Sorry for the silence… I’m taking a little break.

I intentionally waited for a (quality) fansub release before watching the first episode of Lucky Star, as experience has taught me that my Japanese comprehension skills simply aren’t developed enough to get much out of dialogue intensive comedies without the assistance of subtitles. I can confidently say that I made the right choice, because, even with subtitles, I had difficulty keeping up with the dialogue at times. Had I tried watching the first episode raw, my brain probably would have overheated about two minutes in… which seems to have happened to a lot of people, given initial reaction to the show.

Anyway, I found the first episode to be a bit of a mixed bag. It’s a mixed bag of goodies, though… I’m just not entirely sure they compliment each other all that well. I did laugh, however. Quite often, in fact. Even in places where I probably wasn’t supposed to laugh.

Take the food discussion, for example. The longer it dragged on and the more pointless the dialogue got, the more I laughed. In a lot of ways, it made me think of “The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina”, in that it was just as absurd an introduction to a show as that episode was for The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Except, in the case of Lucky Star, I assume we’ll be getting twenty-three more episodes of that sort of absurdity. I don’t know yet if that’s a good thing, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a bad thing.

So, yeah, I’m interested in seeing more. I’ll admit that Kyoto Animation’s involvement with the show is the primary reason I was interested in Lucky Star in the first place. That’s not because I’m some sort of neurotic KyoAni fanboy, however. Rather, I recognized this was new territory for them, and seeing as they’re a competent studio whose work I respect, I was genuinely curious to see what they could do with this sort of material. And I’m still curious.

So, I guess I don’t have much choice but to keep watching, now do I?

This may surprise you, but… well, I’m just as surprised, too: Idol Master XENOGLOSSIA is my favorite show of the new season.

Something just clicked. And, of all the shows premiering this season, this is NOT the one I expected to click. Weird.

“Never judge a book by its cover,” indeed.

I’m only human, though, so forgive me for my sins. The new anime season has gotten off to a smashing start, and I feel like writing about it…

“For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

That’s what I expected, at least. I did my best to ignore Romeo x Juliet, but my weakness for pretty pictures got in the way (as usual). I won’t pretend to be hot for Shakespeare. My interest in classical literature has always been low, and I’m in no rush to experience yet another adaptation of one of his most popular works. I’ve read Romeo and Juliet. I’ve seen Romeo and Juliet. I’ve performed Romeo and Juliet. It’s a charming little tragedy, yes, but… it’s been done.

However, it turns out that Romeo x Juliet has little to do with its namesake. Juliet doing Zorro cosplay? Willy? Verona in the sky? Flying horses? The Shakespeare purists are crying, no doubt. I’m just a simpleton, though (although, this simpleton seems to remember something about Shakespeare’s works being notable for their versatility), so I have no reason to complain. If Juliet turns out to be a maid robot from the future, and GONZO can find a way to make it work, that’s great. After all, if it’s good, it’s good.

And, after watching the first episode, I think Romeo x Juliet might very well be something good. Junichi Sato has always been one of my favorite directors, and, even in the less conspicuous role of sound director, I can clearly detect his influence on the show. A touch of Kaleido Star here, a dash of Princess Tutu there… he’s an expert at balancing tension with humor. Director Oisaki Fumitoshi and scriptwriter Yoshida Reiko were also staff on Kaleido Star, so it’s a good crew.

And, of course, there are the pretty pictures. GONZO really knows how to do a first episode right (subsequent episodes are sometimes a different matter, unfortunately). The storyboarding is almost theatrical in appearance, the action sequences are fluid, and the backgrounds are exquisitely detailed. Even the musical score is of a quality not often seen in an anime production. Not a TV series, at least.

Ultimately, that’s how I see Romeo x Juliet: I know it’s a TV series, but it sure as hell feels like a film. For all I know, it might be a chameleon (I’ve been fooled before), but who cares? For the time being, I’m impressed.

I wonder when they’ll introduce the mecha, though… I didn’t see any in the OP (which is full of BURNING, I might add). Must have slipped their minds.

Because I forgot a few things…

Hitohira - The first episode piqued my interest. In some ways, it reminds me of Canvas 2, but minus the angst. Perhaps it’s just the color palette. One complaint, though… someone forgot to run the vocals in the OP through an auto-tune plugin. Otherwise, it’s a lovely song.

Emma: Second Act - I have a confession to make: I never finished watching the first season of Emma. The last few episodes have been sitting on my hard drive for a year and a half. Seriously. I should probably do something about that.

Zero no Tsukaima: Second Season - For some reason, I thought this was airing later in the year. I truly enjoyed the first season, and I remember wishing for a sequel, so… well, it’s a given that I’ll be watching this. I have a crush on Louise, I admit.

UPDATE: Never mind. It is airing later in the year. Until then, TV Kanagawa will be rebroadcasting the first season. It’s amazing what one can learn by reading.

Bokurano - In all honesty, this isn’t my kind of show, but I was so taken by the trailer (and the accompanying Ishikawa Chiaki song) that I feel compelled to at least check it out. It seems like a cross between Narutaru and Sokyuu no Fafner - two shows that, despite their seductive premises, left me disappointed in the end. It’s worth a try, though.