Title: Inu x Boku SS Release Date: Jan. 12th 2012 Studio: David Production Genre: Supernatural
Initial Thoughts: Based on a manga by Cocoa Fujiwara, this anime follows Ririchiyo Shirakiin, a half-demon, half-human girl who moves into a dormitory run by youkai for youkai. Ririchiyo is followed by Soushi Miketsukami, a half-fox demon who proclaims himself her ever-loyal servant. I am a tad bit skeptical since David Production is such a new studio, but they did produce one of my favorite anime from last year: Ben-to. They also collaborated with Studio Pierrot on the hilarious but under-appreciated Level E. So far, if they're making comedy, it seems David Production can do no wrong. i'm willing to see if they can keep it up.
Post-credits Verdict: This seems interesting enough to merit a second look. Ririchiyo's tsundere tendencies are a little grating at first, but whoever designed her did a good job of making her humorous enough to still be likable. Soushi is also easy to like as a doting manservant, like a more polite version of Black Butler's Sebastian. The interaction between these two, as Ririchiyo balks at Soushi's over-the-top attempts to appease her, is fun to watch, and the peripheral characters all sport distinctive personalities. David Production's saving grace is once again the comedic elements, and the presence of the supernatural adds some much-needed action. These two traits are enough to prevent the show from seeming tired and overdone. Be sure to watch with the lights off!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Winter Season Begins!: First Impressions Part XI
Ano Natsu de Matteru Release Date: Jan. 9th 2012 Studio: J.C. Staff Genre: Romantic Comedy
Initial Thoughts: This one is sort of a mixed bag. The talent involved seems more than up-to-snuff; I will always love the production studio, J.C. Staff, for making Azumanga Daioh, and director Tatsuyuki Nagai and screenwriter Yusuke Kuroda have worked together before on Honey and Clover II. However, romantic comedies and I tend not to get along. If the romance is presented in an interesting way, and I think the people working on it might be able to pull this off, then I might just give it the time of day.
P.S. I was heartened by the fact that Nagai worked on last year's Anohana, until I saw that he also worked on the horribly bland Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel. Here's hoping that this show is more the former and less the latter in terms of tone and sophistication of narrative.
Post-credits Verdict: Well, that was a pleasant surprise and I didn't even have to wait until the opening credits to get it! It seems like my wish has been granted and Nagai is going for more of an "Anohana" feel with this one. The main character, Kaito, has the same emotional vulnerability as Anohana's Jinta, and often narrates with confessional inner monologues. Also similar to Anohana is the smartly-written, believable dialogue. These kids talk, act, and joke around like real high schoolers. However, it's the story itself that invokes the strongest sense of familiarity in people who have watched Anohana. A mysterious outsider has come into the lives of a group of young adults, and will probably end up changing them in profound and moving ways. While Anohana had more of a supernatural vibe, this time there's a more sci-fi angle. That's all I can say without spoiling the story, and I won't do that because I encourage whoever reads this to watch this show to the end. I certainly will be along for the ride.
Initial Thoughts: This one is sort of a mixed bag. The talent involved seems more than up-to-snuff; I will always love the production studio, J.C. Staff, for making Azumanga Daioh, and director Tatsuyuki Nagai and screenwriter Yusuke Kuroda have worked together before on Honey and Clover II. However, romantic comedies and I tend not to get along. If the romance is presented in an interesting way, and I think the people working on it might be able to pull this off, then I might just give it the time of day.
P.S. I was heartened by the fact that Nagai worked on last year's Anohana, until I saw that he also worked on the horribly bland Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel. Here's hoping that this show is more the former and less the latter in terms of tone and sophistication of narrative.
Post-credits Verdict: Well, that was a pleasant surprise and I didn't even have to wait until the opening credits to get it! It seems like my wish has been granted and Nagai is going for more of an "Anohana" feel with this one. The main character, Kaito, has the same emotional vulnerability as Anohana's Jinta, and often narrates with confessional inner monologues. Also similar to Anohana is the smartly-written, believable dialogue. These kids talk, act, and joke around like real high schoolers. However, it's the story itself that invokes the strongest sense of familiarity in people who have watched Anohana. A mysterious outsider has come into the lives of a group of young adults, and will probably end up changing them in profound and moving ways. While Anohana had more of a supernatural vibe, this time there's a more sci-fi angle. That's all I can say without spoiling the story, and I won't do that because I encourage whoever reads this to watch this show to the end. I certainly will be along for the ride.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Relax, I'm Not Dead
Don't worry, I'm still in the blogging business.If you're wondering where I've been for the last six days I was working on my entry for the College Language Association's 2011-2012 Creative Writing contest. I ended up putting 2500 words on nine pages in 48 hours and I've been recuperating ever since. Between playing catch-up with homework and making up all that time I spent ignoring my friends (thank you for your patience, guys), I haven't written a word about anime in almost a week! This should be remedied shortly, however, as I have finally fooled myself into believing I have some free time this weekend.
It's Friday afternoon, and my mind is unclouded and carefree because I have two whole days to knock out all my work for class and do something I actually enjoy. The fact that I have countless experiences of turning to my clock and realizing that it's suddenly 10 PM on a Sunday night and there's still two whole days of work to do haven't taught me any better. I'll probably end the weekend stressed and irritable, but no matter. At the moment I'm focused on indulging in some otakudom.
Hopefully I'll be back on pace after a few hours of heavy viewing. If I disappear again in the future, don't fret! I'm probably just working on something bigger than myself.
It's Friday afternoon, and my mind is unclouded and carefree because I have two whole days to knock out all my work for class and do something I actually enjoy. The fact that I have countless experiences of turning to my clock and realizing that it's suddenly 10 PM on a Sunday night and there's still two whole days of work to do haven't taught me any better. I'll probably end the weekend stressed and irritable, but no matter. At the moment I'm focused on indulging in some otakudom.
Hopefully I'll be back on pace after a few hours of heavy viewing. If I disappear again in the future, don't fret! I'm probably just working on something bigger than myself.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The Winter Season Begins!: First Impressions Part X
Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai Released: Jan 11th 2012 Studio: feel Genre: Comedy/Romance
Initial Thoughts: The story follows Yuta Segawa, a college freshman whose life is thrown into disarray when he suddenly has to accept custody of three precocious little girls - his nieces. When their mother, his sister, goes missing after taking a flight abroad, Yuta assumes responsibility for raising the girls so that they won't be adopted and split up. This could be good or bad. The production studio, feel, is pretty new and I've only watched one of their previous productions, Mayo Chiki! They seem to do a lot of visual novels with character-driven, romantic plot arcs. I tried Mayo Chiki! for a few weeks and found it quite well-drawn, but there wasn't enough action to hold my interest. Oh well, if this is funny enough I might stick with it, but right now my expectations aren't too high.
Post-credits Verdict: Maybe I was in the wrong mood to be watching this but it just seemed sort of bland and boring. There weren't that many funny moments and an unsettling amount of lolicon fanservice. There's some other characters who are Yuta's age, but I feel like they won't get as much screen time as the three little girls. It's a shame because that's kind of what I relate to most at the moment. If you're looking for a slice-of-life show that offers a lot of fluff, then look no further. I, on the other hand, will have to look elsewhere for anime worth watching.
Initial Thoughts: The story follows Yuta Segawa, a college freshman whose life is thrown into disarray when he suddenly has to accept custody of three precocious little girls - his nieces. When their mother, his sister, goes missing after taking a flight abroad, Yuta assumes responsibility for raising the girls so that they won't be adopted and split up. This could be good or bad. The production studio, feel, is pretty new and I've only watched one of their previous productions, Mayo Chiki! They seem to do a lot of visual novels with character-driven, romantic plot arcs. I tried Mayo Chiki! for a few weeks and found it quite well-drawn, but there wasn't enough action to hold my interest. Oh well, if this is funny enough I might stick with it, but right now my expectations aren't too high.
Post-credits Verdict: Maybe I was in the wrong mood to be watching this but it just seemed sort of bland and boring. There weren't that many funny moments and an unsettling amount of lolicon fanservice. There's some other characters who are Yuta's age, but I feel like they won't get as much screen time as the three little girls. It's a shame because that's kind of what I relate to most at the moment. If you're looking for a slice-of-life show that offers a lot of fluff, then look no further. I, on the other hand, will have to look elsewhere for anime worth watching.
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Winter Season Begins!: First Impressions Part X
Daily Lives of High School Boys Released: Jan. 10th 2012 Studio: Sunrise Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life
Initial Thoughts: As far as I can tell from the series' description the show follows the day-to-day exploits of three teenagers: Tadakuni, Hidenori, and Yoshitake, and is based on a popular gag manga. Sounds like a male version of Mitsudomoe - I hope it's just as funny. I'm not too concerned about it being bad because the production studio is Sunrise, but then again this isn't exactly a Gundam series.
Post-credits Verdict: This is probably the funniest anime in 2012 so far. It's not so much a male version of Mitsudomoe as it is an all-boys take on Azumanga Daioh - not as outrageous as the former, but just as hilarious as the latter. Each sketch was no more than a few minutes and the episode seemed to be over as soon as it began, but it was funny from the first joke. This is a must-see if you want to de-stress from a long day.
Initial Thoughts: As far as I can tell from the series' description the show follows the day-to-day exploits of three teenagers: Tadakuni, Hidenori, and Yoshitake, and is based on a popular gag manga. Sounds like a male version of Mitsudomoe - I hope it's just as funny. I'm not too concerned about it being bad because the production studio is Sunrise, but then again this isn't exactly a Gundam series.
Post-credits Verdict: This is probably the funniest anime in 2012 so far. It's not so much a male version of Mitsudomoe as it is an all-boys take on Azumanga Daioh - not as outrageous as the former, but just as hilarious as the latter. Each sketch was no more than a few minutes and the episode seemed to be over as soon as it began, but it was funny from the first joke. This is a must-see if you want to de-stress from a long day.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Winter Season Begins!: First Impressions Part IX
Another Released: Jan. 9th 2012 Studio: P.A. Works Genre: Supernatural/Horror
Initial Thoughts: This anime is just one of several multimedia adaptations of a 2009 mystery horror novel written by Yukito Ayatsuji; there was also a manga serialization and a live action film is planned for production later this year. Twenty-six years before the story takes place, a third year middle school girl's sudden death shocks her classmates, who decide to carry on as if she hasn't died at all. In 1998, when the story takes place, Koichi Sakakibara has joined the same class at the same school. He notices an uneasy atmosphere that seems to surround the classroom and begins to see a mysterious girl. I'm pretty anxious to see this anime because it is done by P.A. Works. I first became familiar with another production of their's, Hanasaku Iroha, during the summer of last year, but what really won me over was an older P.A. Works series called Angel Beats! I watched the show in its entirety in the space of one day and it instantly became one of my favorite anime of all time. This is a relatively young studio, but their track record has been pretty mint so far. I'm interested to see where they take this.
Post-credits Verdict: The good folks over at P.A. Works appear to be bring their "A" game once again. The pace of the episode is very slow and deliberate, content to build up tension slowly, and the music is being used to great effect to help establish mood and atmosphere. With every scene there's the notion that something is not quite right about Koichi's new classmates and surroundings. It's obvious that they're hiding something, but what that something is remains to be seen. I'm more than willing to wait until the next episode to find out.
P.S. One word: mannequins. You will hate them as much as clowns after watching this show.
Initial Thoughts: This anime is just one of several multimedia adaptations of a 2009 mystery horror novel written by Yukito Ayatsuji; there was also a manga serialization and a live action film is planned for production later this year. Twenty-six years before the story takes place, a third year middle school girl's sudden death shocks her classmates, who decide to carry on as if she hasn't died at all. In 1998, when the story takes place, Koichi Sakakibara has joined the same class at the same school. He notices an uneasy atmosphere that seems to surround the classroom and begins to see a mysterious girl. I'm pretty anxious to see this anime because it is done by P.A. Works. I first became familiar with another production of their's, Hanasaku Iroha, during the summer of last year, but what really won me over was an older P.A. Works series called Angel Beats! I watched the show in its entirety in the space of one day and it instantly became one of my favorite anime of all time. This is a relatively young studio, but their track record has been pretty mint so far. I'm interested to see where they take this.
Post-credits Verdict: The good folks over at P.A. Works appear to be bring their "A" game once again. The pace of the episode is very slow and deliberate, content to build up tension slowly, and the music is being used to great effect to help establish mood and atmosphere. With every scene there's the notion that something is not quite right about Koichi's new classmates and surroundings. It's obvious that they're hiding something, but what that something is remains to be seen. I'm more than willing to wait until the next episode to find out.
P.S. One word: mannequins. You will hate them as much as clowns after watching this show.
The Winter Season Begins!: First Impressions Part VIII
Aquarion Evol Released: Jan. 8th 2012 Studio: Satelight Genre: Mecha
Initial Thoughts: This series is a follow-up to the original mecha series Genesis of Aquarion that aired in 2005. Although a new director is taking the helm in this production, the creator of the original series, Shoji Kawamori, is still involved with the development process. The plot will pick up 12,000 years after the original series and follow a whole new cast of characters in a futuristic city modeled after Hong Kong. This sounds like an ambitious project to say the least, but Satelight has yet to disappoint me this season. I missed the original series (too busy trying to survive high school), but it seems to be well-received, and after some further digging I discovered that the soundtrack was handled by none other than Yoko Kanno. Keeping that in mind I might just go back and watch the original series if this proves interesting enough.
Post-credits Verdict: The pilot takes up an impressive 42 minutes, but doesn't really accomplish anything aside from introducing the major players. However, this is to be expected. The robot and character designs are interesting enough to warrant a second viewing for newcomers, and judging from the comments fans of the old series can expect plenty of Easter eggs as well.
Initial Thoughts: This series is a follow-up to the original mecha series Genesis of Aquarion that aired in 2005. Although a new director is taking the helm in this production, the creator of the original series, Shoji Kawamori, is still involved with the development process. The plot will pick up 12,000 years after the original series and follow a whole new cast of characters in a futuristic city modeled after Hong Kong. This sounds like an ambitious project to say the least, but Satelight has yet to disappoint me this season. I missed the original series (too busy trying to survive high school), but it seems to be well-received, and after some further digging I discovered that the soundtrack was handled by none other than Yoko Kanno. Keeping that in mind I might just go back and watch the original series if this proves interesting enough.
Post-credits Verdict: The pilot takes up an impressive 42 minutes, but doesn't really accomplish anything aside from introducing the major players. However, this is to be expected. The robot and character designs are interesting enough to warrant a second viewing for newcomers, and judging from the comments fans of the old series can expect plenty of Easter eggs as well.
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