As always, here are my first impressions of the winter 2012 anime I’m watching upon seeing two episodes of each…

Another

A horror/mystery anime with character designs by Noizi Itou? Sounded good enough for me to check out. Though nothing very suspenseful or horrifying has happened in Another yet, so far it’s building a nice and creepy atmosphere with enough foreshadowing to keep me engaged. Gorgeous setting designs by P.A. Works help, too…and I’m always up for ALI Project songs in anime XD Unlike other horror anime I’ve seen where there’s gore and shocks early on, Another seems to be focused on the subdued, creepiness factor rather than blood and scares. This may not work for everyone but I personally find it gripping. Unfortunately I’m finding the cast of characters rather bland, but I’m hoping that will change later on, or at least the series will give a satisfying story to make up for it. Again, kind of a slow-paced series that’s hard to judge at this point, but I think it’ll end up being worth my while.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is only the second slice-of-life/comedy anime with the focus on male characters instead of female, the first being Kimi to Boku. But either way, Danshi Koukousei has been a very funny show so far. Its humor is derived as much from parodying otaku and high school cliches as it is from the crazy quirks of the characters. Together it makes quite a refreshing mix of hyperbolic, slapstick humor and subtle, satirical humor. It even has a few unique extras such as gag-ifying the sponsor message in the middle of each episode and hiding the names and/or faces of many of the female characters. While the focus does shift to minor characters, most of the series is about the three cooky main characters Tadakuni, Yoshitake, and Hidenori, with Hidenori being voiced by Tomokazu Sugita, who thus far has had the most hilarious performances in my opinion. Each episode is made up of a series of vignettes, much like Azumanga Daioh, and while not every gag works for me, more are funny to me than not. I hope Danshi Koukousei continues to give me my weekly dose of comedy for the season!

Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki

My guilty pleasure for the season, Poyopoyo is about a cat named Poyo who’s unusually round. Each of the 3-minute episodes is a series of gags involving the cat and the family he lives with, mostly having to do with the cat’s round shape. While it’s no Chi’s Sweet Home, it is funny and cute if you like that sort of thing. I always enjoy Ikue Ohtani (voice of Pikachu) doing cute voices, and she happens to be the voice of the cat here. Poyopoyo is serving its purpose as a good, quick cuteness break in between more serious anime.

Nisemonogatari

I always thought Bakemonogatari was an entertaining but very…bizarre show. And its sequel, Nisemonogatari, is the same. It’s like the series knows how bizarre it is and knows that that’s where its charm lies. Shaft goes all out with the stylistic animation that ranges from flashes of on-screen text to seemingly random camera angles, not to mention the fact that the majority of the conversations in the series don’t sound anything like conversations real people would have. But all this savvy weirdness is probably what makes Bakemonogatari, and now Nisemonogatari, fun to watch. While it’s not my favorite cup of tea, watching a series so focused on style rather than substance is a nice refresher from time time. Not much has happened plot-wise in the first two episodes other than Araragi getting reacquainted, in typical weird Bake/Nisemonogatari fashion, with the female characters. It hasn’t caught my interest as much in these early episodes as Bake did, but you never know what’s in store with a strange show like this.

Mouretsu Space Pirates

My very first impression of this series upon seeing the above promo image of it and hearing that it’s based on a novel series called Miniskirt Pirates was that it’s probably just a silly, fan-service-filled, pseudo-space comedy. But after reading good reviews of it, I decided to give it a watch…and my first impression couldn’t have been more wrong. There’s no fan-service to be seen, at least not in the first two episodes, and it takes itself very seriously as a space adventure. In just these first two episodes, it immerses us in the space world it’s set in nearly perfectly, taking enough time to show us bits and pieces of the world’s advanced technology amongst the plot. And thus far it’s been paced very nicely, with the first episode establishing characters and background history, and the next episode setting the plot into motion. While Marika seems like a typical genki-girl protagonist so far, she’s at least likable and I find it interesting that any love interest she may have isn’t made apparent right away. The other characters look potentially interesting as well. All in all, Mouretsu Pirates has the makings of a great space adventure anime – a fun and creative sci-fi setting, a colorful cast of characters, and a premise that’s full of potential. I hope the rest of the episodes are as good as these first two!

*Dropped series* Digimon Xros Wars II: I’d also like to mention a series from fall ’11 that I decided to drop this season, Digimon Xros Wars: Toki wo Kakeru Shounen Huntertachi, the third installment of the Digimon Xros Wars series. While the first Xros Wars series was mediocre and the second was better, twelve episodes into this one and it was just bad. Too many things just don’t make sense; why do digimon have to be hunted by humans only to remain in their Xrosloader rather than sent back to the Digital World? The previous seasons show digimon living their lives in the Digital World and only joining humans if they wanted to, so why are they now being collected like pokemon? And now it seems like bad digimon can be turned good just by being hunted? If it was that easy, why didn’t they do that with the evil digimon in the previous Xros Wars seasons? What’s even going on in the Digital World now and how can Shoutmon reign as king if he’s back with Taiki again? Nothing’s really explained about why this hunting thing is important, Nene and Kiriha, the most interesting characters from the previous seasons, are put on a bus in this season, and in twelve episodes there’s no plot other than episodic stories…which wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t all so silly and lame. If Toei wanted to go with this digimon hunter gimmick, they should have made this season unrelated to the other Xros Wars seasons. It’s a shame that I’ve now watched eight seasons of Digimon and this is the first I’m dropping. But I will give the franchise another chance whenever they make a new non-Xros Wars series.

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That’s all for now. Hope you’re all enjoying the winter season of anime. And, if you haven’t heard about it already, the main AnimeYume.com site is currently blacked-out as part of the massive online protest against SOPA and PIPA. Wikipedia, Google, and other major sites, and even fellow anime blogs are also participating. Please do what you can to protect the Internet!

Almost all of the seasonal anime I had been watching since spring ’11 ended this season, so I had room to pick up quite a few fall ’11 titles. There are a lot of sequels I’m interested in this season, as well as some brand new series. Now that the first couple of weeks of the fall 2011 anime have passed, how have the shows I’m watching fared?…

Bakuman 2
Episodes 1-2 so far

Bakuman 2 starts off right where season 1 left off. And in terms of quality, these first two episodes are just as good as anything the first series could deliver. It has the same well written story, likable characters, and great ability to deliver shonen suspense without the need for action and fantasy elements. Already episode 2 had me tearing up a bit and at the edge of my seat. A few new eccentric characters are introduced this season but old ones aren’t forgotten either. I look forward to seeing more manga industry drama and how the relationships between Moritaka/Miho and Akito/Kaya further develop.

While I don’t like the Bakuman 2 opening as much as the first season’s “Blue Bird,” I do like the new ending by Tommy heavenly6.

Working’!!
Episodes 1-2 so far

Working!! (Wagnaria!! in the official English release) is a fun little slice-of-life/comedy anime. Not a fantastic series but definitely worth a watch if you like that genre. Like the new season of Bakuman, this new season of Working!! is thus far giving more of the same entertainment that season 1 had – silly, character-driven antics in the case of Working’!!. One of the bad points of the first season is that I felt Inami got too much screentime. Not that she’s a boring character, but I would have liked to see more focus on other characters too, particularly the rather enigmatic Yamada. It’s hard to say yet whether this second season will pick up any kind of focus or efficiently develop any particular character. There was some emphasis on Yamada in episode 2 so perhaps we’ll finally learn more about her. But regardless, I’m sure I’ll enjoy seeing more amusing anecdotes from the Wagnaria staff.

Though not as catchy to me as the season 1 opening “Someone Else,” Working’!!’s opening “Coolish Walk” will undoubtedly get stuck in my head too XD

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
Episodes 0-1 so far

Haganai for short, or translated into English as “I Don’t Have Many Friends,” is a series that’s hard for me to judge after just one episode and an episode 0 OVA. Unfortunately the opening’s visuals make it look like an ecchi harem anime even though there’s pretty much no fan service in episode 1 (and little in episode 0). So at this point it seems like the series could either go the ecchi harem route that the opening makes it appear to be, or it could become a more dignified, character-driven series about relationships between a group of people who have difficulty making friends. Since the Haganai light novels are very popular in Japan, and I enjoyed episode 1 well enough, I’m pretty confident that it isn’t just fancied harem fodder but actually has good value worthy of the popularity of its light novels.

The setup of the series is a bit reminiscent of Haruhi in that our male lead meets a weird girl who ropes him into making a brand new club at school. While nothing has stood out to me yet about our male protagonist Kodaka, I don’t find him as noticeably boring as other male leads either. Our two lead females in a love triangle with Kodaka, Sena and Yozora, seem like they have good personalities that will provide endless comedy as they bounce off each other. Can’t comment on the other girls since they haven’t been introduced yet but they look interesting.

I’d also like to mention that Yozora has one of the prettiest Japanese names I’ve come across. The kanji for her full name “三日月夜空” translates to something like “the new moon of the night sky.”

Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
Episode 1 so far

Nearly four years after Shana II, the third and final Shana series is airing. Technically there was the Shana S OVA in between, but that was just four side-story episodes. I’ve seen the first Shana series twice but I watched Shana II only once as it aired and I pretty much forgot everything that happened in it. So I made sure to read the Wikipedia episode summaries to refresh my memory before starting Shana III! Shana is a series that’s full of complicated fantasy terminology and subplots, which is what makes it interesting but also difficult to follow. Regardless, I feel the Shana characters as a whole are great, as is the fantastical style of the series. I also love how the series can shift from hardcore fantasy to romance drama seamlessly. Shana is one of my most favorite characters of all, not just because I love her design (perfect mix of coolness and moe), but also because she’s the perfect embodiment of all that I love about tsunderes.

Since the Shana light novels have just ended, I wonder how the final season of the anime will hold up. With this new plot of Yuji having disappeared, I’m sure the series will bring out the best in its intriguing fantasy and romance for the big finale. Even though I have trouble keeping track of all the fictional terms and large cast of characters, I look forward to seeing my favorite flaming tsundere in all her anime glory one last time!

Oh, and the Shana III opening, “Light my fire” by Kotoko, is awesome. My favorite of the season! =D

Digimon Xros Wars: Toki wo Koeru Shonen Hunter-tachi
Episodes 1-2 so far

The first season of Digimon Xros Wars was too childish for me to rate it highly. The recently finished second season however, was much better and brought out the more mature themes and character development that made the old Digimon series so great. Two episodes into season 3 of Xros Wars now…and I’m not sure about it yet. First of all, the whole concept of “hunting” and catching digimon as if they were pokemon came out of nowhere and was not present in the previous two Xros Wars seasons. The digimon joined up with Taiki and co. of their own volition, usually to achieve similar goals. But in this new season, they’re just catching digimon without even getting to know them, which pretty much defeats the concept of previous seasons that digimon are sentient creatures who can think and use language just like humans. In episode 1 it seemed like Tagiru and the other hunters went onto MetalTyranomon’s territory, where he didn’t seem to be causing any trouble for anyone, and captured him against his will. And in episode 2, nobody questions Sagomon about why he’s even capturing the kids from the real world…they just fight and capture him. Not even Taiki is questioning why this “game” of hunting digimon is even going on in the first place when nothing like it existed before. So I really hope it’s explained why hunting digimon is necessary in future episode or else I’m gonna be really frustrated.

But to give the series some credit so far, the three new antagonistic characters and their digimon look like they’ll be interesting, assuming they’re not completely pushed into the background like Akari and Zenjirou were. And, like all Digimon series, I love the opening song for Xros Wars 3. Much to my pleasant surprise, the new main digimon Gumdramon is voiced by Kumiko Watanabe, who did an amazing job as Shippo in Inuyasha. I knew that voice sounded familiar! She also does the voice of Kyouko, the manager in Working’!!. Who knew?

Persona 4
Episode 1 so far

I’m not familiar with any previous Persona works so this is my first experience with the series. I can’t judge it by just one episode, but so far Persona 4 looks like it’ll be a good mystery/supernatural story. It has a cool, stylish design to it as well. The characters don’t interest me much unfortunately, but of course that could change later on. Also pleased that a lot of seiyuu I like – Kappei Yamaguchi, Rie Kugimiya, Yui Horie, and Romi Paku – have major roles in the show.

Fate/Zero
Episodes 1-2 so far

I originally didn’t plan to watch Fate/Zero since I haven’t seen Fate/Stay Night. But after hearing that Fate/Zero is actually its prequel, and seeing all the hype surrounding it, I decided to watch it. Much to my surprise, the double-length first episode had me completely engrossed. The animation is gorgeous and the fantasy setting and elements are extremely fascinating to me. Usually I have trouble following heavy fantasy shows like Fate/Zero that introduce a ton of characters and unique terminology right off the bat, but I was pleasantly surprised that I’m not having that problem much with Fate/Zero. I look forward to being one of the few fans experiencing this show without having seen Fate/Stay Night.

Fate/Zero has a beautiful opening, definitely my second favorite after Shana’s.

Mirai Nikki
Episode 1 so far

From just one episode I can tell that Mirai Nikki is going to be a good and suspenseful mystery/supernatural series. It shares a similar plot with Eden of the East in that a group of people (who are slowly revealed as the series goes on) are competing in a mysterious “game” of life and death with their cell phones as their main link to the game. Our two main characters, Yukiteru and Yuno, seem interesting so far, and I look forward to seeing the many yet to be introduced characters. I have a feeling that unpredictability and suspense will be a driving point for this series.

———-

In addition to these eight shows, I’m planning to watch the two upcoming Noitamina anime, Un-Go and Guilty Crown. Though now I’m wondering if I should since I’m watching so many fall ’11 shows already, and depending on how many turn out to be two cour (already know Mirai Nikki, Shana, and Bakuman 2 are) I might not have any time for winter series. I’m still watching Penguindrum too, and Bleach is finally out of fillers so I’ll be picking that up again. Sigh, so much anime, not enough hours in the day XD

The list of anime scheduled to air in a few weeks for the fall 2011 season has been out for a while, but I’m just now sitting down and deciding which ones I’ll be watching. Nine anime I’m currently watching will end by fall, so I reckon I’ll pick up that number of shows to watch, give or take a couple…

Fall ’11 is looking to be a season of sequels for anime. There really is more sequels airing this season than I’ve seen in a while. Here are the ones I’ll definitely be watching, having seen and liked their predecessors:

Bakuman 2

I loved the first Bakuman series – I pretty much gave it nothing but compliments in my review. It’s just a solidly written and unique series that shows that shonen goodness doesn’t always have to be about action and fantasy. Looking forward to more manga-ka suspense in season 2!

—–

Shakugan no Shana III

The Shana light novels recently ended and this will be the final season of the anime. Unfortunately it’s been four years since I watched Shana II and I remember little to nothing about what happened. I’ll have to read through episode summaries on Wiki or something in order to refresh my memory in time for Shana III. Though far from being unique, I feel the Shana series has its special qualities that set it apart from others in its genre, and Shana herself is one of my most favorite characters. Can’t wait to see the big finale for our fiery KugiRie tsundere =D

—–

Digimon Xros Wars: Toki wo Koeru Shonen Hunter-tachi

While I was disappointed with the insufferably light and childish tone of the first season of Digimon Xros Wars, the second season that’s currently airing is a huge improvement, bringing back the darker themes and character development that I loved from the original Digimon titles. If this third installment of Xros Wars keeps delivering like its prequel, I’ll be glad to keep tuning in!

—–

Working’!!

The first season of Working!! was just an all around fun slice-of-life comedy. Thirteen episodes wasn’t enough to flesh out all of its characters and gags though, so I’m hoping to see that in this upcoming sequel =)

—–

Besides these four sequels, there are a few other fall anime I’m sure I’ll be checking out:

First off, I’ve been impressed by all the noitaminA series I’ve seen thus far so I’ll be watching these two fall ’11 ones…

Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown…

Un-Go

…and Un-Go. From what I’ve read about them, they both have intriguing stories. Hope they turn out well~

—–

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

As long as the fan service isn’t excessive, I tend to love character-driven high school anime, and this one sounds like it’ll fit my tastes for that genre.

—–

Persona 4

Does one have to be familiar with previous Persona works in order to follow Persona 4? From what I’ve read, I don’t think so. The art style of this series looks interesting, it seems to be one of the most hyped of the season, and I always love good mysteries =)

—–

Mirai Nikki

The story sounds very interesting, and the fact that they’re adapting 26 episodes from a 12 volume manga series doesn’t make it seem like they’ll have to edit much of the original material.

—–

And the following four series piqued my interest, but I’m not sure if I’ll watch them or not. Chances are I’ll wait and see what the general opinion of them is when they start to air:

Kimi to Boku: It sounds like another slice-of-life character-driven drama/comedy series. A genre I like, but whether this will be a good one or not, it’s hard to tell unless you’re familiar with the manga.
Chihayafuru: The fact that this titles is based on an award-winning josei manga and is being produced by Madhouse are what caught my eye. Sounds like a good story, too. We’ll see.
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon: It really has been a while since I watched a Sunrise series…I’m not too keen on mecha, so that’s probably why. This one however sounds less mecha focused and more story focused, which I like. The setting sounds pretty epic as well.
Tamayura ~hitotose~: This ones sounds like another “soothing” slice-of-life series the likes of Aria and the currently airing Ikoku Meiro. I could certainly love shows like this if they’re done right.

—–

So that’s where I am now as far as the fall season of anime. Feel free to share your thoughts on the fall shows in the comments.

Unlike the spring ’11 season where it took me a while to decide what to watch, this summer I feel like I’ve decided on too many to watch XD Here are my opinions on what I’ve seen as of now…

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée
Episodes 1-2 so far

Kami-sama no Memochou
Episode 1 so far

Usagi Drop
Episodes 1-2 so far

No.6
Episodes 1-2 so far

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!
Episode 1 so far

Mawaru Penguindrum
Episodes 1-2 so far

———-

I’ve been debating whether I have enough time to start watching Blood-C, Kamisama Dolls, and/or The Idolm@ster. I think I’m gonna pass on Blood-C for now since I haven’t heard anything great about it (and I’ve already seen Blood+). I might replace Kami-sama no Memochou with Kamisama Dolls if the former doesn’t start to grow on me (one Kamisama anime for another XD) And Idolm@ster I might pick up later if I hear good things about it.

Anyway, hope you’re all enjoying whatever summer anime you’ve decided to watch =D

After eight anime I was watching finished airing this spring, I’ve so far picked up six spring ’11 shows to replace them on my “watching” list. As I mentioned before, for some reason I was having a lot of trouble deciding which shows to watch this season. But as of now I feel I’ve pretty much come to a decision and will stick with these six, so it’s time for another obligatory first impressions review…

Hanasaku Iroha
Episodes 1-3 so far

Iroha was the first anime I decided to watch this spring, and of the ones I’ve seen, it had the best first episode (with Ano Hana and [C] right behind). In just that one episode Ohana is brilliantly established as a likable, sympathetic protagonist, and the anguish that’s brought out in her unfortunate situation by the end of the episode is truly dramatic. Three episodes in now and it continues to be a good show. It has scenarios that tug at your heartstrings and characters who are starting to develop. My main frustration with the series is how insufferably mean most of the other characters are to Ohana, and the injustices she has to put up with often go unpunished (like being kidnapped/sexually harassed in episode 3). But I think this is meant to be part of the narrative so we’ll appreciate how much better things get for her by the end of the show. So hang in there, Ohana!

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
Episode 1 so far

My inclination to watch this series came simply because the story sounded so interesting. Noitamina anime are known to offer better and more universal story telling quality with less otaku pandering (though the only ones I’ve seen before this season are Eden of the East, Fractale, and Wandering Son). Like Iroha, [C] had an excellent first episode which doesn’t get a chance to explain much but still leaves the viewer begging for more. The first episode does offer good background for the main protagonist, Kimimaro, as well as the still vaguely defined Financial District that’s a central part of the story. The design of the District, with its detailed CGI rendered animation that give off the feel of a constantly shifting virtual reality world can only be described as trippy and will probably be the most memorable part of the series. Like I said, not much has been explained in episode 1 besides background for Kimimaro and subtle hinting at the Financial District, but I certainly have high hopes for [C].

The World God Only Knows 2
Episode 1 so far

This second season of TWGOK continues the formula from the first season, with more (real) girls for our dating game expert Keima to “conquer” using the techniques he learns in his game. Besides having a fun premise, what I like about TWGOK is that it never feel like it’s insulting my intelligence despite dealing with very otaku pandering themes (it even challenges my intellect at times). I also like how the series treats the seemingly archetypal girls Keima conquers with dignity by giving them interesting backgrounds and struggles they have to overcome. After one episode, I have a feeling season 2 will offer the same entrainment as the first.

Steins;Gate
Episodes 1-2 so far

I wasn’t originally planning to watch Steins;Gate because I had not seen Chaos;Head. However, once I saw how popular it was and learned that you didn’t need to watch Chaos;Head in order to understand it, I decided to check it out. I heard it was a complicated series, but so far I haven’t had too much trouble following it. The science and otaku references usually go over my head, but that’s about it. It looks like it’ll be a good mystery story with interesting, eccentric characters. I’m also loving Mamoru Miyano as Rintarou – I usually recognize his voice right away but I didn’t this time ^^,,, And I’m glad to see Halko Mamoi with another anime role as “Feiris-chan” =)

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Episode 1 so far

Despite having such an unnecessarily long name (Ano Hana for short), this series looks to be another promising Noitamina anime. After Iroha, I feel it had the best first episode of the ones I’ve seen, clearly establishing the characters and the relatively simple but heart-warming plot. The reason I’m liking this anime so much is because I can’t predict what will happen – how will we fill up 13+ episodes with Jinta just having to bring some friends back together? It sounds like something that’s harder than it looks and will lead to a lot of drama and character development, which is what I’m hoping for. I’m sure he’ll end up bringing them back together, but how it actually happens is what I’m interested in. My only complaint in the first episode is the very cliche moe interactions between Jinta and Meiko in the first ten or so minutes before the plot surfaces. But I suppose it was meant to be a “hook” for otaku viewers before the series could take off. And am I the only one who thinks the character designs in this show look strikingly similar to Toradora!?

Nichijou
Episodes 1-3 so far

The only reason I decided to watch Nichijou is because it’s produced by my favorite studio, Kyoto Animation. The bizarre humor that the series revolves around didn’t catch my fancy at all until episode 2, which actually gave me some chuckles. Episode 3, only a little – I have a feeling Nichijou will be a very hit-or-miss anime, with some episodes making me laugh but most just giving me a slight smile. For some reason Nichijou makes me reminiscent of Azumanga Daioh – both have very “random” humor, but the former is more bizarre while the latter is more drawn from the characters’ personalities. Normally I would consider dropping Nichijou but I’m dedicated to KyoAni and the show is slowly growing on me, so I’ll be sticking with it.

———-

It seems like the common seiyuu for me this season are Haruka Tomatsu and Takahiro Sakurai. Haruka has a whooping three major roles in the shows I’m watching this spring, two of which are alongside Takahiro Sakurai in [C] and Ano Hana.

Besides these six, I also checked out the first episode of Tiger & Bunny, but unfortunately I found it rather boring. Emphasis on flashy action hero and mecha goodness just isn’t for me. But I have faith in Sunrise so I may watch the series after it’s finished if I hear likable things about it.

I could probably add another series or two without overloading myself – there are a couple more I’m eying, including the ones with short running times like Azazel-san and Reibei-sensei which wouldn’t be a big commitment, but I don’t know. For the past few months I’ve been ignoring my New Year’s resolution to rewatch anime, so I should use time for that rather than add new shows. ::sigh:: Sometimes I wish there was more than 24 hours per day XD

I haven’t had as much trouble deciding what seasonal anime to watch as I’m having with this upcoming spring 2011 season. There’s only a few that I definitely want to watch and a bunch of others that sound good, but too many for me to watch all of them. So somehow I’m going to have to narrow down my choices…

The below five series are the ones that I’ll definitely be watching…

Hana Saku Iroha

The fairly new studio P.A. Works has been impressing me quite a bit with True Tears, Angel Beats!, and Canaan. This latest release of theirs sounds very promising as well. As is usual of their works, at first glance Iroha has pretty animation, nice character designs, and an intriguing story. And apparently, Haruka Tomatsu has a lead role in it (if I had continued my recent seiyuu list, she would probably be #11 or #12 ^^)

—–

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

Yet another series this season that Haruka Tomatsu will play a lead role in! The setting and plot of this series sounds excellent.

—–

Nichijou

I watched the episode 0 OVA of Nichijou and I didn’t particularly like it. However, my experience with slice-of-life anime has shown me that I usually don’t like the first episode and then subsequently fall in love with them as I watch more episodes (as was the case for Lucky Star, Azumanga Daioh, and K-ON!) I’m also a huge fan of Kyoto Animation and wouldn’t miss a chance to watch one of their new series. I did kind of like the 3rd act of episode 0 though the 2nd act confused me (this “professor” is a little girl and she has this other girl with a wind-up gear on her back that’s her servant and there’s a talking cat…explanation please?) Besides Minoru Shiraishi (as the cat! XD) I haven’t heard of any of the other Nichijou seiyuu so perhaps they’re hiring new talent? Anyway, I hope I end up loving Nichijou in the end like I did with Lucky Star and K-ON! =)

—–

The World God Only Knows 2

I was pleasantly surprised at how good season 1 of TWGOK ended up being, so of course I’ll be watching the second season.

—–

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

Don’t let the long name of this series scare you (just call it AnoHana for short). The title translates to “We still don’t know the name of the flower we saw that day.” Like P.A. Works, I’ve grown to love A-1 Pictures as well and want to see more of them. The story sounds like it’ll be a pleasant show, and wow, a third series that Haruka Tomatsu will have a lead role in =D She’s certainly going to be busy this spring. Takahiro Sakurai as one of the male protagonists is an added bonus.

—–

After these five, I’m willing to add a few more spring ’11 shows to my watch list (since a whopping eight anime I’m currently watching will be ending in a few weeks). But geez, I just can’t decide which ones…

Tiger and Bunny

I haven’t watched a Sunrise series in a while, mostly because I’m not into Gundam. They have done two of my favorites, Inuyasha and Code Geass, and the story of Tiger and Bunny sounds interesting. Apparently it’s being called a mecha series so hopefully it won’t be too mecha-ish for my taste.

—–

Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san.

The main reason I’m interested in this one is because it’s by the well respected Production I.G. and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of their comedy series. But it might be too gag-oriented for me…we’ll see.

—–

Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai

I’ve enjoyed all the visual novel adaptations I’ve seen and this one sounds pretty good. As long as they do what KyoAni does and make the anime version ecchi-free.

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Sket Dance

This sounds like a very fun series with great seiyuu to boot (Tomokazu Seki and Tomokazu Sugita =D) However, it’s based on a popular Shonen Jump manga that’s been running since 2007 – which means it’s likely to go on for years. Is it time for me to pick up another never-ending shonen series?

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Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Shaft has earned a ton of respect from me after Madoka. If it’s not too fan service-filled, this series sounds enjoyable.

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A Channel

Another slice-of-life comedy series based on a 4-koma manga. Usually I like these…but do I want to double dose and watch a show like this along with Nichijou?

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Hidan no Aria

I like J.C. Staff and Rie Kugimiya – but other than that nothing sounds special about this show…I don’t think.

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Ao no Exorcist

This one looks and sounds very cool. I could use a dark action show to go with the light, pretty shows I’ll be watching.

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Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei

This series sounds like so much fun if the humor isn’t too gag-filled or bizarre for my taste.

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Deadman Wonderland

Like Ao no Exorcist, Deadman Wonderland sounds like a good dark series to balance out all the light shows I’ll be watching. Kana Hanazawa and Romi Paku as the two lead characters is a plus!

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I don’t know why I’m having so much trouble picking series to watch this season when I usually don’t. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments, but I’ll probably once again decide what additional spring ’11 shows to watch based on the overall blogsphere opinion once the first couple of episodes air for each (or if friends of mine are watching certain ones too). As usual, I’m not very picky when it comes to anime so I’m sure I’ll be satisfied with any of the series I’m considering watching =)

As usual, here are my initial impressions of the anime I’m watching this season…

There was nothing I was extremely excited about this winter season. Besides continuing Kimi ni Todoke with its second season, I wasn’t waiting on anything else and chose my season picks by reading summaries and fans’ overall opinions. So here are my thoughts thus far of the five winter ’11 anime I’m watching after seeing the first two episodes of each…

Kimi ni Todoke season 2

Two regular episodes plus one recap episode into the second season of this shojo series, and it still gives me the same feeling as season 1. Kimi ni Todoke’s second season is offering the same sweet, gentle, touching, slow-paced, relationship-centered, blush-filled shojo goodness of the first season. One new character has been introduced so far, but other than that, the majority of this season seems like it’ll further develop the relationships introduced in season 1, particularly between the main couple, Sawako and Kazehaya. Obviously this show’s gentleness is not for everyone, but for me it’s very relaxing and uplifting.
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Fractale

Much has already been said about the Fractale simulcast controversy so I’m not going to get into it here. As for the show itself, it’s not as original and cliche-free as I had expected – both the first and second episodes involved the stereotypical situation of “hapless boy meets strange girl who unexpectedly falls into his care.” I’ve also heard others relate it to Miyazaki movies. Neither of these are enough to deter my enjoyment of it though, as I don’t mind cliches as long as I find something refreshing about them or the rest of the series, and what’s wrong with some Miyazaki influence when I like his works? =) But if Fractale is meant to appeal to non-anime fans, then yeah, these cliches might be a deterrent. Being only 11 episodes long, I have a feeling that Fractale is one of those series that needs to be judged after seeing all of it. The mystery of the Fractale system and its concept of doppels is what has my attention. The acid-trip opening sequence and pretty A-1 Pictures animation are also pluses XD

And all I’ll say about the committee’s cancellation of Funi’s simulcast is that it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a long time. Let’s make those who want to watch this show legally pay the price for what some pirates are doing until Funimation purges the entire Internet of illegal uploads because not giving fans a legal way of watching it is sure to help the fight against illegal means. Brilliant.

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Gosick

I decided to watch this series because the setting and character designs intrigued me (and I’m always up for a good mystery series). For some reason I thought the setting of early 20th century England would offer a quaint, pleasant tone. But with the mystery to be solved in these first two episodes, the show seems like it’s going to be dealing with mostly disturbing, horror-centered cases. Already we have kids murdering each other on a ship and the barbaric sport of watching dogs tearing up rabbits – but I don’t mind horror as long as there’s a decent story behind it, and so far the current mystery in Gosick has me in suspense.

I wasn’t particularly thrilled with our two main characters in episode 1, as the majority of their interactions just seemed so typical. By episode 2, Kujou is still every other male lead I’ve seen in a similar situation, but Victorique is slightly growing on me. I found her rather cold in the beginning, but her fake laughing in ep 2 shows she does have a sense of humor, and she had some cute “dere” moments when Kujou was ready to give his life for her (even though they like, just met a couple of days ago). I’m hoping Kujou starts building a personality in future episodes and that Gosick offers more interesting mysteries for the duo to solve.

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Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica

The praise for the animation in this series, as well as music by Yuki Kajiura, is what prompted me to check it out. And in both areas, I’m not disappointed. Even though I haven’t seen that many mahou shojo anime, I could tell the story thus far in Madoka Magica is quite formulaic – all-around nice girl heroine meets mysterious talking animal who bestows magical powers upon her, she meets other magical girl friends and rivals, and much of their power revolves around friendship and emotions. But hey, it’s been a long while since I watched a magical girl anime anyway, so the show’s exciting for me ;) The story and characters are all decently appealing as of ep 2. With all its production values, I hope Madoka Magica ends up being at least above average for its genre.

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Hourou Musuko

Hourou Musuko, a.k.a. Wandering Son, is probably the most unique anime to come out this season, mostly for its watercolor animation style and story involving cross-dressing middle school kids. After watching episode 1, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. One issue I had was that too many characters were introduced too quickly in that first episode, and when they talked to and about each other, I was having trouble figuring out who was who. It also didn’t help that they all called each other by different names (given name, surname, or nickname) and that the particular character designs in this series make it difficult to differentiate between some of the characters at first glance.

Episode 2 however, gave me a much better appreciation for the show. Things slowed down and focus was put on the conflict between Saori and Yoshino. The charm of the other characters also came out, such as the noticeably cheerful Chizuru and peace-keeper Kanako. The scene of the group going out for ice cream together was very sweet. I hope the rest of the episodes are good like this ^^

Oh, and an ED sung by Rie Fu is a bonus~ Recognized her voice right away XD

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I was sort of thinking of picking up one more winter series, but probably not. One of my goals for the new year is to rewatch a lot of anime I liked but only watched once, since I spend way too much time watching all the latest shows and not enough time rewatching old gems. If I hear that any of the other winter anime turn out to be great, perhaps I’ll watch them at a later time.

Anyway, I hope you’re all enjoying whatever winter anime you decided to watch =) Gonna watch ep 3 of Madoka and Gosick tonight~

After finishing seven series from the spring/summer ’10 seasons, there weren’t too many fall ’10 anime that immediately grabbed my attention. As of now I’ve settled into five, but I may pick up one or two more…

Tegami Bachi Reverse is the sequel to Tegami Bachi, a gentler than the average shonen anime that seems to be more focused on the adventure part of the genre rather than the action. I enjoyed the first season, and the first two episodes of Reverse are keeping up the same quality. The last episode of season 1 ended on a huge cliffhanger, and the first episode of season 2 starts right where it left off, without any recap (recap would have been nice actually since it has been quite a few months).

Like the first season, Tegami Bachi Reverse offers the same “light shonen” feel, with themes more along the lines of Mushishi rather than the big-name shonen titles. There’s still action scenes of course, but not as much as there are sentimental, emotional scenes. The main plot of season 1 involved our kind but crybaby protagonist Lag as he learns to become a Tegami Bachi (Letter Bee). The majority of the episodes in the first season focused on introducing the rest of the cast, or were filler-ish stories involving people Lag meets on his various deliveries. As of yet, it’s hard to tell if Reverse will follow the same pattern, but it looks like the new plot involving a “heartless” Gauche will make it more plot-centered. The first two episodes were sweet character development episodes focusing on my favorite, Niche, so I would say the series is off to a good start =)

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I decided to check out Bakuman because it’s by the same creators as one of my favorite anime, Death Note. By the first episode alone, I could tell it was going to be good – an interesting, unpredictable plot surrounding the three main characters, introspect about how manga-ka are viewed by society, and slight touches of humor without seeming out of place amongst the drama. Moritaka’s distaste about education and employment in society in episode 1 reminded me of Light’s negative view of the world that’s revealed in episode 1 of Death Note as well. To me at least, it’s satisfying hearing such stark criticism of real world issues in an anime, especially a shonen anime.

Bakuman definitely seems like it will be lighter than Death Note, but like the latter it has an engrossing plot invested in the passion of the characters that’s about brains rather than brawn, potentially fascinating characters, and an eventual outcome that I can’t predict. I look forward to seeing if/how Moritaka and Akito (who remind me of Mikado and Masoumi from Durarara!!…must be the hair color) achieve their goal and what they learn along the way.

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The first episode of this series already had many fans thinking it’s the best of the season, and so far I’d have to agree. At first glance it has a story and characters that look like they could offer only more cliche fan service. But instead, OreImou gives us an extremely realistic, sympathetic portrayal of its sibling protagonists – how one is trying to come to grips with her unusual hobby and how the other is trying to help her. There’s no random fan service and no interrupting hyperbolic comedy, just an honest look into the lives of these characters, as well as an interesting outsider’s look into the hobby of erogames. In addition, it has lovely character and setting designs and the humor is actually quite funny.

Not only do I like the serious, sincere feeling of what could have been another generic fan-pandering show, being a female otaku myself, I can relate very much to Kirino’s dilemma. Certain scenes, specifically in episode 2 where she can’t speak up for the male otaku that her friend mocks, or her awkwardness at the maid cafe meet-up, are prime examples of how good OreImou is at getting the ideas it wants to get across in an intelligent way. My only minor complaint is that I wish Kirino was a little nicer to Kyousuke after all he’s doing for her without asking anything in return, but then again I don’t have any siblings myself, so maybe it’s common for a brother and sister to relate to each other like this? ~_^

I have this fear that OreImou might not be able to keep up the excellent quality it has in the first two episodes, but I hope I’m wrong. Episode 2 introduced a few new interesting characters, as well as yet another good concept of how two otaku can have vastly different tastes but the same level of passion, so I look forward to seeing how it turns out =)

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I wasn’t sure whether to count Pokemon Best Wishes! as a fall ’10 series since it started airing before the others and will probably keep airing for years after the others have finished. But yeah, it’s Pokemon, so if you’re a big fan like me you’ll keep watching each new season, if you’re a semi-fan you may check out a few episodes every now and then, and if you’re not a fan now I doubt you’ll ever decide to watch Best Wishes!. The first two episodes aired together as an hour-long special and they were pretty good as far as Pokemon episodes go. The next few episodes however revert back to the regular formula for Pokemon episodes that we’ve seen for years. But despite the fact that the new Pokemon games that this series is based on, Black and White, seem to be slightly more mature than past games, the Pokemon anime is still as kid-friendly as ever. The games are one thing, but I doubt the international success of Pokemon as a children’s franchise would make Nintendo want to risk creating a more “mature” anime series for its older fans.

I don’t see a point in me reviewing the first few episode of a new Pokemon series, since most fans know by now what they think of Pokemon, so instead here’s some Best Wishes! trivia – Satoshi (Ash) and Team Rocket have new character designs, Takeshi (Brock) has been replaced by the first Isshu gym leader Dent (voiced by Mamoru Miyano), and Iris replaces Hikari (Dawn) as Satoshi’s female traveling companion. This is also the first time since the original series that Satoshi will be traveling with characters who are not playable in the games.

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Although the premise of The World God Only Knows is very interesting, and can in some ways be seen as a commentary on otaku in the real world, I see the show itself as a comedy through and through – nothing really serious or dramatic has happened in the first two episodes while the majority of the show is high on gags and humor, with character and plot development being inserted in minimal amounts in between. Keima has the potential to be the Light Yagami of this genre while Elcie has the potential to become a moe favorite. So far the rest of the girls seem rather cliche, but doesn’t that make the real world coincide more with how Keima wants it to be? How Keima views girls in the real world through the lens of his passion for the girls in the 2D world, and how they do sometimes match up, is one of the show’s most interesting aspects. But TWGOK is one of those anime where I’m having trouble saying much more about it until I see the rest of it.

Oh, and it also has a very intriguing opening and a cute ending =)

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I may pick up a couple more fall 2010 series (how are Star Driver, Squid Girl, and Otome Youkai Zakuro?) or I may not and instead watch older anime on my “Plan to Watch List.” I’ll see what I feel like =P

And some food for thought, with Bakuman, OreImou, and The World God Only Knows, it looks like this season is focused heavily on anime portrayals of otaku life.

Not many summer shows looked particularly appealing to me this year. So far I’m watching four and may pick up another one or two if the desire arises. Here are my thoughts after watching the first two episodes of each…

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi

I decided to watch Ookami-san because it seemed mildly popular after the first episode. Two episodes in and I can’t really say what I think about it yet – the first episode was full of comedy and parody reminiscent of Hayate no Gotoku! while the second episodes lost the fairy tale parodies and instead was focused on dramatic character development reminiscent of Toradora! (Ryouko and Taiga are quite similar, too). So far I would say I like it more than dislike it, but I don’t know what direction it’s trying to take with the contrast between the first two episodes. Only time will tell I guess.

The characters seem kind of cliche, but one thing I do find interesting about Ookami-san is the concept of the Otogi Bank. Oh, and I love the opening song by May’n =)

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Seitokai Yakuindomo

Slice-of-life school comedies are one of my favorite genres – as long as they give me a few laughs and aren’t too ecchi, I could enjoy even mediocre ones. Seitokai Yakuindomo is similar to Seitokai no Ichizon from last fall except with less otaku humor and more general adult humor. The jokes are subtly mature without being too perverse, which I find pretty fun. Though not hilarious all the way through, I’ve gotten enough laughs from this show so far to keep watching it. Since the characters are pretty generic and it’s the same old story of humorous high school life, your enjoyment of the show rests solely on whether you like the genre or not.

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Digimon Xros Wars

If you will, my guilty pleasure to appease my fetish for cool/cute fantasy creatures XD I’ve loved Digimon since I used to watch the dub on Fox Kids over ten years ago. I’ve watched all five of the previous Digimon series in their entirety, some more than once, and some in both English and Japanese, so how could I pass up the latest one?

Many fans, myself included, have a bad taste in their mouth from the last series from 2006, Digimon Savers. It just didn’t have the charm of the old series, and even though the main characters were older, they weren’t that likable. With Digimon Xros Wars, it looks like Toei is aware of this and is going back to old-school Digimon style – the main hero is once again a young goggle-wearing boy, with a name (Taiki) similar to Taichi from the original series. The main digimon, Shoutmon, even shares the same seiyuu as Agumon from Adventure. It has other good older seiyuu too, like Houko Kuwashima and Minami Takayama. Two episodes in and it’s off to a start very much in the old Digimon spirit – the kids get pulled into the digital world and battle off evil digimon with the help of good digimon, with an encompassing plot and future character development being foreshadowed.

I’m sure Xros Wars will be better than Savers, but I don’t think it will be as good as the original three series. It does have potential, so you never know. All the Digimon seris have been about 50 episodes long, so I’m sure this one will be too, meaning it has plenty of time to get good =)

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Occult Academy

Occult Academy has one of the most interesting stories of recent anime I’ve seen. I have high hopes for it and I think it will become one of the more unique, quality series of the year, like Eden of the East was last year. It has a mix of horror, supernatural (the occult), sci-fi (time travel and aliens), and a touch of comedy, all blended together well. I’ve seen one of TV Tokyo’s other Anime no Chikara series, Sora no Woto, which I liked, but I have a feeling Occult Academy will be better. It’s one of those series that should be judged as a whole, so I hope the story manages to stay good. The only thing I don’t like is that Maya’s abuse of Fumiaki in episode 2 is a bit too excessive. I know it’s not supposed to be taken seriously, but there was too much of it and I hope they cool it later on.

I also got an Eden of the East feeling what with a naked guy (with a secret mission) in the first episode, and a very special cell phone XD

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I was going to watch High School of the Dead because of all the hype, but it seems like it’s mostly gore and fan service, things I’m not very fond of. But if I hear good things about it, I may reconsider. I was also thinking about Shiki.

And hearing Yoko Hikasa (Mio from K-ON!) as the main girl in two of the summer ’10 series I’m watching is kind of strange XD

Usually I write my seasonal first impressions reviews separately, but this time I felt it would be better to put them all together on one post…

These are the six spring ’10 anime I’ve picked up so far. I don’t drop anime very often so chances are I’ll stick with these until they finish. I may pick up another one or two, but I’m not sure yet. And of course, the reviews below are only “first impressions” based on watching just one or two episodes of each. My ultimate opinion may change once I watch more of the series.

I think the reason I like Working!! is because I like slice-of-life comedies that depict the daily lives of groups of wacky characters and all the amusing interactions they have. Working!! humorously reveals the “honne” of some Japanese workers. The characters themselves seem entertaining enough for me, though the humor goes a little over the top at times. There aren’t very many scenes in anime that I think are sincerely funny, but a few scenes in episode 1 of Working!! did make me chuckle. Hopefully I’ll continue to enjoy the series.

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A shojo series, plain and simple. I’m personally not a big shojo fan, but I like watching them from time to time. After enjoying Kimi ni Todoke so much, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pick up another shojo series so soon. But the plot of Kaichou wa Maid-sama! sounded funny so I decided to check it out. I liked episode 1, though episode 2 felt lacking. So far the series seems to be playing up the comedy element and not the genuine emotion and drama that Kimi ni Todoke had. The humor is okay but I’m hoping it won’t stay light forever and will get at least a little more serious.

As of now I can only recommend Kaichou if you like shojo, even a cliche one. I’m not counting on this show being another Itazurana Kiss or Kimi ni Todoke, but I’m hoping it gets better.

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The most hyped show of the season. I’ll admit that I usually end up loving the popular shows that everyone watches, and Angel Beats! is no exception. I liked all the previous Key series, though it’s kind of weird watching one that’s not produced by Kyoto Animation. Thus, the animation isn’t as fluid as it could be, but it’s still pretty good. If you don’t like Key series because of their “moe” label, Angel Beats! is actually very different – unlike the others, the story starts out kind of dark/violent but also comical, the plot and action happen sooner rather than later, the number of male characters outnumber females, and the female lead has a less “moe” personality. A lot of fans have pointed out Yuri’s resemblance to Haruhi, both in looks and personality (probably one of the reasons I like her already XD) I guess that could bother some people, but not me. She isn’t that much like Haruhi (she’s less eccentric and crazy for one) so I don’t think it’s a big deal.

Both episodes have impressed me so I’m pretty certain Angel Beats! will continue to deliver. Oh, and the opening is indeed stellar, both in visuals and the pretty song by Lia.

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If you liked the first season of K-ON!, chances are you’ll like season 2 (same title, just another exclamation mark). If you didn’t like the first season, chances are you won’t like season 2. Season 2 is a continuation of season 1, with the same themes and overall feel. Therefore, my review of K-ON! can probably be applicable to K-ON!!, too. After K-ON! exploded into popularity last spring, you probably know by now whether it’s something you’d want to continue watching or not.

And I’ll just comment that a lot of fans don’t like the opening song. I’m not thrilled with it, but I think I could get used to it. The ending song is pretty good, though it can’t compete with “Don’t say lazy.” But visually both the opening and ending excel (thanks to KyoAni).

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I don’t think any BONES series has disappointed me, but I was hesitant to check out Heroman because I was never an American comic fan and, from what I heard, it’s a pretty cliche series of that genre. But one thing I was interested in seeing is an anime’s depiction of America. Finally I decided to watch the first two episodes. Seeing all the American flags, palm trees, big cars, wide streets, and school kids NOT in uniforms was pretty amusing. As for the show itself, indeed the characters are cliche and the story is unoriginal, even if you don’t know much about American comics. But despite that, I felt that the pacing and other things about the show are put together well (I’m sure BONES deserves credit) and I would say that I liked those first two episodes.

Hopefully the later episodes will give Heroman himself more personality and the other characters more depth. And I’d like to note that the opening song is fun but will get stuck in your head, and the ending song is a nice little number by FLOW.

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I can handle violent and gory anime, i.e., limb slicing, blood flying everywhere, etc. But I try to avoid anime that have a lot of scenes of blatant torture, where the pain and suffering of the violent act is focused on rather than just the gore. I knew Rainbow was going to be one of those, but I felt like checking it out anyway because it was highly rated. And surprisingly, the first episode alone had me utterly engrossed. From the brilliant scene on the bus in the beginning, I just couldn’t take my eyes off it (Madhouse’s animation has something to do with it). It’s definitely trying to be different – I’m not saying it’s perfect, but if you want to see the “darkest” and most serious anime of the season, here it is.

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Besides these six, I may check out Senkou no Night Raid (I need another dark series besides Rainbow to balance out all the light ones I’m watching) and/or Arakawa Under the Bridge. Still not sure though. And I didn’t mention this one because it’s continuing directly from last season, I’ll be watching Hetalia World Series, too.

Before I end this post, I’d just like to mention something – what is up with all the exclamation marks in recent anime titles? Angel Beats!, K-ON!!, Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, Durarara!!, Working!! – and those are just the ones I’m currently watching. Is it some kind of new trend?