New Anime Series – Page 51

La croisée dans un labyrinthe étranger (Ikoku Meiro no Croisée)

What’s it about ?

A young Japanese girl is brought to late-19th-century Paris to serve as a housemaid. Cue culture clash.

Characters

Yune, the Japanese girl, whose kimono are a complete style clash with the rest of the setting (not to mention somewhat unwieldy to walk around, as the show quickly proves). Apparently going abroad for months as a house servant is a traditional thing in her family (she’s moved to Paris entirely willingly). She’s initially presented as barely understanding any French, but we eventually learn she’s somewhat fluent in the language (which makes her presence somewhat less ludicrous).

Claude, a young blacksmith/sign-maker. He’s not hot on having Yune around, although his objections are perfectly reasonable and he’s shown to be a decent sort of guy. Very good at his job.

Oscar, Claude’s grandfather, retired founder of the sign shop (we learn in passing that Daddy is dead). He’s somehow affluent enough to go on trips to Japan and bring back Yune on a whim.

Production Values

Gorgeous backgrounds, which is actually a problem (see below). The animators also have a decent grasp of body language, which is essential in a series like this.

Overall Impression

Oh, dear. This is everything I feared it would be.

When I think “late-19th-century France”, my mind immediately jumps to the works of Émile Zola, which may be somewhat accurately described as “grim and gritty”. In contrast, this series showcases an immaculate Paris, where even the (barely shown) street urchins look way too clean to be real. As a result, this version of Paris looks fake, like the theme park version of the real thing. It doesn’t help that my mind is in constant nitpicking mode while watching it (shops named after the King ? There’d have been three regime changes since France had a king ; although it’s slightly less outlandish when we later learn that the shop was founded two generations ago – when there just barely was still a King – and that its business is struggling somewhat – but then, how can Grampa afford a trip to Japan ?).

Anyway, this show looks far too artificial to my liking, much akin to the way Paris is depicted in most foreign media. More damningly, there is very little depth to it : the characters are blandly nice and no real conflict looks in the offing. I’ll give it one more episode to change my mind, but I’m not optimistic.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2011.

Sacred Seven

What’s it about ?

Fuck if I know. Super-powered teens and mechas fighting against Greek mythology figures in a contemporary high school setting ?

Characters

Alma, our high school student protagonist. He goes berserk with his uncontrollable superpowers when under too much stress, which gives him a terrible reputation (the time one of his outburst put 18 classmates in the hospital a few years ago doesn’t help).

Ruri, a very rich girl who seems to know what the frack is going on and his deploying all her resources (including an army of maids and a mechatank-riding butler) into fighting off the baddies. She somehow helps Alma with getting his powers under control, although it does take some time for him to even agree to hear her out. She does flamboyant stuff like buy the whole high-school and instituting herself chairman just to keep an eye on him.

Wakana, Alma’s too-dumb-to-live classmate who can’t quite understand why all her friends are avoiding the glowering brooding guy. Presumably she’s being set up as his love interest.

Our macguffins here are GEMS, which coincidentally enough is exactly what Wakana’s club is studying (and of course Ruri and her butler join it as soon as Alma makes a move towards it). Our Monster Of The Week is a big walking statue with Medusa powers, and it seems to be after those gems. Given that this looks nothing like a team story, I presume the “Sacred Seven” are the rainbow-coloured gems (Alma has Red somehow embedded into him, Ruri possesses Purple, and Yellow is in the museum targeted this episode).

Oh, and Ruri carries around a sentient mask-statue-thing who spends his time making sarcastic comments. It’s that kind of show.

Production Values

Decent, I guess ? You can’t really go wrong with Sunrise animating mechas, but I’m not too fond of the character designs, which feel generic as heck.

The OP has got some pretty good visuals marred by a terrible song. No ED yet.

Overall Impression

Well, this is certainly a thing. You can’t fault this show for lacking enthusiasm, as it tries throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the viewer in an effort to catch attention. There’s something of a tone clash between Alma’s angst and, er, nearly everything else (from Ruri’s maid army to the slapstick between Wakana and her friends), but I think that’s part of the point.

I’m intrigued. It looks very stupid indeed, but it’s got enough energy and charm to look like it could pull it off. I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2011.

Ro-Kyu-Bu

What’s it about ?

Standard sports series about an elementary school’s female basketball club. Also, lolicon.

Characters

Subaru, our protagonist. He’s a high school student roped by his elder sister (who’s an elementary teacher) into coaching the club for three days. He was part of the high-school basketball club until it got dissolved a month or so ago due to a “lolicon incident” (I’m not sure about the details, and I can’t bring myself to rewatch this), and his middle school club got quite high in tournaments, so at least he’s competent, but he’s not particularly enthusiastic (his sister being a complete troll doesn’t help).

The five members of the club are the usual stereotypes : the talented and competent one, the loud idiot, the brainy one, the tall and way-too-well-endowed-for-an-elementary-student moeblob, and the kid.

We also get a glimpse of Subaru’s potential love interest, as well as the male elementary basketball club walking angrily towards Subaru as a weak cliffhanger.

Production Values

There’s absolutely no way to mistake what kind of audience this is pandering to : way too many ass shots, an emphasis on the glistening hotpants the girls wear, a gratuitous shower scene where they actually start fondling each other…

Well, at least they spent part of the animation budget into making the basketball look somewhat good. But that’s what, 4 minutes of screentime in total ?

Overall Impression

I knew what kind of show I was in for when I saw that the first post-OP action of the girls was to dress as maids in an effort to “make a good impression” on their new coach (and their dialogue gets more explicit after that). I braced myself for quite a painful watch.

It’s… actually not that bad : the lolicon stuff gets more subdued as the episode goes, and it’s hard to mess with the standard sports show formula. Still, that doesn’t actually make the show any good : the not-brain-bleach-inducing parts are merely mediocre instead of plain awful. There’s nothing at all to recommend to this show.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2011.

Blade

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

It’s a straightforward vampire-hunter show.

Characters

Eric “Blade” Brooks, our protagonist. His mother got bitten (and killed) while pregnant, and thus he’s a half-vampire “Daywalker”. Obviously he’s got something of a grudge, and goes around killing vampires by the dozen with his silver-bladed weapons.

Makoto, a young vampire-hunter who makes a team with her veteran father (so of course he’s doomed to die before the first episode ends). She gets three minutes of badassitude before getting way over her head and spending most of her screentime in distress. Hopefully she’ll snap out of it before she gets on my nerves too much.

Deacon Frost, the Big Bad Vampire, who’s recognizable as the one who bit Blade’s mother because of his characteristic 4 fangs. Obviously he makes short work of Blade at this point, although he leaves him alive for some reason (maybe because the “Daywalker” blood samples he extracts may not be enough ?).

Production Values

Decent. For once, the rough artstyle of the Marvel/Madhouse coproductions fits the tone of the series instead of working against it. The music score is better than average (this may be the first OP among those projects where the instrumental tune works perfectly with the visuals), and there’s some decent use of colour to set the mood here and there. On the other hand, I’m not fond of the frequent use of freeze frames in the action sequences (it always looks cheap to me), and the dissolving effect when vampires get dispatched looks quite weird.

Overall Impression

Well, I didn’t fall asleep, which is better than I expected (despite being a Marvel fanboy, I have absolutely zero interest in Blade as a character). It works quite well as a action piece (apart from some stylistic mistakes detailed above), and Makoto shows some potential as an action girl if she gets a clue quickly (Maaya Sakamoto’s charisma strikes again !).

Can it sustain itself over 12 episodes without becoming repetitive ? I have my doubts. But it’s earned itself a second episode, which is more than I’d thought beforehand.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2011.

Double J

(4-minute episodes)

What’s it about ?

A high school club where everyone is a representative of an inane, this-should-really-have-been-automated-by-now kind of manual labor (such as engraving toothpicks or gluing enveloppes).

Characters

Four minutes is a bit short for anyone to develop beyond stereotypes. We’ve got the newcomer girl, her brash friend, the solemn toothpick girl, the club secretary… and the club chief, a dude who gets drawn in a much rougher artstyle for some reason.

Production Values

By the makers of Haiyoru! Nyaruani: Remember My Love(craft-sensei) ! Which tells you everything about what to expect, really : barely animated sets of talking heads.

Overall impression

Well, on a writing level it’s somewhat better than Nyaruani : the jokes are funnier and the pacing has much more punch to it. On the other hand, it doesn’t have a killer hook like its predecessor… and it’s not good enough for me to care.

Avoid.

via [In which I review] New anime, Summer 2011.

Spring 2011 capsules

I won’t bother profiling Suzy’s Zoo Daisuki! Witzy in detail. It’s a 2-minute-long preschooler’s cartoon where animals and teddy bears act cutely for the little children. Even the all-star voice cast (Mai Nakahara as the duck main character ! Maaya Sakomoto as the narrator !) can’t make me care.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 4.

I watched the first episode of Maria†Holic Alive. To my complete lack of surprise, it has exactly the same problems as the first season : (1) Kanako is very, very annoying ; (2) Mariya is barely a dick at all, despite it being a key part of the purpoted premise ; and (3) it’s just not very funny.

Now, this show is proof that SHAFT can animate the crap out of any old shit and make it visually interesting, but it clearly falls short of being actually any good. A well-polished turd is still a turd. I really should have known better than entertaining the thought that this sequel’d show any improvement.

I’m starting to reconsider checking out every single short kiddy show that gets subbed. Happy Kappi clocks in under six minutes, barely managing to outline its premise (grade school girl finds a plush toy that turns out to be a prince from a fantasy world, and has magic powers. Wacky hijinks ensue). It’s very cheap-looking, too.

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

Yesterday was the premiere of The World God Only Knows, Season Two. It’s basically more of the same, although on the upper range of the series : the jokes mostly work, and there’s some very good use of Keima’s genre savvy for comedic effect. The romance’s still as terrible as ever, but it’s not too annoying in this first episode.

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

Moshidora (“What If a Female Manager of a High School Baseball Team Read Drucker’s Management ?”)

(10 episodes, aired on weekdays over the next two weeks)

What’s it about ?

Well, the title says it all. An anime adaptation of a best-selling light novel that’s basically an infomercial for Peter Drucker’s Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices.

Characters

Minami, our protagonist and new manager of the high school baseball club. She used to be quite good at the sport, but quit years ago because of a yet unclear incident that made her hate it. Anyway, she buys Drucker’s book by mistake while looking for some documentation on what she’s supposed to do, and proceeds to read it because, hey, what the heck, she spent the money and had better get some use of it.

Yuuki, Minami’s best friend for years and former manager of the baseball club. She’s got some chronic illness that put her in the hospital (with scheduled surgery down the line). Obviously she was in no shape to continue with the club, which is why Minami pitched in and takes it very seriously.

Ayano seems to be the assistant manager or something. Very shy, she doesn’t make much of an impression so far.

We don’t get to see too much of the actual baseball players yet, beside that they’re not much good and only a few are motivated enough to even come training. The pitcher only sees baseball as a line on his resumé for his future business, and so on.

Production Values

Below average. There’s no flair whatsoever to the directing, the animation’s cheap, and the soundtrack is so generic it hurts.

Overall Impression

Ouch. This is even worse than I was expecting. Low production values, exposition through omnipresent narration that never lets you forget that this adapts a novel, no attempt to conceal the blatant advertising for Drucker’s book, one-dimensional characters… and of course it’s baseball, one of the few sports I have zero interest in.

And yet… it’s a sports anime, and I’m a sucker for those due to being brought up on the likes of Captain Tsubasa and Attacker You !. I’m still quite curious about how a general “Management” book could be of any use for a sports team : the “Mission Statement” stuff this episode was already straining it a bit, how is the next chapter of “Marketing” going to be relevant ?

So yeah, I’m going to keep watching it mostly for the novelty value. And it’s going to be over quickly anyway.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 15.

Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream

What’s it about ?

Young girls starting a career at the Prism Show, an ice-skating/dance spectacle that’s all the rage these days.

Characters

Aira, our clumsy protagonist, who had barely heard of the Prism Show before and can barely make three steps without falling over herself, but still somehow gets scouted in the street and set to perform in front of an audience of thousands the same day. She plays along mostly because the dancers get to wear cool clothes.

Rhythm (no, really, that’s her name), Aira’s self-proclaimed rival, who gets scouted at the same time when Aira trips over her. At least she’s got decent ice-skating skills, although not enough to execute the super-dupper dance move the audience is expecting. (But Aira can, of course…)

Mion, the idol who was supposed to perform her debut at the Prism Show but has suddenly gone missing, triggering the random scouting of replacement dancers. Actually, she doesn’t even show in person during this first episode.

Of the Prism Show we also see the two main producers (one’s a shrewd pragmatist, the other’s an eccentric with a eye for hidden talent – well-hidden in the case of Aira) and the three male dancers for the B-act (probably future love interests for the three girls).

We also get a long opening skit with Aira’s family, who skirt very near the line of being quite annoying (although the scene’s saved with the punchline to Dad & Mom’s double act).

Production Values

Pretty good for a (girls’) kids’ show. I particularly like the 3D rendering for the ice-skating sequences, which barely enter the Uncanny Valley at all.

Someone thought it’d be a good idea for the ED to depict the voice-actresses in live-action… It just looks ridiculous. Especially since they’re not even wearing the same costumes as their roles, for some reason (maybe it’s the school uniform ? We haven’t seen it yet…).

Overall Impression

Yet another kids’ show which could not proclaim “NOT FOR ME !” any louder. I’m not a fashion-obsessed teenager, I don’t care about X-Treme ice-skating, and the plot contrivances to get Aira on stage annoy rather than amuse me. There are some okay jokes, but not enough to overcome the huge prejudice I have against this kind of series.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 14.

Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist)

(25 episodes)

What’s it about ?

A middle school dropout discovers he’s the son of Satan. You’ll have to wait the second episode to see how he decides to become an Exorcist, though.

Characters

Jin, our protagonist. He spends most of the episode trying to hold a job… and failing miserably , because he’s quite clumsy. It doesn’t help that he’s got super-strength, some blue fire powers, and can now suddenly see the flurry of demons and sprites wreaking havoc on the real world. Also, his white knight personality tends to lead him into fights with local bullies (which he usually wins, but still).

Yukio, his “twin brother”, although given they barely look alike and the whole “son of Satan” thing, I’m not sure I trust that. Anyway, he’s basically perfect : calm, studious, and just getting a scholarship to a prestigious high school. Jin doesn’t like being constantly compared to him, but they do love each other.

Father Fujimoto, their legal guardian, and head Exorcist of the local church. He’s awesome personified, at least when he isn’t being lecherous. He did know about Jin’s ancestry, but tried to give him a normal life. Jin’s powers awakening rule that choice out, though.

We see quite a few other characters : the church’s apprentices, the various co-workers at Jin’s job, the local bullies… all of them are quite one-note, though.

Production Values

There’s something about the character designs and the animation that feels a bit cheap to me, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Anyway, it looks quite ugly and lacking in atmosphere. The pacing’s quite a bit wonky, too – the last few scenes all felt like the episode should have stopped there.

Overall Impression

Oh, sweet. A series I can drop immediately without any remorse.

There’s not much to like, here. Most of the episode is devoted to Jin’s work hijinks, which is just boring. It fails to make me care about the main plot, and Jin’s a brat I can live without. The whole thing reeks of clichés and well-worn plot devices. And it just doesn’t look very good.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 13.

Hyouge Mono

(39 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Japan’s Warring States era from the perspective of an tea-obsessed esthete.

Characters

Sasuke Furuta, our main character. He’s technically an elite messenger/diplomat for Nobunaga Oda, although he doesn’t really get to display any skill at it in this episode. On the contrary, he easily gets distracted by irrelevant stuff around him (such as other attendees at a meeting’s poor fashion sense), leading to him not paying attention when important people are talking to him.

Nobunaga Oda, the warlord. This series depicts him as quite a bit of a thug, to be honest. I think he tolerates Sasuke because he thinks he’s funny.

Hideyoshi Hashiba, one of Oda’s major vassals and all-around snake. He completely bungles Sasuke’s mission by barging in with his soldiers at the least opportune moment. I can’t exactly see why he’d do that, apart to mess with him.

Our mission of the week involves Sasuke trying to arrange a rebel vassal’s reddition and pardon in exchange of a prized teapot the rebel owns (since he’s an esthete who’d probably like owning the teapot too, this may have been a test on Sasuke’s loyalties). I’d probably take the dude more seriously if he wasn’t wearing that terrible wig that just makes him look ridiculous.

Production Values

Fairly good ; this looks like a decent feudal Japan drama (if you don’t pay attention to what’s actually happening).

Overal Impression

Well, this is certainly a thing. A very weird and homoerotic thing. (The OP and ED being love songs don’t help.) The historical figures in this are barely more in character than in Sengoku Otome. I’m probably missing a lot of references due to knowing fuck all about feudal Japan. And still…

I found this absolutely hilarious. The disconnect between the “serious” artstyle and the characters’ ridiculous behaviour works perfectly. I’m not sure if the joke can sustain itself for 39 (!) episodes, but so far it’s a riot.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 12.