Jhiday – Page 36 – Blog@Jhiday.net

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Suisei no Gargantia)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Gen Urobuchi does mecha.

Characters

Red, our protagonist. As one of the most promising young soldiers of the Galactic Human Alliance, he’s soon due for some limited citizenship (which includes real sleep and reproduction rights) and a few weeks of leave at the paradise space colony of Avalon. (Thank gods Urobuchi claims he’s not doing grimdark, otherwise I might have mistaken the GHA for a hellish dystopia). Of course the next battle against the aliens goes to hell in no time, and his escape hyperspace jump goes utterly wrong.

Chamber, his mecha’s AI (the always impeccable Tomokazu Sugita can make even dry exposition and straight-faced statements of facts sound slightly sarcastic). It wakes Red up from six weeks of deep hibernation when the inhabitants of the place he’s wound up on try to do stuff on the mecha.

Amy, the young perky girl (with the mandatory cute critter perched on her shoulder) who seems to be the one who found the mecha. She is trying to have it dismantled so that she can sell the parts, but none of the mechanics are having much luck even scratching the thing. Red takes her hostage after he’s found lurking around, on the basis that those primitives will have less incentive to shoot him while he tries to figure where the heck he is. (Er…)

We’ve got hints of a supporting cast, including Amy’s prospective buyer or the lady who runs the place.

The big twist he finds out about at the end of the episode is that this isn’t some random independent backwater colony : this is Earth, where humanity is fabled to have started from !

Production Values

Very impressive indeed. This features some very good and expressive character animation, and oozes money from every shot. In contrast, the space mecha battles appear oddly stilted, with the very static camera far from handing a candle to the hyper-kinetic action of Majestic Prince, for example. But that’s nitpicking.

Overall Impression

Well, it’s going to be hard to top this as best show of the season. It’s a smooth, perfectly executed on every level production, with dialogue that’s not without a sense of humour. (“They appear to be talking about reproduction with one’s mother.” “Barbarians !”) The culture shock is bound to be fun, and I’m curious about what the plan is with the GHA’s obvious problems as a civilization.

Definitely a keeper.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 8.

Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyoujin)

(25ish episodes)

What’s it about ?

Dark heroic-fantasy.

Characters

Eren, our kid protagonist. He really wants to join the Recon Corps and explore the world beyond the gigantic walls humanity is confined in, but most people think this is a very stupid dream. (Well, Daddy, who’s somebody Important, acknowledges that’s it’s pointless to try and dissuade him.)

Coincidentally, the Recon Corps have just come back from their latest expedition, and they’re far fewer than when they left, those who did come back are in a sorry state, and their commander openly recognizes that they’ve accomplished nothing of value, ever. No wonder most people think they’re a stupid idea.

Mikasa, Eren’s childhood friend. She too thinks that joining the Recon corps is a stupid idea, and I get the impression she’s sabotaging his efforts for his own sake. She’s always looking out for him when he gets in trouble ; bullies run away when they see her, and considering she can lift and carry Eren without breaking a sweat, I can see their point.

Armin, their friend. He holds the not-very-popular opinion that humanity pretty much has to go outside the walls anyway, and that people are just kidding themselves when they think they’ll be protected forever.

He’s instantly proved right when the wall is breached by what everyone’s so afraid of : the Titans, gigantic humanoid monsters that prey on humanity. For a hundred years the 50-meter-high walls have been enough to keep them out so that everyone can live in “peace”, but now there’s one that’s taller than the outer wall. Crap. The city near the wall immediately falls.

Hanneth, a city guard, who was liking it better when he was a glorified wall repairer and drunk “parasite on society” ; but fuck it, this is his job, so he’s going to attack the nearest Titan. Then he realizes that he’s facing alone a 5-meter-tall monstruosity, reconsiders, and starts enacting Eren’s mother’s dying wish : get him and Mikasa the hell away from the slaughter.

Production Values

Holy shit, budget ! The soldiers in this setting use grappling hooks to scour the cities and the forests like they’re Spider-Men, and boy do the few snippets we get of this kind of action look impressive. This is a show with gorgeous animation and attention to detail… except in those few jarring scenes where they’ve ran out of money and it’s just still images.

Overall Impression

Was someone asking for non-generic, non-terrible heroic-fantasy ? Well, the jury’s still out on whether this is actually good, but at least it builds a distinctive atmosphere and avoids most of the old tired clichés. And it does pull off the visuals needed to back its ambitions, as the Titans are depicted with a sense of scale and weight that sells them as a monstrous, unstoppable threat, despite just being tall dudes who advance slowly.

Now, if there’s one thing I’m a bit wary about, it’s that this is a dead-serious show whose high-strung melodrama sometimes devolves into bathos ; most of the time the atmosphere works, but there are times when it gets a bit too overdone and silly. Hopefully it’s going to find the right balance soon ; probably once humanity start striking back.

This is clearly one of the few shows with ambition this season, and I’m looking forward to see where it goes from this kick-in-the-gut start.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 8.

Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

(13 12-minute episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a 4-panel gag manga featuring mermaids.

Characters

Muromi, the titular mermaid. She comes to the surface after falling for a fisherman’s bait. Annoying, prideful, more than a bit perverted… and not really charmingly so.

“Takkun”, said fisherman, probably a high-schooler. The straight man of the show.

The credits promise more mermaids in the supporting cast, but for now the only other characters with lines are random starfishes and jellyfishes.

Production Values

This looks terrible. But it’s a gag series, so who cares ?

Also, lots of fanservice, although it’s often played for laughs.

Overall Impression

Oh, dear. A comedy show that’s nearly funny. Some of the jokes do work, but there are a lot of them that fall flat or are crassingly exploitative. It doesn’t have quite the charm and innocence of the inevitable comparison point (Squid Girl), alas.

It actually does improve a bit over the course of the episode, so I’m probably going to give it a second one. But this really isn’t the best gag show of the season.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 7.

Zettai Bouei Leviathan

(13-ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Heroic-fantasy with cute girls.

Characters

Leviathan, who’s probably supposed to be the protagonist given that her name is in the title, but doesn’t really do much. Water magic caster. Slightly awkward and bumbling. She has one objective : finding out what happened to her brother. Which means that she’s “investigating” places like the local tavern and that she’s not leaving her hometown.

Syrup, a small fairy who is trying to gather a force to tackle the demonic invasion that supposedly hitched a ride on a recently-crashed meteor, but is completely failing to convince anyone to join. (Nobody seems to believe or care about this invasion, although the local sheriff is quietly sending a small taskforce to investigate.) It doesn’t help that she runs off her mouth a bit too much.

Bahamut, fire magic user with a temper. Has the uncanny ability to stir trouble up wherever she goes.

Jormungandr, who seems to use actual weapons instead of magic. Usually quiet, but do not provoke her.

All of them didn’t know each other and meet in the aforementioned tavern ; predictably, it doesn’t survive the episode… Oh, wait, they actually all met in an earlier scene where they fought a level 1 alien mook and then all walked off without a word for each other.

Production Values

I was bracing myself for a fanservice-fest, but this is actually quite mild. Skimpy outfits, sure, gratuitous transformation sequences, of course, but the camera is surprisingly restrained.

Not that it looks very good : it’s very generic character designs, with elvish ears added to everyone.

Overall Impression

Welcome to the void, where shallow characters in a paint-by-number heroic-fantasy setting steadfastly refuse to engage into anything resembling a plot. This is just incredibly boring on every level.

Don’t bother wasting your time on this one.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 7.

The Flowers of Evil (Aku no Hana)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

I’m not quite sure yet, but it’s certainly very creepy.

Characters

Kasuga, our protagonist. He’s an average high school student who’s completely unremarkable in every way aside from his hobby of writing bad poetry and totally digging Baudelaire.

Saeki, the beautiful top student of the class whom Kasuga (and most of the other boys) has a crush on. She gets maybe two lines in the whole episode ; her chief role is clearly to be an object of desire.

Nakamura, the weird creepy girl who makes a point of handing out blank papers and insulting the teacher to his face. She only has about two minutes of screentime, but she’s clearly the most memorable part of the episode.

Production Values

This has got a very distinctive artstyle, nearly photorealistic ; it looks quite weird animated, deep into the uncanny valley. Which may well be the point. The soundtrack goes out of its way to build an atmosphere of creeping unease. Too bad about the peppy OP song, which doesn’t fit at all the mood that’d been set up pre-credits ; the weird robotic-sounding ED song is much more fitting.

Overall Impression

Well, this certainly commits to its aesthetic, devoting the whole episode to creating this sense of mundane creepiness. The problem is that most of it is very boring indeed, as litterally nothing happens aside from the Nakamura incident. It doesn’t help that I’m not really into Beaudelaire’s poetry, and thus don’t have a clue whether to take Kasuga’s interest in it seriously.

Still, the progressively rising tension is intriguing, especially after the Nakamura incident exacerbates it ; I’m also quite curious whether the awesomely creepy visual of a flower’s shadow with an eye bulging out of it has any relevance beyond symbolism.

Also, the mangaka insultingly told me to watch the next episode. I guess I’ll do it, then.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 5.

My Teenage Romance Comedy SNAFU (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru.)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Haganai clone. Which seems to be becoming its own subgenre of harem comedy now.

Characters

Hikigaya is your standard misanthropic protagonist, horribly bitter about being lonely and spinning it out as a way of life. Not that he’s fooling anyone.

Hiratsuka, his teacher, who won’t put up with his bullshit and forces him into the “Service Club”.

Yukino, sole member of the Service Club until now, also a loner, and now tasked with solving his “personality problem”, whether he wants it or not. (And whether she wants to do it or not.)

Yui, another girl, sent to the club to solve her “terrible cook” problem. She’s way more naive and upbeat, and the perfect foil for the two of them.

Production Values

Okay, I guess. There are flashes of nice direction ideas at various points to spice up the talking heads a bit (including some fun flashbacks), but they’re few and far between.

Overall Impression

Very average. This kind of show needs lots of zingers in its dialogue and good comedic timing to rise above the parade of rom-com clichés, and this doesn’t quite pull it off. The chemistry between the characters isn’t quite there yet, and it’s not like it’s got a particularly interesting premise.

I’m not even sure I’ll be bothering with a second episode of this.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 5.

Photo Kano

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Harem romantic comedy, adapted from a dating sim.

Characters

Kazuya, our generic male protagonist. Even he calls himself boring, although he’s trying to change that with his new hobby : taking photographs of everything ! (Daddy has just handed him down his old camera.)

You know how there’s always a perverted best friend ? In this show, there’s a whole club of them : the Photography Club, including a dude who specializes in upskirts, another in cleavage shots from above, the hot-blooded president, and the token girl who’s practically invisible. They want him to join them, of course.

There’s also a “proper” Photo Club right next door, who do all the official photographs. Although since it’s just its president (who ticks all the “potential love interest” checkmarks) and her clingy underling who’s already in another club, they’re not an actual club recognized by the school.

This being a dating sim adaptation, we also get introduced to other potential love interests : the childhood friend, the tomboy, his annoying little sister’s friend, the student council president… (I really hope said annoying little sister isn’t an option, despite her name being in the title.)

Production Values

Perfectly okay. The fanservice level isn’t overwhelming, but there are many gratuitous panty shots indeed.

What did I think of it ?

Exactly what you’d expect from Generic Dating Sim Adaptation #46127 : inoffensive, easy on the eyes, and instantly forgettable. It brings absolutely nothing new to the genre and goes through all the expected clichés, but it does it pleasantly enough that you probably won’t mind if you have some interest in the genre. Otherwise, don’t bother.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 4.

Karneval

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Fabulous characters fighting a demonic conspiracy in a victorian-style setting.

Characters

Nai, our “protagonist”, if you can call that a character who starts the episode in bondage and barely gets any more agency over the course of the episode. He’s a wimp, desperately looking for his ~~seme~~ protective friend Karoku (last seen as just some drops of blood and his precious bracelet). He’s not completely useless, though, as he seems to be able to hear electronics or something.

Gareki, a thief who was infiltrating this rich-looking mansion on the city’s outskirts, and ended up finding (1) a tied-up Nai in the master bedroom and (2) the mistress of the place transforming into an unholy abomination to fight him. The shit having hit the fan, but Nai’s bracelet looking very interesting indeed, Gareki takes him with himself in his escape. To escape the authorities, they jump onto a passing train…

… which happens to have been taken hostage by a bunch of workers dissatisfied with their boss (who was on a trip with his innocent granddaughter). It doesn’t help that everyone mistakes Nai’s bracelet as the sign of him being a member of Circus, the elite magical cop force.

Hirato & Tsukumo, actual members of who came to the mansion too late (its mistress having been disposed of by her boss) and arrive to defuse the train hostage crisis because they have nothing better to do, I guess. They curbstomp the hostage-takers without breaking a sweat, although Nai’s superhearing and Gareki’s bomb defusing skills do come handy too.

Production Values

A white-haired pretty boy who spends a good chunk of the episode in handcuffs ? Elaborate, classy outfits for everyone ? Well, I guess there’s nothing wrong with aiming for the female audience, I guess. And the show as a whole does look very pretty indeed.

What did I think of it ?

What a novelty : an anime that features some actual ambitious storytelling ! (It’s not really non-linear, as all the scenes are in chronological order ; it’s just that we swiftly cut back and from without warning to the various subplots before learning how they mesh with the core story.) This has to be commended, especially as the pacing is pitch-perfect and manages to stay coherent and tie all its subplots niftly together despite having tons of stuff happen.

Let me be clear : this isn’t heady stuff. It’s a straight action piece in a setting that appears to value flash over substance. It’s just that it’s very cleverly put together, and seems to be having a lot of fun in the process. And it looks great.

This one is definitely a keeper.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 4.

The Devil is a Part-Timer (Hataraku Maou-sama)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

When his demonic forces are about to get overwhelmed by the human army and their Hero, the Demon Lord decides it’s better to turn tail and flee to a parallel universe, i.e. our Earth. While he’s recovering his strength, he takes a part-time job at the local McDonald’s knock-off. Cue hijinks.

Characters

Satan, the Demon King. After the initial culture shock, he’s actually adapting very quickly to this world. He’s retained a little bit of his magic after entering this non-magical world, but he has no clue how to replenish it and has to use his reserves cautiously, only for emergencies such as obtaining proper papers with low-grade hypnosis or fixing the French fries cooking machine.

Alshiel, his minion. Satan had other generals, but Alshiel was the one who opened to portal to Earth and came with him. Clearly this wasn’t a plan with much thought behind it. He’s spending most of his time at the public library searching for a way to restore their magic. He’s getting a bit worried about Satan going native and forgetting about why they came here.

The supporting cast is rounded up by a couple of Satan’s coworkers : his sardonic boss, and the clumsy cute girl.

Also, he randomly bumps into the Hero on his way home from work. Wait, what ? That’s the cliffhanger, obviously.

Production Values

Wow, budget ! This looks way too good for a forgettable comedy show. The animation is superb, the soundtrack is very good, and the opening 5-minute heroic-fantasy battle scene is a sight to behold.

What did I think of it ?

Well, it’s reasonably funny. It’s a decent joke, sold by characters and direction that play the premise dead straight to increase the comedy value. It’s not a laugh-a-minute riot, but it mostly works.

I’m going to keep watching this one, I think.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 4.

Majestic Prince (Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince)

(24 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Space mecha.

Characters

Our heroes are a team of mecha pilot trainees, known as the “Rabbit Team”, but mostly as the “Fail Five”, as they just don’t work well together. There’s Asagi the aloof ace who runs into battle without thinking, Ataru the nerdy gunner, Tamaki the childish and boy-crazy point-girl, Key the jaded analytical girl, and Izuru the “leader” (whom nobody acknowledges as such).

Lt Suzukaze, their training officer, isn’t the last one to constantly remind them that they’re crap. So she’s very surprised to learn the brass want them to immediately go on the frontlines with cutting-edge mecha to save their assieged forces from the dastardly baddies.

The catch is that those experimental mecha are very unstable, and they only need to distract the enemy for half an hour so that everyone can be evacuated. Hence why they send disposable newbies.

What nobody expected is that (1) Izuru would decide to play hero to save all those civilians the brass “accidentally” forgot to mention wouldn’t be evacuated, and (2) that he’d actually pull it off, frightening the aliens enough to force their retreat.

Yay ?

Production Values

Very impressive. It’s got tons of budget for the mecha battles, and it shows (although the CG is very obvious).

I also really like the recurring narrative device of quickly sliding the camera horizontally to catch each of the five’s reaction/quip on whatever is happening. It’s funny and the animators vary the facial expressions enough to make it work.

Overall Impression

Well, this was fun. It’s also completely empty of substance, with everyone being depicted with broad strokes verging on caricature. But it does establish its premise and characters properly, so there’s that.

I’m however mildly concerned by how it tells us rather than really shows us how the 5 really suck, especially as they seem surprisingly competent for their first real battle.

Still, it’s a decent effort, and unapologetic about what it is. As popcorn entertainment, it works.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2013 – Page 3.