2012 Q3 – Summer – Page 2

Love, Election & Chocolate (Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Bog-standard high-school-set dating sim adaptation.

Characters & plot

This series goes out of its way to hit all of the genre’s clichés : the generic male protagonist, the obnoxious childhood friend who drags him out from bed, her obvious romantic rival, the gay option, the pint-sized genius, the alcoholic teacher…

The plot involves the student council president stepping down and an election being held to replace him ; unfortunately, the leading candidate is a ball-busting penny-pincher who wants to dissolve all the useless clubs, such as a Sweets Club the main characters belong to. And her only credible opponent is a corrupt jerk. So our male lead gets drafted by the club into being an outsider candidate…

There’s also a weird pre-credits subplot about the resident newspaper newshound getting the scoop on shady dealings and become the victim of a hit-and-run for her trouble.

Production Values

Average. The school does have some nifty near-future technology, the most pointless of which must be the awesome self-folding tables in the Sweets Club. No wonder some people would want to cut on the spending a bit…

Overall Impression

You know what ? I kinda enjoyed watching this. Sure, it’s a cliché-storm that brings absolutely nothing new to the table, but there’s some self-aware charm to it. Maybe it’s because Yuuichi Nakamura lends his usual charisma to the male lead ? (God knows he’s the main reason I found Clannad watchable…) Maybe it’s the hints that the corruption subplot is actually going somewhere ? Or the bits of weirdness such as the protagonist’s “truth-vision” ?

Okay, show, you got my attention. Don’t waste it.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 10.

Natsuyuki Rendez-vous

(11 episodes)

What’s it about ?

A romantic comedy between adults, which is a rare occurence indeed. Adapted from a josei manga, obviously.

Characters

Hazuki, our protagonist. He’s taken a shine to the florist down the street, and has become a bit of a stalker. Buying a new plant every weekday, applying for the part-time job… Now, if only he had the guts to say out loud half of his snarky narration, he might have a chance.

Rokka, the florist. Frankly, she doesn’t make that much of an impression beyond “cute and sad”, as we mostly see her through Hazuki’s eyes.

Atsushi, her husband. Who casually walks around half-naked in her house just to put Hazuki off. And it would have worked if the latter hadn’t learned that the former has been dead for three years. Yep, he’s a ghost.

Also in this episode are the former part-timer (going off abroad to be married) and Atsushi’s sister, who comes around on weekends to lend a hand in the shop. But they’re mostly there to provide some gentle exposition.

Production Values

Quite good, and there’s some good visual jokes of Atsushi just floating around. Gorgeous ED, too.

Overall Impression

I was all ready to ignore the noitaminA show that isn’t about talking yeast, but this is actually quite good. Yuuichi Nakamura lends his usual charisma to our male lead, and makes for a fun double act with Jun Fukuyama. The “ghost” setup is a lot of fun too, and I like that the plot doesn’t seem to be wasting any time.

Definitely a keeper.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 10.

Binbougami ga!

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Comedy about a Misfortune God harassing a high school girl. Or is it the other way around ?

Characters

Momiji, the Poverty God. Well, presumably one of many, as we open with her boss giving her a new assignment. She does not seem to enjoy her job too much, although her new “victim” did strike a nerve. (I say “victim” in the loosest of senses, given how Momiji kinda reminds me of Wile E. Coyote.)

Ichiko, an ultra-rich, ultra-popular, F-chested high-school girl. She knows it, and enjoys it tremendously, thank you. Calling her an entitled jerk would be an understatement. (I have to say I’ve been enjoying Kana Hanazawa’s career twice as much since she started getting those bitchy roles ; her venom tongue is a pleasure to listen to.) The plot here is that she’s actually leeching off the good fortune from everyone around her, hence why she’s got so much. Momiji’s job is to resolve the situation.

Suwano, her butler. He’s mostly there to provide Ichiko with an emotional bond… although even that isn’t taken too seriously by the show.

Some of Ichiko’s classmates are given enough prominence in the OP that they’ll probably be important later on, but not yet.

Production Values

Not very good, but the direction is solid enough to sell the jokes.

Overall Impression

Look, a comedy that’s actually funny ! Okay, it’s not without problems (the random popculture jokes, such as Momiji randomly starting to talk like Lupin III for a couple of sentences, sometimes fall flat), but it’s got enough energy and good comedic timing to work. It helps that the two main voice-actresses have amazing chemistry together and can pull off the rapid-fire jokes and multiple tone changes.

“From the makers of Gintama and Daily Lives of High School Boys” had my hopes up, and I’m glad not to be disappointed.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 10.

Poems of Love (Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi)

What’s it about ?

Remember Chihayafuru last year, about that card game based on 100 classic Japanese poems ? This is a (very liberal) adaptation of those poems. At least, the ones about love stories. Which is about half of them, so that’s plenty enough material.

(Adapted from a very popular josei manga.)

Characters & Plot

Fujiwara no Teika, the dude who’s supposed to have compiled the 100 poems, serves as our host for what is basically an anthology series. I like his sense of humour, for what little we see of it. (And it’s nice to have Yuki Kaji in snarky mode for a change.)

There are two tales here. The first one involves the lower-class Ariwara no Narihira seducing Fujiwara no Takaiko, who’s set to marry to Emperor soon, and thus doesn’t have time for such dalliance. You’ve seen this story thousands of times before, but this one works thanks to Narihira’s incredible charm and impeccably smooth technique, and Takaiko’s very genuine reactions.

The second tale is about his brother Ariwara no Yukihira’s happy marriage, and it doesn’t really go anywhere. It seems to be mostly an excuse to flesh Narihira’s backstory out a bit.

I have no clue whether we’re going to see any of those characters (besides our host) again later. I kinda doubt it, as I seem to recall the 100 poems having been written over a span of several centuries.

Production Values

This is a very good-looking series, with thick outlines and several other design choices contributing to make it look a bit like ancient Japanese paintings.

The ED features rapping. Of course it does.

Overall Impression

There is a lot to like here : it’s gorgeous, the dialogue is very well-written indeed, and the characters have a lot of life in them.

But… It’s an anthology of archetypal love stories. There’s a big risk of them quickly starting to repeat themselves. One of them this episode is already lackluster, and I really doubt this is going to keep my interest for long.

Still, I’ll at least try to stick with it for one more episode. Maybe they’ll find a way for it sustain itself for the long run ?

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 10.

Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse

What’s it about ?

Okay, this is a strange one. Muv-Luv, as the name implies, started off as a generic dating-sim game, with an unlockable second storyline set in an alternate world where humanity uses mecha to fight off an alien invasion. Several sequels and spin-offs in other media later, we now have this anime : a straight “mecha vs. aliens” show with no dating-sim elements in sight anywhere.

Characters

Yui Takamura, our protagonist, is the daughter of one of the elite Japanese families in charge of Japan’s defense against the aliens ; so of course she goes to mecha pilot school. So far, she looks mostly personality-free, but then this first episode seemed much more interested in worldbuilding than characterization.

The only of her classmates to get any actual focus is the broody rival-type that I can’t remember the name of, and can’t find on any cast list. Between this, the fact that her rivalry with Yui seems resolved at breakneck speed within minutes of its introduction, and the general contempt of the hardened soldiers against those teenage rookie pilots, I get the horrible feeling that most of them are going to die next episode to free Yui up so that she can interact with the characters who actually are on the cast listings (and have yet to make any appearance).

Did I mention that the whole class of mecha pilots is female ? This, together from the skintight plugsuits, seems to be the only trace left of the franchise’s origins so far.

Production Values

Quite good ; it’s got enough budget to make the mecha battles look good, and the aliens a credible threat.

Overall Impression

There’s no way a mecha show should be this boring, but it is. Maybe because it’s far too concerned with setting up its world to bother with any actual characters, and thus leaves us with nobody to root for. It doesn’t help that a lot of the plot feels recycled from other (better) sources, and the show does nothing to breathe any life into the stock elements.

I’m giving this one more episode to change my mind, but I’m not hopeful.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 7.

Tari Tari

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Slice-of-life high-school series.

Characters

Miyamoto, clumsy and awkward long-time member of the Choir club, who has been clearly told by the club advisor there’s no way she’s performing at the next festival after the fracas she caused during the last one. So she’s going to start her own Choir club ~~with blackjack, and hookers~~. She just needs 4 more members… (And another advisor. And to somehow get through the paperwork and the bureaucracy.)

Okita, her upper-class best friend, is the obvious choice. Never mind that she’s busy with the archery club and has little regard for her own singing voice.

Sakai, the brooding loner who transferred in recently, is suggested by their homeroom teacher so that she can open up a bit. Not that she’s enthusiastic about the prospect.

I’ve got no clue why Tanaka, the lone member of the Badminton club, would want to join, but he’s bound to at some point given all the focus on him this episode. Ditto for the brand new transfer student from Austria, who learned everything about Japan from books.

Production Values

Gorgeous, with impressive scenery porn, detailed background work and expressive body language animation. (Remember Hanasaku Iroha ? Same studio.)

Overall Impression

On the one hand, it’s nice to see PA Works going back to basics after the disastrous experiment that was Another. Slice-of-life is what they’re good at. But on the other hand, this is a really generic slice-of-life high-school story that only the quality of the execution makes rise above the crop. It’s perfectly pleasant and grows on you after a while, but hardly outstanding.

But hey, this isn’t the right season to be picky ; I’ll take it.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 7.

Humanity Has Declined (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

The most cheerful post-apocalyptic series you’ll ever watch.

Characters

Our unnamed protagonist lives in a small rural village as a mediator to the fairies, on behalf of the UN. This basically makes her in charge of the female population here, mostly by virtue of having a clue and not being afraid of abusing her authority.

She lives with her grampa, a scientist also studying the fairies. And he’s very obviously calling the shots in the village, for about the same reasons.

The locals seem to suffer from a severe case of the stupids, and are barely able to function anymore. It’s funny until starvation because of their own incompetence becomes a plot point.

Fortunately there’s the fairies… and whoever’s running the mysterious FairyCo that’s been dropping free (awful-tasting) food recently.

Production Values

Well, that’s a good way to make a post-apocalyptic setting very creepy indeed : over-saturated bright colours everywhere, and the more pink the better. And that’s before the headless chicken start showing up, or the action moves to the utterly absurd FairyCo factory.

Overall Impression

Warning : this show doesn’t bother to explain anything about its setting : why has humanity declined ? Is this village typical of the world ? What state is the UN in ? (Our protagonists don’t seem to have access to any technology or outside help.) What’s with the fairies ? Indeed, it seems to revel in the explosive decompression of throwing the viewer into this strange land, even spending a lot of time on pointing out that our heroine just had her hair cut for undisclosed reasons and not being comfortable with it : is there any significance to it ?

Fortunately, we have a strongly-defined central character to latch onto, with enough shrewdness and cynicism to compensate for the braindead villagers. What prevents her from being obnoxious is that she doesn’t really get away with it, thanks to her grandfather’s vigilance.

But what really sets this series apart is the sharp contrast between the sugar-coated presentation and the very black humour at its core (the bleeding bread scene in particular has perfect comedic timing). There’s also a strong sense that it knows exactly where it’s going and the haphazard pacing is deliberate.

Somehow, this looks like one of the most original and refreshing shows of the summer. (Yes, more than that one with the talking yeast.) Very worth checking out.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 6.

La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

The super-powered henchmen of a mafia family having a contest to see who gets to be the new head and marry his daughter… you’ve guessed it : it’s a male-harem shoujo action-romance.

Characters

Felicita, the daughter, at least seems to have a personality (and combat skills), and obviously doesn’t like this “marrying her off to the winner” idea one bit. But hey, she can participate too !

Liberta, the Fool (they all have powers patterned after tarot cards). He’s our “sympathetic” male lead, although mostly he’s a moron with no impulse control. It takes all of Jun Fukuyama’s natural charm to make him not too punchable.

Nova, his natural rival, straight-arrow and humourless. Well, at least he agrees with Liberta and agrees not to marry Felicita if he manages to win.

We get a bit of insight into some of the other guys too : the big bald right-hand man who uses a bazooka as a weapon of choice, the quirky epicurian, the hopeless guy who was in charge of raising Felicita, the smug asshole in sunglasses who’s sure to win if he takes the contest seriously…

And of course there’s “Papa”, a strong contender for the “Father of the Year” award. (Bonus points for being voiced by Fuhimiko Tachiki.) I half-suspect the whole thing is a setup to toughen Felicita up so that she can take over the clan, but I may be giving him too much credit.

Production Values

About okay, with fluid fight scenes (this is JC Staff, after all).

Overall Impression

This is slightly better than I expected. The action prologue suffers a bit by trying to introduce nine major characters in way too small an amount of time, but it flows more naturally later on. Similarly, the exposition about everyone’s power starts clunky and gets a bit better as it goes.

But the most interesting point here is that the show seems intent in portraying Felicita as a character of her own, and not just a stand-in for the female viewer. The narrative has her on an equal footing with the dudes, and I really hope this will keep.

… And then the next-episode-preview had to ruin it all by promising pulse-pounding “our three leads searching for a cat” action. WTF ? We don’t need a breather episode already, and this doesn’t bode well.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 5.

Campione!

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Magical battles set in Italy, with just a hint of romantic comedy.

Characters

Godou, our generic Japanese male lead. He was sent in Italy to deliver a package by his grandfather (who turns out to be a vey powerful mage who really got around). He randomly crashes into…

Erica, who for some reason walks around in a ludicrous “period” red dress. (Even curiouser : for magical battles she switches into something more comfortable and decent.) She’s a witch (with battle maid in tow) who immediately takes an interest in the package, apparently a super-powerful artefact that can steal gods’ powers. Which is handy, considering how there are more than a few roaming around.

Verethragna, a super-powerful and super-arrogant kid who’s so powerful he’s going around challenging other gods because he’s curious what defeat feels like (so far, no luck).

… And that’s how, by the end of the episode, Godou acquires god-level power. (That’s not a spoiler, his inner monologue states it at the very beginning.)

Production Values

I watched the eyebleed-o-vision streaming pre-air version of the episode, so it’s a bit hard to judge, but the magical battles feel very generic and uninspired.

Overall Impression

The obvious comparison here is with Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, and that’s not exactly to this show’s advantage ; the characters feel very generic (Erica in particular alternates between stale charmless antics and exposition mouthpiece), the plot hangs on some very big coincidences and doesn’t flow too well (special points to the first magical battle just stopping off-screen for no obvious reason), and the worldbuilding feels quite by-the-numbers.

(Also, I can’t take Fuhimiko Tachiki’s narration seriously when he uses the same boisterous tone as for Katte ni Kaizou, which was a clear parody of this sort of thing.)

You never know, this might develop some charm later on, but it hardly looks promising so far. I’m not even sure I’ll bother with a second episode.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012 – Page 4.

Kingdom

(38 episodes)

What’s it about ?

War epic set in medieval China.

The first episode is double-sized, which I didn’t initially notice until the second commercial break.

Characters

Xin, an 10-year-old war orphan who’s housed by the village’s mayor. They don’t treat him well, but then again he’s an annoying little jerk with anger issues. (I’m not sure that scene when he demolishes a wall out of frustration is intentionally funny.)

Piao, his BFF who’s in the same situation but gets better treatment because he’s, you know, not an jerk. The guy has some genuine charisma, so of course he can’t survive the first episode’s halfway point.

The plot here is that a random noble dude shows up one day to pick Piao to serve at the Court. Months later, Piao comes back heavily wounded to the village and dies without having had time to explain what the heck is happening. Xin obviously declares vengeance and starts following the map Piao gave him.

The baddies are headed by the King’s younger brother, a classist asshole who has a total innocent executed just to make a point. He’s making a power play, and somehow this led to Piao’s demise. (The first episode doesn’t explain how or why, although the ending cliffhanger gives a good hint.)

Production Values

This seems to be fully CG-animated, with copious amounts of cell-shading to give it a more traditional anime look. The big problem is that the body language very often lurches into uncanny valley territory, as the characters are animated to move in really unnatural ways.

It doesn’t help that the direction is mind-bogglingly incompetent. Remember when I reviewed 2001’s Run=Dim last year ? Well, this falls into the same trap : yes, CG graphics allow the camera to pan over or around the action without losing quality ; but this isn’t a good reason to show it off at every opportunity, especially when this effect actually often hinders the storytelling of the shot.

And then there’s the continuity issues. It’s most hilarious in the early duel scene between the two kids, where the grass grows from merely a texture laid on flat terrain to knee-deep over a few shots.

Overall Impression

Okay, let’s leave aside for a moment the terrible graphics and the laughably inept direction. There’s no helping that the story just isn’t very good by itself, with an annoying brainless protagonist, EEEEVIL villains who can’t even chew the scenery properly, and a general level of unpleasantness that’s just tiring to watch. (Did that guy really need to sword that kid through the balls ?)

Even for the trainwreck factor this isn’t worth 45 minutes of your time.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2012.