Okay, I don’t normally really blog about shows’ plots and things like that, but some rumors are circulating about the contents of episode 6, and it reminded me of something I find very odd about episode 5. Definite spoilers for 5 follow, and possibly spoilers for 6, so hit the jump at your own risk.
Tags: crystal blaze, first-dates, spring-08
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
This has got to be one of the least-enthused-about anime I’ve seen in a while, for a non-kids show. I’m kind of surprised that someone even subbed it, considering how little I’ve heard or seen about it.
That said, Crystal Blaze isn’t half-bad. It’s kind of an old-style fantasy/mystery; Shuu and his brother Akira man a detective/jack-of-all-trades sort of operation with a pair of girls, and they stumble upon a bigger mystery: a glass girl who turns back into a normal human, except that she’s incredibly hot. And I mean that literally: steaming, scalding hot. (She’s pretty good-looking, too.)
It’s hard to tell much about our leading man Shuu based on this first episode because he gets virtually no screen time. Instead his brother spends a good chunk of the episode calling Shuu’s various lovers to try and find him so he can go out on their new job, and the girls sneak out to do it instead.
The worst thing about the show is one of those two girls: Manami, who could be a cute character (a perky go-getter type), except that her voice is extremely obnoxious.
By the same token, the best thing about the show thus far is probably its soundtrack– the OP and ED in particular are these nice, jazzy pieces that contribute to the show’s slightly old-school feel. The art and animation are pretty standard, although I couldn’t help but notice a slight similarity between the aforementioned glass girl and Hataraki Man’s lead, Hiroko– it’s the hair.
I’m not saying that this is an amazing show, but as of one episode in it’s certainly at least average, so I’m surprised I haven’t seen it around much. On the other hand, I wouldn’t expect it to get any better, and there’s nothing particularly good about it, so…yeah, I guess that’s not very helpful, is it? Sorry. I guess I’ll just leave it at: if it sounds like something you might like, don’t have too high expectations, but it could still be worth a watch.
Tags: first-dates, spring-08, toshokan sensou
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
Can it still be a ‘first date’ if I’ve actually watched more than one episode? Actually I’ve watched a lot of shows that I need to do my first dates for still. So behind. Silly travel!
Anyway, Toshokan Sensou. Here’s the short version: the show is win. Excellent animation, interesting characters, and a fairly unique setting.
On to the longer version: as a young girl (high schooler?), Kasahara was a victim of the Media Cleansing Act, which in the near-future setting of the show allows the government to remove and destroy whatever books they choose. In response to the MCA, however, came the Library Freedom Act, which allowed libraries to arm themselves and defend their wares. When a book that Kasahara was about to buy gets seized by the MCA, an LFA member rescues her purchase, and she decides to join up with the LFA.
As the show opens she’s in basic training with the LFA (which, btw, is so not the official name of the organization –neither is MCA; I’m just shortening their translated versions for simplicity’s sake) and getting ready to be assigned to a position. But she’s having trouble with her instructor, who she feels is harder on her than on her compatriots. (If you’ve already figured out who her instructor is– bonus points!)
There’s nothing particularly unique about the characters or their relationships as of episode two, but they’re all very engaging and pretty likeable…though I’m occasionally embarassed for Kasahara and her various blunders, some of which are impressively stupid. I’m also already pretty fond of Kasahara’s roomie, Tsubaki, who is a hot and intelligent glasses-wearing fox. Yum.
The visuals are fantastic. They’ve got a very modern, sleek look, the kind with thick, heavy outlines and slick coloring. The soundtrack is pretty decent too, although nothing amazing there.
For those who thought that the series would be like that other book-loving task force show, R.O.D., it’s really not. The conflict is presented in a much more serious fashion, no one has super powers, and it’s as a whole not as grandiose/over-the-top– I guess the best way to say it is that although there are still plenty of goofy moments in Toshokan Sensou, they tend to be character-based, whereas in R.O.D. they tended to be more world setting-based.
Overall I’d say this is one of the shows I’ve enjoyed best so far this season. ♥
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
We’ve heard the story a thousand times: a normal high school boy turns out to not be a normal high school boy. This time he’s actually the chosen container of an immense ninja power called Hijutsu, and a ton of other ninja clans are after it. Hits teacher, Tobari-sensei, and his classmate Kouichi are trying to protect him from the other clans (and also trying to get him to join their martial arts club so he can learn how to defend himself and stuff).
But it’s not the plot, which is uber-standard, that made me enjoy the show more than I expected. The characters are fun: Miharu wants absolutely nothing to do with what the other two are up to, and has apparently already mastered the ninja art of disappearing in the middle of a conversation. Kouichi is also a bit eager, and Tobari-sensei is downright goofy…especially when Miharu plays what I’m going to call his “uke” card.
Yes, this show is clearly geared somewhat towards the yaoi fangirls: whenever Tobari-sensei gets serious with Miharu about ninja-related things, Miharu manages to twist it so that it looks like Tobari-sensei is flirting with him. That along with somewhat bishounen designs definitely screams fangirlism…but there’s some good action in here for the guys.
All in all, a positive experience. Looking forward to the next episode.
Tags: first-dates, kamen-no-maid-guy, spring-08
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
Big, burly dude wearing a mask and a maid dress. Sounds right up my alley, right? Ehh, I wound up being pretty disappointed. Yes, it’s a wacky comedy, but there wasn’t a single joke or occurrance that I actually found surprising or funny.
The basic plot is that high schooler Naeka and her younger brother Kousuke live together in a house at their grandfather’s cost. He wants them to live with him but when they refuse, he sends a pair of maids to take care of them: Fubuki, a sweet, cute, female maid (much to Kousuke’s delight) and Kogarashi, the aforementioned buff dude with the mask and the maid dress. He also has fangs. In reality the maids are there to protect the teens, who are heirs to their grandfather’s fortune and therefore in danger, which the grandfather decides not to tell the.
The sum-up of the humor, then, is that Kogarashi is a badass who basically sexually harasses Naeka constantly although it’s always with the intention of taking care of her. Except that…I dunno, I just was having trouble finding any of it funny. Like, it wasn’t offensive to me, it was just all very big, obvious, over the top, and not terribly clever.
On top of that, the art and animation are serious QUALITY. A lot of times Naeka in particular has facial features that aren’t evenly drawn or don’t fit her face. The animation is generally sub-par, even in the action sequences.
It’s just…not very good. Disappointment all around. I might give it a shot in the second episode, but my hopes are no longer high.
Tags: first-dates, spring-08, wagaya no oinarisama
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
Noboru and Tooru are the sons of a former miko, and heirs to a family with a shrine. Tooru is targeted by a demon, so their grandmother brings them to the shrine to take care of the demon. But apparently the family’s powers have been diminishing over time, so they wind up needing to get external help– from another demon, a fox-demon named Kuugen that has been sealed for some time.
Upon learning who their mother was, Kuugen agrees to help Tooru and takes on a human (female) form…though s/he admits that s/he doesn’t remember what his/her original gender was. (Boy, this is gonna be fun.) Kuugen takes care of the demon, which was a snake demon, and is supposed to be re-sealed.
But Noboru takes pity on her (for simplicity’s sake, we’ll stick with female pronouns) and, as the head of the household now, requests that she not be re-sealed. Kuugen asks if she can be Tooru and Noboru’s inari, their guardian spirit. They agree, and their grandmother sends shrine maiden Kou along with them to make sure nothing goes wrong. And, presumably, highjinks will ensue next episode. It looks like we’ll also see the male version of Kuu-chan (as Tooru labels her).
Now, there is nothing wrong with this series. The animation is decent. The characters are interesting– I especially like that at least thus far, Kuu-chan doesn’t neatly fit into any character archetypes really, and the gender-swapping is probably going to be fun. The story…well, we’ll just have to see.
But there’s nothing really exciting about it either. It’s certainly no Spice and Wolf (in spite of the obvious comparisons), and it might not even be an InuYasha. It’s just all kinda…meh. Sort of a throw-away. It could improve in future episodes, though, so I’ll watch a few more and see.
Tags: allison to lillia, first-dates, spring-08
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
Right, so, worldsetting: a vaguely 30s/40s-ish world where the main continent is split into two countries who have been at war for over 130 years. Wil is an orphan and the top tier student at the village high school; Allison is his childhood friend who ran off and joined the army. Now a pilot, she returns to visit Wil and the two get thrown into an adventure to save the village’s local crazy old dude, who told a story about a legendary treasure that would put an end to the two countries’ war.
The plot is interesting (it’s been a while since we had a good epic adventure story whose goal wasn’t primarily the defeat of some baddie, I think), and the characters are fun. Allison is a slightly pushy go-getter, but she doesn’t cross the line into being a bitch and she’s not tsundere. Wil is…well, okay, he’s kind of a wishy-washy goodie-two-shoes, but at least he’s good with a gun, or so we hear tell.
My only issue comes with the animation. The art style is very old-school, even Ghibli-esque, which is fine, even enjoyable given the old-timey setting. But I found that while the animation in backgrounds and of objects (especially planes and bikes) was pretty good, the animation of the characters was kind of “QUALITY,” mouth movements in particular. Now, this is Madhouse; they have a budget and they have serious skills…so I can only assume it was an intentional choice. But there’s a difference between homage to nostalgia and just looking old, and occasionally it felt more like the latter than the former, to the point where it was a little distracting.
I also found Wil’s voice– performed by Motoko Kumai, also known for Chobits’s Sumomo and Cardcaptor’s Shaoran Li –to be a little off. He’s supposed to be 17, so sayeth the official website, but he sounds much younger. Now, women can play teenage boys perfectly well (case in point: Romi Paku as Fullmetal Alchemist’s Ed, at various ages), but Kumai’s performance feels more like a younger boy, maybe 13-14, than a 17-year-old, at least to me. (On the other hand, Allison sounds perfect– Nana Mizuki for the win!)
The background music is fantastic; I actually liked it better than the OP or ED, which were both perfectly nice (the OP in particular is pretty). It’s worth noting that the second generation– Allison and Wil’s daughter Lillia and her boyfriend Traize –doesn’t appear in the OP. The show is supposed to be 26 episodes long, so I’m guessing the first 13 episodes will follow Allison and Will and the second 13 will feature Lillia and Traize, presumably with new OP and ED, we’ll see.
So, yeah. Once I get over my little issue with the visuals I think this could become one of my favorites this season. It’s just a fun, classic adventure– no shtick, no over-the-top cliches, no irony or parody, just…fun. Well, I hope.
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
In the opening moments of the first episode of Soul Eater I thought the music sounded familiar…could it be? So I ran off and checked: yes indeedy, Soul Eater’s music is composed by Taku Iwasaki, best known for Black Cat, Getbackers, and…Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Could it be the return of the epic soundtrack? We’ll see!
As for the story, Maka is a shinigami-in-training, working with her humanoid weapon, Soul Eater. They’re trying to level him up to a “Death Scythe” weapon level, which requires him to eat 99 human souls and then the soul of a witch. But if they screw up, they have to start all over! (Guess what happens?)
Overall I’d say that the show’s got way more style than substance– it looks like it’ll be pretty standard shounen fare in terms of the plot, although it also looks like the next episode will focus on a different shinigami-in-training, so we’ll see. In the first episode Maka, who isn’t very heavy on the personality (she’s mostly just determined to become a shinigami but has a distaste for her shinigami father, who cheats on her mother incessantly, thus winding up in a divorce), has a trust issue with Soul Eater, but they overcome it, etc.
It definitely has style in spades, though. The look is sort of D.Gray-Man meets Gurren Lagann; it’s got a gothy but vivid and colorful feel (and that moon I keep seeing in the background reminds me of D.G-M’s Millenium Earl) combined with mangaka Atsushi Okubo’s highly stylized (and very badass) look. That combined with a nice raucous soundtrack makes it a pleasure to try out, but we’ll see if the story and characters can keep interest up.
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
I wrote this one off for the spring preview because I was under the impression that it was just a kids’ battle show, and it sort of is, but it’s actually also pretty pervy and fun, so I’m glad I snagged the first episode.
Set in the (slight) future, where nations’ prized posessions are espers: people with various psychic abilities. Three such espers are Kaoru, Aoi, and Shiho, all ten years old and all level 7 (”nuclear weapon”-level) psychics. They work for an organization called BABEL that uses them to subdue esper criminals. Together they are known as “The Children,” and are spoiled rotten by the fatherly leader of BABEL, Kiritsubo. They also have a new field leader named Kouichi Minamoto who treats them as regular kids (except for the whole sending them into battle part), which weirds them out. He kind of reminds me of Aoki-sensei from Kodomo no Jikan, except less easily-flustered. Only the field leader has the ability to release the limiters on the three girls that hold back most of their powers.
Anyway. The girls have their own personalities, particularly the energetic Kaoru. Voiced by Aya Hirano, sounding more like Konata than Haruhi most of the time, Kaoru is an otaku…but somewhat less of an anime otaku and more of an idol otaku, apparently, since she spent a significant chunk of time drooling over female idols in a magazine. When tied up with her fellow espers she laments that they don’t have bigger breasts, which would make it a really “ero” situation. A girl after my own heart, indeed!
The animation is pretty standard for a shounen, nice and clean and bright. The OP and ED are both pretty cute. Oh, and did I mention that our first esper baddie shoots psychic beams from his crotch and molests Minamoto? Yeah, it’s good stuff.
Ratings (out of 5):
Thoughts:
Special A is the tale of Hikari, who has spent a significant chunk of her 16-year-old life attempting and failing to beat classmate Kei at…well, anything. She convinces her parents to let her enroll in the same school as Kei attends, where he’s the #1 student, and she quickly becomes student #…2. He even begins to refer to her as “ni-san,” or “#2.”
Unbeknownst to the otherwise sweet and friendly Hikari (but made completely obvious by the end of the episode) Kei has a major crush on her. Which is good, because I otherwise would have hated him, even if he IS voiced by Jun Fukuyama (aka Lelouch). I like an arrogant assholes in some contexts, but when he’s the female lead’s crush in a shoujo, I tend to hate ‘em (see also…). Fortunately, the revelation that Kei does see and appreciate Hikari’s various charms puts him back on my “okay” list. (And Fukuyama’s voice doesn’t hurt.)
If you were ever put off of xxxHOLiC by its “noodle people” look, you may have trouble with Special A, which features people of similarly long extremities. Other than that it’s pretty decent in terms of visuals. I also like the overall style of the show, which goes over-the-top in such a…casual way, it’s kind of hard to explain. It just feels fun and not too heavy or dramatic or contrived– less dramatic than Lovely Complex, but not as out-and-out goofy as Ouran High School Host Club.
It seems to be my theme to say that there’s “nothing really new here,” but I think it’ll be a good romp nonetheless.