils

This was a pretty disappointing episode of High School DxD. The first episode was okay, but it was honestly shaky compared to the other two seasons. With the second episode it felt like it was jocking someone else’s formula and it didn’t work. There’s two main reasons. The first is that Issei is still depowered, so much so that he doesn’t feel like an underdog, but rather cannon fodder. What bothers me is that one of the major character arcs for Issei in the second season was having to turn his hand back to normal because he’d given it to the Dragon. That seems to be completely gone here which again… makes him come across powerless.

The other major thing is his training. He trains for three days with the other Dragon from the first episode and it consists of running around and not getting killed. They comment that it improves his stamina and agility, but the goal was to unlock and practice with his full on dragon-suit. You’d think that when it didn’t work the first time they’d try something new the next two days, but they don’t. It’s not just Issei’s training that’s the problem, everyone’s training seems really fucking easy. They’re not being pushed at all and basically blowing the training regimen out of the water. Yet we know that they’re not the most powerful group since they’ve lost twice now when it mattered.

My other problem is the shoehorned backstory about Koneko. It was pretty obvious what they were doing and sure as shit they made them the twin cats. Yay. This all feels like after thought and that would be fine if they presented it in an interesting way. Instead she’s been coasting for two seasons, but now she’s pushed to the forefront so that she can develop feelings of Issei as well. Because that’s the only reason and frankly there’s enough characters interested in this guy at the moment that we don’t need to have the least interesting character on the series fall for him as well. It doesn’t work in my opinion. She was a character that really functioned outside of that role and still worked and supported the show when needed. Right now she’s “acting strange” to everyone which also means what little charm she had is completely gone. Hopefully they don’t drag this sister shit out longer than needed because neither sister is interesting.

We’re also introduced to the “Young Devils” which is basically the snobby “pure” breeds that will one day rule hell and they are as you would expect them… annoying and dressed stupid. We also meet the guy that’s more powerful, better suited and obviously in love with Rias so that will be a thing for Issei and her to talk about and him to have insecurities over.

There’s just not a lot of interesting plot points to the story arcs that they’re currently threading and really it feels as if they’re too far out of their element, meaning the school setting. The school kept the story grounded and while shit would still go down, you had that reset area. Without it, the story is trying to do a little of everything and not succeeding at doing any of it very well. Hell, even the fan service was pretty terrible this week.

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Score: 2/5

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High School DxD BorN 3.2 “Gathering of Young Devils” Official Website

Review: The Heroic Legend of Arslan 1.2 - First Battle at 14

Shit this show is good.  I accidentally signed up to review one of the best-paced animes I've had the pleasure of watching.  Do you know how long it would take other animes out there to go from the capital city to the battlefield?  A fucking season.  Ten filler arcs.  Maybe I have been jaded by being a fan of Naruto for so long, but good lord was it refreshing that this anime just gets on with the damn story. I was weary of too much time-skippery since that appears to be en vogue right now, but not only is Arslan well-paced in terms of getting the fuck on with things, it is well-paced in terms of leaving me off on a meaningful cliffhanger.  More than just telling the story at an effective rate, Arslan continues to color the experience of the young Arslan by exposing him to the harsh realities of military life, both bureaucratic and on the battlefield.

Pepper in a plot twist that isn't being telegraphed every three minutes (*cough* Attack on Titan *cough*), formidable production values, and completely killer opening credits, and Arslan should be on your watch list unless you hate medieval themes and/or good things.

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Score: 5/5

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The Heroic Legend of Arslan 1.2 - First Battle at 14 Official Website

Review: Food Wars 1.2 - God Tongue

Enter the next big theme of this series: Soma is a peasant in the eyes of his peers and thus an outcast and underdog at the elite Totsuki Institute. Now, this episode worried me a little more than the other one in terms of the disrobing effect, but not because of my usual complaints about fan service: I just thought the sequence of Erina tasting his food started to drag and took about twice as long as it should have.  But, once you get to the end of the episode, I think there might have been a good reason for this, since it ends with Soma being rejected from the institute.  It's a really hilarious cliffhanger for the viewer because obviously he gets into Totsuki, and yet we have to wait a week to actually see it happen.

I am already really impressed by the people putting this anime together.  The number one problem facing anime adaptations of successful manga is, after all, pacing.  And it's not just a problem in terms of making the shows have successful cliffhangers without indulging in twenty million flashbacks (something that makes early Naruto unwatchable for many people); rather, it's a problem simply in terms of catching up to the damn anime.  If this anime continues to successfully explore the same themes as the manga while taking its time in doing so by indulging in the anime form, it can only help the success of the Food Wars brand as a whole.

And how great is the “God Tongue” stuff?  Erina is the polar opposite of Soma and so her abilities serve as a great dramatic foil for Soma's more visceral approach to the culinary world.  To milk some extra comedy out of that ability with her incredibly specific, yet incredibly awkward analogies is just the cherry on top.

I might just start scoring these episodes based on how fucking hungry they make me, because I can't imagine there will be a bad episode for a long time.

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Score: 5/5

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Food Wars 1.2 - God Tongue Official Website

Review: Punchline 1.1

Punchline will, at first, seem like FLCL meets Bleach: and then you realize it's really just FLCL but with its own take on an absolutely ridiculous pubescent allegory. A bus gets hijacked.  A random and very goofy juice-themed hero shows up to save the day.  Some dork on the bus sees some panties and goes pervy Super Saiyan.  And here's the punch line of Punchline: while in his powered up mode, if the main character Yuta sees another pair of panties, a massive asteroid will collide with Earth, ending life as we know it.

Yeah.

To make matters worse, Punchline kicks off with Yuta having his body possessed, but with all of the rules of panty-viewing being transferred to his newly disembodied soul.  Thus the plot of the first episode largely revolves around the fact that it is really easy for an incorporeal being living in a house with four women to accidentally see some panties.

In contrast to other helpings of fan service which I have decried this week, the excessive panty-viewings in this episode are to forward the plot.  You might be thinking, "well isn't that convenient?" but let's be serious: acting like sexuality--especially budding, immature sexuality--cannot be the topic of a show is the wrong way to go about understanding, appreciating, or even criticizing particular shows for awkward sexual situations.

With that said, it's not as if you'll be able to get past the fan service in this show if gratuitous ecchi just isn't your thing.  In that respect, this show has a limited demographic.  I myself have mixed feelings about it, even though it's integral to this plot in a way that only felt gratuitous insofar as it was really central to the show: the show is about a guy who's superpowers revolve around seeing panties.  It’s sort of hard not to get carried away with an idea with that much potential for humorous situations.  And, ultimately, because this show is about someone who will destroy the world if they peep too much, this show is not about a young perv, but a young man who has to learn to keep it in his pants, lest he end human society.

The production values are fantastic, and the animations style lends itself to the humor of situations really well.  My particular favorite character was the shinigami cat, half because it was animated to really humorous effect, and half because the cat is just a straight-up asshole and incredibly unhelpful to Yuta.

The shinigami dimension of this series, mixed with the weird superhero team situation that's going on in the house, made for an episode that makes the viewer ask a lot of questions without answers.  Once the bomb gets dropped about Yuta's pervy superpower, the rest of the elements of the show sort of take a back seat; for instance, I actually forgot that Yuta was a ghost halfway through the episode.  It's not something that lacks execution, but it's something that will warrant attention as the series progresses: either multiple strands of this show will be executed effectively, or it will just become a show about panties, and thus no longer worth anyone's time.

It's likely that Punchline is worth your time.  But we will find out in very short order whether or not this series can explore the meaningful themes that I've given it credit for, or if it just turns out to be another ecchi-filled panty raid.

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Score: 4/5

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Punchline 1.1 Official Site

Review: My Love Story!! 1.1

After the opening of My Love Story!! or if you prefer OreMonogatari, I was pretty sure this show wasn’t going to be for me. I was pretty damn sure. Then I remembered that I had the manga to review as well and I was dreading it because again, I was pretty sure this wasn’t for me. Somewhere before the end… it became for me. I was watching with a friend and by the end of the episode she said she wanted to watch more as well. It hooked us.

And the brilliant thing is, it’s just a love story. Now I’m not saying that there’s not a lot more going on and that there aren’t complex relationships at work, but it’s just a love story. It’s not a fantasy romance, it’s not a supernatural romance, and it’s not a horror romance. It’s not even a satirical romance. For the first time in a long ass time I found a show that’s only goal was romance and not harem style… and it ended up being really good.

In terms of how much time passes in the main story we’re not talking very long. It gives the impression that not much happens because of this, but really a lot does. We learn all about our main character Takeo Gouda, a towering giant of a teenager. We see him as he graduates 8^th grade, we see how he becomes friends with his next door neighbor Makoto Sunakawa, the boy that every girls wants to be with. We see the delusions Takeo has about his own value and worth because of Makoto. Every girl that Takeo has ever liked has always gone for Makoto and Makoto has turned them all down. So that when Takeo saves a girl from being groped on the train, he can’t imagine that she likes him.

The girl, Rinko brings him cake and “leaves” her cellphone so she can bring him more deserts. Deserts that she makes herself for Takeo. But he can’t see it. He thinks that she’s using him to get to Makoto like every girl before. Hopefully I’m right on this because it appears that she’s using Makoto to get to Takeo, but that’s the charming thing about this story… I don’t know. It could be the opposite and we’re being taken on a clever ruse. Takeo could actually be right and not delusional at all. I don’t know, but that’s a good story for you because I want to know. I desperately want to know how this story will turn out.

Will friendships be ruined, will a love triangle be built because for once Makoto can see what makes Rinko great and Takeo’s pushing will only serve to bring them to the point that they’re in love with the same woman? I mean none of this is really “new”, but the presentation and Takeo’s personality make it so damn interesting to find out.

Now there is some comedy because you couldn’t deal with gushy love stuff the entire time otherwise you’d tune out. PDA is annoying for a reason after all. Takeo is hilarious. His narration is the driving force and for a big dude he moves like a hyperactive small character. But there’s this balance of him being hyperactive, but then still big. I relate because it’s honestly how I feel most days.

The art plays a huge part in making this anime work. Aside from having some over the top physical comedy, there’s the facial expressions which take the traditional things every viewer is familiar with… and cranks it to eleven. Then there’s Rinko who I shit you not is made to look like a doll. It has to be intentional and it makes her the most adorable thing on the planet. Especially when she bumbles about and attempts to show interest in Takeo.

The last thing I was expecting this week with anime premieres was to fall for one that’s a straight up romantic comedy. I thought I would be one and done with this show, but instead… I can’t wait for more. I can’t wait to read the manga which I will likely do before the next episode. I don’t know if you’ll be as smitten with this series as I am, but I think if you go in with no expectations you might just fall in love with My Love Story!!

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Score: 4/5

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My Love Story!! Official Website

Review: The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan 1.1

People are probably pretty annoyed by my anime reviews. I know why too… I don’t research them. That’s fine, you can be annoyed, but I review it as I’ve come to watch it. Since I didn’t know anything about it prior to watching the episode, I write the review that way. That’s going to be the case here with The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan. I might say something or guess at something that others already know because they’ve researched it or have a past experience with it in another art form. And that’s fine. That’s great, but instead of being annoyed that I didn’t spoil the show for myself, let’s pretend for a moment that we’re friends. I’d like to think we are anyway since we have no reason not to be. But let’s say we’re really good friends and you want me to watch the show.

If you can do that, then this review will work in two different ways depending on your exposure to The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan. In one way you’re a friend seeing my reaction to something you’ve already enjoyed and you’re watching my ups and downs with it. You’re reading my thoughts on something that you’ve had thoughts on as well. We’re sharing an experience and that’s one of the few great things about the internet. On the other hand if you haven’t watched the show and have no exposure to it much in the way I didn’t before watching the episode, then I’m the friend telling you about it. You should be able to gleam from that if you’d like to watch it and hey, that’s how friendships go. Sometimes you like the same things, other times you wonder why someone dislikes the very things that made you like it.

This is still a review though; I’m going to talk about what’s in the episode, what worked, what didn’t and everything else that comes with it. But now you have context and maybe then you won’t hate the fact that I didn’t research this property before writing this review. Instead I talked about it the way I experienced and hopefully that’s a bit more pure than ruining it for myself just to get some facts tacked on and checked.

Now as for the episode, it’s interesting. The thing that stood out to me the most about The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, was the tone. While it comes across as a cute high school drama/comedy, there’s this sense that it could become serious and almost dark at any given moment. Maybe that vibe just comes from the artwork or the title which doesn’t make any sense based on what I witnessed in this episode. But I liked that. I liked not knowing if it was going to turn on me. I think it will because with just one episode they managed to make me care about and like every character introduced. I already feel like I know them even if I know little about them.

The story follows Haruhi Suzumiya (just looking up the name spoiled something for me so I’m disappointed in myself by the way). She’s a purple haired girl and the leader of the literature club. A club that basically reads books. She’s in the club with her friend and her love interest. The episode is basically spent with her appreciating the club and showing some interest in the boy and her friend encouraging the both of them to get together.

There’s comedy. There’s angsty teen moments and there’s this overwhelming sense of heart throughout out it all. Haruhi is kind of clumsy and hard on herself, but she’s wonderful at the same time. She’s a very interesting character and really if this was any other anime, she wouldn’t be the lead. Perhaps that’s why I found her interesting.

The art work is amazing. At times I really thought I was watching an OVA or even a theatrical movie. The line work, the way the animation flowed was all top-notch. I was very impressed. The coloring though, that’s what takes the cake. I don’t know if there’s another anime released this week that can compare to the coloring here, but I can think of a few close contenders. The coloring makes everything look very realistic, even Haruhi’s light purple hair.

I’m honestly pretty sad that I spoiled some of this for myself just by looking up a name. I was already looking forward to more, but I’ll definitely be sticking around if only to find out what exactly the title is referring to. Because it kind of defies genres it’s difficult to recommend it based on something else, that is to say, “if you like blank, you’ll like this.” I would say that if you like great stories, detailed and relatable characters with fantastic artwork… then you should absolutely check out The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan.

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Score: 5/5

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The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan 1.1 Official Website

Review: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO! 2.2

This show. Gah, fuck, ah! This show is just too good. I don’t even think people get how good it is. How many layers it’s functioning on. How much isn’t said, but actually happens. This show is really fucking good. If you watched the first season, which really I’m going to have to assume you have, but if you didn’t then do that. If you watched the first season then think of just how heavy the last three or four episodes were. That pain in your gut as you watched Hachiman play the heel, play the bad guy and basically not do anything for himself. Take that feeling that you felt for those combined four episodes and you’ll get a fraction of what happens in this episode.

As we saw in the first episode of the season (review here), the service club has been asked two things: The first is to help Tobe ask out Hina. The second is from Hina and it’s to maintain the status quo of the classroom and the social standings. Now it may not have been very apparent, but in making this request she was expecting Hachiman to do what he does best and be the worst possible person.

I’m going to spoil something for you so if you want to watch the episode just bail out here.

Now then, Hachiman delivers. He figures out what’s wrong with Hayato, the popular kid that hates the way he does things and it’s that he’s conflicted. He wants to help both friends and he’s afraid to lose that. Even though Tobe says he won’t stop trying, he’s too dumb to see what his rejection would do to the group and so Hachiman plays the heel. He plays it really well too. He rushes in and asks Hina before Tobe can and gets rejected in his place. Tobe hears her answer and even though he doesn’t get that it’s “his” answer, it doesn’t change the group because appearances have been maintained. Hachiman has been rejected rather than Tobe.

The truly sad part is that everyone else is smart enough to figure out what has happened. Everyone but Tobe… but they all just let it go down. And that’s the truly sad part of Hachiman’s existence, everyone has the power to change his standing in the classroom, his lack of romantic encounters and his lack of friends, but they don’t. Because they’re too afraid to loose what they have, but also because Hachiman proves time and time again that he’ll fall on his sword for everyone else because it’s all he knows how to do anymore.

This pisses off Yukino who says something that echoes what Hayato tells Hachiman in the eleventh episode of the first season and that’s, “I hate the way you do things.” Even Yui echoes this telling him not to do something like that again and that he should consider other people’s feelings.

But again… they could all change that for him. I don’t know if its fear or just that they don’t know what he’ll do if they try, but it’s the saddest part of his existence. Playing the heel for the entire class and sometimes… the school.

There’s more to spoil because something happens in this episode that is so fucking good and breaks the mold of the other episodes. Hina thanks Hachiman. Because he knew what her actual request was and she put him in a position to act on it. But then something incredible happens, after publicly rejecting him… in her own way she asks him out.

You can argue that with me, but let me point out that when he gives his response you can see her heart be crushed. Because with Hachiman she could be the person she is outside of the group. She could be honest like he is and it’s honestly a freedom she clearly wants, but sees firsthand what it does to you. And so he saves her again as he tells her “no” in his way and leaves him standing on the roof waiting for the train by himself.

Watch this scene twice. If you don’t pick up on how subtle this is, then you’re missing what’s truly great about this show.

And then the episode ends on his narration in which he admits that he’s the biggest liar of them all. Basically admitting that he’s been lying this entire time and especially to himself. What a lonely fucking existence to live like that. And yet I’m sure more people can relate then they’d actually like to admit.

This fucking show… it’s too damn good and more than likely you’re missing it… or not seeing just how deep it truly is. It’s going to be a long wait until next week.

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Score: 5/5

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My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO! 2.2 “His and Her Confessions Will Reach No One” Official Website

Review: Blood Blockade Battlefront 1.1 - Demon City Association

Blood Blockade Battlefront is one of the rare properties that I’ve actually read in manga form prior to the anime. Thanks to Dark Horse who has now brought over seven volumes of the series, you could say that I’m well versed on the franchise. In fact this is the series I’ve been looking forward to the most. Especially after seeing the artwork. Drool much? There was a problem though… I really didn’t want to see a straight adaptation of the first volume in animated form like last season’s Assassination Classroom. Because let me tell you, that Sin City style of adaptation makes you want to read the manga or watch the anime, but not both.

Thankfully the first episode of B3 wasn’t an exact copy. It had all of the major story points, but it presented them in a different way and trimmed the fat at the same time.

Since I’ve already written what feels like a lot of recaps about this series, the basic plot is that New York City was invaded by another realm and overnight the two worlds combined to form Jerusalem's Lot. Now it’s the city that never sleeps and the home of the fucking weird. We’re talking super weird. Creator Yasuhiro Nightow spares nothing on the weirdness.

Our main character Leo is given the eyes of the Gods during his visit to the city and now he’s trying to make it as a reporter. After a mistaken identity moment he ends up joining a secret organization called Libra. They’re protectors of the balance in the city, but really they’re good guys that have to kill in order for the bad guys not to take over. It’s funny that they always say balance, but really there’s so much evil, that their good is the only thing that resembles balance.

In the first episode we’re introduced to a character that in the manga’s ends up playing a very small role. His name is Femto and frankly he’s a great character. He’s very Joker inspired and he sets up a game of sorts for our heroes to play, but thanks to Leo they don’t fall for his trap.

The action for this episode is fucking gorgeous. The comic is great, but to see it in motion is so much better. It’s surpasses the manga and that’s saying something. Even if you’re not big on the story or the characters, stick around for the action. The later volumes provide some fantastic stuff and I can’t wait to see them animated.

The coloring for the animation is some of the best I’ve seen this season. This thing is clearly a heavy hitter and has the budget to prove it. That’s good to because with the comic Nightow spends a lot of time on the backgrounds and random characters, but it all serves the purpose of making the city feel big and more importantly alive. Since the city and protecting the city, is the focus of the story, you want it feeling alive. It’s like Gotham in that sense, if it’s not breathing we don’t really care if Batman tries to save it.

If the manga has shown me anything it’s that Blood Blockade Battlefront has a ton of potential. It’s a series to watch and should have something for everyone. Even if you’re not a fan of Nightow’s previous work (I wasn’t) still give this a shot. You may just surprise yourself.

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Score: 5/5

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Blood Blockade Battlefront 1.1 - "Demon City Association" Official Website

Review: Kyōkai no Rinne 1.1

Normally I don’t watch the opening music number of animes. Well maybe once, but then it gets old. I don’t like it on American TV and I don’t like it on animes though I’d rather hear a song than Stephen Amell explain why he’s the “Arrow” any day of the week. The thing is… I was curious about Kyōkai no Rinne after the cold opening. It didn’t make sense to me, but I was curious. Then the song hit and I spotted it… the creepiest fucking thing I’ve seen in a long ass time.

A cat…

With a human face…

I nearly turned it off. The TV. The electricity in my apartment. Everything. I was watching with my wife and a friend and I said that it was making me physically ill to look at it. They thought I was joking, but I seriously had to look away the entire opening. That human faced cat is fucking disturbing to look at and I hope to never see it again. Sadly, I kind of liked the episode, but I can see everything it’s going to do and eventually that fucking human faced cat is going to show up and provide comic relief and I don’t think I can deal with that. Goddamn creepy and yes it was hard for me to post the picture.

The story is easy to explain and it’s pretty clearly either for a younger audience or anime purest that dig the old school style of art and stories. We meet Sakura Mamiya, due to an event of her youth she can see ghosts and spirits (the second anime this week to do that). On her way to school we see one such ghost that’s stuck in one spot and thankfully can’t follow her. At school the desk next to her is empty and everyone comments on how the boy who sits there is always absent. Sakura looks over to see the boy sit down, but she’s the only one that can see him. The next day he shows up and is seen by everyone.

One of Sakura’s friends has a problem with her phone number being haunted and the boy (Rinne Rokudō) tells her that if she makes a donation to the spirit box in the back of the school that someone will help her. That someone turns out to be him, but when he wears a special robe he can’t be seen by mortals… except Sakura who can see him for some reason. Hijinks ensue and they bring about three different spirits to the wheel of reincarnation.

Now… I said it was simple and it is. Girl can see ghosts and boy is a grim reaper… wait for the cast of characters to inflate the show.

It’s not bad. It was funny even if they laid on the “I’m poor” jokes a bit too much. Once is funny, four times and you have something against people struggling to get by. The problem is the story is predictable already. It’ll be procedural for a few episodes while it introduces characters, but then it will focus on some big bad and only the combination of our two main characters will stop it… and more poor jokes since that’s all we know about Rinne’s character. It could turn out okay, but we’ll see. Oh and there will be something hidden in the past… there always is.

The art clearly has a budget. This thing looks beautiful from beginning to end. It also looks dated. Which should instantly bring the hate since it’s created by the same man behind Ranma ½ and InuYasha. And it looks like it. It feels like it. It’s like InuYasha had a love child with Bleach and bam… Rin-ne. I’m not a big fan of the style, but I could tell that it was animated quite well. The coloring in particular was given a lot of attention. You can tell by the hair because there’s at least three shades to provide a natural look for Sakura rather than using the lazy ass white stripe.

I know I’m probably going to be in the minority on this one and hey that happens. With as much anime as I’m watching this season (seriously is it just me or is there a ton of stuff to watch?) I don’t need to stick with everything and I know this isn’t for me. It’s humorous, but I can see the jokes wearing thin already and they’re the only thing I really like about it.

Or I could just be making excuses so I don’t have to see that fucking human faced cat…

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Score: 3/5

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Kyōkai no Rinne 1.1 Official Website

Review: Triage X 1.1

Let's call this the week of two fan services.  In this corner, you have Triage X: Shoji Sato's latest experiment of trying to fuse cartoon tits and explosions with the eyes of otakus across the globe.  In the other corner, you have PUNCH LINE, a charming... well, I don't know what the fuck was up with PUNCH LINE, but you can check out that review to find out.  Back to the point: PUNCH LINE was a series in which the ecchi played a prominent plot role, and Triage X is a series in which there are a lot of boobs for absolutely no fucking reason. Granted, boobs for no reason is not automatically a bad thing.  Look at One Piece.  Boobs only figure into the plot insofar as they cause Sanji to act like a moron.  That's about as much as they figure into the plot of real life, I would say.  The more important difference?  One Piece is actually interesting.  Simply put, when fan service is all up in my face with major boobage every ten seconds and there is nothing interesting going on in your series, you are insulting my intelligence and my penis at the same time.

I mean, this episode was boring as shit.  I mean really boring.  I have never been so bored by boobs in my life, and as something with a Y chromosome, that causes me existential angst.  If I am bored by boobs, you have really gone out of your way to make an episode of your show a vapid mess.

The plot of Triage X is simple, but suffers from being too simple: some people in society are bad, and society is sort of like a living organism, so those people are, you know, like, tumors, bro, you know?  Ugh.  It's like a stoner at my undergrad got to pitch a manga idea abroad.  Again, though, a simple plot, even a stupidly simple plot, is not a death knell for any given series: the plot of One Piece is "... PIRATES!"

The difference is the need for a character that makes things dramatic; we're talking some kind of bare minimum for writing fiction here.  Where Sato's Highschool of the Dead succeeds is cheap, but effective: zombies invading a high school and coming up against a team mainly composed of some kick-ass chicks is interesting enough to get me to sit through a season.  The assault of boobage in that series is completely fucking ridiculous, but because the main plot has the aid of constant zombie-fueled conflict, the whole thing comes off as charmingly kitsch.

But there's nothing charming about the world of Triage X.  The villain is a bad stereotype and the hero has a completely unbelievable story which is based on events so far removed from the plot itself that there's no reason for me to care.  The kickass chicks in this series are presented as part of a team of assassins, meaning that when they're not killing stuff, they're all boring.

And god damnit I just don't care about their chesticles.  Stop it.  Put them away.  It's 2015: an infinity of cartoon boobs is readily available on the interwebnets.  If you're making an anime that's supposed to have a story then give me a story worth sticking around for.  It's one thing to make me not want to stick around for the partial nudity, but to have a series be so boring that the partial nudity actually feels like it's patronizing me?  Awful.

Also disappointing was the production value: Xebec really mailed it in on this one.  Lines are sloppy and details are less than impressive.  On top of that, the direction is just... empty.  The main fight scene barely feels like a fight, and this series has to censor itself so much that even one of the long dialog scenes feels like it's missing details-- ironically, the details missing are nipples.

I did get a laugh out of the episode, since one of the characters was comically absurd.  But it was too little too late.  I'll stick with the series a little while to see if this was just a shaky first episode, but I'm not counting on it and you shouldn't either; unless you're some kind of major creep, in which case I would ask that you please keep both hands where I can see them when scrolling through my reviews.

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Score: 1/5

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Triage X 1.1 Official Website