Jhiday – Page 38 – Blog@Jhiday.net

Kotoura-san

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Being a young telepath with soul-crushing angst is apparently no obstacle to starring in a high school comedy show.

Characters

Haruka Kotoura, the title character. She’s been able to read the thoughts of people around her ever since her early childhood. As a result, she’s considered a creepy monster. (The show makes a convincing case about how her innocently blurting out secret thoughts would make the lives of everyone around her a living hell.) By the time she transfers to yet another high school, she lives alone and purposely aleniates herself from anyone else (as it’s less painful than people she’s grown to care for eventually leaving her). That’s until she meets…

Manabe, the guy sitting next to her in class. He’s not creeped out at all by Haruka’s mindreading, barely taking notice to try and have a bit less erotic daydreams around her. While he’s a bit of a weirdo, he legitimely wants to be her friend (or more), and promises never to leave her.

The OP/ED indicates that she’s going to make more friends. That’s going to be a tall order indeed. Also, her mother is apparently going to stay as part of the supporting cast, which is a bit surprising given the way she abandoned her daughter.

Production Values

This doesn’t have a high budget, but it knows how to make do with it. In particular, there’s a nice effect with the colours progressively becoming greyer and more monochrome as Haruka’s life spirals into hell, until bright colours smash back in when she meets Manabe.

There’s also quite some creativity with Manabe’s mindscape.

What did I think of it ?

This really should be a hideous style clash, abruptly switching from borderline-manipulative melodrama to “traditional” high-school hijinks. But it’s fiendishly effective, setting up the show’s gimmick and the main couple’s relationship with a poignancy that a pure gag show couldn’t hope for. It helps that the narrative doesn’t cheat : other people’s reactions to Haruka are often unkind, but feel entirely human.

I’m not quite sure how the series can maintain this balance in the long run, but I’m hooked.

via [In which I review] New anime, Winter 2013 – Page 6.

GJ-Club (GJ-bu)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Comedy show set in one of those ubiquitous high school clubs with no purpose aside from goofing off.

Adapted from what calls itself a “4-panel light novel”.

Characters

Mio, the club president. She’s small and annoying.

Kyouya, the token guy and straight man to all the jokes.

Shion, the more-than-slightly creepy genius.

There’s also a girl who dresses like a maid, and a borderline-feral girl.

Production Values

Adequate, I guess. Most of the budget seems to have been spent on the elaborate school uniforms.

What did I think of it ?

The characters are the usual one-note archetypes. I have no clue what “GJ” even means here. And most of all, there are barely a few jokes that raise a smile ; most of them are just dreadfully unfunny.

This is a show with no selling point whatsoever, and is instantly forgettable. Avoid.

via [In which I review] New anime, Winter 2013 – Page 6.

Tamako Market

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

The local shopping district is awesome ! Also, a talking chicken.

Characters

Tamako, high school girl and heir to the mochi bakery. Energetic, a bit clumsy and well-liked in the neighbourhood.

Mochizou, her childhood friend and heir to the rival store next door. Very self-conscious about being friend-zoned.

Dera, an obnoxious talking bird who shows out of nowhere and sticks around at Tamako’s household. Supposedly he’s looking for a princess or something, but the mochi are so good he quickly forgets about that mission. Not that he can even fly anymore at this point, anyway.

The cast is rounded up by Tamako’s friends (the carpenter’s daughter, etc.) and the colourful other shop owners. (Wait, is the florist supposed to be trans ?)

Production Values

Very nice, although KyoAni went for the cuteness overload even more than usual.

What did I think of it ?

Well, I wasn’t quite expecting this. Obviously the talking chicken sticks out like a sore thumb, although most characters take this supernatural element in stride after a brief moment of WTF. This is a very cheerful series indeed, with even the neighbour squabbling being in good fun.

I’m not sure the joke really works, though. Sure, it brings a smile, but some of the early transitions are jarring and I’m not sure how this premise can support 11 more episodes. Still, I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and time for it to find its legs.

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

Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East (Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Yet another adaptation of the classic 19th-century Japanese epic novel. Supposedly about 8 half-brother werewolves, although only one shows up yet and there’s plenty of other fantasy lifeforms around.

Characters

Shino, one of three siblings who survived a dire accident years ago by contracting with supernatural beings. The younger boy, his body has absorbed a mythical sword that transforms into a talking bird… er, yeah. Anyway, he’s the impulsive brat of the lot.

Sousuke is the elder brother, and contracted with a wolf he can transform into. He’s the reasonable one, consulting with elders about the plot.

Hamaji, the girl, has two roles in this episode : she’s a terrible cook, and she gets captured by the evil Church.

Production Values

Perfectly okay, with some decent designs for the creatures, but very boring human character designs.

What did I think of it ?

As I said before, I fell asleep while watching this the first time around. After a rewatch, I can’t say there’s anything wrong with it per se, aside from very pedestrian execution (and old-fashioned gender politics). It’s just utterly unexciting.

I’ll pass.

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

Love Live! School Idol Project

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

This girls’ high school is about to be closed down, as it’s boring and unable to attract any new students. Clearly the solution is to set up an Idol Club that’ll bring in the new recruits in mass !

Characters

Honoka, our protagonist. She alternates between (short) bouts of depression at the idea of her school closing down, and fits of hyperness as she jumps into her new project. Amazingly, the idol thing isn’t entirely her idea : she copied it on the super-hi-tech fancy new school just next door. (Also, it seems a lot of other schools in the country are doing it too.)

Umi & Kotori, her two best friends, who seem much more well-off and having much better grades than her (one’s in the archery club ; the other’s the daughter of the school board chairwoman). Anyway, one’s sceptical, the other more easy-going, and by the end of the episode they’re both on board.

Because of the current crisis, even the student council seems to only have two members. They’re sorry to say they can’t approve of such a stupid idea (they don’t even have the minimum 5 members !). Beyond the façade, they’re really sorry : they too are fishing for any idea to save the school. Yeah, I give them two episodes before they join in too.

In the music room there’s a girl who randomly goes into elaborate idol-like numbers on the piano. She’s so drafted.

I think there’s a character with an Y chromosome that shows up in the background for two seconds.

Production Values

Bright and shiny, as you’d expect. The idol segments (including the OP/ED) are a mixture of traditional animation (for closer shots) and the now mandatory elaborate CG dancing segments, which looks slightly more natural than the all-CG trend that’s been all the rage lately.

The musical number themselves are perfectly fine, and the remainder of the soundtrack goes out of its way to be as melodramatic and over-the-top as possible.

Overall Impression

There’s no getting around it : this is a very stupid premise indeed. The good news is that the creative team have committed to it with gusto, making it as fun and hyper as it could be. Yes, it’s silly, but it’s got so much energy and enthusiasm that you can’t help rooting for our heroines.

Special mention to the ending of the episode : after a setback, our three leads start making gestures and proclamations that get more and more dramatic (almost operatic), until they smoothly launch into the ED’s musical number. It’s a transition that has to be seen to be believed, and it works perfectly.

This isn’t high art, but the execution is so impressive that I’m sold on it. This is going to be this season’s hilariously fun show.

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

AMNESIA

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Ontological mystery meets male harem romance. Adapted from a visual novel, and boy does it show.

Characters

Our main character doesn’t actually get named at any point (the ancillary material calls her “Heroine”, for what it’s worth). As the title of the show suggests, she suffers from a severe case of amnesia, unable to remember anything about herself (or anything else, for that matter). She’s completely shell-shocked by the experience, and is barely able to string two sentences together. It probably doesn’t help that she’s also the only one who can see and hear…

Orion, a very talkative sprite who claims to be the (accidental) cause for her amnesia, what with having lodged himself into her soul by accident. He’s very sorry, and spends the episode giving her “helpful” hints on how she can get better. Gods forbid she seek any medical help ! What she really needs to do is to pretend she’s perfectly fine, and keep talking to her “friends” like she remembers anything about them. That’s how she’ll recover her memories !

Said “friends” are a parade of generic pretty boys : the aloof one, the nice one, the slightly creepy one… Also, she seems to have been working at a maid café.

By the end of the episode, she rans afool of the mandatory bitch squad, who’ve been stalking her all day and are angry about something she has no clue about.

Production Values

Pretty ! Besides Nekomonagatari (Black), which barely counts, this is the first show of the season that displays some style and artistic ambition. There’s a lot of work on colour and atmosphere, and everyone’s dressed in ridiculously stylish borderline-cosplay clothes for some reason. This is definitely a show with budget…

Overall Impression

… It’s a just shame it’s wasted on a –ing otome game adaptation, especially one which makes no effort towards disguising its nature. Orion is very obviously your game assistant, and one of the characters even pauses once to give a tutorial for the parfait-making minigame. This could have some charm, but the big problem here is the annoyingly moppy and useless “protagonist”, who seems to stumble onto every single “wrong” option available in her menu.

Still, it is very pretty, and I’m vaguely intrigued by some of the setup. I’ll give it one more episode for the heroine not to get too much on my nerves.

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

Senran Kagura

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

A modern-day school of ninja. Also, boobies.

(Adapted from some fighting game.)

Characters

Asuka, our feather-brained protagonist. She’s coming back to the school after some training and “exam” away (which she narrowly passed). Presumably there’s a reason for her being the focus of the show despite being overshadowed by all of her classmates, but it’s not apparent yet.

Said classmates include the serious one, the pervy one, the deadpan-one-with-an-eyepatch, and the childlike one. All girls, obviously : the only major male character in sight is their old teacher, who tends to abuse smoke bombs a bit too much. (In a rare bit of equal-opportunity fanservice, he gets to eat suggestively one of those cylindrical cucumber things like everyone else.)

Homura, a random girl from another school that Asuka makes friends with. OR IS SHE ? (Come on, she’s so obviously evil it takes all of Asuka’s density not to see the obvious assassination attempt.)

The plot of the week involves a random assignment to subdue some delinquents, which turns out to be a trap by Homura’s schoolmates. Not that any of our girls is perceptive enough to notice them, though.

Production Values

Very fanservice-heavy, from the pervert camera to the what-were-they-thinking costumes to the that-must-be-causing-some-back-pain mensurations. If you’re willing to overlook that, the fight scenes are actually quite nicely done, dynamic and never confusing.

Overall Impression

Oh, look : crap. It’s far from the worse of its ilk (the tone is quite pleasant and fun), but there’s just nothing of any interest there. The characters are one-dimensional and terminally dumb, while the plot is beyond generic and an obvious excuse for action sequences.

Don’t bother with this one.

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

Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman

What’s it about ?

Robin Hood in the end of the Edo period.

Characters

Roman, our protagonist. By day, he’s a lazy bum barely making a living as a helping hand around town. By night, he’s a Robin Hood figure, robbing the guilty rich and distributing it to everyone else, through crazy schemes, “high-tech” devices, and raw nerve.

Koharu, his little sister. By day, she’s the one actually paying the rent with as a bizarrely-specialized craftswoman ; by night, she helps him out on his adventures.

They also seem to have a dog, who helps them out on their cons. It’s that kind of show.

Production Values

Character designs come courtesy of Monkey Punch, aka the Lupin III guy. It really shows. This looks quite good, but decidedly old-fashioned.

Overall Impression

Yawn. This doesn’t seem to be a bad show by any objective criteria, but there’s something about it that just made me tune out. I can barely remember anything about it, and I really don’t care to try watching it again. It’s not really my kind of thing, anyway : way to old-fashioned to hook me.

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

Absolutely Lovely Children: The Unlimited – Hyoubu Kyousuke (Zettai Karen Children: The Unlimited – Hyoubu Kyousuke)

What’s it about ?

A spin-off show about anime!X-Men’s Magneto figure.

This seems to be original material, after a 2008 TV series that was a semi-close manga adaptation.

Characters

Kyousuke Hyoubu really does share a lot of traits with Magneto at his best : charismatic, confident, more than slightly creepy, ridiculously over-powered (there’s a reason the show is subtitled “the Unlimited”), and a body count in the dozens in this episode alone. Despite this being his show, he’s actually positioned as a bit of an antagonist. As he should, really.

Andy Hinomiya is our real protagonist and point-of-view character. He’s a prisoner in an ~~mutant~~ esper detention facility set in some south-american-ish island military dictatorship. His powers are said to be kinda crap (some weak telekinesis ?), but he’s a very good fighter, and there’s definitely more than meets the eye. He catches Hyoubu’s attention, and eventually gets to join ~~the Brotherhood of Mutants~~ his group of esper terrorists PANDRA by the end of the episode.

Yuugiri, a young (?) girl hidden in the depths of the prison. She’s the real reason Hyoubu lets himself get “captured” : his plan was to rescue her from the get-go. Destroying a lab performing evil experiments on esper prisoners doesn’t displease him either. Anyway, he calls her “Queen”, which is quite intriguing. (Has he moved on from Kaoru ?)

Most of the PANDRA members sketched out in the main series are to be part of the cast, obviously. The titular Children aren’t anywhere in sight, although the OP/ED heavily promises that their handler Minamoto is going to show up at some point and be as badass as ever.

Production Values

Quite good. This seems to have more of a budget than the original series, with some impressive action sequences. Overall, the atmosphere is much more serious, with no comedic exaggerations, and character designs of the “noodle people” variety.

Overall Impression

This is a promising start. Hyoubu is an interesting character when he’s not being a lolicon perv, so there’s something to be said for a “serious” spin-off series focusing on his Brotherhood’s action, without the comedy trappings of the main show. (Although, you know, his tsundere telepathic flying squirrel sidekick is still around.)

The good idea here is to have Andy as a protagonist, which gives the series a narrative arc of its own. I really doubt he’ll succeed in bringing Hyoubu down in any meaningful way, but it should be interesting to see him trying against impossible odds.

This is definitely more interesting than I was expecting, and notably better than its parent show. I’m in for the ride.

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

My Girlfriend and Childhood Friend Fight Too Much (Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

High school harem romantic comedy.

(Adapted from light novels, as you can guess by the ridiculously long and plain title.)

Characters

Eita, our protagonist. He’s been badly burned by both his parents walking out of his life after finding love elsewhere, and thus doesn’t want to hear about any romance whatsoever. He’d rather concentrate on his studies, thank you.

Chiwa, his very annoying childhood friend. The kind that now stalks him relentlessly and regularly invites herself for meals. I get the notion that he mostly tolerates her because chasing her off would involve too much energy.

Natsukawa, the beautiful and ultra-popular girl in his class. Like him, she has no interest in romance, and she’s getting tired of getting proposed once a day ; her solution is to use him as a fake boyfriend so as to finally get some peace. She’s somehow got her hand on his embarrassing diary, so it’s not like she’s got any say in the matter…

There are two other girls featured prominently in the OP and preview artwork ; maybe it’s related to that club mentioned in the next-episode preview.

Production Values

Perfectly okay as far as visuals go ; the main distinguishing feature is very bright, pastel colours. The score is nearly entirely crap, always slightly out of place and emphasizing the artificiality of the scene breaks.

It’s telling that Eita is entirely absent from the OP sequence…

Overall Impression

Hum. The first half of the episode was very unengaging indeed, with haphazard storytelling (must Chiwa really be the one to exposit to Eita about Natsukawa ?) and the childhood friend character being obnoxiously annoying. However, it changes radically once the “girlfriend” finally gets to speak : it’s Yukari Tamura at her best, cynical, whimsical, and affecting various personae at will. She’s clearly this show’s most (if not only) entertaining character, and its main selling point.

Is this enough to make the series worth watching ? Er, I’ll get back to you about that in an episode or two, once we actually see her interacting with someone besides her beard, and the “plot” gets properly underway (so far, the two title characters have yet to even meet, let alone fight like the title suggests). I’m not too optimistic, but maybe the show will click together then.

In a busier season I wouldn’t have bothered with this one, but I’m willing to give it a bit of rope for now.

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