I’m just now diving into the Summer season. I’ve been preoccupied with continuing Spring shows, I suppose. Still, I’ve managed to check out a few new shows this past week…
Honey & Clover - More of the same. Of course, when it comes to Honey & Clover, who could complain about more of the same? The only thing I can complain about is the fact there’s only eleven episodes remaining.
Muteki Kanban Musume - It seems every season has a couple of wacky shows that go unnoticed by audiences outside Japan. This strikes me as one of those shows. There’s a reason these shows go unnoticed: they’re weird. And Muteki Kanban Musume is clearly weird. Is it funny? Maybe. I’ll admit to cracking up here and there while watching the first episode, but for every joke that worked, there were ten jokes that fell flat. Unfortunately, I get the feeling the first episode was a microcosm of the entire series - that is, every gag featured in those first 24 minutes will be repeated ad nauseam for the remainder of the series. Eventually, you’re left wondering why you ever laughed at it in the first place. Thanks for a fun night, Miki. There’s a cab waiting downstairs.
Tsuyokiss - I haven’t felt this conflicted about a new show in long time. A few minutes in, I almost stopped watching. That rarely happens unless something is profoundly bad. Were those first few minutes profoundly bad? You bet. Did it get better? You bet. Will I keep watching? I honestly can’t say. H-game conversions have a tendency to get off to rough starts, and I can think of several that had debuts as atrocious (if not more) as Tsuyokiss, yet still managed to recover after a few episodes. I think Tsuyokiss has a lot going for it in that regard, but I have to admit I’m spooked by the giant cast and the heavy pandering to fans of the original material. I’ll give it another episode or two, at least.
NHK ni Youkoso - Like a lot of people, I’m always a little apprehensive about new GONZO shows. It’s not that GONZO produces one stinker after another, necessarily. Rather, I’ve just had some bad experiences. Still, GONZO is a competent studio, and they’re working with some great material this time around, so… even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile? In other words, this is good. Really good. It took until about the commercial break of the first episode before I realized that, but once I did, everything sort of clicked. It kind of makes previous otaku-themed shows look especially silly.
New stuff I still need to check out: Binbou Shimai Monogatari, Zero no Tsukaima, and Chokotto Sister.
UPDATE: Oh, and add Tonagura to that list. It has a military otaku loli character, after all. I nearly forgot, but Momotato reminded me. He stays on top of these things so I don’t have to!
I don’t even know if my summer season is ever going to start. Nothing is catching my eye.
I had too much trouble stomaching the first episode of Miki. I’m finished with it. Gintama > Miki.
Zero no Tsukaima looks somewhat interesting, but I’m not even feeling up to checking it out. Fortunately, there’s plenty from the spring still around that I won’t miss much waiting for October. At least I’ve got Honey and Clover.
Don’t forget Coyote Ragtime Show as well… killer gothloli android sisters 4TW.
Binbou Shimai Monogatari is a worthwhile show to watch, something on the lines of ARIA i guess, in the slice-of-life factor. The 1st episode might be a bit too dramatic though.
Zero no Tsukaima…. honestly, I not exactly sure on if it’ll be good or not. Feels like Shana 2 only w/o the meronpan and “Urusai! Urusai! Urusai!”.
Chokotto Sister, also more of a slice of life show, with high drama potential.
That’s my 2 cents :).
Honey & Clover has to be the most anticipated show this season. With the fantastic prequel paving the way, no wonder people are looking forward to this.
On an unrelated note, it is quite interesting to direct my attention to a trend in anime thanks to the lovely image you provided at begining of the post: Haku with her blond hair and purple eyes, a Japanese student looks nothing like what a typical Japanese girl normally looks like; and Ayu is essentially the same, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Japanese characters with un-asian-like physical traits are very common in anime designs. It is almost a rare sight to spot a black haired and brown eyed characters. and it wasn’t so strikingly conspicuous before.
While it is very much sensible to attribute the bizarre depiction of Japanese characters to artistic license that produces varied and pleasing character designs, I couldn’t help but muse over the underlying significance of such representatin of colorful character.
Legend of the Poor Sisters is definitely worth checking out. It’s so freaking cute! So is Chokotto Sister.
This season, at least, seems more promising, show-wise, than the last: H&C 2’s going pretty well so far, even including the recap ep; Chokotto Sister’s got a pretty good first ep, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Binbou, and will certainly DL it when I can find a subber doing it.
Incidentally, Rainy, there are quite a few Japanese-appearing characters in H&C, which is a little unusual in a lot of anime that’s popular these days… but it’s not like this is a new thing - I remember the blondes and brunettes being common in Mobile Suit Gundam over twenty years ago. H&C is a little unusual in that there are a lot of characters who DO appear Japanese (Morita, Kaoru, Shuuji, Harada, most of Nomiya’s co-workers, all of the workers who worked with Shin-san at the temple reconstruction crew)…
Coyote Ragtime doesn’t interest me much, but if I can find the time, I’ll try to check out the first episode. As for Zero no Tsukaima… I think the only reason it got my attention was because it’s a JC Staff show. But, so was Shakugan no Shana, which I completely skipped. Eh.
Zero no Tsukaima is more of Shakugan no Shana for some, which means ill for me wanting to keep up with it. Tsuyokiss sells me just on the Nana Mizuki factor, and she is really carrying the show as of episode 2. That and Kani in Chocolate Misu’s outfit. Maybe. Noooo it’s coming back to haunt me nooooooooo.
I’m with Momotato in terms of Poor Sisters–it’s just way too predictable and way too sappy. Bad Korean dorama is about as equally heavy-handed as this, and it erases any other kind of uplifting, slice-of-lifeness it can offer. But then again so people eat that stuff like fat kid loves cake, so who am I to judge.
Chokotto Sister is going to be a hard sell for me because I read a good amount of the manga. My hopes are not up at all given how episode 1 was way below expectation. OTOH NHK…which I also read up on the manga…blew my expectations away. That’s how you do an adaptation of modern social issues plaguing your otaku brothers and sisters.
Kanban musume Miki Onimaru
*continuing from last post … accidently inserted less-than-sign.
is…not as good as the manga, or manga of some other kanban musume stories.
Tonagura = I am confused. I don’t like any of the characters, but I like everything else.
Coyote = I am more confused. Must make parody sub to set myself straight.
I would also recommend watching Coyote Ragtime Show. The show was on my “shows I should check” list because I wanted to see if the story was worth it. I have to say that the first episode blew me away. The guys at UFO Table must have spent quite a lot of effort and money to make this show look this good. The show seems more mature and serious than other UFO Table shows but that’s exactly why I enjoyed the first episode. I’ve watched the last scene with the ending credits about 20 times by now and I can’t get enough of it. If the show keeps up the quality of the first episode and manages to come up with a great ending then it will definitely be one of my favourites for this season.
Warning: You may find the massacre scene a bit disturbing and may put you off. I did and that’s why I wish the Marciano Sisters would never appear again.
Rainy, do Americans look like dogs and ducks? Or why does American animation often use animals as characters? I think using non-realistic character designs is mostly a question of style and spice, rather than a message. Albeit using humans instead of animals allows more serious topics and to tackle real-life issues whereas animal characters will usually provoke funny, silly plots and understood as such even if there actually is some message hidden under the surface.
omo: To each their own. The nice thing is they stuck relatively close to the story, save for the lack of the lolicons/gangsters beating up Haruma, substituting “Choko gets lost” for that first story instead. Still, if you were watching the show to get loli ecchi fanservice, I agree that it’d be disappointing for those expecting it, given that Choko had clothes on even when she did the apron thing. :D
I’m just surprised someone’s giving NHK good reviews, since a few other bloggers have stated it’s below the manga in terms of how it’s delivering the story so far, but gains points for showing everyone’s completely messed up (the ideal girlfriend pushes drugs, etc).
Haesslich: I think you’re right. I never really liked the earlier bits of Chokotto–not until the relationships became clear as to who’s hitched to who and Choko gets her subplots. What really made me keep going after reading chapter 1 was a friend who was persistent, but also because she kissed him ON THE MOUTH. There is absolutely no reason to cheese that bit! I think it was a powerful way to pander, yet at the same time not to do something that is crass. It was brilliant, and it was omitted.
NHK manga… this is one of those instances when not reading manga comes in handy. Obviously, I know the tone of the NHK manga, and I believe I’ve read a chapter or two at some point in the past, but beyond that… it’s an empty canvas. GONZO can do as they please, and as long I enjoy the results, I enjoy the results.
Oh, and I also neglected to mention Bokura ga Ita. Akitaro Daichi pops up so rarely that, even when he finally does, I don’t always notice.
“Rainy, do Americans look like dogs and ducks?”
Got something against ducks, bub?
I’m actually very curious about Bokura ga Ita, and I think it will have potential. Now someone can stop gawking at HaguHamsta v2 and go sub the new shoujo on the block…
It just is me, but I did not like NHK ni Youkoso. Unlike many people, I think Gonzo does many things well. One of the favorite series of my wife and I, SoltyRei, is by Gonzo.
Hey Wonderduck, of course I don’t. Peking duck tastes absolutely delicious. Thus I like ducks a lot.
Oh ho ho ho ho. Woo, that’s a good one, Chris. I’ll have to write that one down… “Peking-duck-tastes-…”
Saying that to a Mallard-American like myself is like saying “Boy, I DO love deep fried human thigh! Simply delicious!”
See? The shoe is on the other foot now, isn’t it? Not so much fun anymore, eh?
The funny thing about fun is, it’s very subjective. It’s not new to me at all that human meat tastes good. I have no cannibalistic tendencies but I can accept if other life-forms consider me as delicious. Fortunately, I possess the pole position of the food chain.
I saw 3 episodes of Binbou Shimai Monogatari and unless there is some plot movement or noticeable developements on the next episode, I am planning to drop the series.
“Fortunately, I possess the pole position of the food chain.”
Three words: “Natural Air Strike.”
(I DO hope you realize I’m not angry, right? Just having fun…)
You guys are weird.
“you realize I’m not angry”
Now I’m REALLY pissed.