Yikes, has it really been eleven days since I posted last? Shocking. I’ve been doing alot of overtime at work, so there’s not been alot spare to even think about blogging. Apologies!
Anyways, we’re roughly halfway through the summer 2009 Anime season now (its around episode 6-7 territory), so I thought it was time for the usual ‘what I’m watching and what’s been good and other rants etc.’ type post.
A warning in Advance: SPOILERS AHOY!
CANAAN
Well, considering how excited I was at the start of the season for CANAAN, I have to say its been in a gradual decline, generally speaking, since its opening act. Maria has said ‘Sugoi!’ far too many times to be a regular person, and Canaan herself stopping a Smart bomb from hitting the right spot was a little silly. Not to mention the fact that they allowed the villians security company to mediate the proceedings of a Peace Talk EVEN when THEY KNEW it was a cover operation for their terrorist activities. Thats just immense stupidity, surely. However…now that theres less sister yuri going on and perhaps an actual bit of development of the plot, things may begin to look up again for the series.
Clearly, a reliable source. Apparently this is enough to convince the vice president to launch an airstrike though. Seriously, WHAT!?
You don’t say… You have to admire his strength though, completely resisting a bunch of swat team members.
Good lord Maria, I think your job description is to secretly provide excess fanservice, isn’t it?
Princess Lover
I’m quite happy to declare that, assuming one ignores the hiccup of stupidity that is Episode 6, Princess Lover is perhaps one of the best Harem shows I have seen in all time. Teppai is a very strong, confident male lead. I can actually manage to bring myself to respect his character. Considering nearly all protagonists of these kind of shows turn out to be gutless idiots, this is a fabulous improvement. Charlotte is…okay. She is the irritating airhead archetype, but her natural bravado saves her a little. Sylvie is still quite literally Saber with chest implants. Seika is a typical tsundere. So his harem is fairly generic, but above average as well.
He resolved the Seika situation (that is to say, her innate hate of his family) rather well. Looks like a bribe in this pic though, LOL.
Charlotte does the puppy dog eyes on Sylvie.
Hideki! Hideki! Hideki! Hideki! (poorly disguised Chobits reference…)
Bakemonogatari
Now this has gone from strength to strength, making it quite possibly my favourite show at the moment this season. Again, the fact that Araragi is a great male lead really helps the show, but in this case, unlike Princess Lover, the girls are very unique as well. You’d think that with Senjogahara setting such a high bar with her pocket dimension of stationary, that others couldn’t measure, but that hardly seems the case. More interestingly, the fact that Araragi has already chosen (or maybe, chosen by) Senjogahara is rather refreshing. No angsting over relationships here, no sir-ree. The main couple are already going out. Progress in relationships!? In an anime!? SHOCKING!
Good on you, sir! But think about cutting that fringe of hair, yes?
Considering that Araragi is your first boyfriend, this statement is rather unnecessary. Though it just highlights her violent possessive character, I guess.
Assuming it isn’t obvious, from scenes like this. You cheat on this girl, she stabs you in the eye with a fineliner. Its probably a good thing that he still has his vampire regeneration, eh?
Especially when this happens. Ouch.
Spice and Wolf Second Season
Good to get into this again, though in actual fact, I blitzed the episodes 3-6 in a short marathon, because I knew this would cover the part of the novels which I had already read on the Baka-Tsuki Fan Translations site. Nevertheless, they covered that section very well and I thought it was very nice to see it animated. Whats more, its a great relationship development exercise for Lawrence and Horo as well as the usual test of his and her merchantile partnership and capabilities. The result of this development is shown quite evidently in episode 7. Again, relationship development in my anime!? I thank the person who took away the reset switch.
KAWAII!!! … is literally the only caption fit for this shot.
Lawrence actually starting to blush at Horo’s antics is amusing too.
I suspect that Horo’s tail sticking out when she gets excited will eventually prove a problem.
Yoko Wakeru Gendai Mahou
Well, this is still pretty lighthearted with the undertones of a plot that may develop. In fact, it went back in time for the second and third episodes to reintroduce how the characters basically came into contact properly. But the roles are still solidly defined. You know, with the whole Yumiko as the ineffectual but powerful fall-girl, Kaho as the deadpan humour girl, etc.
Still, despite the lack of any actual development of any importance, the antics that this lot get up to are still rather bemusing and worth the time.
Yumiko seems to have a penchant for accidently losing her underwear. Poor girl.
Yep, its just pink fanservice goo. Nothing to worry about at all.
At least she has enthusiasm. And of course, the ability to make lots of washpans.
The New Haruhi Season
Oh dear…thank lord the Endless Eight Saga is over. It was FAR TOO LONG, Kyoani! The last four repititions, I just lept through the episodes. Two would have been fair enough. Three…perhaps. But…it…just…kept…on…going… Repeating the same episode over six times, even if it is totally re-animated with subtle differences, was just ridiculous. I know you’re trying to express Yuki’s boredom at the thousands of summer holiday repititions that she had to sit through, but as I say, that could have been adequetely communicated in three episodes. If it had of been three-four eps, I would have been cheering for the resolution. As it stands, however, I was just thinking ‘jeez, its over at last…’.
Now, finally, we’re getting an insight into the Adventures of Asahina Mikuru, the daft ‘movie’ that was shown way back as the first ever Haruhi episode for no reason and then given absolutely no explaination at all in the first season. Back to the fun part of Haruhi. About bloody time.
There was a script, really? Although it is amusing, because Yuki is in fact a magical space alien.
Poor Mikuru suffers alot, as usual, in this episode.
I imagine the blue contact lens was forced into her eye by Haruhi, after all. She looks like she just took a punch.
PandoraHearts
This went on to surprise me from last season, with its obvious Lewis Carroll and Arthur Conan Doyle influences, eventually nabbing the space and its still going in my repotoire as a fun show. To me, it doesn’t look like that they can conclude it in 26 episodes either, but we shall see. The little run in with the Baskervilles, and the fact that Oz has Jack possessing him, not to mention the actual secrets behind the tragedy of Sabrire (why did Glen suddenly go beserk? Does it have to do with the pocketwatch?) and whole Bezurius vs. Nightray rift is still all to be explained, after all.
Also, the last episode I watched was basically a fanservice episode, with Oscar getting everyone drunk, which was hilarious, but had a distinct lack of actual plot development (except Gilbert pouring his worries out, I suppose). Still, its very enjoyable.
Sharon might be cute, but she can’t hold alcohol.
Suddenly, she switches into Ojou-sama dominatrix mode (complete with Rose Borders!) when drunk. I laughed.
Alice, on the other hand, just decides she’s too hot when drunk and strips.
—–
Anyway, I think that about sorts it for now. Hopefully, the long post makes up for the fairly long absensce, yes? See ya again soon!
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Detarame 
Anime Season {July 2013} First Impressions
Posted in Anime, First Impressions, tagged Anime, Bakemonogatari, Commentary, Fantasista Doll, Fate/Prisma Illya, Free!, Hyperdimensional Neptunia, Inu to Hasami wa Tsukiyou, Kami Sama no Inai Nichiyoubi, Kimi no Iru Machi, Kin'iro Mosaic, Monogatari, Previews, Servant x Service, Thoughts, Uchouten Kazoku, Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui on June 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Nearly late, but not quite!
Probable Must Watches
Monogatari (III)
Well, naturally this is the top of my list. It was teaser’ed at the end of the Nekomonogatari movie earlier in the year. I’m a little concerned that its covering more books than its predecessor series, but I also haven’t read those, so maybe it’ll all be ok. Anyway, it’ll involve Mr. Shinbo’s psychotic direction again no doubt; but thats ok, its real strength lies with its unconventional approach and its philosophy. The action, cute girls, and Araragi being an awesome lead male character are just icing on its cake. Of course, Nisemonogatari has us wondering about how he’s going to keep the harem maintained. Sengoku is especially a powder keg waiting to explode.
However, I am kinda annoyed they STILL HAVE NOT DONE the Kizumonogatari movie, which we were waiting for back when they released Nisemonogatari, never mind a year later for this. The prequel backstory on Araragi becoming a Vampire and the backdrop for his relationship with Shinobu is kind of important. Fortunately, the book is translated HERE, thanks to Baka-Tsuki, so go read it if you haven’t already.
Fate/Prisma Illya
A gaiden/side story for FSN that naturally focuses on the sillier aspects! This an alternate universe where Iris and Kiritsugu (from Fate/Zero) are living like a (vaguely) normal family with their children Illya and Shirou. At least, until Rin and Luvia, who are magical girls in this setting, are abandoned my their magical sticks (of Zeltretch!) because they’re always fighting each other rather than doing their jobs properly. Naturally, one of the sticks chooses Illya as its new master, and tutored by Rin, she is thrown into a quest to retrieve the escaped Servant Cards, which like in Cardcaptor Sakura, give her various powers later.
I’m a little concerned that the preview focused entirely on the moe element though. You shouldn’t expect deepness of Illya, but it’ll be a nice, lighthearted romp paying homage to every standard magical girl trope in the book, just with FSN characters and settings. A guilty pleasure, if you will.
Cautiously Optimistic About
The Neptunia Anime
Everyone’s favourite niche console-wars piss-take PS3 game is finally getting itself an anime. All of the main girls in the foreground above are goddesses of the video-games industry and represent consoles and handhelds, including the never-released Sega Neptune and Nepgear.
Frankly, the first game was pretty freaking terrible with comatose inducing battles and plenty of grinding barely buoyed by an average plot, but the second was a nice reboot of the franchise, and Victory (recently released) has continued the trend of being decent. It’s been basically confirmed that this is an original story though, rather than an anime adaptation of one of the games.
Kami Sama no Inai Nichiyoubi
Err… yeah… talk about morbid descriptions of an anime, eh? In any case, its based on an award winning novel, so perhaps it could be interesting.
Uchouten Kazoku
PA Works doing an anime in a world where humans and Tanuki live side by side? That could be marginally interesting. Though they’ve been a little less inspiring lately; TariTari was merely solid rather than excellent.
Well, in any case, I’ll be giving it a look.
Maybe worth a look
Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui
aka. “It’s not my fault I’m Unpopular”. Apparently it has /a/ on 4chan to thank for its popularity. That isn’t exactly… comforting; though the concept has potential.
Kin’iro Mosaic
Oh my: “The Japanese/British girls’ mixed comedy follows the lives of Shinobu, Alice, and other girls from both Japan and Great Britain.” Mainly this is here because I’m interested in how much fail they can pack in their representation of Britain. It may shoot up my listings if it can handle the UK in a way that is funny without being hamfisted, since, being a brit, I love taking the piss out of my own country…
Servant x Service
A 4koma-ish anime about the civil service in Japan. Because that sounds SO BORING, who knows… it may actually work!
NO! Just NO!!!
Free!
Sparkling Bishounen go swimming…
Inu to Hasami wa Tsukiyou
A dog… and girl wielding scissors… (sigh)…
Kimi no Iru Machi
I’ve heard too much horror about the manga…
Fantasista DollRozen Maidens play Yi-Gi-Oh…
Quite a spread from bad to good I guess. There is more, but if I’ve not mentioned it, it’s probably so generic as not be worthy a mention, I’ve missed it, or it has very little information at this stage.
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