Winter Anime Season Review

Well guys (and of course gals) this past anime season has pretty much ended with some mixed feelings. It way by far one of the most moe filled ones I have ever taken part in and while a couple shows caught my attention in the beginning, most of them ended up being average in my books. My early pick for favorites Kotoura-san, OreShura, and Maoyuu Maou Yuusha all ended up disappointing my overall expectations. I had extremely high hopes for both Kotoura-san and OreShura but they both took their interesting premise and awesome first episodes and just decided to go full on blaaa shortly after. Maoyuu Maou Yuusha started out ok and never really rose above or below that so overall I wasn't too disappointed in that particular instance. The other shows however ended up even worse than these three. Sasami-san in my honest opinion was just a huge mess trying to be clever, Problem Children started out decent but never "wowed" me, and the new season of Boku wa Tomodachi was just average since nothing really progressed. I picked up Suki-tte Ii na yo pretty late on so it was kind of enjoyable since I was able to speed watch the entire series but I feel as if it would of been a little worse if I had to wait an entire week for the next episode since each one did not progress very far. (I am such a noob since I just realized that Suki-tte Ii na yo aired during the fall season of last year...) Ahhh and the total crap anime award goes to Da Capo III since I never liked it at any point during the season. I mean come on the only people who are going to like this are the people who played the games. The anime was so completely lifeless and I had absolutely 0% invested feelings towards any of the characters. AND THE ENDING OMG (mouse over to see the hidden text) "Uhhh well I don't want to choose one of you so lets all stay friends." God I hate protagonists who cannot make a decision.

Well anyways the only shows I genuinely ended up liking were Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and Tamako Market for their characters ability to provide interesting scenes. Also the soundtrack in Tamako Market might be the best one I have heard in anime [sorry Aria :(]. I haven't finished Initial D: Fifth Stage yet since it seems very hard to find them but I pretty much like it even if it feels the most lifeless out of all the Initial D's. As for reviews I have already uploaded ones for Tamako Market, Kotoura-san, and Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and I intend on trying to put out a review for each anime I watched this season (people HAVE to know to avoid Da Crapo). This season was a disappointment overall but had a few hidden gems. I haven't really looked at what to watch for this coming season so here I go hoping that there are some decent ones -___-.

"Kotoura-san" Anime Review

Well it’s finally over. I hate to say it but I had such high hopes for this show after seeing the opening episode but while Kotoura-san is energetic, beautiful to look at, and full of interesting characters, it falls far short of what I feel it was striving for.

Story: 5/10

This anime takes many steps forward in trying to make this drama/slice of life interesting but unfortunately falls down the stairs one too many times. The show opens up in such an amazing fashion; Haruka is a very young girl who was born with the ability to read peoples thoughts. Unknowingly she spreads out everyone’s feelings and soon finds herself all alone at a very vulnerable stage. She also in the process ruins her parents’ marriage by babbling out their personal plans with some not so ok people. She ends up at rock bottom with no one to turn to except her grandfather. Flash-forward a couple years to high school and she is still very shy and scared of reading people’s thoughts. Just when she is about to give up all hope, she is introduced to Yoshihisa who takes a liking to Haruka despite her ability to see and hear every one of his thoughts. So this premise is freaking awesome right!? The first three episodes had me completely hooked because the premise was interesting and it felt like it was going to be a semi-serious high school drama. Well though luck kids because this show runs down stale lane after about the fifth episode. What the show turns into is your typical “This is what our club (the ESP society) did today” which don’t get me wrong isn’t a bad thing for some shows. Why it doesn’t work in Kotoura-san is because there was this big whole setup to make me think this show could be more than a romantic comedy. Speaking of comedy, the slapstick style humor and running gags in this show were funny the first time they were introduced but when the main gag of a show is the main character thinking of really pervy stuff and getting slapped for it…like every episode, it gets a little boring. With crap airing right now like Da Capo III and Little Busters, I was really hoping this was going to be that somewhat awesome drama that Maoyuu Maou Yuusha also could have been (I found out that show was just all about boobs). After revising all the airing anime this season, I have to unfortunately agree with the rest of the internet in saying that there was just way too much moe stuff this season.

Animation: 7.9/10

Grr this is a tough thing to talk about because the animation in this show is both really basic looking but also fantastic…all at the same time. There really isn’t a lot of work done on the character models and in typical anime fashion when a comedic scene pops up, the facial expressions on the characters turn extremely basic looking for an added effect. Why I also fit in fantastic as an adjective is because the lighting, quality of the backdrops, and how the eyes were animated was just so…awesome. “What this guy is giving a good score based on eye animation?” Yes, yes I am because like I said in my Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo review the show has a “normal” feeling towards it but the little elements make it shine. The animation while a little too cartoony for my tastes was still unique and very pretty to look at. It would have scored even higher but I didn’t find some of the character models very appealing.

Started out awesome

Then turned into this...

Sound: 6.5/10

The sound design was in my opinion pretty average in this anime. I did enjoy the opening theme quite a lot as it was both catchy and the instrumentation was to my liking. The voice actors also did a pretty good job but I got so fu#$ing annoyed with Haruka saying in her high pitched voice “Ewww Manabe!” over…and over…and over again. Also the music used during the show was very generic and just not very appealing.

Characters: 6/10

The problem with the characters in Kotoura-san is that the ones that are interesting and unique don’t give you a reason to like them and the main characters (Haruka and Yoshihisa) annoy the fu#$ out of you. So see the problem here? Yuriko and Daichi are both interesting but Yuriko’s hidden agenda and true feelings just make her feel no remorse on my end and Hiyori is just an annoying tomboy third wheel. I do have to say that all the characters had good chemistry and created some funny and interesting moments throughout the season but as individuals not one of them stood out to me in an overly positive way.

Overall: 6.4/10

Yeah a 6.4 sounds just about right for this show. The only noteworthy things I can praise this anime for was the amazing opening episode, catchy opening theme, and the unique art style. Believe me I REALLY wanted to like this show but it really did fail on me. God I really hope there is some new unique anime coming out soon because while I like a romantic comedy just as much as the next person, I don’t want like five of them like this season. Go watch this though if you get bored because…well it’s better than watching School Days right?

Currently Watching Anime (Feb. 2013)

So it’s finally March which means…SPRING BREAK!!! I will be going to Mexico with some family and friends this coming week so don’t expect any anime posts for the duration. So far this anime season has provided some surprises and I am proud to say that I have not dropped anything…yet (I don’t count Initial D Fifth Stage because of its weird release dates). Here is what I am currently watching:

Kotoura-san 9 out of ?
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai 8 out of ?
Mondaiji-Ji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? 8 out of ?
Chihayafuru 2 8 out of ?
Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi go Shuraba Sugiru 9 out of ?
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha 9 out of ?
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT 8 out of ?
Little Busters! 21 out of ?
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo 20 out of ?
Da Capo III 9 out of ?
Initial D: Fifth Stage  

"Chihayafuru 2" WTF Is It About? "Da Capo III" Episodes 4-6 and "Maoyuu Maou Yuusha" Episodes 4-6 Thoughts

So with +8 anime to keep up with (and also my recent conclusion of both seasons of To Aru Majutsu no Index), I have fallen a little behind on my anime posts. To spice some things up, I am going to talk about my experiences with three very different anime. The one I hate (Da Capo III), the decent one (Maoyuu Maou Yuusha), and the one that covers something I don’t give a damn about but still like the characters (Chihayafuru 2).

Brace yourself for the super skinny but big breasted boring characters. Boobs...IT'S PLOT RIGHT?

So let’s talk about Da Capo III first since someone actually took the time to leave a comment on my previous post. So far six episodes have rolled on by and not one has kept me interested for more than two minutes. I do not know why so many people are just raving how awesome this show is when the only redeeming qualities are the animation and the music. The show is god awful boring because nothing happens….NOTHING. Every scene just consists of Kiyotaka talking to possible romance option #1; five minutes later we now have Kiyotaka talking to all possible romance options in the club room. This would be fine if we had some character development going on but every conversation is just a static progression and nothing important comes out of it. I want to like the characters I really do but since Rikka and Sara are the only female leads that have been somewhat explored, it’s kind of hard to root or even care for the others. The music however is another story entirely. I absolutely love the music they chose to put in the anime because it is so fun to play on top of. In fact, if the music wasn’t so good I would have dropped the show. The only reason I still watch the show is because while I watch some static characters, I can play along to the songs on my guitar. So yeah I will definitely buy the OST but there is no way I will financially support the anime itself. If you are looking for a school romance try Clannad or the Amagami SS series.

MORE BOOBS...ERRR I MEAN PLOT!

Now for the decently interesting Maoyuu Maou Yuusha. Last time I spoke out how the initial episodes make the anime feel like a spiritual successor to Spice and Wolf; that statement unfortunately praises this anime too much. Six episodes have now completed and unfortunately it is starting to drag. The main hook-line-and-sinker for me initially was the character development between the Demon King and the Hero. The show unfortunately separates the two after the initial episode and it is not until episode six that they reunite. Another issue is the pacing of the show; one second it’s spring and a conversation later it’s winter…? There is so much time skipped that I started to feel a little detached from the world the anime was trying create. I know that the whole purpose was to show how the Demon King’s plans were working out (with the crop rotations) but fast forwarding too much will leave an undesired effect on the audience. Another issue is the blatant fan service surrounding the Demon King. There isn’t any nudity or suggestive themes but the whole G cup bouncing physics is starting to somewhat get in the way of the mood the anime is trying to set. But one thing that cannot be overlooked is that yes this anime has striking similarities to Spice and Wolf; economics and trade play a huge role, the wise non-human female character is very clever, and a slow developing romance between both main character slowly pans out. These are all things that made Spice and Wolf so enjoyable but it will take a lot more than these traits to pull this anime out of the small rut it has dug itself into.

And finally the anime that brings in a sport that likely 90% of the world has never even heard of; Chihayafuru 2. This season of Chihayafuru picks up directly off of where the previous one left off so there shouldn’t be any confusion if you haven’t watched it in some time. The show does a pretty decent job of giving a very short explanation of what has been going on but you really do need to watch the first season to get the full entertainment value out of this show. The show revolves around a card game called Karuta which is a fast paced game that utilizes the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu poems as a reference point. Each player has a stack of cars (the poems) that they lay out in any particular order they see fit. The object of the game is to match up the correct poem’s read by the reader before the enemy player can. Cards are won when a player reaches out and grabs (or in anime fashion bash the card clear across the room) the correct corresponding card with the rest of the poem being read. So yeah sounds interesting right?...no it’s really not but the show makes it interesting which means it’s doing a great job. If you look at different anime in the past, you will find many of them make certain sports look way too fun and interesting. Tennis had The Prince of Tennis, baseball had Major Season, racing had Initial D and Capeta, and the pastime of beating the crap out of people was glorified in the Dragonball series. 

If this show doesn't make you want to go buy a racquet, then something is wrong with you.

By far one of the hardest working protagonists I have ever seen.

What each of these anime (including Chihayafuru) has done is make the subject matter very interesting. Even if the sport being showcased somehow didn’t appeal to you, the characters started to grow on you. If you have seen any of the Major seasons then you know how charismatic Goro is. Even if you did not like baseball, Goro made you want him to succeed. If you did not feel anything for Goro and his dream then you have no heart. This is exactly what Chihayafuru is also riding on, the likeability of the characters to present you (the audience) with a story based around something that normal people would not care for. I have kind of rambled on how sports anime work and not how and why Chihayafuru is worth picking up. What I can tell you about this anime is that you will like Chihaya, Taichi, and the rest of the Karuta club because they all have ambitions and in typical anime fashion will do anything necessary to make them come true. I promise to actually get in-depth to what is going on in the show in a later post but I thought I would at least explain why you should give this anime a shot. Most people read the synopsis and pass it off because they think an anime based on a card game would be boring to watch. I strongly encourage that if this show interests you that you start on the first season as this season directly follows the events from the first.

"Da Capo III" Episodes 1-3 and "Little Busters" Episodes Who Cares-14 Thoughts

Well today’s post is going to contain the two currently airing anime that I honestly do not care for very much. Each season has their own generic and boring anime; this time it’s Da Capo III and by some miracle Little Busters is still airing…

So let’s talk Da Capo III first; it’s a high school harem that really has not provided any shred of excitement so far. It has three episodes out as of this post so it is kind of mean to poke at it so early on but what bothers me is that a lot of people actually like this show. It is apparently a product of a long running anime series since there are multiple OVAs and tv seasons before this installment. From whom I have spoken to they say this is the best one yet…which makes me feel very scared to even imagine how awful the previous installments are. This anime seems to have the same problem Mashiro-Iro Symphony: The Color of Lovers had; it’s just boring. There have been no plot elements introduced so far that have shaken up the characters or caused some sort of event/conflict. Yes there is a rivalry between the “legit” newspaper club and the “other” newspaper club but the characters in both clubs are just boring. If you have boring characters, no one will give a s#!t what happens to them. Even the main characters (you know, the ones that we are supposed to be rooting for) are generic, big boobed boring blobs. I hate just ranting on how boring it is but if an anime causes me to fall asleep…MULTIPLE times then I am sorry something is wrong. The animation is…ok and the voice actors seem pretty good…Yeah those are the positives. I’m not sure if I am going to stick this series out or drop it…just taking up space on my hard drive.

Now for an anime adaptation based off of a pretty enjoyable visual novel to be generic is quite a bold statement to make. Unfortunately this is the case (for me at least) for Little Busters. While the anime is following pretty closely to the game, it just does not have that “spark” the visual novel has. The anime’s characters seem like a shadow of what they are in the VN and the main character Riki is almost unbearable to listen to. His high pitched voice just makes me want to watch this anime on mute. But then I would miss out on one of the actual good things about the show, the music. The music is taken straight from the game which is a very nice touch. It’s a mixture of light piano songs with some orchestral stuff thrown in. It helps make the anime feel relaxed and carefree. Another positive is SOME of the supporting cast. Masato, Yuiko, and Haruka pretty much make the show watchable. Their interactions with Riki are the only highlights of the show with the other characters really bringing down the overall experience. Other than the sound and very few good characters, the anime falls very short of the VN (so far). I will stick with this series since I loved the VN so much but I’m not expecting the ending to bring this anime back from the dead.

Coming Soon: "K" and "Oda Nobuna no Yabou" (Anime) Reviews

Just a heads up reviews of K and Oda Nobuna no Yabou are coming as soon as I go back to school next week. I picked both of these series up on a whim a week or so ago and decided to finish them off before I leave. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking Oda Nobuna no Yabou and was astonished at the visual presentation and amazing sound of K. I have also been looking at the currently airing anime to see what might be worth picking up and so far the only ones I have decided to invest my time in are Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT, Initial D: Fifth Stage, and Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru. I am also thinking of picking up Da Capo III but I have heard a lot of negativity about its previous installments.