[Fall 2013] anime orientation week

[blkmage]

Yeah, Nagi no Asukara has a neat world, but you can probably guess where they're going with that conflict. And poor osananajimi-kun, there's no way he's winning against land bishounen.

Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku o Ketsui Shimashita is an unfunny Hataraku Maou-sama with more fanservice and weirdly good animation.

Strike the Blood was dumb but I'm really excited for the OP single because yay it's a new Kishida Kyoudan and the Akeboshi Rockets song.

Pokemon the Origin is the Pokemon anime that old people really want.

[ForeverInspired]

After the horrors of White Album, I am happy to say that I have high hopes for this second season (White Album 2). That was a great introductory episode with great set up and pacing. Hopefully, it lives up to its potential!

[blkmage]

Outbreak Company was fairly predictable but I still might stay for horrible inside jokes.

I know a few people who hated SAO but found Log Horizon decent, but I don't think any of the ways it's different makes it any more appealing to me.

White Album 2 had a surprisingly good first episode, which is good because I've heard it's good and this means I wont' have to read it.

[KazeShiki]

Kyoukai no Kanata - pretty boring first episode but leave it to KyoAni to still have cute girls doing cute things.

Kill La Kill - unsurprisingly, a great first ep

Golden Time - not going to expect this to be great but it looks like it'll be decent

Nagi no Asukara - pretty interesting setting but the inevitable drama is already slapping me in the face

So I saw Mirai Fukuin last night. Mana-chan was as good as one would expect her to be. Apparently the short story is a 130 page novel which means we'll get an unending loop of epilogues from Nasu as they get animated.

[Vii]

Nagi no Asukara: I'm pretty tolerant of mediocre drama but I hope there's something else to this story other than it. The underwater world and animation and scenery are really pretty though, so if anything I'll keep it for that.

Meganebu: Ragequit halfway through the episode. Embarrassing and poorly executed crap.

Diamond no Ace: It's alright I suppose. Dunno if I really care for it.

[MangaRocks!]

(And yes, I know I'm pretty late to the party on the two of these, but as I mentioned earlier, I had to spread all these shows out somehow, and this is where these two fell, LOL, so... )


Anyway, Golden Time ep. 1:

Haha, what a first day. I'm glad that the awkwardness at the beginning didn't get dragged out too long, and the sort-of instant friendship that Banri and Mitsuo struck up was nice. I also liked the fact that it's set in college, and a law school, at that. Also, I have to admit that I LOL'd at the flower scene, the entire discussion about Koko during the teacher's speech afterwards, and Koko's rather terrifying personality (and the reactions it causes) in general. So, in all, I guess this was a fair (or, if nothing else, certainly amusing enough) intro, and that plus the apparent upcoming addition of a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: supernatural element has me interested enough to go ahead and keep on watching.


And Kill la Kill ep. 1:

Whoa -- as others have previously expressed, that was one heck of an episode! That said, I *do* (really) wish that the main character's uniform wasn't so ridiculously (and annoyingly) fanservicey ... however, other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastically-stylized and gleefully-OTT ep. (Also: Loved the music, too!) So, yeah, definitely going to keep up with this series as well.

[GeneD]

First episode impressions:

Coppelion: I have the same suspension of disbelief problem ClosetOtaku mentioned. I mean, even if you have to send the girls out in school uniforms, couldn't they at least get a decent weapons stash? Besides the radiation, there's no evidence of anyone having considered the other dangers they might have to face.

Golden Time: It was okay until stalker chick arrived.

Nagi no Asukara: The drama might be not completely annoying but idk, at least it looks pretty but that's what I said about Red Data Girl (which frustrated me to no end) and that was the same studio so...

Log Horizon: Nothing particularly interesting or outstanding here. Clever of them to explain away the game interface in the first ep and I liked the idea of the players having to adjust to a different body height etc.

Kyousou Giga: Well it was episode 00 and the same as the ONA which I've already seen, and I still enjoyed the heck out of it. Looking forward to the actual series start.

Strike the Blood: Generic. Why do they let normal humans live on an island specifically constructed to house all the monsters?

Magi The Kingdom of Magic: Basically what I expected. I'm tempted to jump ship to the manga though.

Meganebu: Ugh. I think Vii hit the nail on the head with "embarrassing". I did laugh whenever the little insert songs played, but I might've been laughing to keep from crying.

Ace of the Diamond: No bad, but if I'm going to watch a baseball anime I might just go watch Ookiku Furikabutte instead, since it comes highly recommended.

Gingitsune: Messenger Fox of the Gods: Not bad but not overly interesting.

Yowapeda: Cute but a bit predictable. The bit after the credits was priceless.

Of what I've seen so far, I'm going to give second episodes to Kyoukai no Kanata, Nagi no Asukara, Magi and Yowapeda. Will be following Kyousou Giga, and Kill la Kill goes without saying. I might come back to some of the others in a few weeks when my exams are done.

[KazeShiki]

Nagi no Asukara: The drama might be not completely annoying but idk, at least it looks pretty but that's what I said about Red Data Girl (which frustrated me to no end) and that was the same studio so...

As much as I hate on PA Works, the difference here is RDG was a novel adaptation (which is the area they tend to fail most at) whereas Nagi is an original work by Mari Okada, which means it'll be something like True Tears or Hanasaku Iroha, if you've seen either. Their art is always pretty btw, so don't let that fool you.

Arpeggio - hahaha I guess I should've looked into this more but I did not realize how moeboats this moeboat anime really is. Makes me really curious about how the actual moeboat anime will be done. Moeboats are truly the future of anime. That said, I've been told the sci-fi in this is decent, so this should be a pretty good balance of moeboats and actual sci-fi.

Gingitsune - hmm this is quite reminiscent of Kamichu with a bit more drama. Don't see it being amazing but I think I'll enjoy this.

[GeneD]

As much as I hate on PA Works, the difference here is RDG was a novel adaptation (which is the area they tend to fail most at) whereas Nagi is an original work by Mari Okada, which means it'll be something like True Tears or Hanasaku Iroha, if you've seen either. Their art is always pretty btw, so don't let that fool you.

I haven't seen either of those, but okay, I'll not hold RDG against them too much then.

[KazeShiki]

I haven't seen either of those, but okay, I'll not hold RDG against them too much then.

Oh, feel free to hold it against them as much as you want. If anything, I mean the opposite in that even though the studio is terrible, Nagi is more dependent on Mari Okada rather than the studio. Some people like her works, other's don't, but you can be sure there'll be drama and screaming teenagers.

[drill]

Just some of my opinions of first episodes so far, which seem to be different than most of the ones stated.

Golden Time: Not bad first episode, there didn't seem to be anything that made it stand out though, and Tada seems like the only interesting character so far.

Log Horizon: Seems to be good so far, I'll probably continue watching this unless it goes downhill somewhere.

Kill la Kill: Wasn't really a fan of the art and agree with MangaRocks! that her uniform was too fanservicey, but the show seemed to have an interesting setting. Also, I'm not a big fan of talking objects (such as uniforms) unless it has some sci-fi aspect to it. Because of those things, this is the only one that I won't end up watching.

Arpeggio: This was the most interesting one yet, sci-fi is always (usually) a plus for me.

Outbreak Company: Fairly good first episode, even though it was predicable as blkmage already said.

[Kaori]

YowaPeda ep. 1:

- I'm having a bit of a lukewarm reaction to this due to the slapstick humor coming across as so much more exaggerated in the anime and the interpretations of the characters being slightly different from what I imagined.
- That part where the martial arts guys run by chanting in unison? Sports clubs in Japan really do that in real life, and it looks and sounds exactly like that.
- I didn't realize how extremely dedicated Imaizumi is to color coordination. His bike, clothes, shoes, and even his helmet all match to an impressive degree. It's a real thing in cycling, though; a lot of people do like to match their bikes (usually just not to this extent).
- Imaizumi rides a Scott and the third main character whom we haven't met yet rides a Pinarello (not Pinarrelo). Not sure why they felt the need to change the spelling of real-life brand names for the anime but not the manga.
- This episode reminded me that there are some things in this story that are so ridiculously unrealistic that they make me laugh. Makishima's cycling style is one of those (he's the guy with the long green hair).

[MangaRocks!]

Beyond The Boundary ep. 2:

That fight was fantastic!

I liked the little discussion about the different types of youmu (plus the introduction of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a few other good human-like ones, as well).

That sequence with the rice ball was adorable.

And LOL, Hiromi... something is seriously off with him. (And with Akihito's mom, too, LOL, but she was funnier. )

Also: Apparently, *both* of the main characters had SPOILER: Highlight text to read: some pretty traumatic killing incidents in their pasts... And final boss already revealed. (Looks like it's going to be one heck of a{n eventual} finale fighting that thing... )

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Trying really hard to get into Kyoukai no Kanata but the story just isn't doing it for me at all. It feels like it really wants me to take it seriously but it's too lolanime for me to do so, and there hasn't been anything interesting about either the spirit world or the normal world to really get me. I think it would do a lot better if it was just a fun monster-hunting romp from the beginning (it could drop into more serious stuff later) or was a gritty urban fantasy (preferably without high schoolers but it wouldn't have to be?) I'm really just watching for the really fantastic production at this point and hoping it gets better.

[MangaRocks!]

^ ...Why do I feel like I'm currently the only one here who is wholeheartedly enjoying that series?


Anyway, Samurai Flamenco ep. 1:

Ha, well, I figured this was going to be kinda nuts just from its title + description, but I wasn't expecting it to begin like that, LOL. *Ahem*-- that aside, I kinda liked the fact that the 'hero' was so idealistic and eccentric , and that he had no actual 'superpowers' of his own whatsoever, but decided to do what he could anyway (even though he had no idea how to go about it correctly ). Also, the poor cop's reactions to him were pretty amusing. That said, though, this wasn't all that compelling, and I honestly have no idea what to think about it just yet; however, I'm willing to give it a few more episodes, at least.


On the other hand, Galilei Donna ep. 1 hooked me immediately, and kept me quite interested the entire time:

For one thing, I wasn't expecting it to have that much action (nor that all the sisters, despite their initial appearances, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: would actually have some pretty good defenses, for once, LOL ), and I also really liked the cool tech (although the mecha with the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: sentient{?} talking goldfish co-pilot{?}/AI{?}/thing{?} kinda threw me off a little, LOL ). (Also, weirdo pirate{?} guy turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining at points, as well.) So yeah, *this* one I'll keep following for sure.

[GeneD]

Kyoukai no Kanata episode 2: The fight was really fantastic and gave me (false) hope for the series. I like the more serious aspects and find myself thinking oh it's not so bad when the serious things are on screen. The "humour" bits are terrible and seem really out of place (and I usually like snark between characters), it almost feels like I'm watching two different shows cut together.

Kill la kill episode 2: That homeroom teacher. O.o

Nagi no Asukara episode 2: They sure wasted zero time with the drama. LandBishounen-kun is so bland it's almost painful and it's like all the other kids have one default setting. Also the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: fish-knee thing was the grossest thing ever. Why does it talk? I'm glad it's gone.

More first episosdes:

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta: Nice first episode with good pacing. I like that different people SPOILER: Highlight text to read: have different powers with their own set of "rules". Also figured the little lost girl was evil but not that she was completely in disguise so that was a nice surprise.

Tokyo Ravens: Generic as all get out. Even the drama felt forced and silly.

BlazBlue Alter Memory: Quite a confusing and all over the place introductory episode.

Galilei Donna: I really love the family aspect and I hope SPOILER: Highlight text to read: their parents don't get written out too soon, although I wouldn't be surprised since the focus is supposed to be on the sisters. Everyone did seem a little cliche in terms of characterisation but hopefully they get fleshed out properly.

Kyousou Giga: I could watch a whole series just with Lady Koto family shenanigans. I am technically but you know what I mean. The back-story was great and finding out a little about the dynamics of their world is really interesting.

Samurai Flamenco: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I hope he gets better at fighting. Also yay cop guy I like him.

Galilei Donna
(although the mecha with the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: sentient{?} talking goldfish co-pilot{?}/AI{?}/thing{?} kinda threw me off a little, LOL ).

I figured it's an SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Projected manifestation of the ship's AI.

(Also, weirdo pirate{?} guy turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining at points, as well.)

It's all in the ponytail.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Yeah that was pretty clearly a projection of the ship's AI, I'm surprised you didn't notice that you could see through it?

Galilei Donna was really neat, I was very surprised by how much I liked it (second only to Kill la Kill). I think the interesting thing about the daughters is that their dynamics feel much more like something I'd see in an American movie, with the irresponsible eldest, surly middle child, and ~innocent~ youngest, and I can't think of an anime example of this (I can't think of an American example either but they also don't have the ~innocent~ one pull out a high-power stun gun).

Samurai Flamenco was also cool, it has basically a lot of things that appeal directly to me. The character designs look familiar but I can't figure out what they remind me of. Definitely also keeping, though I'm a bit worried about two cours of this?

[ForeverInspired]

After watching at least one episode of each one, here's my look at the fall in order from best to worst:

White Album 2 ... maybe it's just because of the horrors of the first season, but this series is right now a breathe of fresh air for me.
Outbreak Company ... this seems unique in its own little way. I have high hopes for it.
Kyoukai no Kanata ... I never thought such cute design could hold such violent plot. This might be epic (especially with those flashbacks).
Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai ... This is another spin that looks like its heading in the right direction. I do miss the black outline of the figures though - it seems really bright and the colors almost blend too much.
Galilei Donna ... this has some great art and some interesting plot, but I was sold once I heard Cicino's voice. If Hiroshi Kamiya's in then I'm in.
Nagi no Asukara ... despite some characters with emotional problems, I'm hoping this helps me to get over finishing Tsuritama since its another sea anime. Plus, it's PA Works - its art is soooo appealing.
Tokyo Ravens ... This may or may not be something to look forward to. I'm reserving my thoughts. I did like the first episode though.
Golden Time ... I'm watching it for the laughs and hopefully serious-turn that it looks like it might have.
Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta ... I haven't watched the OVAs, but right now I'm interested.
Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova ... this seems promising, but I'll need a few more episodes to tell.
Kill la Kill ... for some reason, I don't seem to be enjoying this as much as everyone else. The art isn't really appealing and the characters aren't that special.
Walkure Romanze ... I really like some of these characters, but I hope that they tone down the sensual side.
Coppelion ... it's sort of slow right now, but it has promise.
Strike the Blood ... I've never really been into vampires. His lust for blood might make cut it though.
BlazBlue: Alter Memory ... basically, if you played the game, great! If you didn't, well, I guess you'll be a little lost like me. It seems interesting though.
Log Horizon ... right now, this is on the edge of being cut since it seems like an SAO rip-off (I'm still giving it a chance because I think that the producers would hopefully know better.)
-----------------------------The Cutting Line-------------------------------------------------
Miss Monochrome ... this is so boring. Her voice is robotic and grating on the ears.
Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru ... I thought that this might be amusing until the choices were all erotic and pathetic.
Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai! ... I quit after all that groaning and unpleasant camera shots.
Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku wo Ketsui Shimashita. ... there is no plot, and I've heard that The Devil is a Part-timer is so much better.

I'll probably be cutting more in the next couple of weeks. Some of the ones that are on the edge are really on the edge of being cut.

[ForeverInspired]

Galilei Donna
(although the mecha with the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: sentient{?} talking goldfish co-pilot{?}/AI{?}/thing{?} kinda threw me off a little, LOL ).

I figured it's an SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Projected manifestation of the ship's AI.

The ship was weird.

(Also, weirdo pirate{?} guy turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining at points, as well.)

It's all in the ponytail.

That weird pirate is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya (Otonashi from Angel Beats!, Araragi from Bakemonogatari, Izaya from Durarara!!, Gareki from Karneval, Natsume from Natsume, and Levi from Attack on Titan to name a few). Once he started talking, I was sold on the series.

[MangaRocks!]

Yeah that was pretty clearly a projection of the ship's AI, I'm surprised you didn't notice that you could see through it?

I did notice, but it was just really weird to me, LOL. I mean, I love sci-fi, so I've seen a lot of different types of AI's; but a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: talking goldfish was definitely a new one , hence why I was kinda thrown off by it at first.

(Also, weirdo pirate{?} guy turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining at points, as well.)

It's all in the ponytail.

That weird pirate is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya (Otonashi from Angel Beats!, Araragi from Bakemonogatari, Izaya from Durarara!!, Gareki from Karneval, Natsume from Natsume, and Levi from Attack on Titan to name a few). Once he started talking, I was sold on the series.

Indeed, I also recognized his voice right away-- and that's probably a good part of the reason why I liked him, LOL. (...Aside from the ponytail, I mean. )

[Vii]

Kill La Kill ep.2: p fun.

Kyoukai no Kanata ep.2: Cool fight.

Nagi no Asukara ep.2: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I actually thought that fish-knee was neat. :<. I hope there's a time skip at some point; it's difficult to take middle school drama seriously. Still love the background art.

I'll try to get around to watching Golden Time, Yowamushi Pedal, Galilei Donna, and Samurai Flamenco eventually...

[KazeShiki]

Kyoukai no Kanata 2 - better but could do without the mains.

Nagi no Asukara 2 - Akari's drama actually seems interesting. Would much rather have seen a story about her. Time skip won't happen. It's going to be about screaming teenagers.

Kyousougiga - YESSSSSS! Great first ep. A lot of this could be pieced together from the OVAs but all the holes have been filled now. Ready for more greatness.

Valvrave - I...actually don't like Kakumei Dualism.

Kill La Kill 2 - I think the school setting will end soon and move onto a bigger plot.

Diamond no Ace 1/2 - looks promising. The catcher is pretty cool.

[blkmage]

I find nagiasu's overt racism conflict way more grating than the middle school drama

[Davidizer13]

Kill la Kill: I'm not really sure if I love it or not. Sure, it's gorgeous to look at, and there are some pretty awesome things to be seen, but the rest of it hasn't really compelled me as much. Take away the edgy, kinetic Gurren Lagann influence and so far, you're left with a middling shonen show.

That said, tennis is serious business.

[KazeShiki]

Kill la Kill: I'm not really sure if I love it or not. Sure, it's gorgeous to look at, and there are some pretty awesome things to be seen, but the rest of it hasn't really compelled me as much. Take away the edgy, kinetic Gurren Lagann influence and so far, you're left with a middling shonen show.

That said, tennis is serious business.

I don't think it's fair to say "take away the Gurren Lagann influence" when it's basically the same people making it, and this is the kind of stuff they are known for doing. Sure, you could argue they are doing very similar things and not bringing anything "new" but that's like saying take away an author's strengths and you're not left with much; true but pointless. Gurren Lagann itself was influenced plenty by stuff like Gunbuster and Getter Robo so you could make the same complaint of it. Anyway, like I said already, I'm pretty sure the school setting will end soon and you'll get something bigger to chew on, though I can't say it'll be compelling for you. I'll admit it'll probably be something similar to Gurren Lagann.

[GeneD]

Nagi no Asukara 2 - Akari's drama actually seems interesting. Would much rather have seen a story about her.

Don't know about anyone else but I was kinda terrified for her when she was being manhandled up those stairs. She just gets dragged to their elder/god person for whatever punishment without anyone notifying her family or letting her speak for herself or anything. That freaks me out big time, I wanted to climb into the screen and punch all those guys. Even if her "punishment" is not that big of a deal, people get banished for love in a lot of stories, the way the scene was shot made it seem really awful and scary, which I guess was the point to drive home to Manaka that getting involved with land kid is a very bad idea.

Kill La Kill 2 - I think the school setting will end soon and move onto a bigger plot.

I hope you're right.

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta episode 2: Really neat episode, I liked the way they structured the plot elements, giving us some character history and "personal demons", political aspects to running the city and a few mysteries. Also a serious ramp up in fan service, which I wasn't expecting.

[MangaRocks!]

Nagi no Asukara episode 2: Yeah, the racism stuff has actually made it a little more interesting, IMO.

Don't know about anyone else but I was kinda terrified for her when she was being manhandled up those stairs. She just gets dragged to their elder/god person for whatever punishment without anyone notifying her family or letting her speak for herself or anything. That freaks me out big time, I wanted to climb into the screen and punch all those guys. Even if her "punishment" is not that big of a deal, people get banished for love in a lot of stories, the way the scene was shot made it seem really awful and scary, which I guess was the point to drive home to Manaka that getting involved with land kid is a very bad idea.

^ This.


Golden Time episode 2: ......Um... that 'tea' club... what the heck did I just watch...


And Kill la Kill episode 2: Well, really all I can say is that this ep. was just as nuts as the first one (oh my gosh... that teacher... ). Also:

...tennis is serious business.

[MangaRocks!]

Apologies for the double-post.

Beyond The Boundary episode 3:

Hiromi... oh gosh... well, something was indeed off. Did love him when he was fighting, though SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (that is one awesome scarf-- also, yikes, that was quite the scratch ).

Speaking of the fights, I really liked the surreal/creepiness factor of all the youmu coming out en masse with hardly anyone noticing, and then maliciously ganging up on any spirit warriors they could find; and all the fights were pretty intense. I was also quite surprised that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the main characters were already tangling with the giant shadow thing (or at least trying to) this soon-- I had originally assumed that it was going to be the final boss, but now I'm curious as to how that's going to work... (Maybe it comes back/they go to it later? Because I *highly* doubt that they're going to take it out now. ) Also, speaking of the intensity of the fights, I found it slightly unnerving when that Sakura girl (who is... what, I'm guessing the sister of the girl Mirai accidentally killed?) was sawing through Mirai's own blood...

Finally, holy crap at that next-ep. preview-- was that Akihito getting possessed by the shadow?

Looking forward to next week!

[blkmage]

I can see how next week's Kyokai no Kanata is going to go down.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Akihito gets possessed by the whatever, which is convenient because unlike Mirai's friend that she killed, he can't die. Problem solved.

[MangaRocks!]

I can see how next week's Kyokai no Kanata is going to go down.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Akihito gets possessed by the whatever, which is convenient because unlike Mirai's friend that she killed, he can't die. Problem solved.

^ Yeah, I figured that, too ... however SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I don't think that's going to stop it for good-- it seems way too tempting of final-boss material to beat this early on. (Unless the *real* final boss is that Sakura girl...)