New Anime Series – Page 14

ISUCA

(10 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a supernatural action manga series.

Characters

Shinichiro, our generic male lead. A completely unremarkable high school student. He’s even got the mandatory perverted best friend to make him look better.

Sakuya, a classmate of his that goes around shooting shape-shifting nasties with a bow and arrows. Apparently her family has been doing this for many generations. She gets progressively more annoyed as Shinichiro keeps getting in her way. Especially regarding…

Tamako, a catgirl (with a maid outfit in the credits) who is NOT the gigantic feline going around killing students. That’s a completely distinct monster, and Sakuya would have executed Tamako by mistake if Shinichiro hadn’t jumped to her defense.

The cast list includes an actual character named Isuca, but she’s yet to show up (or her significance to be explained).

Production Values

This is from studio Arms, and as usual for them this is borderline softcore porn. The pervert camera is on full force here. Mind you, I’m pretty sure Sakuya getting heavy clothing damage and magically raped during the climactic fight scene were in the source material too.

And of course there’s some clumsy censorship for the TV broadcast.

Overall Impression

Remember how I was saying that this season was pretty good, with at worst a few very boring and generic light novel adaptations ? As it turns out, the token creepy fanservice-fest just decided to premiere late. (Not that it really impacts on the season’s overall quality.)

Even disregarding the problematic content, this show has very little going for it : the characters are one-dimensional, the basic plot is nothing special and has been done better elsewhere, and the tone is all over the place (going from “comedy” hijinks to gruesome horror and back). Aside from having some relatively decent animation, it’s terrible on just about every level.

Really don’t bother with this one.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Winter 2015 – Page 2.

#34 : Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of an urban fantasy shojo manga series. With vampires !

Characters

The heroes are part of an agency that regulates the undead living hidden in our world. They’re undead themselves, of course. (And nearly all handsome dudes, because shojo.) Most of the time this is just boring paperwork, but sometimes field agents are required to intervene.

Tsuzuki is one such field agent. Apparently so annoying and obnoxious that he just can’t keep partners. Not that he looks so awful in this episode to me, but maybe he coworkers know something I don’t.

Hisoka is a newbie who’s been assigned as his new partner ; it’s mutual irritation at first sight. The fact that he looks 16 (having died at that age) and Tsuzuki often treats him as such doesn’t help.

Our first case of the season involves a vampire serial killer in the area they’re assigned to ; cue their squabbling while investigating it.

Production Values

Decent enough, but those are very “modern shojo” character designs indeed, all angles.

Overall Impression

Hmmm. There’s some entertaining stuff here, especially the quirky premise… but the execution feels slightly lacking ; I can’t quite pinpoint it (the leads not being that charismatic ? the lack of suspense ? the case of the week not being very interesting ?), but it just doesn’t grab me.

Maybe it’s the all-male cast (aside from the baddie) rubbing me the wrong way. I don’t think I’m the target audience.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 9

#33 : Hand Maid May

(10 episodes + 1 special)

What’s it about ?

Wait, we didn’t get a “Magical Girlfriend” series yet ? Only “Magical Baby” & “Magical Roommate” ? This is an oversight that MUST be fixed post-haste, whatever the cost.

Characters

Kazuya, our nerdy protagonist, is a college student with a heavy interest in electronics. To the point of spending most of his nights tinkering (and sleeping during classes).

Kasumi, his childhood friend and the assistant landlady of his apartment complex. She keeps checking on him way more than strictly necessary, often entering through the window. I doubt the way she’s completely immodest in his presence is entirely innocent.

Nambara, his “rival” (Kazuya couldn’t care less), who keeps trying to upstage him and/or cause him harm. He’s a moron, but with enough money to be a nuisance ; and apparently in 2000 the old “virus on a disc” trick still worked.

Bizarrely Nambara’s virus might have actually connected to a “real” website, as Kazuya nearly immediately receives a package. (And if you believe that was a real delivery woman, I have a bridge to sell you.) Inside : the titular May, a small android maid. Somehow Kazuya isn’t bothered by not having passed any order, and just takes her in stride.

Production Values

Hello, fanservice ! Kasumi all but throws herself at Kazuya, and the camera loves to perv on her. As well as on May, of course.

… Although, really, it’s a bit more tasteful and restrained than I expected at first. They didn’t even clarify whether Kazuya jury-rigged the recharging USB cable into the front or the back slot.

Overall Impression

Sigh. There are a few decent jokes in here, but most of it felt stale or downright nonsensical. (Nambara’s antics were especially painful.) And despite it being the whole premise, relatively little is made out of May yet. The show just doesn’t manage to sell her as the catalyst for any semi-interesting stories, and that’s a problem. It’s almost like the show is too shy or embarrassed by its premise, and that just won’t fly for an ecchi series. Especially when the main cast is so forgettable.

I have no interest in watching any more of this.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 9

#32 : Brigadoon : Marin & Melan

(26 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Hey, it’s Sunrise making another flavour of mecha anime ! How surprising ! (Here’s, it’s a crossover with the mons genre.)

Characters

Marin, our protagonist, is a very energetic and cheerful middle-schooler. Also, an orphan, living with her grandma and helping out the finances by working part-time jobs such as delivering newspapers. With a bit of collateral damage, or course.

I could do without so much screentime being spent on the “joke” of bullies lifting up her skirt and embarrassing her. (It’s as unsexy as possible, but still.) But apparently it’s plot relevant, as a giant spaceship then starts blocking the skies, and a killer robot makes a beeline for her. Cue long chase scene.

Melan is another robot she activates accidentally (its small “at rest” form was hidden in a shrine she crashed into) ; it’s very polite and effortlessly destroyed the attacker. And he’ll be sticking around, as the next-episode preview promises more evil robots showing up in a quick succession.

Production Values

Quite good, and very colourful. Some unusual shading work, too, as we get spots of white to show off light instead of darker shades. It’s a bright series. And of course you can always rely on Sunrise to make mecha look good.

Overall Impression

Hum. On the one hand, there are many lovely bits of cartooning here. It showcases two different bike chase-scenes, and yet they never get repetitive nor boring.

The problem is that Marin leaves me entirely cold. I find her perpetual cheerfulness more annoying than endearing. So a whole series of her and her pet mecha fighting drones with little personality isn’t a prospect I find particularly attractive.

I’m probably just a bit too old for this.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 9

#31 : Strange Dawn

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

The old “teenagers transported to a parallel world” classic.

Characters

Our two protagonists, Yuko and Eri, are ordinary highschoolers who have no clue how or why they’re now suddenly in these semi-desertic lands. Eri is the quiet one, and a bit of a wet blanket ; Yuko is the archetypal “bad girl”, superficial and rude. I get the impression they weren’t particularly close before this.

The world is inhabited by a number of “little people”, divided into clans waging guerilla warfare against each other. One clan we see is outright aggressive, while the other welcomes Yuko & Eri as the Big Saviours that will surely help tip the war into their favour.

At least, that’s what Shall, their MVP, strongly believes ; a good chunk of the tribe are more skeptical, especially as the girls are bemused and not very cooperative.

And let’s be honest : aside from being several sizes taller than the locals, it’s not like our girls hold any particular advantage, do they ? Sure, they can frighten an unaware enemy commando team by just screaming and waving their arms around, but I doubt those smoke and mirrors going to be effective for long. What is it the little people see in the Big Saviours, really ? Where do their legends even come from, anyway ?

Production Values

Lovely. There’s some quite good animation for the action sequences, and I like the rather distinctive designs for the little people, with proportions quite unlike real human beings.

Overall Impression

This was quite a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be. A lot of it owes to Yuko & Eri feeling so real ; they’re not even particularly likeable (Yuko is a brat and Eri would apologize to her own shadow for bumping into it), but they behave like actual teenagers and have some good chemistry together. I’m also intrigued by the choice to start off with them already there, with no flashback yet as to how they got transported or what their life was like before. (And their personalities are strong enough for some guesses to be made by the audience.)

The little society is also interesting to watch, and I’m always up for fantasy politics. So I’m definitely coming back to this show later on. It’s a nice surprise.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 8

#30 : Hamtaro

(296 episodes)

What’s it about ?

The adventures of a pet hamster and his furry friends, adapted from a children’s manga series that’s still running.

Characters

Hamtaro, our protagonist. Tends to escape a lot from his cage, as he likes to explore his surroundings. Easily makes friends.

His owner is a nice little girl who just moved into a new neighbourhood and doesn’t get much screentime yet. I’m sure she and her family will have room for more characterization later on.

Oxnard, a goofy other hamster who lives in the neighbourhood and apologizes a lot.

“Boss”, a “field hamster” who built his own little underground nest nearby. He’s a bit gruff, but seems nice enough once you get to know him. He’s in love with…

Ribbon, a cute hamster who lives in a house nearby. She doesn’t get any lines as Boss tries romancing her through the window… but it looks like it’s Hamtaro who caught her eye. (Also, her owner makes friends with Hamtaro’s in a subplot.)

Production Values

Perfectly alright. On the other hand, this is another show where I could only get the English localization… which clocks at 17 minutes instead of the usual 22. Even accounting for the absence of OP & ED sequences, it still makes me suspect some cuts were made… Although nothing immediately noticeable.

Overall Impression

That was quite cute. I can see how it got successful enough to run for six years : it’s well made, the characters are fun to follow, and it has none of the lowbrow humour you often get from kids’ shows. Even this setup episode was entertaining enough.

But not enough for me to commit to watching nearly 300 episodes. It’s good at what it does, but I’m not really the audience for it.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 7

#27 : NieA_7 (NieA under 7)

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a doujinshi manga by Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiment Lain, Haibane Renmei). It seems a lot of the Lain staff worked on this to cool off.

Characters

Mayuko, our protagonist, is a teenager who can barely make ends meet. She lives in the attic of a bath-house she works a bit at to pay the rent. She’ll spend much time and effort looking for discounted food. And that’s why she’s more than a bit annoyed by the antics of…

NieA, the freeloading alien who lives in her closet. (Aside from the pointy ears, she’s mostly humanoid.) She’s one of the many aliens whose mothership crashed on Earth some years ago ; most of which are now living in ghettos. Obviously they have no clue of how to get home, although NieA is technically proficient enough to scrounge together a working small flying saucer out of scraps… It’s just too bad it needs to be connected to a ground line for power.

Chiaki, a classmate of Mayuko’s. Now, the latter’s not big on socializing (even having a drink is a luxury she can’t afford), but Chiaki is persistent enough not to care. She’s an UFO nerd who’s delighted to learn about NieA.

Production Values

Despite being subtitled “domestic poor @nimation”, this looks great ; tons of little details in the animation and the background that makes everyone look like real people. Yes, even the aliens.

Overall Impression

This is a great little show. It’s clearly a blatant metaphor for “immigrants are just people, too !”, but there’s nothing wrong with carrying a strong positive message. Especially when the series is built on fun characters whose hijinks have great comedic timing.

This is every bit as good as I was hoping for given its pedigree, and I’m definitely planning on watching it in full soon.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 7

#26 : Ceres – Celestial Legend (Ayashi no Ceres)

(24 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of an urban fantasy manga series, by the creator of Fushigi Yuugi.

Characters

Do you know of the tale of Ceres, the angel who got captured by some guy and was forced to marry him ? How romantic ! And totally the kind of story you tell a girl when she’s just a toddler.

Aya, our protagonist, still starts off as a perfectly normal high school girl. She’s got generic friends, goes to karaoke, and so on. Sure, a kooky old fortune teller predicts her doom and she’s been having creepy dreams, but that’s teenage life, right ?

Aki, her twin brother. They bicker quite a bit, but it’s clear they do care for each other.

There’s a mysterious dude who miraculously saves her from being run down by a car after falling from an overpass. And of course by the time she finds her wits to thank him, he’s already disappeared.

Then, on their 16th birthday, Aya & Aki are suddenly brought to a huge family gathering. Every single distant uncle and aunt is there, looking grim and saying nothing. It’s more than a bit spooky, and looks more like a cult than a birthday celebration. A box is given to them… and suddenly Aya gets shivers and just can’t open it. Aki opens it in her stead… it’s some mummified hand that explodes and shlashes him, drawing blood.

Gramps announces that AKI is thus the True Chosen Heir of Ceres, and the now useless Aya must die.

… Okay, I did not see this twist coming.

Production Values

Oh, hello again, studio Pierrot ! I see you’re still having trouble putting any actual animation in your shows.

… Which is a shame, since there’s some actual directing skill at work here, trying its best to extract tense and moody atmosphere out of a lacking budget.

(Also, no fanservice worth mentioning.)

Overall Impression

Hmm. The crappy animation is very distracting indeed. On the other hand, I’m quite intrigued by the premise, and the seemingly effortless way the show quickly builds up an oppressive and eery mood. As such, I’m curious on where this is going.

I’m a bit on the fence here ; I guess a lot depends on whether the anime got a proper ending resolving the plot. There’s a decent chance of that (it started to air just after the manga concluded), but I wouldn’t be averse to some confirmation.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 6

#25 : Love Hina

(24 episodes + various OVAs & specials)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of one of the now “classic” harem romantic comedy manga series.

Characters

Keitarou, our hapless protagonist, has yet to enter college despite turning 20. Part of the problem is that he’s applying to the prestigious Tokyo university that’s way beyond his reach. This is because he’s trying to be faithful to a promise he made with a girl as a kid, and this is the place they’re supposed to meet again. (His parents wish he would wise up.)

The plot kicks off when his grandma decides to stop running her lodging house, and brings him in as a replacement. The current tenants aren’t too pleased (especially with the tons of ridiculous misunderstandings before he can even introduce himself), but eventually give him a chance. They are :
– Naru, clearly our lead romantic contender, and already displaying plenty of tsundere chemistry with him. Also trying to enter the same university, except she’s actually good enough to have a good chance at it. (Odds of her being the childhood friend : very high.)
– Mitsune, the one obsessed with money ; her interest perked up when, like everyone else but Naru, she mistakenly understands that Keitarou is already in that university and on the fast track to a successful life.
– Motoko, the tall taciturn beauty with tons of fangirls.
– Kaolla, the weird little tanned blonde who just does random stuff.

As explained by Haruka, his aunt who barely has time to give a bit of a helping hand, there’s little choice here : either the tenants reluctantly accept a male manager, or there’s just nobody left to run the place and it just closes down.

Shinobu, a “normal” girl Keitarou runs into in the neighbourhood. Presumably she joins the regular cast later on.

Production Values

Decent enough. There’s a weird ethereal atmosphere throughout, as not only does Keitarou keeps daydreaming all the time, but also for some reason the town keeps being shrouded in fog, with weird old dudes being a bit creepy.

As the lodging house includes a hot springs, expect a good amount of fanservice.

Overall Impression

Well, this was pleasant enough. All of the basic elements have been done dozens of time, but there’s nothing wrong with using them, provided it’s done properly and with enough energy. And that’s the case here ; I was reasonably entertained.

And hey : it’s Love Hina ; it’s the kind of show so famous I feel like I should have seen them already. And this first episode was okay enough for me to have no qualms with finally getting on that sometimes in the next few months.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 5

#24 : Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

(224 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of that shonen manga featuring a children’s card game… Wait, no. Initially, the manga featured a variety of games, and the 1998 anime series reflected that ; it’s only later on that the “Duel Monsters” cardgame took center stage, and this sequel increased that emphasis even more.

I’m breaking my rule on sequels to give this one a full review, due to its cultural relevance. I mean, I’ve seen enough parody abridged versions of this that it would be silly not to try and have a proper look at it.

Characters

Yugi, our kid protagonist with absurd hair, is really fond of this Duel Monsters cardgame ; it helps that his grampa runs a shop selling it and gave him some rather rare cards. There’s no explanation whatsoever for why Yugi gets a transformation sequence that makes him look much meaner and kick more ass at the game halfway through. Or why he’s got this Mind Crush psychic attack to deal with villains once he’s won against them.

He has a few friends : Jonouchi, who is at least shown playing the game early on (although after that he does nothing but cheer on Yugi) ; Honda, who contributes nothing ; and Anzu, who as a girl gets to make a speech about friendship.

Seto Kaiba, one of their classmates, is definitely Not A Friend : he wants to steal and destroy Yuki’s grampa’s super-super-rare card so that himself will be the only player to own any. Also, he owns a massive corporation that gives him access to goons to back him up, and he’s a technological genius who’s designed a holographic system that makes card battles slightly less boring to watch.

For someone who initially looks like a major deal, Kaiba is defeated quite early on ; a new villain with a fancy monocle makes a cameo at the end.

Production Values

Okay-ish, I guess ; the soundtrack makes a game attempts at instilling a bit of atmosphere and tension early on, but nothing can make the card battles entertaining once they’ve started.

Overall Impression

So, yeah. There’s no getting around the fact that Duel Monsters is a very boring game, especially as the rules had yet to be solidified and balanced by any kind of physical release ; it’s basically a very boring game of ~~Kamoulox~~ Calvinball where each turn is basically “see the new attack I’m pulling out of my ass damaging you !” It’s immediately tedious, and a chore to watch.

What’s more striking is the total absence of any explanation of Yugi’s status quo. I know it because of popculture osmosis (and having watched a good chunk of Abridged Series), but you’d think re-establishing the “possessed by a Pharaoh’s spirit” setup would have been a priority for this sequel. Ahah, no, the new viewer is left without any clue to this stuff, aside from Yugi’s bizarre super-powers. That’s a puzzling exposition failure.

Since watching paint dry is more entertaining than any Duel Monsters match, I think I’ll keep to the Abridged Series, thank you.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000 – Page 5