Posts Tagged ‘anohana’

I admit it, the second half of the season wasn’t nearly as impressive as the first. While there are still a few gems poking out from the rough, it’s hard to tell with all of this fluff and rough around the edges comedy. In this half, we’ll be talking about series ranging all the way from the very boring Sket Dance all the way to the sporty Moshidora. Luckily for me, we’ll also be hitting some of the highlights of the second half including Deadman Wonderland and A Channel.

 

Sket Dance
Premiere Date: 4/7
Studio: Tatsunoko Production
Available via Crunchyroll

Summary: The sket dan is in charge of making sure the students in their school lead trouble free lives. If you have a problem, they can solve it.

Where I Started: So every episode is going to be like this? This makes my head hurt.

Where I Ended: It gets better which is more than I can say for a lot of other series this season. However, when I say that it gets better I mean that in the sense that it hadn’t really set a high mark for it to beat to begin with. It’s definitely a school comedy for those who love that sort of thing but the jokes are generally so on the nose that it’s hard to consider it particularly clever. It’s a nice attempt and some people are going to respond to it. Most are going to wish that they had looked the other direction.

Verdict: Not going to do it to myself. Fail!

 

A Channel
Premiere Date: 4/7
Studio: Studio Gokumi

Summary: Four cute girls doing cute things with some occasional yuri overtones.

Where I Started: Oh yeah, I can see myself watching this.

Where I Ended: This is K-ON with music replaced by yuri. It’s the slightly racier alternative to this season’s My Ordinary Life. It’s all of those things plus a little extra thanks to being hilarious! Yet another fluff series, this is the series for those who love their moe and need another strong dose of it in comedy form. Four girls in high school doing cute things in their everyday lives isn’t going to satisfy every otaku in the audience but if you do enjoy moe comedy, this is not going to disappoint you.

Verdict: Moe comedy win! Pass!

 

Softenni
Premiere Date: 4/7
Studio: XEBEC

Summary: Four other girls have ecchi comedy fun while training to reach their next tennis tournament.

Where I Started: I have to watch more of this? 

Where I Ended: There’s a line that certain series can toe around in order to remain a fun ecchi comedy. Some series take awhile but eventually they find that line. SoftTeni found that line almost right away but ignored it anyway. From the first few minutes you know exactly what you’re getting into with this one. Bottom of the barrel humor that isn’t afraid to rely on whatever tropes it can think of to get its point across, this isn’t even ecchi comedy for those who like it to enjoy.

Verdict: Fail, fail, fail.

 

Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream
Premiere Date: 4/9
Studio: Tatsunoko Production

Summary: Two girls are randomly chosen to be the new stars of the Prism Show which involves magical jumps, ice skating, dancing and being an idol.

Where I Started: It doesn’t always look great but I can see where it’s going.

Where I Ended: If it weren’t for this series being such a commercial, I could actually see myself watching and enjoying this. However as someone who looks at this series and sees a price tag on everything in sight it’s hard to enjoy it nearly as much. While the animation is questionable at times, this is still a not bad shoujo series aimed at selling toys to little girls.

Verdict: I won’t be following it but this was a solid introduction and deserves a pass.

 

Astarotte’s Toy
Premiere Date: 4/10
Studio: Diomedia
Available via Crunchyroll

Summary: A 10 year old succubus princess must suck life juice from men in order to survive and is given an adult human male to become friends with.

Where I Started: That wasn’t bad but still…

Where I Ended: I tried to like this one and by the end of 3 episodes I had even chuckled a bit at the various antics. This is still just a premise that I can’t get behind and won’t be continuing with. For the record, you’d expect a series of this nature to rely on fan service and sex humor a lot more than it does. This is still just far beyond the line of what moe and ecchi fans should look for in a series. Cute in its own way but be sure that you’re the type who can ignore character ages.

Verdict: Not as bad it could’ve been but still a fail.

 

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
Premiere Date: 4/14
Studio: Tatsunoko Production
Available via Funimation

Summary: A poor college student is offered a chance to enter the seedy financial district where he could have all his money problems solved. All he has to do is sign over his future and take part in weekly battles without going bankrupt.

Where I Started: This could be interesting.

Where I Ended: I was right, it could have been interesting had they tried just a little bit harder. While the tsundere asset was a nice addition, there isn’t enough here to make this unique premise into what it could have been. With more time, this series might go somewhere but during its initial impression it left me with little curiosity to find out more. If there is a chance that it’s going somewhere I might catch it on DVD someday but for now, this is a rainy day series at best.

Verdict: Fail

 

Ano hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi Mada Shiranai
Premiere Date: 4/14
Studio: A-1 Pictures

Summary: A dead girl comes back with a wish to bring together all of her old friends who have all grown apart.

Where I Started: Wow, powerful and beautiful.

Where I Ended: Another coming of age story, this one is one of the more powerful of the season as the lead character is just instantly likeable. Compelling writing brings together a sympathetic cast of characters in order to create a beautiful landscape of detail to get lost in. There is little about this series that one can complain about and is one that everyone should be checking out.

Verdict: A Noitamina series for everyone. Pass!

 

Aria the Scarlet Ammo
Premiere Date: 4/14
Studio: JC Staff
Available via Funimation

Summary: In a high school where students are trained to be international police, a guy runs into the elite Aria who wants him to become her partner (or as she calls it ‘slave’).

Where I Started: Where have I seen this before?

Where I Ended: Leaving behind the many times the series decides to steal the plot from the movie Speed, the series itself is a rehash of action series you’ve seen in the past. The tsundere lead is a cookie cutter of heroines who have come before her and the action is hardly worth getting excited about. The one place where this absolutely succeeded was in its music but I’m not watching a series for its soundtrack.

Verdict: Another cheap action that’s not even visually impactful. Fail!

 

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Premiere Date: 4/14
Studio: Shaft

Summary: A high school student moves in with his aunt and cousin, the latter of which believes that she is an alien after going missing for six months.

Where I Started: I really want to like this but damn is it hard.

Where I Ended: It took awhile but I finally came to a certain peace with this series. After so many dark series, director Akiyuki Shinbo returns with this comedy that never quite finds its footing. The artwork is the first hurdle to overcome with the writing coming in on a close second. I have faith that this series is going somewhere but these first three episodes aren’t giving me much evidence of that beyond my healthy (hopeful?) hunch.

Summary: I continue out of faith that it’s going to get better but still fail.

 

Deadman Wonderland
Premiere Date: 4/16
Studio: Manglobe
Available via Crunchyroll

Summary: A kid is framed for the murder of his entire class and sent to a twisted amusement park where convicts battle for their lives in front of a live audience.

Where I Started: The grittiest series this season and I love it.

Where I Ended: Every season needs an incredibly dark and twisted series that leaves you captivated with just how far it’s willing to go. This season the title of that series is Deadman Wonderland. Dark and twisted, at one point I cursed that this series was so heavily censored but as I saw just how dark it was willing to go with its ideas, I became more and more grateful for it instead. Once you start getting into the violence and twisted story behind this series, it’s hard to take your eyes away.

Verdict: Pass!

 

[SinglePic not found]Moshidora
Premiere Date: 4/25
Studio: Production I.G

Summary: A high school baseball manager accidently picks up a business management book and uses it to coach the team towards the nationals.

Where I Started: Alright, I’m getting your point. Now make something happen.

Where I Ended: Once it stopped trying to introduce itself, Moshidora turned into a fun baseball series about doing your very best. Bringing together the best elements of sports and dramedy, this turned into a fun drama about thinking outside the box and doing something different. Then you add in some nice animation and a wonderful orchestral soundtrack and you have a surprisingly fun little treat.

Verdict: Shockingly this one is getting a pass.

While most of the news this week was centered on the mountain of controversy regarding the Youth Protection Act in Tokyo, the rest of the anime world kept turning. Between TV series and OADs, this was a very busy week for anime announcements! I’ve been trying to have this up by Friday each week but even with me trying to keep this list updated periodically I still managed to find myself completely falling behind. This week will be better but for now, let’s starts things off in Okinawa.

 

Okinawa Tourism Anime: the southern prefecture is teaming up with anime studio Soratia to create an anime titled Shimanchu MiRiKa to promote their local businesses. The series will center on three girls who are interested in music and dance, local stage productions and karate. Soratia, producing a series on their own for the first time, is aiming to be done with the series by March which could mean a spring or summer release date. – I already want to visit Okinawa but I might watch this one anyway.

Otoboku Gets Second Anime: Announced officially on the GA Bunko blog, an anime adaptation will be made for romantic comedy eroge Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru 2 Futari no Elder. If the name sounds even vaguely familiar you might be remembering the adaptation of the first game released in 2006 (Media Blasters released it in the US as Otoboku – Maidens Are Falling for Me). In the second game, the setting remains in Seio Girl’s School but takes place two years after Mizuho has graduated.  The new hero is Chihaya who faces the same problem of being a male transferring into an all female school and having to hide his identity. – Hm, this actually sounds like something I’d like.

 

Hyougemono Announced for Spring: The first manga adaptation of the week to be announced belongs to historical title Hyougemono by Yamada Yoshihiro. The series takes place during the Sengoku (Warring States) period and follows a man working under Oda Nobunaga. At one point, the man has his soul taken over by greed and a love of tea. –  The manga is an award winner and has been running since 2005. Am I alone in thinking it sounds like it should be running in the Noitamina block?

 

ufotable, Newtype and Type Moon Team Up for Anime: In the next issue of Newtype it will be announced that the magazine will team up with animation studio ufotable and visual novel producer Type Moon for a new anime project to be released next year. No further details are available but the magazine goes on sale in early January so we should be getting some news leaked out around the new year. – Mangajet seems pretty sure that this is actually going to be the Take Moon anime adaptation (titled Carnival Fantasm) previously announced. That sounds plausible at least.

 

Ago Nashi Gen to Ore Monogatari Animation Announcement: Wow is that another long name to type. Regardless, the gag manga AgoNashi will be getting a streaming anime premiere later this month with the first two episodes being uploaded to BeeTV on December 20th. Episodes will premiere once a week after that. The manga series follows a 32 year old shipping manager who possesses absolutely zero skills, talents, ability, money or anything else to be proud of beyond his thick coat of body hair as he tries to make it in the world. – Um, no. Next please?

 

Friends: Mononoke Shima no Naki: Based on the fairy tale Naita Aka-Oni, a new movie is being written by Takashi Yamazaki (director of Baldr Force EXE Resolution and the live action adaptation of Always: Sanchoume no Yuuhi) which will star SMAP member Shingo Katori and Kouichi Yamadera (Briareos – Appleseed, Spike in Cowboy Bebop, Kaji in Evangelion). The movie is set to be released next December. – ANN describes as Naita Aka-Oni as a ‘tear jerker’ which strikes me as the equivalent of describing water as ‘wet’.

Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle: Sunrise will be putting out a new series next year titled Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle which centers on a high school freshmen that is a genius at puzzles. After his student council president helps him find the hidden Philosopher’s Puzzle, freshman Kaito defeats it only to find himself now working with other ‘solvers’ in puzzle matches around the world to defeat the mysterious group, POG. The series will be directed by Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Aria the Animation, Princess Tutu) and premiere on NHK next fall. – I kind of wish Junichi Sato would do another big, elaborate magical girl series.

 

Fairy Tail OAD Bundled with Volume 26: An original anime episode will be packaged along with the 26th manga volume of fantasy series Fairy Tail. In the new episode, Lucy will get a mysterious request to find a ‘shining treasure’ hidden within the Fairy Tail girl’s dorms. The episode will be produced by A-1 and Satelight (just like the TV series) and will hit shelves April 15th. – I gave up on this series after 2 episodes and haven’t looked back since.

 

Princess Resurrection OAD: Speaking of series that I gave up on and no longer care about, an OAD will also be packed with the 14th manga volume of Princess Resurrection. The disc will tell three stories from the 9th volume and ship on March 9th.

 

Showa Monogatari: The first series to be ‘aimed at senior citizens’ (and families) will launch next month. Taking place in 1964 (when Japan hosted the Summer Olympics) and following the Yamazaki family in Tokyo, Showa Monogatari (Showa era Story) is a work that has taken 4 and a half years to see the light of day. Plans for the series include a movie which will be released in January, a 13 episode TV series released in April and an animated special which will air at the end of the year.  – Could be interesting.

Anohana: Finally, another new animation project has been announced for Aniplex and A-1 Pictures. The new series has no real information yet but solving a puzzle on the official website reveals that a commercial and new information will debut during the final episode of Shiki on December 31st. – A-1 Pictures? Aniplex? Anime no Chikara?