Posts Tagged ‘wrap up’

Wow, is really the end of July already? It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in front of my laptop being really excited about Anime Expo and the start of the new season. Then week 2 started and things took a nosedive in a hurry. It seems that this season the standard for good wasn’t set at which series could be the most awesome and instead settled on which anime could be the least annoying. Even in a weak season like this however, there were still a few standouts that managed to catch my attention. Some of them weren’t even horror! As usual I watched the first three episodes of as many new series as I could and have listed all of the highs (and very lows) that I found in my travels through the world of new anime.

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi
Mr. Wolf and Seven Companions
Studio: JC Staff
Genre: Romantic Comedy / Fairy Tale parody
Premiere Date: 7/1

Where I Started: So yeah, there was something mentioned about a fairy tale parody series?

Where I Ended: Wow did that concept get dropped in a hurry. What was billed as a fairy tale parody series quickly turned into generic romantic comedy that vaguely references fairy tale each week. While I’ve heard others insist that the comedy in this series is gold, I’ve yet to see it. After 3 episodes the jokes were already repetitive while the characters didn’t have any real originality to begin with. It’s a comedy that occasionally elicits a chuckle but there are much better (and funnier) ways to spend your free time. The moral of this story: Plot summaries can’t be trusted.

Verdict: For fans who need a cheap Taiga Aisaka replacement.

Summer Spotlight Amagami SS Studio: AIC Genre: Romance Premiere Date: 7/1 Where I started: This could be awesome if it just had some facial expressions. Where I Ended: No matter how you feel about Amagami SS in the beginning, that opinion could still completely change once the second arc starts. While the artwork reminds me of a 90’s visual novel, the series itself is surprisingly intriguing to watch thanks to a structure that forces things to move at a much faster pace than what you might normally be used to from a romance. Told in short arcs, each story attempts to get an entire series’ worth of flirting, courting and secret trysts in a much smaller space of time. With the first heroine, Haruka, almost done I’m already left wondering if there is going to be a constant sense of annoyance at having to start over with someone new every couple of episodes. For fans who are looking for the latest romance in the vein of White Album (with less singing and emo voice overs) or Suzuka (with less sports) this is the series that you want to pick up. Verdict: Don’t like it now? Check back every few episodes and eventually there will be a heroine you’ll find to be worth sticking around for.

Legend of the Legendary Heroes
Studio: ZEXCS
Genre: Fantasy
Premiere Date:
Available via Funimation

Where I Started: Oh right, I did watch this.

Where I Ended: It took way too long for me to stop feeling like I was watching a fantasy series trying to be every other fantasy series instead of something new and unique. While it’s nice to look at, Legend of the Legendary Heroes spends so much time establishing history and setting that it forgets to create memorable characters or lasting impressions. While fantasy fans might recognize this as building towards something, spending so much time in the past doesn’t do much to get me excited about the future.

Verdict: If you liked Record of Lodoss War, Tales of the Abyss, Tower of Druaga, etc. this will feel like a visit back home.

Shukufuku no Campanella
Studio: AIC
Genre: Harem Romance
Premiere Date: 7/2

Where I Started: One of the purest definitions of empty, moe trash.

Where I Ended: No clever quips here; the story of Shukufuku no Campanella is about as empty as the space inside each of its characters heads. It’s very pretty to look at but if you’re entering this series because you want a sweet moe story filled with cute romantic twists you’re better off saving your brain cells on ANYTHING else. It will never, EVER be referred to as a shining example of any genre but if you’re willing to turn your brain off for 25 minutes each week than this could be something to kill time with.

Verdict: A possibly guilty pleasure but I wouldn’t advertise it.

Mitsudomoe
Studio: Bridge
Genre: Comedy
Premiere Date: 7/2
Available via Crunchyroll

Where I Started: It’s kind of funny now but do they really intend to keep up this pace all the way?

Where I Ended: Taking the worst parts of Kodomo no Jikan and Azumanga Daioh, Mitsudomoe tried really hard in the beginning to be edgy with its fast paced physical comedy that never stopped. If only they hadn’t used all their best jokes by the end of the first episode. Going from slightly clever physical comedy to pee and snot jokes, Mitsudomoe took a nosedive and crashed spectacularly. No longer trying for clever, the staff now seem content with being gross or dumb just for the sake of doing so. Hint for aspiring anime writers: Just because the characters are yelling doesn’t make the jokes any funnier. Also, pee is usually only funny for a few seconds, not a few minutes.

Verdict: For fans of toilet humor and Ben Stiller movies.

Summer Spotlight High School of the Dead Studio: Madhouse Premiere Date: 7/5 Available via The Anime Network Where I Started: This is awesome! Where I Ended: High School of the Dead has earned all of the praise that it’s gotten from fans and so much more. Calling back to the bloody zombie films from decades ago, HSotD takes the genre to a new level with its willingness to spend time inside the characters minds. While other entries into the genre are content to use every second to just scare its audience visually, this series gets into the audience head by visiting the characters emotional depths and motivations. This is the horror series of the year. Verdict: Horror fans have no reason not to watch this series.

Seitokai Yakuindomo
Studio: GoHands
Genre: Ecchi School Comedy
Premiere Date: 7/3

Where I Started: Wow, did they really just say that?… and that?… and that???

Where I Ended: I don’t hide how much I enjoy comedy that is willing to be at least a little different. Even before it premiered, fans have been comparing this season to last year’s Seitokai no Ichizon which isn’t entirely unfair. They do share some key elements: a single male landing a position within an all female student council and much of the comedy relies on sex jokes and that’s about where the comparisons end. While Seitokai no Ichizon relied on a perverted male lead and parody jokes; Seitokai Yakuindomo is happy to let their perverted female leads take the ball and run with it while taking turns being the straight man to the others. Unlike other comedies relying on gross comedy, this series succeeds in turning dirty comedy into dry wit. The hardcore references will limit its appeal to many but I’ll be watching through to the end at least.

Verdict: The other choice for those who find Mitsudomoe to be a little too blunt or crass.

Occult Academy
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Premiere Date: 7/5
Available via Crunchyroll

Where I Started: Maya makes me laugh!

Where I Ended: At first Occult Academy was a delicious dip into refreshing that walked a very tight line between mysterious horror and comedy. Somewhere along the way however that balance became terribly tipped towards the comedy side almost ruining the atmosphere that it had worked so hard to create. Using jokes and humor that made me flashback to old Looney Toons shorts, the series has already shrunk into a shell of what it was mere episodes earlier. It has its charm but this season is packed with horror and most of it a lot better than this.

Verdict: It lost me at episode 3.

Nuraihyon no Mago
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
Studio: Studio Deen
Premiere Date: 7/5
Available via Viz Media

Where I Started: I feel reminded of 3 different series already.

Where I Ended: Along the lines of Buso Renkin or DNAngel, Nura never comes across as a particularly weak shonen series. It also never comes across as a particularly original shonen series. Filled with story elements and designs that feel or look borrowed, this is one of the weakest efforts from Studio Deen in a long time (which pains me to say because I like Studio Deen). There’s nothing else like it this season because it was all done over the last few years.

Verdict: Pick a random shonen from the last 3 years and you’ll probably get the same effect.

Tono to Issho
Studio: Gathering
Premiere Date: 7/5
Available via Crunchyroll

Where I Started: So it’s 90 seconds of Japanese puns?

Where I Ended: I take that back; it’s 90 seconds of Japanese puns and historical references. If you’ve ever studied the Warring States period of Japan or the Japanese language in general you might find something to watch here. I can’t help but look at this and become confused at everything I’m not getting.

Verdict: Huh?

Summer Spotlight Shiki Studio: Daume Premiere Date: 7/8 Available via Funimation Where I Started: It’s Higurashi – When They Cry without the moe. Where I Ended: It’s all in the details. Moving at a very slow pace, Shiki is amazingly adept at biding it’s time to tell its story. If you’re the type that has trouble keeping up with stories that are slow to develop on a weekly basis you’re covered with name tags and literally having major events and places mapped out. A very slow build, you’ll have to give this series a bit of time to warm up but once you realize you’ve been sucked in it will be far too late to even think about turning back. Verdict: Another horror highlight for the summer. Pick this one up.

Asobi ni Iku Yo
Studio: AIC Plus
Premiere Date: 7/10
Available via Crunchyroll

Where I Started: No, just no.

Where I Ended: If you enjoy busty heroines and moe alien love comedy, this is the summer premiere that you knew about ahead of time and were waiting for. Asobi ni Iku Yo delivers exactly what you’re expecting: fan service, mostly mindless humor, government conspiracies and a bit more that you weren’t expecting. Regardless, if you enjoyed To Love Ru this is your next big thing.

Verdict: This will have absolutely no problem finding an audience, I just won’t be among them.

Cat Shit One
Studio: Anima
Premiere Date: 7/17

Where I Started: I thought it’d be bloodier.

Where I Ended: Essentially a 25 minute action sequence starring a grizzled bunny war veteran with his much younger bunny recruit. What makes this release special are the use of animals to replace people which completely alters the audiences perspective on how one should feel. It’s easy to filter out war violence you’re used to but bunnies blowing away camels and almost getting turned into bunny bits themselves? Not so much. Should Anima turn this into a full TV series or OVA I would watch without a moment of hesitation.

Verdict: Another one that everyone should check out just to watch something different.

Summer Spotlight Black Rock Shooter Studio: Ordet Premiere Date: 7/24 Where I Started: A glorious 52 minute commercial with a story. Where I Ended: There was really no reason for me to be excited about this release but I was and now I want more. A great looking self contained story that tells one story in two entirely different ways, this is another highlight of the summer. Verdict: Watch it, love it, don’t expect a clean cut ending.

So there are my views of the month. Obviously your experiences may vary but let’s face it, there just wasn’t a lot of great original series to get excited about this month. But the fall season is just around the corner and with that will come more Letter Bee, To Aru Majutsu no Index and To Love Ru along with new series such as Panty and Stocking and the first Marvel anime, Iron Man. But what got you excited this month? Disagree with any of my assessments? Share your favorites in the comments below!

In the last part of the spring wrap up, I take a look at the last simulcasts from Crunchyroll and Funimation. Can you believe that after the last two seasons, less than a dozen series got picked up for simulcasts? Hopefully this trend gets back on track in the upcoming season. Also in this part, I take a look at three of the more artistic (if not surreal) series of the season including the less than stellar Noitamina block.

Working
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Premiered: 4/4

In A Nutshell: The wacky daily lives of a restaurant staff are chronicled 4 panel style

First Impression: Hee, this is funny because I wish I could do this to my customers.

Originally a 4 panel gag manga, everything about this series is what you might expect: the stories are short and the jokes are repetitive. Taking place in an everyday family restaurant, Working spends its first episodes introducing the characters and telling a few short stories that revolve around just two or three characters before moving on to the next set.

Following this format all the way through the first three episodes, it will become abundantly obvious to everyone that Working is never going to attempt to wow you with it’s clever wordplay or constantly evolving characters. For the most part, every character has their one personality quirk (Poplar’s obsession with growing, Inami’s fear of men, etc) which are used as a constant punch line. For some viewers, this isn’t going to do a lot for creating weekly must see programming. That isn’t to say that Working is a series that deserves to be written off entirely. While many of the character jokes are repetitive, the situational comedy is still strong enough to strike a chord with most people out there looking for something simple to laugh at.

Verdict: Recommended to ANYONE who has worked a crappy customer service or restaurant job and fans of Azumanga Daioh (you could trade Poplar and Chiyo-chan and never know the difference)

Arakawa Under the Bridge
Studio: Shaft
Premiered: 4/4

In A Nutshell: A rich young man who was taught to never rely on anyone joins a community living under a bridge to repay the alien who saved his life.

First Impression: What did I just watch?

Surreal is the best word to describe this series. A rich young man’s life is saved by a beautiful woman (alien?).  To repay her, he agrees to become her boyfriend and be with her which includes living under the bridge with her. Now surrounded by neighbors of varying degrees of weirdness, the story centers on a man being forced to adjust to a brand new world where everything he thought was valuable like money and an impending career now mean absolutely nothing. While this may not actually sound like much, in terms of presentation and set up, Arakawa Under the Bridge could be one of the best shows of the season.

Rich beyond belief, there are no real wrinkles to Kou’s personality. He’s been trained to never rely on anyone for anything ever and yet now must repay the ultimate favor. When he’s met with this challenge, he tries his best to find a way to cope with this new situation and mature but gets foiled along the way by his new neighbors and own ineptness. While many times, the humor in the series is based around the odd characters and their insane reactions to little things, the more subtle comedy is all on Kou. In the first three episodes, Kou spends a lot of time trying to bridge the gap between the world he knew and world he now knows. Constantly trying to impress others with his flashy toys and money, it always leads to reality crashing back down on him as a reminder of who he is. It’s a concept and joke that is constantly early on but if there’s one hook I was actually left wondering about, it was what Kou will look like by the end of the series after his long struggle with finding acceptance in his new home.

While I won’t be continuing all the way through with this one, the surreal humor and bizarre cast of characters is something that audiences who crave something new should look at.

Urugiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru (Uraboku)
Studio: J.C. Staff
Premiered: 4/11
Available on Crunchyroll

In a Nutshell: Psychic bishounen is pulled into a long fought war between demons and apparently other bishies.

First Impression: If Mirage of Blaze and Nighthead Genesis had an illegitimate love child this is what it would look like.

Crunchyroll lists this series as adventure fantasy but let’s dispense with that myth now, this is softcore yaoi. That’s not a bad thing but let’s just get real here and call it like it is. That said, the story focuses on an adult orphan named Yuki Sakurai and his power to see all the bad emotions and memories people keep hidden inside of them. He’s about to graduate high school and go out into the world when he’s approached by someone claiming to be his brother at a time when his powers are getting out of control. Introduced to a war against demons, Yuki must make the choice of what to do with these people who say they are family.

In the first three episodes, Uraboku does a nice job of setting up a slow-paced story. The animation has a soft feeling to it and never forgets to take a few extra seconds for lingering character shots. Where it seems the series is putting most of its effort early on is in creating sympathy for Yuki as the story is slowly introduced. Unfortunately the plot is being unrolled so slowly that there is lots of time for Yuki to deliver speeches about how unneeded he actually is. Understandably this lack of inner strength will be nessasary to start with but if this series doesn’t get to his big catharsis in a hurry, their hero is going to pose a serious challenge to Shinji as whiniest hero ever (though Yuki isn’t nearly as selfish).

This is another series that I won’t be continuing simply because of my own personal tastes. However, in the time that I spent Uraboku it didn’t feel like it was ever heading towards something surprising and different. Slow to set up, the series has hinted about the battles yet to come but there’s just not enough here to create a lasting hook or reason to stick around to see them.

Verdict: Recommended for fans of Mirage of Blaze

House of Five Leaves
Studio: ManGlobe
Premiered: 4/15
Available via Funimation

In A Nutshell: A ronin gets wrapped up with a gang of kidnappers who call themselves the House of Five Leaves.

First Impression: Everyone in this series either looks like frogs or like they belong in a deck of Gloom cards..

After losing his job as a bodyguard, Masanosuke runs into the free-spirited Yoichi and becomes his bodyguard. What he eventually finds out is that he is now affiliated with a gang of kidnappers. Though the gang only kidnaps targets who belong to troubled families they are still criminals leaving the samurai to figure out how can he keep his honor. A very slow-moving period piece, House of Five Leaves is fascinating in its own way. Going a different route than most, the one thing to keep in mind is that there is very little external conflict in the series. Occasionally the characters will be faced with a quick fight but the primary struggle presented in the first couple of episodes is Masanosuke’s struggle with his morals.

This is a character with a very real personal code of honor. He must keep to his honor but is unsure of how to do that while running with kidnappers. As a very timid lead, seeing his internal struggle play out in each episode can make some very interesting scenes and exchanges of dialogue. Unfortunately, they are all long, slow scenes and exchanges. The supporting characters do their part to help fill in the gas but it’s never enough to keep things moving particularly quickly.

This isn’t the most accessible series of the season. An interesting character study that might be interesting to discuss after it’s done, I’d suggest waiting for a long rainy day when you can watch all of the series to get into it.

Verdict: Something for a rainy day

The Tatami Galaxy
Studio: Madhouse
Premiered: 4/22
Available via Funimation

In a Nutshell: A college student recounts the events which led him to become the love killer, “Black Cupid” before meeting a god of matchmaking who says he can help him get the girl he wants.

First Impression: How is that everyone in this series can speak 90 mph and yet still make it feel like it takes an hour to finish an episode?

The Tatami Galaxy is going to catch everyone off guard simply because it does not look or act like anything you have seen in the recent past. Most of the series uses very drab black and whites with very limited and selective uses of color. On top of that is an art style which seems to borrow heavily from French influences creating disproportionately large and round features on many characters. Then again on top of that, the story telling appears episodic. After the first episode, the next two episodes focus on the hero reliving his two years in college in a new club each time and having bad luck which leads him to ruin. All the events along the way and dialogue he exchanges with recurring characters remain mostly the same with only his situation changing.

What is interesting about The Tatami Galaxy is the very odd pacing of each episode. Episodes are already looking similar but eve which creates lag on its own but every time the main character narrates (which is pretty often), the dialogue moves at a very fast, many miles per minute pace. Despite this, besides the first episode, the series still manage to move at a decent pace which doesn’t feel too rushed.

I can’t say that I enjoyed this one entirely. While the ideas behind it are unique, the execution moves in too many directions and I don’t see it having a lot of wide appeal. It’s a very odd piece no doubt. For the crowd out there who really crave the unique, this is going to b their new candy. Other than that, there’s not enough here to leave me recommending this to everyone.

Verdict: For fans of Cromartie High, Trapeze, Paprika

And that does it for another season of anime! Got any hits or misses that you think I missed? Share them in the comments below or drop me a line on Twitter!

In part 2 of the wrap up, I hit another wide range of genres including 1 of 3 sports series which debuted this season, Giant Killing, with Big Windup Season 2 and Major Season 6 making up the other two (neither of which I previewed this season).

For those counting at home, the last time multiple sports series aired in the same season was spring last year (which featured 2). Additionally, this is also the first time in at least 6 years (that’s as far back as I’ve researched so far) that 3 have been featured in one season. Don’t worry if you’re not a sports fan, also highlighted in this part are 3 moe series and psychic Japanese spies for good measure!

SPRING SPOTLIGHT Giant Killing Studio: Studio Deen Premiered: 4/4 In A Nutshell: The player who “abandoned” the team to go to Europe returns to the East Tokyo United soccer club to coach them back to greatness. First Impression: Hm, for a sport series this is actually pretty good. Using very simple manga style artwork with lots of shading, Studio Deen has produced an odd entry for the spring lineup. Primarily about a soccer club attempting to get back what it once had (like fans and self respect), the simple presentation throughout the first three episodes made Giant Killing feel more accessible than other sports series. Completely avoiding the more technical aspects of the sport, this series spends a lot of time in the early going setting up various relationships that will certainly come into play later; rookies vs. veterans, coach vs. fans, etc. Between the easy going artwork and laid back characters, the first three episodes were not a bad way to spend some time. With a full 26 episode run planned however, there are already signs that Giant Killing might fall down the slope of clichés at some point. Hopefully for sports fans looking for something new, the journeys that each character takes towards their big cathartic breakthrough is worth the time spent getting there. Verdict: More for the sports drama crowd but there’s enough for non sports fans to warm up to.

KissxSis TV
Studio: Feel
Premiered: 4/5

In A Nutshell: A boy studying to get into high school lives in a house where the only person who doesn’t want him hook up with his hot twin step sisters is him.

First Impression: By Bow Ditama standards, this actually isn’t that bad.

I admit it, I do occasionally enjoy Bow Ditama so I had a really good idea of what to expect going into this title. However the average person has likely never heard the name Bow Ditama or knows anything about his style. So for the benefit of those who don’t already know, the answer you’re looking for is lots of ecchi and probably a few pee jokes.

Like his previous works, KissxSis courts controversy right away by centering on an incest theme. To lay it out bluntly though, the theme itself, as opposed to the actual content, is possibly the most offensive thing about the series. Yes, it’s still creepy and not something that should ever actually happen. We know that much but for an ecchi comedy, it works well.

By the standards that Ditama himself has set for himself, this TV series is actually relatively tame. While there is a ton of skin shown, the sexual content boils down to a lot of direct fondling and kissing. The only reservation I’d offer after seeing the first couple of episodes is that the story is still vaguely following the manga which means it’s bound to get worse (the pee jokes are coming). Know what you’re getting into before you get started but this is one that’s safe to pick up when you’re ready to not think for awhile have some ecchi fun.

Verdict: It’s better than watching B Gata H Kei at least!

Senkou no Night Raid
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Premiered: 4/5

In a Nutshell: Psychic Japanese spies infiltrate China in 1931 and make things blow up.

First Impression: Well, as long as it doesn’t get political it should be a fun action series.

While watching the first episode of Senkou no Night Raid, I ran into major problems with thinking way too much about what was going on in history at the time and putting way too much emphasis on it. Then I had a nice revelation; stop doing that. So I did and found the series to be much more enjoyable.

To analyze Night Raid, you have to consider that it takes place just a few years before the second Sino-Japanese war between China and Japan. Shanghai at this time was a very lively city but tensions between the two countries were not pleasant and skirmishes were already breaking out between the two countries around this time before evolving into war. If you take this into account, there are a lot of little dynamics that make you wonder about the motivations of this unit and how it looks on the other side of the coin. If you decide to completely ignore this aspect, what you have left is a decent action series about four psychic spies slowly gathering information for the military while trying to piece together their own fractured pasts.

Complete with a look and feel that feels reminiscent of a Bee Train action series (only not so much ‘babes with bullets’), four psychics make up the heroic quartet with every episode taking them on a new mission to find information for the military. Relying entirely on the characters to carry things early on, unfortunately Senkou no Night Raid does a really poor job of creating lasting tension within the story. One of the characters has a brother who mysterious disappeared years ago only to reappear as a suspected enemy? Are we still relying on that old plot hook? While there are certain to be more hooks and plot twists along the way, the second entry into the Anime no Chikara series is less than impressive.

Verdict: It could be a decent time killer for fans of Madlax, Noir, Canann or E’s Otherwise

K-ON!!
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Premiered: 4/6

In a Nutshell: The cake eaters are back and looking for a new member. Meanwhile Kyoto Animation doesn’t think it’s annoying to use !! as a way to indicate the second season.

First Impression: Aw, Mio is still so cute… and Yui is still borderline retarded.

Ah yes, one of the series that anime geeks cannot stop going back and forth about last year is back for a second season. And just like the first, it’s pure fluff that I’ve yet to be able to stop watching. What I’ve always found nice about K-ON is it’s very simple approachability. A soft series that looks good about girls eating cake and occasionally playing music. The plots aren’t deep, the characters aren’t geniuses and the moe difficulty level is very high. It’s not brilliant and it will never be pointed to as a highlight of the decade but in just a couple of sentences, I’ve already told you everything you need to know in order to get into and enjoy this series.

Just like the first season, the production values and the time KyoAni spent to details shows. The animation always looks crisp with nice color palettes and the musical sequences are entertaining if you enjoy bubblegum J-pop. I do have to complain that the opening and ending themes aren’t nearly as catchy as they were during the first season but that’s a small price to watch these girls for another 13 episodes. The moe audience can breath easy again, K-ON!! is back and ready to be awesome.

Verdict: It’s moe fluff at its best (worst?) so you know if this applies to you.

Mayoi Neko Overrun
Studio: AIC
Premiered: 4/6

In a Nutshell: Boy runs a cake shop with a tsundere and after the first episode, a mysterious, aloof cat girl.

First Impression: Play a drinking game with harem tropes and neko puns, you’ll be out within 15 mins.

At first Mayoi Neko Overrun sneakily lures its audience into a false sense of security. Sure, there are lots of little things that make this series seem like another harem series that you’ve seen a thousand times before (tsundere best friend, random girl with mysterious past, high school, perverted best friend, rich annoying loli character) but there are other little things that make you think that maybe… just maybe, they’re going to do something different. Then the second episode starts and it all goes downhill from there.

While previewing the series, it was easy to note the places where I thought the jokes were supposed to be, I say thought only because I didn’t actually laugh at many of these moments so it’s hard to know for sure. Trying to get by entirely on general genre hooks, there are a few chuckles to be had along the way but nothing ever comes across as particularly fresh. Even in its most emotional parts, the writing comes across as canned and left me ready to put the series away for good. It’s moe romantic comedy that tries really hard but comes up short. There’s plenty of moe going around this season, no need to get your fix for it here.

Verdict: Fans of softer harem series (Love Hina, Please Twins) might find some laughs but no one needs to go out of their way for this one.

And that wraps things up for part 2 of the wrap up! In part 3, the wrap up will close things out by taking a look at the more artistic side of the season with my thoughts on House of Five Leaves, Arakawa Under the Bridge and The Tatami Galaxy along with a restaurant sitcom and a bit of softcore yaoi for good measure.

Have any thoughts on the latest season? Share them in the comments below or drop me a line on Twitter.

Every season I attempt to do a season wrap up and every season I find myself sprinting towards the finish line after an exhausting month. There were over 30 shows premiering this season and as always, I spent the last month previewing as many of them as I could. In the end, I previewed 15 series from the new season and have compiled those into a list of highlights and things that I absolutely couldn’t wait to be done with. If you look past the subtly in many of the entries, I think you’ll figure out which ones belong where.

Trying to sample as many different genres as I could, the thing that I seemed to notice the most was a change in mood and presentation. Series set in earlier eras and retellings of classics were popular this season as well as series with a notably higher level of artistic merit (House of Five Leaves, Arakawa Under the Bridge). There was still plenty of moe (K-ON!!, Mayoi Neko Overrun, Shin Koihime Musou) and ecchi shows (B Gata H Kei, KissxSis) to go around but more chances were being taken which was a nice change of pace.

However the summer season is only a couple of months away and there have already been almost a half dozen moe or eroge adaptations announced. Would things be better if the industry as a whole could find a direction and stuck with it for more than one season? Possibly but I’m not here to throw out random solutions that I haven’t actually thought out. I leave that to people who know what they’re talking about while sitting in the peanut gallery making sarcastic comments.

Fifteen series were reviewed this season including every simulcast released by Crunchyroll, Funimation and The Anime Network. The wrap up will be divided into three parts with some highlights along the way. Be sure to chime in along the way with what you thought about the new shows this season!

More below the cut

Read the rest of this entry »

If last year could be summed by attendees as ‘Girugamesh!’ than 2010 will be known as the year a big thing was done badly. Initially things were running smoothly, pre-reg was a snap and parking was a breeze, but it only took hours for the disorganization of this year’s event to become evident, especially from the perspective of press.

The main event of the weekend was the Friday night premiere of Trigun: Badlands Rumble. While checking in to get my press badge, I learned that the official press materials for the entire weekend wouldn’t be available until the next morning… after the convention had already started and that press was not going to be given any priority seating for the premiere. Oh yeah, this was going to be a fun little weekend.

Friday

Before I even arrived in Seattle this year, I knew that my schedule was going to be very odd due to a complete lack of panels in the afternoon that interested me. I attempted to attend some cosplay panels with a friend but found that most of the panelists were all saying the same few things over and over with little originality between them. When panels of interest to me were scheduled though, they were often grouped together so tightly that a slow day could instantly become a race.

The first example of this occurred on Friday night when my schedule really began. It started with the Funimation Sneak Peek panel where Funimation rep Lance shared trailers and slipped some news in about the new Initial D releases coming out later this year. I’d love to tell you how this one ended but unfortunately myself and all the other press had to leave early in order to try and find a place in line for Trigun since we were all also informed at various times that we were going to be forced to check our bags at the door. Luckily we were all finally able to get a place in the priority line to cover the movie (but seriously, it took a lot more work than it should have) though had we known what we were about to watch we might not have been in such a hurry.

Right before entering the room, hastily written notes on the room sign informed attendees that the movie was going to be shown in its original Japanese with NO subtitles which pleased no one. After having our bags checked and the audience seated, the con chair stood in front of the crowd to get us pumped with encouraging words: The movie was going to be shown with NO subtitles, in standard definition, 2 channel audio and the media player of choice was going to be VLC Player. Wow, way to blow us away there. Then we were told that the Q&A would be before the movie (again, much to the dismay of the audience and press) and lasted for about 20 minutes. This was a big thing done badly.

The saving graces for day 1 were the annual crossplay panels hosted by Kurt, Carlos and other members of the SakuraCon crossplay community and the guest panels held that night. In case you’re wondering, they were all scheduled in a packed segment of time against each other. In the evening voice actor Chris Patton spoke to a packed room in his ‘Chris Patton Shares Too Much’ panel. If you’ve never attended one of these 18+ panel, the concept is simple: Chris Patton, one of the more open members of the voice acting community, answers ANY question asked by the audience. There is a reason why this panel was marked 18+ but a good time was had by all in the room. I just wish that this panel hadn’t been going against the similarly themed ‘Ask Me Anything’ panel because I’m sure that anyone who attended one might’ve also been interested in attending the other.

Attendance in general at this convention seemed to be down this year. Between the easy parking job (seriously, have you ever tried to find parking in Seattle?) and the much easier time it took to get around the convention center in general, it seemed visibly obvious that there weren’t nearly as many in attendance this year as the previous but I was never able to get any solid numbers regarding this year’s attendance.

Saturday

Day 2 in Seattle started much the same way the first did; with very little to do for myself until the late afternoon. Luckily, not everyone ran into this problem as audiences seemed receptive to the guests as Satoshi Nishimura and Noizi Ito speaking to crowded rooms about their crafts. Finally in the afternoon, Funimation held their panel and announced that they would be releasing Spice and Wolf II, the Eden of the East movies and rescue Chobits from Geneon. After that though, I was left with literally hours to kill and realized what the biggest issue of the weekend for the convention: little to no industry presence.

Over the entire weekend, only a handful of industry information panels were held: two from Funimation, one from Dark Horse and one from NIS America. Other than a Media Blasters booth set up in the exhibition hall and a table set up by Viz Pictures (which was only staffed for a couple of hours), there was no representation present and it only took a quick scan on my Twitter account to see that everyone else had packed their bags for Boston instead.

Just like the day before, the things that saved the night for many attendees were annual panels and convention favorites such as Anime That Scarred Me For Life. A fun panel moderated by KumoriCon Con Chair Beau Gentry, this is an annual panel for fans to get up on stage and share with the audience those series which have scarred, warped or otherwise seriously screwed with their heads. Unfortunately while everyone who attended the panel last year were glad to see the panel moved into a room much more accommodating to the numbers, it would have been nice if more people had gotten to see the panel. Thanks to another visit from the disorganization fairy and confusion amongst the staffers regarding curfew, many people were turned away at the door for failing to have an 18+ stamp for a panel which was rated appropriate for teenagers while on a personal note, I was left annoyed that this particular panel had been scheduled against the Shibari panel. Grr!

Sunday

As with most conventions, Sunday is the when crowds thin the fastest leaving only the Gothic Lolita fashion show and unscripted Cosplay Chess to keep attendees entertained until the closing ceremonies. Both programs played to packed crowds and left fans happy in the end though Cosplay Chess did quickly degenerate into an odd game with rules that no one understood and a participant who refused to keep himself off the board. I won’t mention this cosplayer by name but if you were there you know who he is and if that person happens to be reading this, you’re an ass.

Overall

Every spring, I look forward to one event in particular and that is returning to Seattle to attend my hometown con. Sadly between staffers who were rude to both press and guests (I overheard one special guest mentioning rude convention staff), poor panel selection, almost no industry presence and a poorly presented main event I’m left wondering if perhaps next year I should be looking for another convention to start my season off with. I’d really like to return but I have to admit that instead of already adding the dates of next year’s con to my calendar I’ve been busier trying to find out if it’s cold in Boston this time of year.

Breakin It Down

Most Popular Cosplays: Vocaloids and Higurashi Angel Mort waitress cosplay
Painful Lesson Re-Learned: Restaurants in Seattle close way too frickin early!
Mental Lapse of the Weekend: Almost saying ‘abstinence’ instead of ‘absence’ during my interview with Satoshi Nishimura.

Edited 5/10: Normally when I put up a post, that’s the end of it and I don’t touch it again. In this instance, I’ve felt a need to return to this article and elaborate on something. While most of the points in this article are valid and what I still believe, the attitude with which they were delivered isn’t. I had a poor attitude that weekend and this had an effect on my writing afterwards. While a lot of things will change over the next year, my plans for April are quite likely to involve this convention and I hope to see you all there.

Wow, the first month of 2010 was busy for me which left me little time to sleep let alone breath or watch on the new season. Finally I have managed to escape from the smaller than usual stack of new series to provide you with a cheat sheet to point you away from the duds.

For those who haven’t hung out on the site around these magical times of the year here’s the rundown: Every three months I scramble to watch the first three episodes of as many new series as possible and share my initial thoughts. It’s at that point that I decide if a series is worth watching (The Good), worth watching occasionally or is something I might pick up later (The OK) and the ones that made me want to hit myself with blunt objects to make it stop (The Unwatchable). Sadly there were only a few particular stand outs as the first season of 2010 started us off with a big batch of average. Luckily for viewers the ones that do stand out from the others will be talked about for months to come.

The Good

Durarara
Premiered: 1/7
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Baccano, only less confusing.”

Where I Ended: Sharing a lot of the same crew, Durarara comes across early as a less confusing Baccano. Taking all the best elements of one series and giving it a new modern setting, Durarara does a great job of creating solid story hooks and unique storytelling to create early momentum. It seems as though this is the series that fans are jumping on in droves this season and after three episodes it’s easy to see why. Not everyone is going to get into the format or characters but it’s still going to be hard for anyone who watches this series to say ‘no’.

Status: Watching to Halfway (at least)
Recommendation: Anyone who enjoyed Baccano or found Baccano too confusing to keep up with

Hanamaru Kindergarten
Premiered: 1/10
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Alright, so it’s more Azumanga Daioh + kindergarten than Kodomo no Jikan + kindergarten.”

Where I Ended: No one was really sure what to make of this series before it premiered. Pushing trepidation aside, I went into this series and found myself face to face with the winter pick for best slice of life. Cutely designed and led by a cast of hilarious characters, this is the cute and charming slice of life series that fans are looking for this season.

Status: Watching
Recommendation: Slice of life and Azumanga Daioh fans

Baka to Test to Shokanju
Premiered: 1/6

Where I Started: “This may be the best thing I’ve seen all month.”

Where I Ended: This was actually the last winter series I watched and all it took was one episode before I HAD to marathon everything that had been aired thus far. A very sharp mix of word play, visual humor, shonen battle elements and romantic angles that seem to be actually going somewhere (as opposed to 13 episodes of hemming and hawing) this is the safe choice of the season. Consistently funny, engaging and charming there’s little here for someone to be disappointed with.

Status: Watching
Recommendation: Fans of school comedy romance

The OK

Sora no Woto
Premiered: 1/4
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Yup, K-ON joins the army.”

Where I Ended: I knew it before I started but tried to convince myself otherwise. After one episode, I felt annoyed that this was being billed as an original ‘Anime of Power’. Within two episodes I cared a little less and within three I just wanted to see more. This is a slow moving but entertaining series for the moe crowd. While it doesn’t have the same hyperactivity that some fans crave from their cute, the understated dialogue and humor keeps things moving smoothly. Add in some beautiful animation and backgrounds and you have a series that’s worth sitting through.

Status: Watching to the End
Recommendation: Fans of K-ON, Aria and other series where nothing actually happens

Chu Bra
Premiered: 1/4
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “This could be so much worse.”

Where I Ended: Chu Bra is a series that always could have been worse but still didn’t do much to impress early on. While a panty OCD female lead and her bitchy best friends forming an underwear club is vaguely intriguing, the execution is far from it. A haze of breast jokes (naturally) and dialogue that just tries too hard, Chu Bra is never going to be something with wide appeal. While I appreciate now having a better understanding of how to fit myself for a bra; I’m not appreciative enough to stick with this series any longer than I have to.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: Teen girls and guys who like lolis in underwear

Katanagatari
Premiered: 1/25

Where I Started: “Codename: Kids Next Door shows their anime side?”

In the first episode of Katanagatari, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. The animation style is vastly different from anything else in the last few seasons and these aren’t the heroes that fans are used to cheering on. Following a dim young man and a not entirely bright military strategist through twelve episodes seems like a challenge in itself but my concerns fall more with the staff. Early momentum is strong but will this series fall into a trap of predictability? It’s not a bad premiere but time will tell if this one has the lasting power it needs to be successful.

Status: Watching
Recommendation: When you’re in the mood for something different

The Unwatchable

Omamori Himari
Premiered: 1/6
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Cat girl and guy with cat allergy. Hilarious.”

Where I Ended: Omamori Himari has the lovely distinction of being one of the first series I wanted to drop this season. Another half baked harem story it has all the tropes you’re expecting and makes zero attempts early on to stand out on its own. Occasionally the dialogue drops a nice one liner into the mix but after two episodes, I was ready to call it quits. After three, I was relieved that my time with the series was over. Even if you like harem anime you can do much better than this.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: Harem fans who have already seen everything else

Dance in the Vampire Bund
Premiered: 1/7
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “I am so into this!”

Where I Ended: Well, that was a rather spectacular nosedive. In the first episode, characters were being introduced and a story was created using a live television format (a TV show inside of a TV show? Madness I say!). It was compelling and seemed to be setting up something amazing. Instead intriguing early story elements have led into what is already looking like a less than compelling excuse to show loli fan service.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: Fans of dark horror (i.e. Descendants of Darkness)

Seikon no Qwaser
Premiered: 1/9

Where I Started: “So, does Tomo add anything to this series besides breast milk?”

Where I Ended: While the animation looks good, the series itself is lacking in… what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh right, everything. The staff behind this one has worked to create something with merit but it’s hard to imagine anyone watching this and being able to say it’s for the ‘thrilling battles’ or ‘gripping dialogue’. After only a couple of episodes, it feels safe to assume that if you’re watching this series it’s probably for the breasts. The censorship in this series is so horrific however that it hardly seems worth it to even try. If you really want to see this series that badly, wait for it to come out on DVD.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: People who like breasts

Ookami Kakushi
Premiered: 1/7
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Please be building to something, please be building to something…”

Where I Ended: Gods but did I want to like this series. I even looked specifically for as many things to enjoy and say nice things about along the way. Unfortunately over three episodes, the slow crawl fails to cast any particularly strong plot hooks. Boy moves with his family to new town with mysterious past and odd residents. Seen it before and seen it done better; don’t even start this one unless you have a bucketful of patience on standby. This one goes down as my biggest disappointment of the season.

Status: Watching (only because I’m stubborn and I’m sure there’s a story SOMEWHERE in here)
Recommended: fans of Higurashi – When They Cry and masochists

Ladies vs. Butlers
Premiered: 1/5
Early Impressions

Where I Started:

Where I Ended: This is easily the most surprising series of the season for me but perhaps not for the reasons you would expect. After the first episode, I wanted to drop this series hard and forget that it ever existed. After pushing forward into the next couple of episodes though I had a realization: Ladies vs. Butlers IS capable of being entertaining and even clever on occasion. But then the second half of the episode starts and it all goes downhill. The nudity and sex jokes are not the issues in these early episodes but more how much it feels like, most of the time, these scenes are being forced in just so that they can be there. If you can ignore these scenes, you’re bound to find a fairly typical school comedy that can even elicit a laugh on occasion. Unfortunately to ignore those scenes is to ignore half the series.

Status: Watching Occasionally
Recommendation: Fans of sexy school comedy, school comedy, sexy comedy, sexy school or any combination thereof.

Well, I know that I’m not the only one out there who had an opinion? What were your hits and misses for the winter season? Agree with something I said or disagree severely? Leave a comment or drop me a line on Twitter.

Attending KumoriCon over the weekend was truly a virtuous test for all attendees. “Jump in the first one with space!” was the mantra for the weekend. If there was a person in the building who didn’t learn a lesson in patience, I’d like to meet them. Filled with up’s and down’s (no pun intended), KumoriCon 2009 has come to a close which means that it’s time for another con wrap up.

If you wanted to complain about the con at any point, the first half was seemingly the time to do it. Day 0 was an absolute disaster for many fans. Problems began to surface almost right away as everyone realized one grand truth: there weren’t enough freakin elevators! Ranging from a completely overwhelmed staff at the hotel and security, a hotel filled to capacity and a ridiculously confusing panel layout; fans were never lacking in things to complain about but I’ll stick with my own experiences.

Read the rest of this entry »

So I’m a little late with this but it just wouldn’t be a complete month if I wasn’t late to the end of it. Due to a number of unexpected scheduling issues throughout the month of April I didn’t get to view nearly as many of the spring premieres as I wanted to. There were some series that I was able to view up to three episodes and some I was only able to view one, I’ve noted how many of each series I watched to give you an idea of how informed my opinion is. So without further ado… Spring Mop Up 09 starts after the cut.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, January has come and gone and so I have written up my winter season wrap up announcing the winners and losers of the previous season (Hint: Akikan isn’t a winner). You can check out the entire entry over at the blog.

 

Ok, back from work and so here I am ready to wrap up what was an exciting opening day to AX08 (I say this mostly based on the Funimation news this morning). Here are the highlights from the main events today:

Bandai:

Bandai announced the cast for Gurren Lagann today as follows:

ADR Director: Tony Oliver
Simon: Yuri Lowenthal
Kamina: Kyle Hebert
Yoko: Michelle Ruff
Viral: Sam Riegel
Rossiu: Johnny Yong Bosch
Kittan: Christopher Smith
Leeron: Steven Jay Blum
Nia: Hynden Walch
Kiyoh: Karen Strassman
Kinnon: Stephanie Sheh
Kiyal: Gina Bowes
Lordgenome: Jamieson K Price
Tetsukan: Tony Oliver
Narrator: Tony Oliver

Also noted at the panel is that the new release which features the dub and sub tracks is now due to start releasing in November over six discs.

ADV:

ADV got off to a rough start at AX today when they revealed that they didn’t even know that they were going to be holding a sneak peek panel until last night and so they showed two episodes of Kiba. Beyond that though, a story was reported today by ANN that ADV had suspended four upcoming DVD titles (Shattered Angels Vol. 2 [both with and without the artbox], Kanon Vol. 6, Tokyo Majin Vol. 2 and Welcome to the NHK Vol. 5. The titles were also removed from ADV’s online store.

While at the sneak peek panel today, Matt Greenfield said that the company had parted ways with Sojitz, the business that they had been partners with since June 2006. This has made the previously mentioned discs ‘fate unknown’ catagory items. Also mentioned at the panel is that ADV is negotiating for 23 more titles.

Greenfield is quoted on multiple websites as referring to the fallout with Sojitz as “like a long breakup.” ADV may lose some of the licenses announced during their partnership with Sojitz but not all. Finally Greenfield said that they probably weren’t going to announce any new licences this weekend but that might change.