So Minori Chihara– The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’s Yuki, Lucky Star’s Minami, Dragonaut’s Toa, and an incredibly cute woman (and a talented singer to boot!) –is going to turn out a photobook, according to jiiii. The book will feature a Q&A section which features fans’ questions, and you, too, can submit one here (in Japanese– and no, using Google or Babelfish to translate to Japanese will probably NOT cut it).

Posted by gia in Anime, JP News, Misc, News • Comments (3)

So we’re up to ~episode six in most series, which is the halfway point for the Fall season (though not necessarily the halfway point for each show). I figured I’d check in and talk about where I am with each show these days.

• Bamboo Blade: Miya-Miya owns the ass of every female character this season, hands down. Then again, it’s not like she’s up against a lot of competition. Status: Watching regularly.
• Blue Drop: The pacing is sooo slow, it took until episode three or four for anything to actually happen. But the promise of lesbians keeps me going. Status: Watching regularly.
• Clannad: I maintain that this show would be so much better if they would just ditch Nagisa entirely. Beyond that, I’m liking it better than I expected to. I do still wish that anyone looked somewhat close to how old they actually are / sound…but eh. Status: Watching regularly.
• Dragonaut: The Resonance: I can’t explain why I keep watching this show. I’m not really fond of the art style, the plot is pretty mediocre…and yet, I keep watching. I blame the boobies. Status: Watching regularly.
• Genshiken 2: Ogiue’s Sasahara x Madarama FTW. That is all. Status: Watching regularly.
• Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun: GOOO REIKA! GO GO GO! Mayu’s cute, but boring. Status: Watching regularly.
• Jyuushin Enbu: Story-wise it’s gotten better, but the art and animation are still incredibly mediocre compared to FMA, and the characters aren’t as cool either. Status: Watching every so-often.
• Kaiji: I’m interested in seeing where this goes, but running out of space on my anime plate for watching it. Status: Dropped for watching later.
• Kidou Senshi Gundam 00: Major improvements in terms of developing characters, but I think I still like the ending theme better than anything else about the show. Status: Watching regularly.
• KimiKiss: I like this show, and I think it’s because it’s a dating sim but not one that focuses on one guy and a dozen girls, but rather a group of friends (male and female) and their love lives. Status: Watching regularly.
• Kodomo no Jikan: Epic yet uncomfortable win. But I’ve ranted about this show being undervalued as mere pedo fodder enough, so suffice to say Status: Watching regularly.
• Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro: I would totally be watching this show IF ANYONE WOULD FREAKIN’ SUB IT. I’ve actually already seen people cosplay from the manga, and yet no one will sub the anime? Am I missing something? Status: Watching…if it ever comes out.
• Minamike: I like the show a lot, but almost all the comedy comes from either crazy middle sister Kana, or crazy Kana-like characters (Chiaki and Haruka each have a classmate with a similar dynamic). And Kana is never given the opportunity to have any redeeming features. Hmph. Status: Watching regularly.
• Moyashimon: This one’s a little behind, but I like it…though the agriculture 101 bits can be a little dull, the rest of the batshit insane stuff makes up for it. Status: Watching regularly.
• Night Wizard: I’m getting a little tired of Eris being the sweet, cheerful, flock-of-birds attracting Mary Sue, and annoyed at Renji being the show’s whipping boy with, like Minamike’s Kana, no real opportunity to redeem himself. Status: Considering dropping.
• Prism Ark: …One episode was really enough. Status: Dropped.
• Rental Magika: It got so boring in episode three I just couldn’t continue. Status: Dropped.
• Shinrei Kari / Ghost Hound: I still have some issues with the art style, but the pacing has picked itself up nicely and I’m curious to see where it’s going. Status: Watching regularly.
• Shion no Oh: Mmm, delicious trap, must eat. Status: Watching regularly.
• Shugo Chara! Mmm, delicious magical girl, must eat. This is probably one of the more solid shows of the season, IMO, though it’s obvious not for everyone. Status: Watching regularly.
• Suteki Tantei Labyrinth: Looks cute, but pretty dull– I’m more interested in the dolls than in anything to do with the main character. Status: Dropped.

Posted by gia in Commentary, Fall '07 Series • Comments (8)

…Minori Chihara can be my prince charming any time, if you know what I mean.

Posted by gia in Commentary, Fall '07 Series • Comments (1)

So the absolute first October to be subbed was Da Capo II, followed by Myself;Yourself and Clannad, all of which I’m putting off. (I’m sure I’ve mentioned that the dating sim/eroge-to-anime is not my favorite genre.)

So, that makes MY first show of the fall Dragonaut: The Resonance.

Title: Dragonaut -The Resonance-
Studio: Gonzo
Genre: SciFi/Mech

Ratings (out of 5):
Story: ♥♥
Animation: ♥♥♥♥
Character Design: ♥♥♥
OP/ED Themes: ♥♥
Overall: ♥♥♥ (No kiss this date, Dragonaut, but maybe next time…)

Thoughts:
My absolute first impression of the show is that Gonzo wanted to make their own Code Geass. The main character is a disgruntled teenage boy with a slight sister fixation who’s lost his family. He meets a strange girl with weird powers who saves his life. And judging from the OP and next episode preview, they’re setting up for a bit of a rivalry between him and his childhood friend. The show also has a bunch of sci-fi going on in the background, and is clearly going to be a large-cast kind of deal.

But this first episode feels a bit clumsily put together. I mean, first off, in one episode we are introduced to twelve characters, many of whom don’t even get names, let alone motivations in the first episode. (And there are still a few in the opening sequence we’ve yet to meet, too.) On top of that the audience is still trying to put a finger on what exactly is happening, which leaves the whole thing a bit muddled. If the show gets enough time I think it can work out this problem, but woe betide if this is some 12-14 episode series that rushes through everything in a panic (which was, I think, the key issue with Jyu Oh Sei).

The character designs also feel a bit off. They all clearly are attempts to make the characters stand out and look distinct, but many of them just feel a little weird– like the scientist who can’t be bothered to take her lab coat off but when a flirty reporter asks her to but who wears a super-crazy low cut blouse, or the “ojou-sama” character who has bangs that are half purple (the bottom half). In fact, the only design that really feels solid to me is heroine Toa’s. And may I also say that it’ll be nice to hear Minori Chihara play a role that doesn’t sound exactly like Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (even if she only gets like, what, one line in the whole episode?).

I think the show has a lot of promise in its story and characters, so if Gonzo can relax a bit with the pacing and let us get to know the world they’ve created and the people who live in it, this might be a pretty fine show.

Posted by gia in Commentary, Fall '07 Series • Comments (2)