Month: April 2014

M3 : The Dark Metal (M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane)

(24 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Mecha fighting eldritch abominations.

Characters

The main “team” assembled in this episode feels so random that even the characters point it out. We have :
– Akashi, a sullen high school student, emotionally crippled by the death of his family a decade ago.
– Iwato, his easygoing best friend. Both of them are quite good at fighting with mecha. (Are those mecha classes ? a club ? It’s not quite clear.)
– Maamu, the creep in another class that keeps muttering exposition at herself, explaining in detail how everyone’s going to die because of the nasties running around, uhuhuh.
– Emiru, the over-eager temp-worker who wants to climb up the ladder. Anything’s better than cleaning toilets, and this is her one chance. Too bad she’s kinda crap at it. Also, the way she latches onto Akashi despite his complete lack of interest can’t be healthy.
– Raika, who used to be a properly licensed mecha worker (although not too good at it), and sees being sent back to training as a demotion.
– Three other members have yet to show up… Wait, there’s this Minashi guy who shows up out of nowhere in the middle of an unplanned op, and that’s totally not creepy.

It’s heavily implied they all were caught in the same creepy event as kids.

Their supervisors range from the utterly bored to the callous assholes.

The cosmology goes this way : there’s some sort of parallel dimension that keeps leaking into our world. It’s populated by crystals that eat the poor people who get trapped in there, and transform them into “Admonitions”, dangerous and nearly-indestructible mindless monsters. Which are then spouted back into our world where they wreak havoc. You’d think everyone would be terrified of the dark, but we’re way past this stage, and most people have just gotten used to it.

There are also “Corpses” ; the one we see looks like a ghost piloting an organic mecha. If you hear their song, it’s rumoured you die within 9 days.

The authorities plan to train the team so that they can explore the parallel dimension, which sounds like a great idea that can’t lead to any sort of disaster.

Production Values

This seems to have some budget, and it pays off in every level : the CG mecha move beautifully, the monsters are creepy, and there’s a dense atmosphere making any night scene menacing.

As a result, the light occasional fanservice is a bit jarring.

Overall Impression

This is the kind of show where you fully expect at least half the cast to be dead by the end of it. Unfortunately, you kind of want them to. Only Iwato’s kinda likeable, with all the other being various degrees of annoying. It doesn’t help that I can’t make head nor tails of Akashi’s flashback backstory, which makes it hard to relate to him.

Still, it’s certainly got some ambition ; I kinda want to give it some rope to see where it’s going. It’d better find its feet soon, though.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 8.

Spring 2014 capsules

So, first, a few worlds about Insufficient Direction (Kantoku Fuyuki Todoki), a series of Flash-based shorts adapting the autobiography of Hideaki Anno’s wife. If you think that sounds interesting, you’ll be disappointed by the final product. It’s the perfect example of a private joke taken too far. For one, there’s no actual explanation of the premise at any point in it ; I only discovered it later on when I did a bit of research to write this. For two, she’s inexplicably depicted as a toddler throughout. Since this first episode covers their marriage ceremony, that’s more than a bit disturbing. But the most damning flaw of this thing is that it doesn’t seem to have much more insight to offer than “otaku are weird and kinda creepy” ; the Director character could be just about anyone and it wouldn’t change a thing.

Don’t bother with it.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014.

SEQUEL WATCH !

Mushishi is the same as it always was. Great mood piece, intriguing world-building, and nothing much for me to actually say about it. Well, except that this first episode is way less depressing than average.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Stardust Crusaders is a whole different kind of awesome. This is a textbook example of how to animate bigger-than-life characters. It seems to have gotten a budget upgrade too, which isn’t unwelcome. (Although really, part of the charm of the 2012 series is how they used colour and framing to compensate for the lack of animation.)

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 2.

QUICK CAPSULES !
Because I certainly don’t want to spend any more time than strictly necessary covering the sea of mediocrity we got this Monday.

Hero Bank, Dragon Collection and Oreca Battle are all kids’ shows bases on videogames (respectively for the 3DS, a social network, and arcades). All three of them feature an annoying redhead kid and his bland friends, fighting stuff with their collectible assets. (Hero Bank sets up some sort of permanent VR tournament, while the other two are the old “transported to another world” gimmick.)

Hero Bank is the least watchable of the three, partly because it’s a full 22-minute show, but mostly because everyone is just so annoying.

Dragon Collection has a slightly less annoying protagonist, and his initial sense of wonder at being transported to a fantasy world is decently done, but the only reason it doesn’t overstay its welcome is that it’s only 11-minute long.

Oreca Battle at least seems to have fun with its weird monster design. (Flying octopi that rain tomatoes onto kids ? WTF ?) This one actually suffers from being a bit rushed at 11-minute-long, completely losing me with a journey to a fantasy world that seems to come from nowhere. Especially as it’s way less interesting than the “monsters come alive out of this card game and run wild into our world” premise it’d been initially setting up.

So, yeah. Three show I’m thrice too old to watch, and I won’t be bothering with.

The Comic Artist and Assistants (Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to) is a different deal altogether. Again it’s a shorter format (11-minute-long), but the similarities end there. It adapts a comedy 4-panel manga, and manages to fit four sketches in its first episode. As the title lays out, it follows the hijinks of a quirky manga author, his assistant, and his editor. (More characters presumably coming, according to the OP & ED ; aside from the manga author, they’re all female.)

The problem here is that this show’s only joke is that the manga author is a pervert who sexually harasses his colleagues. And then makes puppy eyes for them to forgive him. It’s endless variations about the same theme : he wants some reference of breasts being groped, he launches a debate about how much panties should be revealed, and he buys tons of female underwear, again for “reference”. (You can guess what kind of manga he draws.)

Yeah, no thanks. The joke is already tired by the episode’s end, I can’t bear anymore of it.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 5.

It’s almost painful to watch the slow demise of studio Gainax. With most of their key staff having gone off to the greener pastures of Khara and Trigger, it’s now reduced to a shadow of its own glory, taking any bizarre project that might get them some direly-needed sponsorship money. Remember when they did a short magical girl show that was a glorified (and impenetrable) ad for Subaru ?

Well, Magica Wars (Mahou Shoujo Taisen) is a similar project : a series of 26 shorts starring magical girls who represent the various prefectures of Japan. Not that the premise is obvious from the first episode, which showcases the not-very-funny slapstick hijinks of an incompetent magical girl chasing small blobs.

It doesn’t even have any kind of novelty value ; it’s just boring and pointless.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

I’m not making a full review for Marvel Disk Wars : the Avengers, but I do want to note that it’s much better than I expected. Especially since it involves a bunch of kids using the titular disks to summon Avengers and fight bad guys. The chief reason the show manages to make that premise less terrible is to spend the first episode without it, instead devoting it to pure set-up. And it does a good job of selling this as a recognizable version of the Marvel Universe, with the Avengers behaving like they should throughout. The Disks are Stark Technology Gone Wrong ™, baddies try to steal them, the Avengers presumably get stuck in them next episode. And the kids are given plausible explanations for being around, which is a relief.

Let’s put it this way : I’m open to watching a second episode, which is more than I can say for just about any of the other marketing-driven kids’ shows this season.

Also, a few words about Inugami & Nekoyama, an adaptation of a 4-panel gag manga about a dog-like girl who likes cats, and a cat-like girl who likes dogs. That’s basically the whole joke, so it’s a good thing that it’s a series of 3-minute shorts. Sure, that’s a bit of a “stop-start” paced format, but the episode packs just enough content, and I’m not sure the source material could support a full-length adaptation anyway. As it stands, it’s perfectly pleasant to watch.

No full review for Escha & Logy’s Atelier either ; I fell asleep watching it and have no wish to try it again. It’s very boring indeed, with flat characters and a complete lack of any kind of narrative tension. You’d think a JRPG adaptation would have more punch, but no.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Mekakucity Actors

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

This is an adaptation of the Kagerou Project, which started as a series of Vocaloid songs before being spun-off into light novels and manga series. (I’m not quite sure why the animated version gets a new title.)

Characters

Shintaro, our protagonist. He’s a shut-in NEET who hasn’t come out of his room for at least a year, and isn’t in any hurry to do it again. Unfortunately, he’s spilled some soda on his keyboard, and the inconveniently-timed holidays prevent any shipping for at least 5 days, so the agoraphobic has to go to the mall.

Ene, the computer program a “friend” installed on his computer a couple of years ago, and who just. won’t. shut. up. Show, you really shouldn’t tease me with a mute button for Kana Asumi if it doesn’t work. (I kid : her usual “bubbly exuberance” shtick is a perfect fit for the character, and she makes a good foil for Shintaro.) Also, she’s downloaded herself onto his smartphone, so she can follow him on his shopping trip. Did he think he could escape ?

Since this was a bit too uneventful, the mall is taken hostage by a group of criminals. Who’ve taken over the centralized security network of the place, and are very smug about it. I smell a theme. Now, if only someone had a super-computer-program on hand to wrestle control back from the thieves…

There’s a couple of weird guys in hoodies who like the look on Shintaro’s face, and offer to help untie him and provide a distraction. Presumably we’ll learn more about them next episode.

The episode opens on a weird flashback where a girl in a high school uniform talks to Shintaro. With both of them sitting on a giant clockwork mechanism. Hmmm…

Production Values

Head tilts ? Careful composition of shots that tell a whole story without the need for animation ? (And gratuitously gorgeous animation when it’s funny ?) Sprawling landscapes where the mad architect has overdesigned everything ? Random cinemascope format ? Non-realistic colours bordering on chiaroscuro ? That flashback ? I am shocked to see SHAFT & Shinbo’s names on the credits.

Overall Impression

This is SHAFT at its SHAFTiest : not only the overpowering style, but also the endless conversations and the recurrent themes (including the playful otaku-bashing). The good news is that it works : the setup is simple enough to avoid confusing the viewer, and the direction only adds depth to it. It certainly helps making Ene less irritating than she could be.

Moreover, it feels like the staff are having a lot of fun making this, and it’s communicative. (Unlike, say, Nisekoi, which is the perfect example of SHAFT on autopilot.) I’m game : bring it on.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Knights of Sidonia (Sidonia no Kishi)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a S-F/mecha manga.

Characters

Nagate, our protagonist and point-of-view character. He’s spent most of his life scrounging for subsistence in the dark maintenance tunnels in the underground of the Sidonia space colony ; out of desperation, he’s ventured outside and got caught stealing rice.

Amazingly, the authorities not only treat him well (after some initial confusion), but immediately invite him to the military upper class : they want him to be a mecha pilot. You see, his father figure had him train for hours each day in an old simulator, and even after his death he kept at it. They’re aware of this (who was this guy, really ?), and want him on board. He’s not too good on his first try, as the software has evolved a bit by then, but he can manage. Especially on that older machine which has the right control scheme for him.

Notionally, Sidonia is at war with some squid-like aliens. Protesters see this diffuse menace as a way for the rulers to stay in control forever (genetic engineering may have been involved to keep them alive), as it’s been decades since the last sight of the enemy. Of course, that’s the kind of talk I heard last in Attack on Titan, so yeah. No way that routine ice-mining mission would have gone fine.

The other mecha-piloting students have various reactions to Nagate’s arrival : some are snobbish of the upstart newbie, some are curious, some don’t care. Presumably we’ll get to know them better in further episodes.

Production Values

This is a fully CG-animated series, and maybe the first time I’ve seen it work on a TV budget. The characters move and act like human beings, and their faces emote properly. The action sequences are well-directed and enthralling, and can even manage slapstick.

The one problem here is that, with everyone in similar uniforms, and designs that aren’t big on facial details, it’s a bit hard to tell all the characters apart. I’m pretty sure that’s intentional for the multitude of pink-haired clones all voiced by Eri Kitamura, but it’s still an issue for a good chunk of the cast.

There’s some minor fanservice at a few points, which falls a bit flat with that artstyle.

Overall Impression

Oh, nice, a proper S-F show. There’s clearly a lot of SCIENCE! weirdness going on in the background here (a functional third gender ? WTF ?), and it’s already hinted the show is willing to deal with the social impact of it all. Sidonia certainly feels well thought-out as a setting, and still the heavy exposition manages to give enough room for the characters to breathe.

This has the potential to be spectacular.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Nanana’s Buried Treasure (Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin)

(11 episodes, noitaminA)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a series of supernatural/adventure light novels.

Characters

Jugo, our protagonist. He’s moved to the “island of students”, which sounds like a great place but leaves him with a tight budget. The rent having to be paid in advance should have raised a warning flag, but now he’s stuck in this apartment.

Nanana, the ghost living in the room. Basically a NEET, since she can’t leave. And it doesn’t take much time for her to gain the upper hand in this cohabitation. Her background is fascinating : she was the leader of the seven student who founded the whole place, and the one who provided the funds (from a mysterious treasure) to bankroll it. The circumstances of her assassination are opaque, to say the least.

Ms Shiki, the owner of the apartment block, was another of the seven founders. She’s renting the room on purpose so that Nanana will be less lonely.

Production Values

This looks great : the island looks like a great place to live, and the architect seems to have gone to town with the weird but awesome-looking buildings and monuments. The opening adventuring sequence features some great animation, too.

Overall Impression

This is a lot of fun. The premise is promising, the Jugo/Nanana interplay works, and the progressive exposition is well-paced. It’s just brimming with joy, and that’s hard to dislike.

Of course I’ll keep watching it.

Ping Pong – The Animation

(11 episodes, noitaminA)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a sports manga that ran for a year in 1996-97. Also got a live-action movie a decade ago. Not exactly the most obvious choice for an adaptation, but there’s been weirder greenlights this season.

Characters

“Peco”, the annoyingly smug asshole who skips half the high school club’s training sessions. He’s quite good and does have some charisma, but he certainly deserves a punch in the face.

“Smile”, his best friend (or so it’s said, they barely interact at all here), the taciturn analytical genius who stays in the background. (He never smiles, of course.)

“China”, the transfer student, who used to play in the big leagues in his country, and sees his transfer as a humiliating demotion. This whole club is beneath him, he effortlessly trounces Peco… but Smile does catch his attention.

Production Values

The core selling point here is the name of director Masaaki Yuasa (Kaiba, Tatami Galaxy, Kick-Heart…). It certainly looks like nothing else, with a distinctive super-kinetic style and impressively animated matches.

Overall Impression

The problem is that the show leaves me completely cold. Sure, there’s a lot of technical skill at play here, but there’s very little to latch onto emotionnally until China shows up halfway through to liven things up. Even then, I found the main characters very unlikeable, and it’s going to be an uphill battle to make me care about what happens to them.

This is a caricature of a good chunk of noitaminA shows : an artsy ambitious project that nobody would want to watch. I’ll give it one more episode to turn my opinion around, but it’s on thin ice.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Is the Order a Rabbit? (Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?)

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

A full-length adaptation of a 4-panel workplace-sitcom manga.

Characters

Cocoa, our bubbly point-of-view character. She’s come to [whichever European-like city this is set in] to study, and gets to stay at the “Rabbit House” provided she pays her stay by working there. It’s a coffee house, with dozens of blends on the menu.

Chino, the deadpan head waitress, and the owner’s daughter. There’s a white bundle of fur, allegedly a rabbit, resting on her hair. (“Please do not touch it.”) Hence the title, as she mistakes Cocoa’s confusion for a client’s order.

Rize, the other waitress on duty that day, had a totally good reason for hiding half naked in a closet. And drawing out a gun at the slightest provocation. Sure she does.

Chino’s dad handles the evening shift, where the place becomes a bar. And apparently Grampa’s the rabbit-thing, but that’s a secret.

Production Values

Scenery porn ! And coffee porn, obviously. Very little actual fanservice, thankfully.

Overall Impression

Fluffy, pleasant, inoffensive, and immediately forgettable. It’s a nice and comfortable way to pass 22 minutes, but nothing to go out of your way for.

Still, it’s perfectly okay, and I may give it a couple more episodes.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution (Fuuun Ishin Dai☆Shogun)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

This is set in Japan in the middle of the 19th century, except there are tons of steampunk mecha around. Of course there are.

Characters

Keiichirou, our protagonist. A rowdy delinquant, he’s somehow managed to beat up every street gang in Nagasaki. Which annoys him, as everyone now admires the boss and there’s nobody left to fight. Also, he suddenly gets the news that the Tokugawa shogunate has fallen, and he’s a heir to it. Which means new many people trying to kill him. Joy !

Kiriko, a badass assassin in a skintight sexy outfit who has NOT come to kill him. Instead, she’s come to warn him, prevent some attempts to assassinate him, and tell him to use the super-mecha hidden in the basement. (“Wait, what ?”) Grandma (who’s also switched into a skintight ninja outfit, one of the few jokes that work) vouches for her, so she must be legit, eh ?

Houkouin, played by a Miyuki Sawashiro chewing acres of scenery, is our baddie for the week. She has her own mecha that she pilots to quasi-orgasmic delight. /facepalm

Production Values

Not very good ; there are many early scenes where it’s barely animated at all. Still, nice designs for the steampunk mecha.

Lots of fanservice, of course.

Overall Impression

Something I should make clear : the near entirety of the plot outlayed above happens in the last five minutes. Before that, the show is very, very boring indeed. The tediousness almost made me fell asleep, really. The quick successing of twists at the end is welcome and definitely not boring, but that doesn’t make the show actually any good. It’s still a nonsensical mess with annoying characters.

No thanks.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Chaika –The Coffin Princess- (Hitsugi no Chaika)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of series of fantasy light novels.

Characters

Toru, our teenage protagonist. There’s a bit of dissonance here as everyone believes he’s a lazy good-for-nothing despite not doing much to deserve that reputation. Except he suddenly turns into such a character halfway through the episode, but only when the story’s in “comedy” mode. As a result of this terrible writing, I have no clue what he’s really supposed to be like. He’s otherwise a decent fighter, especially when he shifts into super-mode.

Akari, his sister. Overbearing and constantly belittling him, although they do seem quite close. She can also shift into super-mode. (There’s no explanation whatsoever about how and why they can do this.)

Chaika, a mysterious girl who shows up carrying a coffin. There’s a super-magic-gun inside, and she knows how to use it. After Toru helps her out fighting off a pursuing beast, she hires the pair to “acquire” an item from the local prince. (It’s a severed hand.) Also, she’s utterly unable to form complete sentences, which is bloody annoying.

There’s another group who are after the item, and sent that beast after Chaika. Their motives are utterly opaque.

Production Values

Very bland, with a noticeable level of fanservice.

Overall Impression

This might have been more watchable if it wasn’t going out of its way to annoy me every few minutes. The writing is atrocious, with characters who are either inconsistent in their behaviour, or just impenetrable ; and I never get the sense the mysteries will have answers of any interest.

I just don’t care, and that’s the final nail on its coffin.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

No Game No Life

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a series of light novels starring a pair of NEETs being transported to a world where everything’s a game. Yay !

Characters

Sora, one of the two players behind “Blank”, a team of characters overpowering everyone in MMORPGs. Are they cheating ? Well, yeah, probably. Also, they’re NEETs who never leave their room, and stay in a constant state of sleep deprivation. He’s the face of the pair, and does have some charisma as a sarcastic bastard.

Shiro, his little sister, is the other half of the team. She’s an analytical genius, who can do stuff like memorize all possible chess board patterns and casually beat any computer program at the game. They work best as a pair, though ; he knows better how to handle actual players.

Tet, a “god” who suddenly transports them to his game world. They’re in no hurry to leave, as it’s much better than that shitty game called reality.

Stephanie, the heir of the local kingdom… Oh, wait, the late king willed the crown to be given out in a tournament, so she has to win to claim her inheritance. It doesn’t help that she’s terrible at playing games, and her opponent is a first-class cheater. Sora gives her a piece of advice out of pity ; it seems like she didn’t act on it, as she’s left naked by the end of the episode.

Production Values

There’s a nice effect at play for the game world : all the outlines are now red, and the colours have become oversaturated. That’s a good way to sell the otherworldly setting.

Overall Impression

It took a while to get the hang of the main duo, but by the episode’s end it turned out that I quite liked them. They’re obviously close (but thankfully not in the wrong way), they have some decent banter, and the way the con their way up the social ladder within minutes of getting into the gameworld is quite fun.

I’ll give it another episode to see if it goes anywhere.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.