New Anime Series – Page 24

Ping Pong – The Animation

(11 episodes, noitaminA)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a sports manga that ran for a year in 1996-97. Also got a live-action movie a decade ago. Not exactly the most obvious choice for an adaptation, but there’s been weirder greenlights this season.

Characters

“Peco”, the annoyingly smug asshole who skips half the high school club’s training sessions. He’s quite good and does have some charisma, but he certainly deserves a punch in the face.

“Smile”, his best friend (or so it’s said, they barely interact at all here), the taciturn analytical genius who stays in the background. (He never smiles, of course.)

“China”, the transfer student, who used to play in the big leagues in his country, and sees his transfer as a humiliating demotion. This whole club is beneath him, he effortlessly trounces Peco… but Smile does catch his attention.

Production Values

The core selling point here is the name of director Masaaki Yuasa (Kaiba, Tatami Galaxy, Kick-Heart…). It certainly looks like nothing else, with a distinctive super-kinetic style and impressively animated matches.

Overall Impression

The problem is that the show leaves me completely cold. Sure, there’s a lot of technical skill at play here, but there’s very little to latch onto emotionnally until China shows up halfway through to liven things up. Even then, I found the main characters very unlikeable, and it’s going to be an uphill battle to make me care about what happens to them.

This is a caricature of a good chunk of noitaminA shows : an artsy ambitious project that nobody would want to watch. I’ll give it one more episode to turn my opinion around, but it’s on thin ice.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Is the Order a Rabbit? (Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?)

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

A full-length adaptation of a 4-panel workplace-sitcom manga.

Characters

Cocoa, our bubbly point-of-view character. She’s come to [whichever European-like city this is set in] to study, and gets to stay at the “Rabbit House” provided she pays her stay by working there. It’s a coffee house, with dozens of blends on the menu.

Chino, the deadpan head waitress, and the owner’s daughter. There’s a white bundle of fur, allegedly a rabbit, resting on her hair. (“Please do not touch it.”) Hence the title, as she mistakes Cocoa’s confusion for a client’s order.

Rize, the other waitress on duty that day, had a totally good reason for hiding half naked in a closet. And drawing out a gun at the slightest provocation. Sure she does.

Chino’s dad handles the evening shift, where the place becomes a bar. And apparently Grampa’s the rabbit-thing, but that’s a secret.

Production Values

Scenery porn ! And coffee porn, obviously. Very little actual fanservice, thankfully.

Overall Impression

Fluffy, pleasant, inoffensive, and immediately forgettable. It’s a nice and comfortable way to pass 22 minutes, but nothing to go out of your way for.

Still, it’s perfectly okay, and I may give it a couple more episodes.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution (Fuuun Ishin Dai☆Shogun)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

This is set in Japan in the middle of the 19th century, except there are tons of steampunk mecha around. Of course there are.

Characters

Keiichirou, our protagonist. A rowdy delinquant, he’s somehow managed to beat up every street gang in Nagasaki. Which annoys him, as everyone now admires the boss and there’s nobody left to fight. Also, he suddenly gets the news that the Tokugawa shogunate has fallen, and he’s a heir to it. Which means new many people trying to kill him. Joy !

Kiriko, a badass assassin in a skintight sexy outfit who has NOT come to kill him. Instead, she’s come to warn him, prevent some attempts to assassinate him, and tell him to use the super-mecha hidden in the basement. (“Wait, what ?”) Grandma (who’s also switched into a skintight ninja outfit, one of the few jokes that work) vouches for her, so she must be legit, eh ?

Houkouin, played by a Miyuki Sawashiro chewing acres of scenery, is our baddie for the week. She has her own mecha that she pilots to quasi-orgasmic delight. /facepalm

Production Values

Not very good ; there are many early scenes where it’s barely animated at all. Still, nice designs for the steampunk mecha.

Lots of fanservice, of course.

Overall Impression

Something I should make clear : the near entirety of the plot outlayed above happens in the last five minutes. Before that, the show is very, very boring indeed. The tediousness almost made me fell asleep, really. The quick successing of twists at the end is welcome and definitely not boring, but that doesn’t make the show actually any good. It’s still a nonsensical mess with annoying characters.

No thanks.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 7.

Chaika –The Coffin Princess- (Hitsugi no Chaika)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of series of fantasy light novels.

Characters

Toru, our teenage protagonist. There’s a bit of dissonance here as everyone believes he’s a lazy good-for-nothing despite not doing much to deserve that reputation. Except he suddenly turns into such a character halfway through the episode, but only when the story’s in “comedy” mode. As a result of this terrible writing, I have no clue what he’s really supposed to be like. He’s otherwise a decent fighter, especially when he shifts into super-mode.

Akari, his sister. Overbearing and constantly belittling him, although they do seem quite close. She can also shift into super-mode. (There’s no explanation whatsoever about how and why they can do this.)

Chaika, a mysterious girl who shows up carrying a coffin. There’s a super-magic-gun inside, and she knows how to use it. After Toru helps her out fighting off a pursuing beast, she hires the pair to “acquire” an item from the local prince. (It’s a severed hand.) Also, she’s utterly unable to form complete sentences, which is bloody annoying.

There’s another group who are after the item, and sent that beast after Chaika. Their motives are utterly opaque.

Production Values

Very bland, with a noticeable level of fanservice.

Overall Impression

This might have been more watchable if it wasn’t going out of its way to annoy me every few minutes. The writing is atrocious, with characters who are either inconsistent in their behaviour, or just impenetrable ; and I never get the sense the mysteries will have answers of any interest.

I just don’t care, and that’s the final nail on its coffin.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

No Game No Life

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a series of light novels starring a pair of NEETs being transported to a world where everything’s a game. Yay !

Characters

Sora, one of the two players behind “Blank”, a team of characters overpowering everyone in MMORPGs. Are they cheating ? Well, yeah, probably. Also, they’re NEETs who never leave their room, and stay in a constant state of sleep deprivation. He’s the face of the pair, and does have some charisma as a sarcastic bastard.

Shiro, his little sister, is the other half of the team. She’s an analytical genius, who can do stuff like memorize all possible chess board patterns and casually beat any computer program at the game. They work best as a pair, though ; he knows better how to handle actual players.

Tet, a “god” who suddenly transports them to his game world. They’re in no hurry to leave, as it’s much better than that shitty game called reality.

Stephanie, the heir of the local kingdom… Oh, wait, the late king willed the crown to be given out in a tournament, so she has to win to claim her inheritance. It doesn’t help that she’s terrible at playing games, and her opponent is a first-class cheater. Sora gives her a piece of advice out of pity ; it seems like she didn’t act on it, as she’s left naked by the end of the episode.

Production Values

There’s a nice effect at play for the game world : all the outlines are now red, and the colours have become oversaturated. That’s a good way to sell the otherworldly setting.

Overall Impression

It took a while to get the hang of the main duo, but by the episode’s end it turned out that I quite liked them. They’re obviously close (but thankfully not in the wrong way), they have some decent banter, and the way the con their way up the social ladder within minutes of getting into the gameworld is quite fun.

I’ll give it another episode to see if it goes anywhere.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

Soul Eater Not!

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a spin-off manga from Soul Eater. Not that the original series is required reading/watching : the premise is reintroduced from scratch, it focuses on new characters, and this seems to be set around the start of the main story anyway.

Characters

Tsugumi, a girl who discovers she’s a weapon. So she goes to ~~the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning~~ Death Weapon Meister Academy, where she can learn to control her newfound abilities and save the world. Sure, Death City and the academy are quite overwhelming as places, but she’ll be fine, eh ?

Meme, a weird girl who seems to have memory issues. She’s on track to become a “meister” (the people who wield the weapon-people, with totally no sexual subtext whatsoever to their teaming-up, no siree). She’s nearly immediately assaulted in the corridors by a couple of sleazy assholes ; Tsugumi, who had befriended her a bit, finds her resolve and runs back to help her.

Anya, a rich/noble girl who’s come to study as a meister and mingle with the plebeians. She can’t overlook the attack against Meme, so she offers to wield Tsugumi and get rid of the two jerks. They make a pretty good combo… which is a bit awkward, as Meme wants to partner up with Tsugumi too. That’s not the kind of triangle she was expecting to be in the middle of…

A good chunk of the original series’ cast drop in to make cameos. Of most significance : Maka, as the experienced upperclassman Tsugumi takes for a role model, and Pr Sid, who presides over the welcome course.

Production Values

It’s studio Bones, so of course it looks nice and the action sequences are impeccable, but as a whole it looks much more generic and ordinary than the Burton-esque original series. The jerk sun is still around, but it looks a bit alone. It’s especially weird as the plot still calls for demented designs – there’s a dude who can turn anything but his head into a knife !

Also, no more Taku Iwasaki music. The replacement’s not bad, but it’s just not the same.

Overall Impression

This is a nice angle for a spin-off ; the original series never really bothered with world-building, rarely giving any sense of how DWMA was supposed to work and fit into the world. Here it’s front and center, free from the constraints of any wider plot. I already get a much better understanding of DWMA than I ever did before ! (Like, that Death City is supposed to be in America.) And the new main characters form a good framework to explore all of this.

I’m on board.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

Black Bullet

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel set in a semi-apocalyptic future where super-powered teenagers are the main defense against a virus that transforms people into monsters.

Characters

Rentaro, our male lead. A badass fighter, his guns are loaded with bullets made of the rare metal that harms monsters. (Hence the title. How can he afford these ?) He’s part of one of the many small private companies that sell their anti-monster service to the authorities (who are otherwise complete redshirts).

Enju, his partner, looks 10 at best. The idea here is that she’s one of the “cursed children”, who got partially infected by the virus but resisted it enough (thanks to a heavy drug administration) that they can live a relatively normal life, and then more : they’ve got super-strength and are able to destroy the monsters at hand-to-hand combat. Aside from that, she’s an annoying brat with a crush on Rentaro.

Kisara, the head of the company, and his obvious love interest. Have I mentioned yet they’re both still attending high school ? (This is a very relaxed apocalypse indeed.)

The cast is rounded out by a creepy professor doing lab work in the basement. I don’t want to know what she’s cooking.

Oh, and then there’s Mysterious Masked Dude, who lurks around being ominously amoral.

Production Values

This is an action show, and the fights have some good animation indeed.

Overall Impression

This is quite competent on a scene-by-scene basis, but as a whole it doesn’t quite click for me. Is is the bizarre juxtaposition of the horror-style virus apocalypse and the mundane lifestyle of the protagonists ? Some of the characters being very annoying ? The clumsy exposition that’s often completely out of place ?

It hasn’t managed to make me care about these people. I’m not giving it another episode to change my mind.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a series of light novels parodying dating sim clichés.

(Apparently the official nickname for the series is “Gaworare”, following the Haganai model of nonsensical abbreviations that avoid any of the title’s keywords.)

Characters

Souta, our male lead. He’s afflicted with the ability to see “flags” above people’s heads : death flags, friendship flags, love flags, etc. They notify him of these people’s potential futures ; he goes out of his way to break all of them. Now, that makes sense for death flags, but his self-inflicted solitude reeks of a martyr complex.

Nanami, a girl in his class (who happens to be part of the royal family of a poor kingdom, but she doesn’t like to talk about it), is our actual viewpoint character throughout the episode. Because she’s nosy as heck, she quickly notices his strange behaviour and demands explanations, which he eventually gives. She calls him on his bullshit for avoiding any kind of friendship or love, and obviously can’t stop being fascinated by the weirdo.

Akane, a very rich girl who wants to become friends with Souta, and won’t take no for an answer. Nice visual gag with the friendship flags who keep sprouting faster than he can break them. (Has Ai Kayano swallowed a helium tank for this role ? Because seriously.)

Given what we see in the OP and ED sequences, tons of other girls are going to throw themselves at him.

Production Values

Thoroughly average, although it does get some decent visual gags out of the “flag” concept.

Overall Impression

The obvious comparison point here is NouCome, another light novel adaptation that poked fun at dating sims. The good news is that it’s a lot less obnoxious, letting the characters some room to breathe, and taking a relatively deadpan approach to the premise. The bad news is that it isn’t that funny, and the characters can’t avoid the shallowness required by the plot.

It’s watchable and mildly funny, but it’s going to have to step up its game if it wants to keep me.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 6.

Still, the World is Beautiful (Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii)

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

An adaptation of a shojo manga about fantasy politics, or something like that.

Characters

Nike, our female protagonist. As the fourth princess of the Rain kingdom (and the one who lost rock-paper-scissors), she’s been packed off to marry the Sun King, and thus broker peace between the two countries. She’s not very enthusiastic at the prospect, but it’s her duty so she’s damn well going to do it. She makes a point to arrive early and meet the people incognito to get a better handle of her new home. This might not have been the best-planned idea, as all the inns are full of soldiers (the Sun Kingdom has been expanding aggressively, and it shows), her Rain-money is worth next to nothing here, and port cities are full of traps for suckers.

Such as Those Two Morons, who quickly rob her in the night. Normally she’d have no problems dealing with them quickly (she’s got powerful control over winds, hence how her ship could arrive two days early), but she hasn’t eaten for a while and is out of stamina. Urgh. Well, at least it takes a while for TTM to get wind that there’s a hit on her from those sections of the Sun Kingdom who are unhappy with the marriage, so it takes them a while to get back on her trail.

She’d been rescued by the daughters of a relatively nice innkeeper, who offer her some (basic) food and (cramped) roof out of charity. When TTM show up and kidnap the elder daughter by mistake, she’s quick to find them and beat them up. (Apparently she manages to tame them enough to force them to give her a ride to the capital city, three days away.)

The Sun King, whom she eventually manages to get to, turns out to be a good-looking young man, instead of the bloodthirsty barbarian she was expecting. And he has made the kingdom a better place to live (irrigation systems, etc.) during the three years he’s been in charge. Anyway, this political marriage does have a greater purpose : it never rains over here, so could Nike please do something about it ?

Production Values

Perfectly alright.

There’s not much fanservice, mostly confined to a bizarre fourth-wall-breaking scene with Nike’s sisters.

Overall Impression

While I do have so mild interest in where the fantasy politics are going (it looks a bit too black & white so far, but let’s give it some time), the selling point here is Nike, who’s a very engaging protagonist. She carries the show here, and has the shoulders for it. She’s got agency (despite the premise), heart, and the bouts of selfishness and violence that round her out as a person. The show as a whole features some decent slapstick, although the occasional fourth-wall breaking feels a bit forced at times.

Still, there aren’t many shows featuring such a good female protagonist. That alone makes me want to stick with it at least for a while.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 3.

Captain Earth

(25 episodes)

What’s it about ?

A new original mecha project, from the people who brought you Star Driver.

It’s slightly less excentric.

Characters

Daichi, our teenage protagonist. He’s got tons of backstory, provided by many fragmentary flashbacks. The gist of it : (1) Dad was an Astronaut, and died years ago. (2) As a kid, Daichi was lurking around the space base, and found that there were some weird kids his age living inside. They fraternized, but he eventually got caught, and he never saw them again. Then Dad died and he left the island. Now, as an angsty teenager at the crossroads of his life, he’s come back. Just in time for an alien attack !

More specifically, the aliens come from the other end of the Solar System, and warp in one at a time with their mechas. With tons of sexual subtext. Daichi is “guided” to the mecha’s cockpit by the less talkative of the weird kids from back then ; since he wants to do something, and has heard that his dad was a “Captain” (i.e. probably already fighting aliens at the time), he accepts to step into the cockpit.

Which leaves Teppei, the other kid from back then, and the official pilot for the mecha, completely dumbfounded. Why is it already gone ?

There’s a hacker girl who finds all this stuff very interesting. As you would.

Production Values

Studio Bones always deliver impeccable work, but they went the extra mile for this one. There’s some impressive detail to the body language and visual slapstick that gives tons of personality to the kids in flashbacks.

Overall Impression

Well, this is certainly a very busy first episode, dropping tons of hints of what’s going on, and trusting the audience to follow along. That’s fine by me : there’s obviously been tons of thought put into the small details of the setting, so I have no problem with giving most of the screentime to the character-building, and leaving plot explanations for later on.

Now, the key question here is whether all this self-confident and well-executed storytelling is in service of a theme more complex than “he’s Captain Earth and he fight aliens”. Surely there’s more to it ? But it’s hard to tell yet.

There’s so much talent at play here that I’m willing to give it some rope, though.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2014 – Page 3.