Deadman Wonderland

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

In the near future, over the ruins of a cataclysm-destroyed Tokyo lies Deadman Wonderland, the first private prison/attraction park combo. Come with your whole family to see the inmates getting humiliated in deadly attractions ! Oh, and they’d better play along, as their locked collars are programmed to kill them if they don’t eat candy for three days.

Characters

Ganta, our poor middle-schooler protagonist. His class got massacred by “the Red Man”, who left him as the lone survivor. Of course, he was immediately designated as a scapegoat, got the death sentence, and got sent to Deadman Wonderland in the meanwhile. The (presumably fake) footage of him incriminating himself while talking to his public counsel probably didn’t help. For some reason, the Red Man injected a glowing red stone into his chest, which gives Ganta superpowers in a pinch. He’s gonna need them.

Tamaki, Ganta’s public counsel AND the warden of Deadman Wonderland. Now there’s an obvious conflict of interest that suggests he’s got enough clout to get away with it. This smiling snake makes for a lovely villain to hate. He makes arrangements for Ganta to have an “accident” as soon as possible, which seems like overkill given the poor kid’s death sentence and his complete lack of popularity among the other inmates. This is because he seems to actually know quite a lot about the Red Man, and is quite curious about Ganta’s survival.

Makina, the hardass, sadistic security officer at Deadman Wonderland. She made me wince a bit by loudly claiming a G cup.

Shiro, the weird albino girl who makes a beeline for Ganta. I’m not even sure she’s actually an inmate, what with her wearing a different collar from anyone else (though to be fair, we don’t really see any other female inmates yet). Getting around in a supposedly max security facility seems to hold no problems for her, and she’s quite the martial artist (although a shovel to the back of the head still puts her down). She’s voiced by Kana Hanazawa in her cheerful mode, which is actually an inspired choice for a character who’s obviously completely bonkers.

At the end of the episode we get flashes of various other inmates that’s probably be important later on.

Production Values

Quite good. The opening massacre scene is marred by some censoring that makes portions of it completely impenetrable, but after that it’s golden. In particular, the action sequences are quite impressive.

Overall Impression

Hey, this is pretty good ! The premise is obviously completely insane and outrageous, but this first episode makes a good job of selling it as an interesting starting point our protagonist must fight against. It’s very well-paced indeed, speeding through the trial to make it seem even more of a joke, and presenting lots of exposition without it feeling too clunky.

Now, I of course have some reservations about a 12-episode adaptation of a still-ongoing manga, especially given how plot-driven this story seems. Is it going to find a satisfying endpoint, or are they gonna strand us with a cliffhanger for a second season ? Time will tell. But so far, so good.

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

Aria the Scarlet Ammo (Hidan no Aria)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

In the near future, random terrorism has become such a problem that there’s now an academy devoted to training mercenaries from elementary school onwards.

Characters

Kinji, our high school boy protagonist. While he spends most of the episode whining about wanting to quit the mercenary school, he suffers from a bizarre medical condition that alters his behaviour to one of a cliché action hero when he gets to excited. Anyway, on his way to school he discovers someone planted a bomb on his bicycle, and he’s stalked by killer Segways. He’s saved at the last minute by…

Aria, aka the standard Rie Kugimiya-voiced tsundere loli. The variation here is that, like nearly every character in this setting, she’s armed to the teeth. (How does she hide those katanas behind her back ? They’re taller than her torso !) She makes her entrance by parachuting off a skyscraper in a scene that was probably meant to look cool but just ends up making no sense whatsoever.

Shirayuki, Kinji’s “friend” who does all his domestic chores for him, in the hopes he’ll take the hint. (He doesn’t.)

We get to see a few more characters at school, but none of them rise above the usual stereotypes for now. There’s even a teacher who spends all his screentime delivering a lecture describing the setting to students who presumably already know all this stuff.

Production Values

Some decent action sequences, but the most striking thing here is the rampant fanservice, with every single girl being heavily sexualized and our protagonist landing into more chests than reasonable.

Also, gun porn. Lots of gun porn.

Overall Impression

What the heck is this shit ?

The writers probably find it clever to have the protagonist complain at length about the premise. It’s not ; it’s just bloody irritating and makes me loathe him. His plot-convenient MPD and the harem hijinks don’t help one bit.

Some people might get some entertainment from crazy shit such as the killer Segways, but this kind of manufactured zaniness just rubs me the wrong way. Avoid.

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

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (“We still don’t know the name of the flower from that day”)

(11 episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Six kids used to be joined at the hip way back when, but now they’ve drifted apart. Can they come back together ?

Characters

Jinta “Jintan” Yadomi, our protagonist, who used to be the leader of the group but has now become a loser high-school dropout. It progressively becomes obvious why as the episode progresses.

Meiko “Meima” Honma, who keeps nagging him while being adorable. [SPOILER : her death years ago triggered the group’s dissolution]. Jinta figures he’s suddenly seeing her because of stress, but she acts far too real to be an hallucination (although he’s the only one who can see her, causing much awkwardness to ensue). It’s not clear yet how she died, the (numerous) flashbacks only show her running away and never coming back.

Naruko “Anaru” Anjo, whose metamorphosis from a mousy glasses girl to a member of the popular cliques is something to behold. Jinta keeps claiming she doesn’t like him, despite much evidence to the contrary (and her tsundere-lite denials only fool the both of them). The flashbacks even suggest that her jealousy about Jinta is the indirect cause of Meima running away.

Atsumu “Yukiatsu” Matsuyuki and Chiriko “Tsuruko” Tsurumi are the “successful” kids of the bunch, now enrolled into the local prestigious high school instead of the dump Jinta doesn’t attend. He despises what Jinta’s become ; she’s a bit more sympathetic. They’re obviously a couple.

Tetsudo “Poppo” Hisakawa used to be Jinta’s sidekick ; now he’s a lot more confident in himself and has taken over the group’s old hideout for his own purposes.

Production Values

Quite nice looking, and the various characters’ body language are very well done indeed.

Overall Impression

Now we’re talking. This isn’t Hanasaku Iroha, but the characters are well developed and feel real, which is essential for such a series. While there’s an obvious direction for this to go (Meima’s ghost helps the group to rekindle their friendships, Jinta to put his life back together, and sets him up with Naruko so that he can finally move on), it’s still a compelling journey and I’m in for the duration.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 11.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (“Electromagnetic Wave Woman and Adolescent Man”)

(12 episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

A standard harem protagonist who did not get the memo that he was in a SHAFT production.

Characters

Makoto Niwa, our protagonist. In a reversal from the usual cliché set-up, he moves from the countryside to the city, which he hopes’ll allow him access to more than the few girls at his former school. Fortunately he keeps being sidetracked by the weirdness around him, so he’s not too annoying.

Meme Touwa, his aunt, with whom he moves in at the start of the episode. She seems to purposefully cultivate her looks and childish personnality to look younger ; and it works, as I wouldn’t have pegged her as 39. Her more bizarre trait, though, is how she deliberately ignores…

Erio Touwa, apparently Meme’s daughter. Or an alien, if one believes the nonsense she keeps babbling. She spends most of the episode wrapped inside a mattress, looking like a sushi roll. Which somehow doesn’t prevent her from ordering and eating pizza.

Production Values

This is actually remarkably free of SHAFT-isms, aside from Makoto often tilting his head backwards. As a result, it’s quite bland-looking.

Overall Impression

Meh. It’s far less weird than I’d been given to think, which is quite disappointing. While there’s some good comedic timing here and there, a lot of jokes are just lost in translation, and it’s just not very funny. The romance angle’s not very interesting either.

I’ll probably persevere with it for a couple more episodes because I’ve discovered myself to be a huge SHAFT-whore (see also : me sticking with Maria Holic Alive despite loathing it), but this isn’t a very promising first episode.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2011 – Page 11.

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

(11 episodes ?)

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

Yoga, our college protagonist with realistic (if messy) hair. He works two part-time jobs to make ends meet, although that doesn’t amount to much given the current economic crisis. At least he’s sensible about his expenses.

Hanabi, Yoga’s not-girlfriend who still supports him quite a bit. (But when he works up the courage to ask her out for dinner, she points towards her boyfriend, who’s waiting for her. Harsh.)

Masakaki, the supremely irritating dude who makes Yoga an Offer He Can’t Refuse and. Just. Won’t. Go. Away. The offer involves unlimited funding, with the provision it has to be spent in the Financial District… which does not look like a real place but some rather like sort of parallel digital world. Yoga eventually relents.

We spend most of the first half of the episode with the former owner of Yoga’s membership into the Financial District… and considering how he ends up jumping in front of a train, we can see the Deal does not always end well.

We also see various people in the Financial District, including a quirky cab driver, a couple of elf-like girls, and the badass dude who creams out Mr (Rail-)Roadkill in a duel.

Production Values

Impressive. The Financial District has obvious CG everywhere, but it works, as it makes it all the more otherworldly. I also like the snazzy effect when subtitles and the like are incrusted on screen.

Also, there’s some very cool Taku Iwasaki music.

Overall Impression

Umm. On the one hand, it’s certainly got some very good production values, and I like the grim description of our protagonist’s life. It’s a very atmospheric series indeed.

On the other hand… Well, the centerpiece of this episode has two characters in a glorified Yu-Gi-Oh-style duel, summoning virtual critters and launching spells to hack at each other’s life points bank accounts.

I’m not sold yet, really.

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

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.

Figure 17

(13 monthly 47min episodes)

What’s it about ?
A young girl moves to Hokkaido with her dad and nearly bores me to sleep before seeing an alien ship crash in the woods. The alien pilot is humanoid and probably a good guy ; a monstrous thing has hitch-hiked on his ride and he has trouble fighting it off. Our heroine merges with a sentient alien armor to dispatch the monster, but there’s a weird after-effect : the armor has taken human form, which means our girl’s now got a twin sister.

Characters

Tsubasa, a very boring 10-year-old girl. Quite asocial, which doesn’t exactly endear her to me.

Her dad is a bit more interesting : he moved to Hokkaido after his wife’s death (apparently from complications from Tsubasa’s birth ?), and is starting over as a baker’s apprentice.

The alien dude looks like your standard issue alien action hero, although he’s clearly overmatched by the beastie. He’s as surprised as anyone when Tsubasa merges and proceeds to kick tons of ass.

By the way, “Figure 17” is the name of the Tsubasa/armor merger.

Production Values

Perfectly okay for this sort of thing, I guess.

Overall Impression

There are series that benefit from the double-length format. This is not one of them, as the pacing is so relaxed it’s downright lethargic. We’re treated to half an hour of Tsubasa’s daily life before anything happens, and that’s so boring I nearly gave up halfway through.

Some of the underlying ideas are somewhat interesting, I guess, but I have no wish to wade through hours of navel-gazing before it gets to the point.

Even a Giant Teeth Monster right behind her can barely wake Tsubasa up !
Even a Giant Teeth Monster right behind her can barely wake Tsubasa up !

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2001 – Page 8.

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.

Chance! Pop Session

(13 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Three girls going separately to a concert of a famous pop-star and stumbling upon a pamphlet for a music school. Presumably they’re going to apply, but this is a very slow first episode.

Characters

Reika, the pop-star. There’s the very beginning of a subplot with her stern coach (an ex-popstar herself), but it doesn’t go anywhere yet.

Nozomi, the very rich and sheltered girl who can afford a first-row ticket and has a watchdog butler following her everywhere.

Akari, the country girl who’s an absolute Reika fan. Attends church, has a hopelessly dull sweetheart, the works.

Yuki, the city girl who struggles to make ends meet. She works backstage on the lights. Of the three, she seems to be the one most intent on breaking into stardom. Frankly, she’s the only vaguely interesting character here.

Production Values

Very cheap-looking, with limited animation everywhere it can. The songs aren’t very good either, which puts quite a cramp on the whole thing.

Overall Impression

I don’t want to unfairly knock down a show from a genre I have very little interest in… but this is quite dire. Besides the overall cheapness, this is a very slow start, with barely any plot to speak of. Normally this would be an occasion to develop the characters, but apart from Yuki nobody grows beyond a single dimension.

It’s a 13-episode show that barely has any substance in its first episode. Pass.

No backstage pass ? The Kung-Fu Butler (tm) is a more than adequate substitute.
No backstage pass ? The Kung-Fu Butler ™ is a more than adequate substitute.

via [In which I review] New anime, Spring 2001 – Page 8.