Senki Zessho Symphogear Released: Jan. 6th 2011 Studio: Satelight Genre: Action/Magical Girl/Fantasy
Initial Thoughts: According to the description this anime follows two music idols who use equipment called "symphogear" to battle alien monsters known as "Noise." Okay. So basically Japanese pop stars fighting aliens with their music? Sounds unwieldy but interesting. I also noticed that the studio which worked on this show, Satelight, also worked on a 2005 anime called Noein, which remains one of my favorite anime ever. With that in mind, I expect good things.
Post-credits Verdict: Now THAT was interesting. This might be the darkest magical girl anime I've watched since Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The action sequences didn't pull any punches and this show set its tone from the very first scene. It's no secret that this is not going to have a happy ending, and there will be a hell of a ride to get there.
The concept is fairly straightforward. Two years before the story begins pop idols Kanade and Tsubasa form the duo ZweiWing, who in addition to being performers also fight strange beings called "Noise." During one of their concerts the Noise attack, and Kanade dies protecting Hibiki Tachibana, leaving Tsubasa to fight the Noise on their own. Two years later the story picks up and Tachibana has enrolled in Ridian Academy, the same musical school where Tsubasa and Kanade became ZweiWing, and remains an avid follower of Tsubasa. Meanwhile Tsubasa has continued to fight the Noise, backing up the JSDF (whose weapons are completely useless) in her Symphogear. One day, while rushing to buy Tsubasa's latest CD, Tachibana gets caught up in another Noise attack and awakens powers similar to Kanade's.
This first episode blew me away. Aside from the gorgeous visual effects, the believable (although exposition-heavy) dialogue, and the music (the MUSIC!), the voice acting was top-notch. The creature designs for the Noise are varied and a little silly, but the anime wastes no time letting you know that they are deadly. The tension is definitely palpable in every fight. Speaking of fights, the battles in this episode were fascinating. I found it a little impractical that Symphogear requires users to keep singing while they fight (how are they getting air), but the stylized moves and attacks helped me get over that distraction quickly. This episode also ended on a cliffhanger, but, unlike this week's Knight in the Area, I didn't care. I will definitely be back for more next week and you should be too.
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