2011 Q2 – Spring – Page 2

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal

What’s it about ?

A loser boy’s adventures into the world of EXTREME trading-card gaming, with fight scenes in a fancy holographic parallel world and an ethereal guide to advise him.

Characters

Yuma, our middle school protagonist with improbable hair. He has a strong tendency to get into challenges way over his head, which makes him a bit of a laughing-stock considering how often he fails. He wears a weird “key” pendant about which he has bizarre dreams about metaphorically unlocking his potential or something.

Mizuki, his generic love interest who generically supports him despite his repeated failures.

Tetsuo, his fat “friend” who’s a bit of a jerk but doesn’t seem that bad a guy (“It’s n-n-not as if I l-like you or anything, Yuma !”). Admire his 1337 skateboard, yo !

Kamishiro, a cackling pointy-haired bully (who never walks around without his yes-men posse) who has just punked Tetsuo out of his deck. Yuma can’t resist challenging him, of course.

Production Values

Alright for what it is, I suppose.

Overall Impression

My knowledge of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise is limited to the Abridged series, but this looks so close to the formula (minus the Egyptian-themed weirdness) that I can’t help yawning.

As a toyetic show for kids, I guess it’s alright (it’s at least more competent and engaging than last season’s Cardfight Vanguard), but I have absolutely no interest in this.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 10.

A Bridge to the Starry Skies (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi)

What’s it about ?

Generic dating-sim adaptation.

Characters

Kazuma, our protagonist, is moving back to the countryside with his sickly little brother for the latter’s health’s sake. Cue every single dating-sim cliché happening to him.

The girls… There’s the one he slips onto and accidentally kisses, her outraged best friend, the maid at the inn they now live in… and, for the older ladies lovers, the owner of the same inn, whose behaviour verges on sexual harassment.

Production Values

Minimal. The backgrounds are okay, but the character designs are horribly generic and same-y.

Overall Impression

Zzzzzzzzzzz… Excuse me, I nearly fell asleep there.

I’m amazed they’re still making those. Fortune Arterial at least had a hook by mixing in vampires, and Yosuga no Sora had the sick-and-wrong twincest ; this, on the other hand, has no selling point whatsoever to distinguish it from the myriads of other dating-sim adaptations. It’s so incredibly generic that it hurts.

What’s the point, honestly ?

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 10.

Toriko

What’s it about ?

The greatest hunter/”meal ingredient gatherer” is on a quest to track down every ingredient ever, selecting the best for the perfect meal.

Characters

Toriko, our huge, barrel-chested, impossible-proportions protagonist. The opening theme tune suggests he’s stronger the more he eats, and given all he devours in this episode alone, I can believe it.

Komatsu, our viewpoint character, a cook from a famous restaurant who commissions Toriko to seek out rare ingredients for them. He’s mostly there to provide exposition.

And… that’s it so far, aside from the various beasties they encounter on their trip, and a few villains mysteriously plotting in their lair (although that’s got no impact on the plot so far).

Production Values

Standard Sunday-morning-shounen fare (i.e. barely adequate) with very generic character designs.

Overall Impression

Was there supposed to be any kind of hook here ? This “first” episode leaves me with no reason whatsoever to keep watching : it’s ugly, the characters are annoying, and mostly I just don’t care. The jokes about Toriko mangling proverbs weren’t funny when Sailor Venus did that shtick two decades ago, and the whole thing is very boring.

Exactly as bad as I had expected.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 9.

Astarotte’s Toy! (Lotte no Omocha!)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

The incumbent succubus princess is now 10 year old and should really get around to gathering a harem, or so her handler says. Since she has no wish to do so, she tries to finagle about it by demanding that her first gigolo be a Man (Men’s world has been sealed away from their world for millennia), but she underestimated her handler’s persistence…

Characters

Princess Astarotte (aka “Lotte”), our very, very annoying main character. Played by Rie Kugimiya, of course. She’s attended by a little squad of maids and various other helpers. The most prominent of which being…

Judith, her teacher/handler, who’s very dedicated to raising her charge as a proper succubus. Hence why she decides to single-handedly reopen the portal to Men’s world… and actually succeeds.

Naoya, the first dude Judith bumps into, and who just happens to be ideal boytoy material (of course he does !), so she immediately snags him up. The OP suggests his relationship with Lotte will be a lot more genuine than just “source of lifeseed for Lotte to suck”, although to be honest she’s got much more chemistry there with his little sister. (Also, some of the dialogue suggests he’s much older than Lotte. Eek.)

Production Values

Nothing special.

You know you’re in for a classy show when the second scene has a generic exposition lecture happen with all the female cast bathing for no real reason, and Lotte’s tail hiding various naughty bits Austin Powers-style. Later on, Lotte gets quite a few random panty shots.

Overall Impression

When in another forum I stated how my mind boggled at the premise (“A loli that needs to suck semen to survive !”), I was assured that the manga it came from wasn’t that bad and very tongue-in-cheek. Well, while this isn’t as skeevy as it could be, it’s still pretty bad and exploitative. And it’s not like “Lotte discovering True Love” is a “twist” I have any interest in.

Bottom line : it isn’t funny, and none of the characters are interesting. Avoid.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 8.

Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san

(?? half-length episodes)

What’s it about ?

A detective agency routinely summons a demon to solve their clients’ problems. But since he never stops long enough to hear his orders, hilarity ensues.

Characters

Azazel, the titular demon. A rude womanizer… who’s less than two feet tall. He would really like to get out of this contract, but he’s consistently outwitted by…

Akutabe, the head of the detective agency who summoned Azazel. A complete jerk, but he’s so marvellously deadpan !

Sakuma, Akutabe’s part-time assistant. Our point-of-view character, as Akutabe judges she’s just got enough experience to learn how the agency really works. She spends most of the episode bemused by the whole thing, but then you’d be too.

Our client of the week is a classic ugly cheated wife. The various “solutions” offered to her problems get more and more bizarre as the episode goes.

Production Values

Low but adequate, I guess. It does the job.

Overall Impression

This is very low-brow humour indeed, but it works. It’s got very good comedic timing, the character play well off each other, and I liked the punchline. Stupid but fun.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 8.

Softenni

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Slice of life comedy about a middle school female tennis club. Also, panties.

Characters

Asuna, who is very enthusiastic about the club, but a bit of a slob. She has a very dirty mind that will interpret anything as sexually suggestive. (Also, she’s a walking panty shot.)

Kotone, who hasn’t been stated to be the club president but might as well be. Very bossy and sarcastic. (Voiced by Eri Kitamura, of course…)

Chitose, the upperclassman for whom this is the last chance as entering a tournament before graduating… but that’s a tall ordeal, considering she’s completely crap at tennis. Also, she eats a lot, although most of it seems to go to her upper figure, if you see what I mean (and I think you do).

Kurusu, the dark-skinned prodigy with a bit of a sadistic streak. Has a weird tendency to show up wearing a random big mask over her head.

Mr Mishimagi, the coach/teacher advising the club. Mostly there as a straight man for Asuna’s bizarre trains of thought.

The credits suggests a fifth girl will be joining the cast soon.

Production Values

Not very good, and the show’s bizarre obsession with showing panties every other shot is more than a bit distracting. There are some very puzzling bits of censorship, with random sexy shots heavily censored despite the nearly exact same thing being displayed in full ten seconds later. The mind boggles.

Overall Impression

Oh dear. Well, I wasn’t expecting much from XEBEC, but this is a mediocre slice of life series made nearly unwatchable by obstructive fanservice.

Although, considering it isn’t very funny to begin with, I’m perfectly content with giving it a pass.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 7.

Abnormal Physiology Seminar (Hen Zemi)

(13 half-length episodes)

What’s it about ?

Slice of life about very special college course where the students hand reports about their fetishistic experiments.

Characters

Matsutaka, our somewhat prude-ish heroine, who isn’t enthusiastic at all about this course. If you’re wondering why she’s attending, that’s because it’s a way to get closer to…

Komugi, who looks and acts like a nice guy but is actually quite an irritating jerk under the deadpan façade (but since he’s voiced by Akira Ishida, you can’t quite bring yourself to hate him…). Totally unashamed about his fetishes and what the Hen Zemi does.

Pr Meshiya, the teacher/researcher in charge of the Hen Zemi. A complete creep, and one wonders how he gets away with this with the faculty.

Mizukoshi, the nymphomaniac best student. She’s into really extreme stuff (seriously, her report in this episode ? Ewwww !). Beware her slobber whenever someone talks dirty in front of her.

We get to see a few more students attending the course : the peeping tom who camps with his camera under the stairs, the ecchi manga artist and his innocent-looking sadistic girlfriend…

Production Values

Adequate. I actually quite like the stylized artstyle : it gives everyone (apart from the teacher) a look of complete innocence that contrasts very well with what they’re talking about.

Overall Impression

Quite fun, actually. I appreciate the directness of the approach, and thankfully all the people involved are consenting adults (Matsutaka can quit whenever she wants…). There’s quite a lot of mileage in the sheer weirdness of those fetishes.

But it clearly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. Some of the fetishes described here are bound to squick you out. Also, and that’s a bit more problematic, not all of the jokes are that funny. Moreover, I worry that the short format won’t give the series the time to properly gel. Still, if you have any interest in the subject matter, it mostly works.

There’s been a couple of OVA out ; they seem to have been some sort of pilot or something. It’s basically more of the same, but they aren’t necessary at all to understand this first episode (which introduces all the key players properly).

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 7.

Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera (“Bamf It’s Enma ! Crickle Crackle”)

What’s it about ?

The wacky adventures of Enma and his Demon Brigade, in charge of hunting down demons who’re wreaking havoc on Earth’s surface.

Characters

Harumi, our point of view character. A young girl whose friends get attacked by a face-stealing demon and calls on Enma & co for help. Very snarky indeed (to the point that she snarks at her own tendency to snark on inappropriate occasions), and quite bemused by Enma’s antics.

Enma, our idiot hero (and that’s quite an understatement). A fire demon. Wears a talking hat.

Yuki, his purported love interest (although it’s obvious they’ve known each other for so long that they’re getting on each other’s nerves). An ice demon. Maybe the most sensible of the bunch, although by a fairly narrow margin.

Kapaeru, a kappa. Mostly there to deliver exposition and horribly dated impersonations, although he does get to save Harumi from drowning at one point. He might be the most heroic of the bunch, which of course makes him a target for abuse.

Production Values

All over the place. There are some gorgeous pieces of animation, especially in the hell house with its wonderfully gorgeous backgrounds… and then there are a few shots drawn with crayons. WTF ?

Let’s be clear, this is an aggressively retro series, especially with the character designs ; but then, what do you expect of a remake of a 70s Go Nagai series ?

Overall impression

WHY ?

Why did someone greenlight a remake of a random 70s series, without updating much besides the animation ? (It’s even set in the 70s.) It’s not bad or anything (it’s standard inoffensive shounen fare), but it’s so obviously a nostalgia piece that I can’t bring myself to care. Especially as its tone doesn’t do much for me (this kind of constant hyperness tires me out very quickly).

I’m bemused. This show obviously has quite some money behind it ; is the market for it really that big ?

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 7.

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi – World’s Greatest First Love

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Yaoi romance comedy in a shoujo manga publishing house. Oh, the irony !

Characters

Onodera, who fled the Onodera publishing house because his co-workers suspected him of only getting his job out of nepotism. He’s trying a new job elsewhere to get acknowledged on his own merits. He thought he’d be working as a literature editor, but somehow ended up assigned to the shoujo manga department. He’s a bitter and cynical narrator who’s bemused by the bizarre quirks of his new co-workers… but at the core he’s still a hard worker who loves books.

Takano, his new boss. He’s quite rough and brutal indeed (sexual harassment on the first day for the new guy !), but also a genius who revitalized the shoujo department since he got the job.

Neither of them really recognize each other, but they had a hot and steamy fling, way back in high school. It’s been 10 years since…

Oh, and we briefly see the three other (male) editors in the department, but they don’t show too much personality yet.

Production Values

Barely adequate. Ah, Deen…

Overall Impression

You know, I was all set to hate this : yaoi doesn’t tickle my fancy, and the prequel OAV really rubbed me the wrong way (it’s 20 minutes of really cliché high school yaoi romance). But this actually ain’t half bad… at least as far as the office comedy is concerned.

I have my reservations about the yaoi romance subplot, but as long as it stays in the background it doesn’t bother me too much. When it takes center stage, though, I’m out.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 6.

A Channel

(12-ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Slice of life about four high school girls, with a heavy lesbian subtext. Wait, it’s pretty much text, actually.

Characters

Run, the ditzy central character. She can barely walk without tripping over her thoughts ; don’t let her lean over a window !

Tooru, Run’s self-appointed bodyguard. She’s one year younger than the rest of the cast, and very worried that Run may be moving on from her. In consequence, she’s (i]very[/i] possessive of Run and tries to prevent anyone from getting too close to her (with her baseball bat, if needed).

Let’s be honest : there’s no way to interpret her behaviour without yuri glasses. (Run’s mostly oblivious… or is she ?)

Mika, the sarcastic glasses girl with a bit of a mean streak.

Yuuko, who got off the wrong foot with Tooru by being a bit too close to Run when they met, and desperately tries to make friends with the runt (to no avail, alas). Mostly there to be the butt of jokes.

Production Values

That’s some very impressive animation, especially for a 4koma adaptation that doesn’t really warrant it. What’s with the trend this season of slice of life series with bizarrely high budgets ?

Overall Impression

It’s okay, I guess. It’s a middle-of-the-road high school slice-of-life series… with one selling point : Tooru. Most of the other characters are kinda bland, but the little gal’s got a striking emotional hook and is by far the most memorable aspect of the series. (Aoi Yuuki’s superb voice-acting doesn’t hurt, either.)

I’m probably going to give it a couple more episodes to see where it goes.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 6.