Spring, Where Art Thou?
April 18, 2008 | Television | No Tags
Just so you know, work and the sudden onset of Spring have conspired to suck up most of my spare mental and physical energy these past few weeks. I’ll be out of town on business next week, too, so I suspect the remainder of April is pretty much shot as far as blogging is concerned.
Sorry, but such is life.
Anyway, I’m still in the process of catching up with the Spring anime season. Here are some initial impressions of the shows I’ve sampled thus far…
Da Capo - More of the same. I’m man enough to admit that I have a soft spot for Da Capo. Through good times and bad, it’s always entertaining.
Kure-nai - I had been looking forward to this show for awhile, but I was also apprehensive given its pedigree and the fact I couldn’t quite figure out what genre to place it in. And while I still have a lot of questions about the show, I have to say that the first two episodes were quite good and more than enough to grab my interest. The art is attractive, the direction has style, and the acting is far more organic than what you’d find in your typical anime series. I especially enjoy the dynamic between the two leads. It’s surprisingly warm.
Itazura na Kiss - Who brought the time machine to the party? I’m having flashbacks to Marmalade Boy here. And I mean that in a positive way. Seriously, though, this is old school, traditional shoujo, and it’s just the sort of thing I have a history of getting hooked on. Great OP, by the way.
Kanokon - Kawasmui Ayako needs to talk dirty more often. As for the show itself? It’s funny in much the same way Girls Bravo was funny, and the boundary pushing fanservice is cute, but I see the joke getting very old, very fast. It’s been a blast, Kanokon, but I really gotta go now.
Macross Frontier - Yoko Kanno is in top form this time around. Victor best not be stingy with the soundtrack releases. Other than that, all I’ll say is that this is likely to be the, “damn, I can’t wait for the next episode,” series of the season for me. It’s good. Go watch it, already.
Special A - For some reason, this show has yet to click with me. The humor and writing feels unusually mechanical, and it sucks a lot of the charm out of what should otherwise be a fun show. However, it clearly has potential, and it could very well grow on me, so I’m reluctant to pass on it without watching another episode or two.
Needs more GOLGO 13
:d
Oh, and that Eva pic is absolutely beautiful. Thanks for bringing its existence to my attention
/me heads off to moe.imouto.org
I can’t believe they didn’t invite Asuka to their picnic!!!
I’ve really enjoyed the music so far in Macross Frontier, especially the BGM. It really enhances the already fantastic visuals.
I’m still waiting on a number of shows before I make my spring decisions. I’ve found the series to be more varied in quality this season than last.
Totally agree with you about the dynamics between the two leads in Kurenai. I think there’s something special in the pairing of spoiled nobility with reluctant hitman - it makes for really good watching!
Just someone got tricked by the eva image from otaku.fm ^^
Yoko Kanno is my favorite anime music composer especially the music she did for GitS and Cowboy Bebop. By the way, Code Geass R2 not in your list?
I would have used a header image that relates to one of the shows mentioned in the post, but I didn’t have anything on hand. So, I went with the Evangelion image, what with it’s Spring motif and all. Thanks for sticking around!
Anyway, on the subject of Code Geass: I never watched the first season. So, I’m not watching the second season. I figure I WILL watch the entire series at some point in the future (I kind of missed the boat, I know), but I don’t have the time to catch up with it at this particular moment.
I have to also agree with the two leading characters in Kurenai, the chemistry is just so fun and I’m already like dam I need the next episode with Macross Frontier. I really hope to chalk out some nice songs. As for Code Geass, good for you that you are waiting haha, I did that with season 1 and was so lucky that I did not have to wait for season 2 XD. Watching both seasons in 1 go will do you good unlike me who now has to wait haha.
Good taste, man, even in the guilty pleasure of DaCapo. Kurenai is definitely number one for me this season, and Macross has captured me, too. I wonder if that organic feeling in the voices in Kurenai comes from using the same technique the same director did in Red Garden: recording the voices before finalizing the animation, so the voices can follow their own rhythm rather than the images.
I was about to drop Kanokon after ep2 — I enjoyed ep1, but it looked as if all the jokes had been exhausted there and were just being repeated — but I just watched it again to be sure, and was captivated again by its sheer outrageousness and by Kawasumi Ayako’s voice.
Kurenai tops my shortlist as well. Allison to Lilia looks like it might be promising in the long run…what do you think?
Allison to Lilia didn’t catch my eye, but I see a lot of the Mokke team is involved in its production, so I should probably give the first episode a try.
Kure-nai is absolutely incredible. I love Kou Matsuo and Brains Base. :3
I have similar feelings on Special A. At first, I liked it, but the more I thought on it, the direction and style was too derivative and standard for the series. It’s almost like AIC/Gonzo wanted to capitalize on Ouran’s popularity, but didn’t have the staff behind it to make the series work. It’s just too much of a turn-off for me to continue with the series, unless I hear it improves later on.
Yes, time machines ^^ yes. Kurenai seems to be “it” this season, understandable. I agree about Special A, which my motivation is coming from the manga, so hopefully it will turn up.
For now, Macross Frontier is also that ‘will make me look forward to the next episode’ series of the season for me.
I never seem to get tired of Yoko Kanno’s work for some reason.
Where’s Golgo 13? :D
I feel similarly about Special A…I’m debating on whether to hold out until episode 5 or just to continue, as it doesn’t have gratuitous fan service like some of the other comedic series out now. Not that I think fan service is bad, I just don’t feel like watching one at the moment.
Kurenai ftw!
Im starting to get involved with kurenai and kanokon and both shows seems promising. I like the art and the style in the animation, but i think its too early to do a more extensive critic (at least for me).
Kurenai does a really good job with its execution.
It is also awesome and my definitive fav of the season so far, but since I like it so much it’s made me kind of anxious wether the series will be able to keep up with the hallmark set by the first 3 episodes all the way to the end, and not fall pancake halfway through. Which I find a bit odd, since usually I’m not bugged by such things to that point.
Nijuu Mensou musume could be interesting but as of one episode it’s hard to say. Not sure if Aya Hirano is a good fit for Chikos’ character either :P.
Allison and Lilia is bit kiddish I with all the convinient plot devices, but decent for the NHK daytime show it is, I guess.
Tower of Druaga seems to headed by the fluffy FMP-team at Gonzo and has so far been pretty OK. Not particulary special or anything, but passes for entertainment.
Wagaya no Inari-sama was kinda amusing with the fish-out-of-water Miko, but aside from that the series really offered nothing of value, which means no more of it for me.
And, Pizza Butt R2 and Macross of course obvious keepers.
Man, nobody’s watching Kyouran Kazoku Nikki…yet it’s best show this season by far.
Seriously.
ALL HAIL KYOUKA-SAMA.
I agree, Kurenai is fantastic. It’s great to see a show with such natural conversations written; it’s as if it has a slice-of-life aesthetic inside (what seems to be) a mystery series.
I was a bit worried when they initially showed whatever was happening to his arm in the first episode. I hope they keep it more low-key rather than bringing in some supernatural elements. Either way I can’t stop watching!
Kaiba is certainly my favorite show of the season. It’s got a beautiful art style and the story is very abstract yet touching. Just finished episode 3 and it nearly had me in tears.