Review: Bungou Stray Dogs – E.01
This first episode is a bit of a burn. It’s used to introduce the world and put our characters together while not really doing anything at the same time. It doesn’t set up the plot for the series and we’re hammered with the main character’s backstory the entire episode. I for one wish anime and manga would find a balance between the two types of main characters that dominate these “I reluctantly have powers” storylines. They’re either bold and unstoppable with a heart of gold or frightened and clueless, but all powerful. I personally have grown tired of them being frightened and clueless. It’s just a cheat to have them no nothing and so everyone has to explain everything to the character which in turn explains it to the audience. Find a better way. There’s smarter ways. That’s some low hanging fruit there.
Our main character is dying of starvation after being kicked out of an orphanage. He looks twenty, but whatever. He decides he’s going to jump the next person he sees and that becomes a comedic gag. One that I enjoyed as it let me know that this series wasn’t going to be serious. Eventually he finds a dude trying to kill himself. Why? He’s quirky and that’s what makes him different.
Long story short, the kid turns into a white tiger when the moon is full or just out… or just convenient to the story. Eventually this is revealed along with the rest of the team’s powers. They’re an agency of some kind, which basically means they don’t have to worry about money and can take on weird cases. That’s really it.
The animation is actually really good. The character designs are pretty average for the most part. Sure they’re distinct, but they’re distinct in a way that’s trying really hard to be so. Like, he’s the guy with bandages on his arm. He’s the one with his hair too long on one side and wears high waters. Etc, etc.
My main thing is that this seems like a watered-down version of Blood Blockade Battfront, minus Nighttow’s art design. Also I mean the manga not the anime which was subpar to the book. It’s okay, but this first episode is completely pointless. It’s just a set up and not a true window into what the series will do or even be about. You could skip this episode and start with the second and I’m sure you’ll be fine, that’s how pointless this episode is to the overall story. With that said, I’ll give it one more, but I didn’t find it funny enough to struggle through the lack of plot just to hear jokes.
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Bungou Stray Dogs – E.01 Official Website
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Review: And You Thought There Is Never A Girl Online – E.01
I’m sure that title sounds better in Japanese and not as sexist as it seems. That’s probably my one and only gripe with the anime is the title. I mean the main character doesn’t even really bring up that “everyone is a dude online” outside of the mention of his hilarious backstory. The premise is pretty simple for this anime. Our main character Nishimura Hideki aka Rusian, plays a free MMORPG that’s basically WOW, but works off the free to play, nickel and dime you as you go system. He turns down one of his clan member’s marriage proposals multiple times because he previously proposed to a guy… ripped from the headlines… like years ago. Now he doesn’t care as long as it stays in-game and they’re a cute girl… like video game girl.
After we see him play with his clan, accept a marriage proposal and go to school; we get to the part that of course changes everything. The clan meets in public… kind of like The Guild I guess. There Nishimura discovers that everyone he’s been playing with A) goes to his school and B) is a girl. Not only that, but his Waifu, online wife, is actually super pretty and cute… of course.
Do you like harem comedies? Or as I prefer, male driven rom coms in which nothing happens and there’s no consequences to your choices because you never have to make one? Then you’ll love this, you’ll eat it up with a spoon… just like me. I like harem comedies. They’re not the best. The stories are kind of whatever at times, but there is a simplicity to them that I enjoy. Yeah a bunch of women pinning after the same dude seems a bit sexist, but it does in actuality happen to both genders during those tender grade school years. I can tell you the name of the girl and boy that everyone had a crush on all the way through middle school at every school I attended. It’s just how that shit works.
We’ll see how the story goes since this first episode was basically used to reveal the twist and the second episode will show exactly how the story is going to proceed. After two seasons of anime without a decent harem comedy to watch, I’m actually looking forward to this one.
The animation was really strong, particularly when inside the game which I liked. I hate when they phone it in on shit like that and then make the rest of the world look really good. In particular I liked when the story shifted when they talked about “Normies” and how deranged the characters both in the game world and real world looked.
Is this the most original or amazing story? No. Can some people relate to one aspect of it, ie, a guy proposing to a guy? I guess, I mean that’s real right there, but man is it a weird premise for a harem comedy. Either way, I’ll be watching this one, maybe not reviewing it, but watching it at least.
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And You Thought There Is Never A Girl Online – E.01 Official Website
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Review: Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World E.1A-1B
After just a few minutes of watching Re:Zero I had the impression that it was a lot like Kono Subarashii Sekai Ni Shukufuku Wo! Both are about a shut-in boy in a track suit that’s whisked away to a fantasy land and both are under the impression that it will somehow be like a video game. Where Re:Zero differences itself is in its tone… and production. KonoSuba made it clear early on that it was a comedy through and through and while not the most amazing it was enjoyable. With Re:Zero, it had lighthearted moments and some comedy, but it was clearly a darker story.
The main character Subaru finds himself in this new world and follows the rules of MMORPG’s and begins to find information about where he is. This goes worse than expected and he soon finds himself drying in an alleyway. Three thugs come his way and he decides to test his skills and actually makes short work of two of them. He apparently works out. The third dude has knives and this sends Subaru cowering which leads to a boot party that only he’s invited to. At this point we meet Felt, a thief, as she’s fleeing from a victim and instead of asking the thugs to stop, she asks them to move out of her way. This leads to the victim arriving and helping Subaru because she can’t just let it go.
After the rescue she and her spirit creature, a cat, stay behind to make sure he wakes up and such. After a lot of talking he finally convinces the girl to let him help her find her stolen goods. Everything seems typical right? Sure we had a real world element of the city and the thugs, but we’ve introduced magic and had our meet-cute moment. Hold on to that feeling for a moment because that's what the story is counting on, you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
Eventually our main characters, through their good deeds, find the thief and head towards her neck of the city. Subaru decides to go inside the place where she’ll be and finds a dead body. He hears a woman’s voice and suddenly his stomach is cut up and he’s bleeding out. Our silver haired half-elf is quick to follow. You are no longer warm and fuzzy.
But Subaru doesn’t die. He doesn’t know what’s happened, but he finds himself in the same spot he started at… a little like a video game. He failed the level and must start over, but he doesn’t know that. The second episode then shows him going directly to the house that he was killed at. He for some reason, after being portrayed as smart, thinks he’s somehow survived the day and doesn’t piece together what’s happening… even after he dies again.
Now… this show has nothing on Erased from last season, but the Groundhog Day element to the story is interesting. Especially since Subaru’s not even remotely grasping the concept of what’s happening to him. This is very clear when on his third day he tackles the situation differently and things go completely awry again.
The ignorance of the characters is what works for this story. Subaru doesn’t know the world and so he makes simple mistakes that others take for common knowledge. After all, how are they to know he’s from another world when he doesn’t even know where or why he’s there. When the silver hair girl shares her name in the first episode it seems innocent enough with the exception of Puck’s response (that’s her spirit cat animal). In the second episode, the reason for the response becomes clear and it complicates the story even more. Subaru’s knowledge and yet ignorance is constantly shifting the story because he doesn’t have a clue how to keep everything in order and what can and can’t be said and done. More importantly he's trying to shortcut story and the story is making him pay. You can't just rush to the end because you know the end, it'll change you'll end up dead a different way.
The animation is by far the best I’ve seen this season. I’m sure there will be others that rival it or surpass it, but for now, it’s really good looking. The city is alive and not some empty area that’s only presented as being alive when its relevant to the story. There’s always someone or something going on which is perhaps the biggest difference between it and KonoSuba. There’s nothing particularly new about the style, but it’s an aesthetically pleasing anime to view with character designs that are familiar and yet really sharp to look at. The coloring for the anime is vibrant and gives it a movie feel. I hope that this doesn’t change or fade and that the high level of colors maintains throughout the series.
I’m curious to see what happens in the next episode which I guess will technically be the second episode even though there were two episodes for the premiere. None of these elements are that original as I’ve pointed out other properties that have used them, but it’s the combination of the elements, the characters and the presentation that have caught my attention. This one is definitely worth checking out and we can only hope that it will continue to balance the humor, light-hearted moments and the gore as it goes on.
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Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World E.1A-1B Official Website
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Review: Mayoiga – E.01
I had no expectations going into Mayoiga, but part of me wanted something creepy and strange to watch this anime season. This wasn’t it. I don’t know what this is. It’s trying to be creepy. It’s trying to be dark. It’s trying. That’s the point. It’s trying.
Thirty people are on a tour bus going to a hidden town to start their lives again. They introduce themselves by their internet message board names… and right about then I was done. When a character introduced themselves as Soy Latte I laughed and wondered what was really happening.
That’s the gist. They all want to start over and none of them are really being honest and no one knows what to expect from this new town. Some are taking it too seriously and others not enough. The bus drivers goes nuts listening to them all and gets puked on. Making me wonder why the fuck their going to a hidden town with a hired bus driver…
My favorite character was Jack… until he talked again. At first he just said his name and that was it. He won me over because of that. Which highlights the problem of their being too many fucking characters on the show and instead of taking a Lost approach and using the characters as needed, they introduce them all and then use way too many of them.
None of them do shit and we tend to follow on main guy and he seems normal, but as one character that’s weird and assholish points… he’s probably the one to look out for. Which I didn’t care about because I think we’re stuck following him no matter what.
The animation is fine, but the character designs are really uninspired. There’s a character you’ve seen from any other anime like this ever. Some of them are unusual looking and that made them stand out in a bad way, like the guy with the crazy chin and the eye patch… no joke.
The story is going for a Silent Hill vibe, but it fails miserably. There’s no atmosphere to the anime and every time there’s a chance it might build some it crushes it under the weight of its characters. It might get good when they all turn on it each other, but right now it’s so generic from its story to voice acting that it’s kind of a predictable mess.
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Mayoiga – E.01 Official Website
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Review: Hundred – E.01
Oh Hundred… you were basically doomed from the start. Have you watched Chivalry of a Failed Knight, The Instructor of Aerial Combat Wizard Candidates, Asterisk War, The Freezing or Absolute Duo? Then you don’t need to see Hundred. It is a watered down version of all of those things and since none of what I listed is any good it makes the Hundred that much worse. The plot is aliens/monsters/take your pick, with a cool codename attack the planet. Special kids that can handle the one and only type of weapon that can defeat them are chosen to train and use their weapon, but lo and behold… they can train against each other and not hurt each other so that they can be ranked! Our main character is rated off the charts and for some reason everyone at this school, new and old, want to welcome him because of this. He runs into a stranger that is a woman, looks like a woman and acts like every female character in this type of show, but is pretending to be a man. She jumps on him and hugs him. There’s two jokes about them both being men, one of which comes after the main character walks in on her getting out of the shower and putting on women’s underwear… he later headbutts her. Also he gets into a duel with the best student in the school because of rules.
Really he gets into a duel because we need to establish him as the strongest and like all male fantasy stories of this nature we have to put down the woman that’s the strongest. I don’t even know why the other main character is pretending to be a man, possibly to room with each other, but then she acted like she didn’t know she had a roommate and wasn’t very cautious about changing and shit in the room. The simplest and overused explanation is an uneven amount of boys and girls and that’s really what this story should have done.
The animation is good until you get to the weapon part and then it’s generic and CG. It’s sucked and I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of it, well not me, I won’t be watching any more. Otherwise it clearly has some money backing it and I’m sure that the people who love and support the numerous examples I gave before, will also like this one.
I personally don’t care for this storyline. Dress it up however you want, it’s the same fucking story and they spend more time making the dude look cool than they do fighting this global threat that’s plaguing the planet every minute of the day. We’re likely to spend six episodes of him fighting others or just meeting people when really it should be a footnote to the rest of the story. Boring, uninspired and worst of all it cherry picks other series, but fails to deliver any real personality. It’s so overloaded with every trope possible that it fails to do any of them right, because if it did you might actually watch it.
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Hundred – E.01 Official Website
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Review: My Hero Academia - E.01
My Hero Academia is unfortunately one of those anime’s that just isn’t quite as good as the manga. Which is a shame. There have been a few anime that have really managed to bring the manga to life in a great way like Food Wars or One-Punch Man, but so far My Hero Academia feels a bit stiff. It’s not entirely it’s fault and it is still a good episode, but in trying to follow the pacing of the manga it really shoots itself in the foot. Without knowing what comes next in the story I don’t really see why you’d come back for more of this series after the ending of the first episode. In fact, knowing what comes next really makes me want to skip the second episode altogether and come back for the third.
The story, as I explained in my review of the first volume, is that the new norm is superpowers or quirks as they’re called. This opens up the job market for people to be superheroes. Our main character is quirkless, he has no powers, but he wants to be a hero. That’s the thing that sets him apart from everyone else. He wants to be a hero. Not have power. He knows that he basically needs the power to be a hero in this world and that’s the only reason he wants a quirk… to be a hero. To save people. To do it with a smile like his hero All Might.
We see how miserable and picked on Izuku is as one of his classmates not only makes fun of him, but physically challenges him as well. Here’s where that clear difference comes into play. Katsuki, the bully, only cares about power and being better than others with power. He wants to be a hero for purely selfish reasons. The simple fact of the matter is that he’s got “villain” written all over him, but for now he’s the other side of the coin to Izuku.
The comedy is spot on. It’s one of the few things that rings true for this, but the emotion is a bit stiff. Granted, I feel that in the comic the creator hits you over the head with how pathetic and sad Izuku is and how no one steps in to help him when Katsuki physically threatens him numerous times, but here it’s just stiff. I didn’t feel for Izuku the way I did in the manga because as much as the pacing struggles it’s also trying to cram as much as possible into this first episode.
The animation was solid and clearly this has a budget. It's getting the big push which makes sense since it's one of the few ongoing manga that's been adapted into an anime. It kind of needs to succeed and I don't see it failing.
Ultimately it’s an okay first episode. The reason for that is that the source material is really strong and I have a feeling that once we get to the school we’ll be fine. That was kind of the same for the manga as well. It’s a rough opening in either format, but if you stick with it, you’ll be pleased that you did. That and there’s a character called Mt. Lady which is just funny on multiple levels.
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My Hero Academia – E.01 Official Website
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Review: Endride – E.01
Endride should be called crystal swords or something better than “Endride” which currently makes zero sense with the story. Here’s the gist, we meet a dude that is obsessed and I mean obsessed with crystals and shit. The problem is, he doesn’t know dick about them. Sure we see him studying them at one point, but it’s after he’s gone to a shop that just has boxes of rocks and shit and looked at them like “Man there’s like a world inside.”
That’s called foreshadowing folks. Bad foreshadowing, but foreshadowing none the less.
Eventually he goes to find his dad at his dad’s lab because his dad missed his own birthday. There he types in the code to a special case (that later teleports to the other side of the room thanks to lazy animation) and picks up a floating crystal which goes inside him and then he goes inside it and you’re left wondering what the fuck anyone was thinking with this show.
Inside the crystal world it’s medieval fantasy. There’s a king that killed the former king and the former king’s son is looking for revenge. He fails and gets locked up where he meets the other dude as he comes teleporting above the stairs. There’s a fight, more fights, the new guy to the crystal world has a badass weapon that pops out of his chest whenever he’s in trouble and we meet our first female character at the end of the episode who informs fucking everyone that she knew the prince would run away.
I have seen this type of story done before and done better. It’s not a new formula, but this was by far the worst I’ve seen using it. It just goes to show how tired it is. I know that the new guy from our world is supposed to be our window into this new world, but figure out a different way. I mean it’s not like anime is a new thing, it’s not like storytelling in general is new. We don’t need something is generic and simple to explain why we’re in this world and really you could have waited and done a flashback and that would have been better. Instead, you bored me.
The art was whatever. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad. The CG on the weapons was pointless because it’s only for a second. That and the weapons themselves were pretty uninspired. My last gripe with this show is the fact that the fucking kid knew his dad’s secret code to his secret fucking container in his office and just started touching shit. WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT!!! If my kid did that and got transported to another world, he would be dead to me even if he came back alive. I couldn’t hate this fucker faster.
If you liked this show, don’t tell me, tell the comments. That’s where other people who liked it or didn’t will likely be.
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Endride – E.01
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Review: Ace Attorney – E.01
Well the Spring Anime season has kicked off and what a bunch of shit I’ve seen so far. I figured I would just start getting these out of the way rather than waiting for all of the first episodes and instantly losing motivation to write anything. Welcome.
Have you ever played or watched a YouTube video of the Ace Attorney game franchise? Then don’t watch this anime. This show is like watching someone play the game only with commercial breaks. It’s clearly geared towards kids which hey… maybe it’s popular with little kids in Japan… it’s not here and that’s on me for even bothering to watch this one.
The show is dumbed down for kids in an insulting way. If a kid can’t figure out the clues before the characters it’s probably because like me they got bored, hated the voice acting and hated how much the animation was imitating the game.
Here’s a scene so that you know what I mean…
It’s just like the fucking game… only you’re not playing it. Also the voice acting was generic as fuck and all the characters sounded like sub characters from better animes. I will never watch this again or deal with this franchise in any capacity. It’s not for me and if it’s for you please explain why, I won’t read the comment, but maybe someone else will.
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Ace Attorney – E.01
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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.
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.
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.
Score: 5/5
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Score: 3/5
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.
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.
Score: 4/5
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.
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.
Score: 2/5
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.
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.
Score: 3/5
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).
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.
Score: 1/5
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.
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.
Score: 4/5
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.
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.
Score: 2/5
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.
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.
Score: 5/5
The Heroic Legend of Arslan 1.2 - First Battle at 14 Official Website
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