For more than a year, I’ve had the crazy idea to embark on this venture that could throw my peaceful life into disarray. Writing for Random Curiosity, to put it mildly, is no easy task and the great team of writers has certainly set a precedent that would be hard to follow. I won’t deny that such a notion has not been met with resistance, but beyond my usual claptrap, there’s nothing too obscure about the appeal of writing for one of the most popular anime blogs in existence. There’s certainly no other platform quite like Random Curiosity, and the large readership that it enjoys allows me to share both my passion and viewpoint with anime fans all around the globe. Just as important as figuring out what to do will be actually making it happen, and here I am today as your newest writer in Random Curiosity.
I’m going to preface my “blog-ployment” with this: I’m hardly an expert or a connoisseur of anime, but the subject has fascinated me a very long time. My on-and-off relationship with anime began as early as 1992 and much of the story can be traced back to my love for manga as a young boy. Having spent most of my childhood without a TV (I was told we couldn’t afford one), manga was an attractive source of entertainment for a kid who prefers pictures to text. Indeed, I have dabbled into a broad array of manga titles, ranging from the usual suspects (Dragon Ball, Doraemon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Ranma ½, Slam Dunk), to some of the lesser-known names (Miyuki, Ribon no Kishi, Kindaichi no Jikenbo, Den’ei Shoujo, Crayon Shin Chan). Anime only became a prominent part of my life during high school when I was a part-timer at a local video rental store. Needless to say, one of the obvious perks was the free unlimited access to its library of anime and it was at that time I discovered the wondrous world of Gundam, Macross, Evangelion and Studio Ghibli, all of which played a key role in promoting my interest in anime.
Fast-forward to the proliferation of internet access, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say I have watched thousands of episodes and hundreds of series. Even as a kid, I’ve never constrained myself to certain genres and that principle certainly rings true to this day. I’m willing to give pretty much everything a shot, whether it’s action-packed adventures, brainless comedies, heartfelt dramas or even plot-less erotic fantasies. Some of my favorites of the last couple of years (2006-2012) include:
On the job as Random Curiosity’s blogger this Spring, I have my eyes set on the two mecha heavyweights – Kakumeiki Valvrave and Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince. The Sci-Fi variety is clearly one of my preference, but that doesn’t mean I have no interest in the rest. In fact, I’m going to preview Hykka Ryouran Samurai Bride this week and we all know what’s the attraction of that one (Hands off Sen Hime, she’s mine!). Oh, did I forget to mention the long awaited return of Luffy and his merry crew? The notion that One Piece, which I consider to be the pinnacle of Shounen writing, would go un-blogged was simply unthinkable. I hope you’ll tune in to see what lies ahead for the Straw Hat crew and if you’re not already a fan, I’ll make you one.
Before I sign off, I would like to thank Divine and his team of writers for this great opportunity, special shout-outs go to Stilts (Aniki! I’m forever in your debt), Stereoman (thanks for your words of encouragement) and Guardian Enzo (truly an amazing writer, be sure check out LiA if you haven’t). I’m really honored to be writing for Random Curiosity but what gets me really excited is the chance to hear from all of you. Random Curiosity wouldn’t be the legendary place it is today without its readers and I assure you we will do our very best to make your stay worthwhile.
Now I’ll end with what I believe is the Random Curiosity’s tradition:
「戦略の結末は修羅場」 (Senryaku no Ketsumatsu wa Shuraba)
“The Result Following A Scheme Is A Battlefield”
Eita…your nice guy persona will be the end of you, I swear. I’ll grant you that it is unnecessary and downright cruel for you to make enemies out of your friends, but come on man, you’ve made them all love you even more. I’ll have to disagree with Saeko-san on this one, partially. You have gotten yourself in a full-out battlefield alright, but at the same time you’ve gotten yourself a de facto HAREM! When you decide to passionately hug your former lover, accidentally seal the deal on a shady marriage contract, and kiss both your “girlfriend” and your osananajimi all in the same episode, how can you not expect the most volatile harem to arise! I feel jealous, disappointed, ashamed, and strangely proud all at the same time and I’m sure Saeko-san feels the same.
Let’s face it, the overarching plot here means little compared to the episode to episode interactions between the characters. Let’s also face that Eita is probably in love with all of the characters for different reasons, though one can argue that such love is in varying degrees. Since he interacts with each girl in such a personalized way, it’s hard to make clear-cut comparisons easily, but sure as hell we can try to. Hence, let us look at each character and see just how well they’ve fought in this battlefield.
Himeka “Himekashizuka Heaven’s Rain, Burning Princess Saint Dragon Lady of Dawn, Burning Pudding Princess” Akishino
Of all the characters vying for Eita’s eternal love, Hime-chan appeared to be last in the race. She’s often in the background, subordinate to all the characters, speaking only a few lines per episode. The bond that she shares with Eita appears to be based on a past life that can’t be proved rather than recent history, but as this final episode reinforces, most of it is just a front to display her affections. In a way, she reminds me of Rika from Chu2Koi, where both of them have this chuunibyou status and enjoy playing the role thoroughly, but in the end use the chuunibyou as a means to talk to their beloved. This makes her stand out from the rest of the girls, but this alone isn’t enough to really place her ahead of anyone else in the battlefield…
…except during her shining moments. For Himeka, there were two moments where she shone as a competitor and overall a likable character–the first event happened when she defended her friends from Mana, while the second occurred this episode with Himeka’s dialogue of love. Although these moments are far and few in the series, they make for some of the more memorable moments that happen. Himeka is fully aware of her position in the group, but instead is constantly thankful for everything that group has done for her. It is this raw display of honest affections and bittersweet realizations that places our princess in the running, rather than as some people claim, her physical appearance. It pained me to hear Himeka implicitly admit that she’ll never be number one–though she said she’d be alright with Eita smiling at her every now and then, you can feel that she would be most happiest as being Eita’s top choice. If this show does get a second season, of all the characters I sincerely hope that Himeka gets more time on screen, for she has been an underrated character for this season’s cour.
The Master of Love: Ai Fuyuumi
On a legally binding scope (a sketchy one at that), A-chan has already won the battle. With a marriage contract in hand, it’s only a matter of graduation until she’s got Eita in the bag. Putting that aside though, A-chan has put the most effort of all the characters into winning Eita’s heart. Saeko-san wasn’t lying when Ai scored first on the love index–although her tsun may get in the way, the dere is strong in this one. She’s been the most enjoyable character to watch through the series, as it seems her energy seems never ending each episode. She will get in everyone’s way when she gets the chance and disagree with anything she finds disapproving, and she will make it known to everyone around her. “AI-CHAN WINS!” rings through what seems like every episode since her arrival, and for the most part it’s true. The transformation from her tsundere nature to just plain dere with a dash of tsun has been a pleasure to watch, especially in the exaggerated form that she presents it as. She may run away in disappointment at times, but there are equally as many times that she’ll run away, unable to handle the excitement within her.
If you look at it closely though, of all the girls, Ai-chan may have gained the least ground in terms of Eita’s affections. Her chances to express her affection in the last episode were limited due to her disqualification, and although she tries so hard, and although the audience is rooting for her so hard as seen in the comments, she’s rarely been able to garner Eita’s affections apart from her arc. Most of the time Eita deflects her advances for being too strong, which is made even worse due to Eita’s awareness for her feelings. I have no doubt that the love she has for Eita is ridiculously strong, but in terms of reciprocation, Ai-chan may have the lowest ratio of affection returned back. You’ve got to admit, with Eita having no recollection of their childhood, the fact that she held onto that contract for ten years takes serious dedication–that dedication is a bit unsettling, but you’ve got to give props to her for making it happen.
The True Osananajimi: Harusaki Chiwa
There have been some complaints that Chihuahua hasn’t been trying as hard as the other characters in getting ahead of the game, but this latest episode has tipped the tables. Like Akishino, Chiwa’s shining moments come few and far in-between, but when they do come, it’s hard not to give her a chance. Eita hit all the right buttons in dedicating his career to Chiwa in her time of need, but due to years of the status quo and being completely comfortable around Eita, Chiwa didn’t know how to express her true feelings to that gesture. Her competitors only grew in number and intensity as she hesitated–by viewing all of her clubmates as obstacles and enemies, it took an emotional toll on her that depressed her for some time. She wasn’t tall enough, not sexy enough, not the first osananajimi, not Eita’s girlfriend, not Eita’s chuunibyou partner…and the list grew longer and longer. Enter Eita though to point out the one strength she had–he knew Eita the longest, and no one could take that away from her.
From then on out, she’s become more accepting of Eita’s other love interests–she still views them as rivals, but also as good friends who have supported each other. Her confidence grew and her openness to expressing her true feelings climaxed this episode. Make sure you listen this time…Ei-kun, I love you. Chiwa reigns in being able to understand her feelings for Eita the best, in being completely aware of why she loves Eita and having the justification to prove it. Despite the girlfriend blocking her way, despite the disadvantages stacked against her, she finally reached out and claimed what she’s wanted this entire time. Is it moral to not let anyone get in the way of love? Debatable, but this show definitely seeks to challenge that notion, all starting with the osananajimi who’s so close, oh so very close, but so far. From the final episode it’s clear she’s moved towards the front of the battle after being in the shadows of her competitors for the entire series.
The Self-Proclaimed Bitch Queen: Natsukawa Masuzu
Masuzu has always been a curious character, but recently her actions have become more unpredictable. The loathing that Masuzu holds is now limited to herself, thanks to the pure hearts of her fellow maidens. To be frank, I still don’t get Masuzu or the relationship she shares with Eita. They obviously do have affection for one another, but it is a very unorthodox and weird way of expressing it. Does Eita truly love Masuzu enough to be her boyfriend, or does he do so out of the status quo? It looks like they truly are in love with each other, but at the same time they look lost and impulsive with their actions. Masuzu continues to distinguish herself from the other characters as an unpredictable character–one moment she’ll be head over heels with Eita, but a few moments later will revert back to a surface personality without much warning.
But this unpredictability is what defines Masuzu, where Eita is the sole source of stability in Masuzu’s life. Presumably in fear of her household back home and the personality that it left her with, Masuzu harbored jealousy for those happier than her. As she admits in her stage dialogue, she hated Eita so much for having such a happy life and being such a nice guy, but became sad when he was the real deal through the trials she put him through. For that, she’s head over heels for Eita, and it seems Eita has done the same, though his reasons for being with Masuzu still have not crystallized. It’d be easy to blame it on bad writing, but let’s give hope that the reasons for Masuzu’s personality conflicts and Eita’s fall for Masuzu are reasons worth sympathizing with. Mana hinted at such reasons with the small appearance she made last episode–here’s to hoping those reasons reveal themselves in the light novel soon enough.
Overall…
Oreshura, of all the shows I’ve watched this season, arguably has seen the best improvement from beginning to end. At first I lamented this series for all the awkward moments that it portrayed, for all the cringing events that made it almost unbearable to watch. However, things got better as the characters bonded with one another and began to be more open about their feelings. This last episode is a stellar example of that, as everyone lays out on the table what they feel, making it impossible for Eita to misinterpret or be thickheaded about. My predictions were correct in that more characters would make the experience a pleasure to watch. When the battle was a simple love triangle, it felt terrible seeing their interactions be one-sided and heavily antagonistic, with Eita rarely acting of his own accord or Chiwa getting any slack from anyone. With the introduction of the new characters though, the show became a guilty pleasure to watch as the harsh and awkward connections between the characters transformed into a bunch of rivals having fun while trying to win. Though they all love Eita in their own way, they find themselves unable to hate on anyone else–everyone in the group has a sympathetic story to share where no one has done any wrong, creating a scenario where a battlefield can reign during the time of a shaky harem. With such equal footing for all of the characters, it’s no doubt that flames would heat in the audience, so much so that a spin-off manga focusing on Ai’s successes is currently ongoing.
Now, I’m not claiming that Oreshura is a great romantic comedy, but it definitely approaches the harem in a fairly uncommon way. The show managed to draw a variety of reactions from myself throughout the season, and in retrospect I am glad it did so, for better or worse. Some may disagree with how “deserving” or likable the characters are, but just like how the title misleads no one with its “battlefield” statement, the opinions on this show and the characters definitely are just as polarized and heated, as illustrated by the comments. Thank you all for following this show to the end, and thank you for putting up with my sometimes biased attitudes. It’s been a treat blogging this show for you guys, and if this gets a second season, know that I’ll be one of the first to jump on the train.
「劇場への道」 (Gekijo e no Michi)
“The Path to the Theater”
With the finale to AKB0048 Next Stage approaching, its second to last episode focuses on setting things up—and what a set up it is. Because even as Chieri reels from her father’s assassination and the other AKB members want to give her some time to recuperate, the fact of the matter is they can’t afford to wait any longer. As Tsubasa puts it bluntly, there’s no time to hesitate—lest D.G.T.O.’s domination becomes complete—and even she gets riled up as a result. Needless to say, I didn’t think I’d see a moment where even she’d lose her cool, but it was definitely quite something to see—and something that ends up working like a charm, although not in the way she originally intended.
The next scenes in the “other world” and the “path to the AKB Theater” (a nice ode to the real AKB’s origins) were admittedly a bit funky/supernatural, but they end up serving nicely in providing some moments for character development/dialogue—giving us the much needed discussion between Chieri and Nagisa, a nice montage of scenes cuing back to some of our members initial joining of AKB0048, as well as some insight into what’s happened to Yuuko since her disappearance. As it turns out, her journey towards becoming Center Nova still isn’t complete… and one wonders how things’ll end up working out for her (if at all). To say the least, it’d be pretty tragic if she ends up being caught in between forever, so I’m hoping that things end up having some kind of positive ending for her—or that she at least ends up returning to the real world.
Continuing on that last point though, I’m wondering how the conclusion will wrap up that plot-line, the one regarding Chieri’s father’s assassination (unless this is already considered “wrapped up”), and the taking back of Akibastar in one episode. It’s do-able I suppose, but I’m definitely wondering if they’re not going to have a third season or something of the sort, because it certainty looks like there’s still a potentially long fight ahead even if they do take back Akibastar. It’s entirely possible that the take back of Akibastar deals enough damage to D.G.T.O. and DES that they won’t pose anymore of a threat—thus giving the series a permanent ending—though. I guess we’ll see how things work out. Either way, it looks like things are just setting up for another typical Kawamori ending—one filled with drama and epicness—and it should be an enjoyable ride to finish Next Stage off.
Episode 13:
「NO NAME…」
AKB0048′s Next Stage finale is finally here and it ends up delivering in a fashion only Kawamori could. You’d figure that after watching many of his series do the same thing—that is, end spectacularly on a dramatic high note—one would be used to it by now, but nope. Despite my high expectations for this finale and my prior experience with Kawamori’s kind of endings, I still couldn’t help but get caught up in everything—after all, how can’t you?
I mean, seeing all the members of AKB either depressed or outright crying… Nagisa getting things thrown at her and willingly not fighting back… all that propaganda from DES… there was no way not to get emotionally riled up from all of that. Combine all of that with multiple inserts, the return of Yuuko, a glimpse of Acchan, the rise of Chieri as Center Nova, and Nagisa succeeding Acchan, and you got the tools for an amazing ending—which is exactly what we got, along with the successful resolution of multiple plot lines as well.
Because as it turns out, those that rise to Center Nova status and disappear end up at the AKB Theater. There they continue to sing, protected from DES and other physical interference, providing a light/hope to everyone via the collective unconsciousness. And well, despite the kind of “out of nowhere” feel of this revelation, it admittedly works extremely well in the grand scheme of things. Not only does it answer why the Center Nova end up staying there, what they’re doing, and where they are… it also serves as a resolution to Yuuko’s situation and ultimately sets up foundations for what this episode (and arguably, this series) was about—hope.
See, every insert this week correlates to the notion of hope—of keeping it alive in yourself, the people around you, and in carrying that feeling over to the next generation. Rainbow Train (lyrics here), Kaze Wa Fuiteiru (lyrics here), Kono Namida wo Kimi ni Sasagu all have lyrics related to that notion (with Kaze Wa Fuiteiru being even more symbolic in how it was made as a dedication to victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami) and to me, it’s an exceptionally powerful message—especially so when you consider the dual connection to real-life and the series itself. What makes this notion even more notable, is the fact that it’s only one of many messages/themes the series seems to be sending in general, as it can be said that there’s a lot here about the whole concept of being an idol and the potential of using words to communicate differences, rather than fighting.
Indeed, AKB0048‘s finale ends up highlighting the fact that it’s two-pronged. On one hand, it can be enjoyed just as a casual series to watch. But on the other hand, there’s definitely something extra beneath the “fighting against an entertainment ban” exterior. Regardless, the verdict ends up being the same: the finale delivers spectacularly as expected, and there really ain’t much I can say, because there’s not much words can do to really capture the emotional high this episode delivered. Hopefully though, with pictures being worth a thousand words, the extra screenshots will do some of that for me. That and the final impressions (which you’ll find at the end of the post).
Author’s Note: Apologies for the delay regarding episode 12. Coming from PAX East drained me more than expected and work on the preview ended up taking most of my time upon returning, so I didn’t have much of an opportunity to work on this before the finales to my other series aired.
ED4 Sequence
ED4: 「主なきその声」 (Aruji Naki Sono Koe) by NO NAME
Final Impressions:
Prior to the start of the season, I had mentioned how underrated the first season of AKB0048was. With Next Stage now over, I can say that the second season of AKB0048 also ended up under-appreciated (sadly) as well. Granted, I can see why people ended up staying away from the series—considering its over the top nature and outward appearance as nothing more than a marketing ploy—but it’s still something that makes me somewhat disappointed that more people didn’t give this series a try. Because in the end, this wasn’t a series that just tried to game the system by playing on the group’s popularity. It wasn’t just some amalgamation of songs and AKB concepts into animated form to sell products. There was an actual stand alone story here—and a decent one at that—and that I feel, makes all the difference.
Indeed, what Kawamori Shoji ends up doing with AKB0048 is nothing short of amazing, and it’s something I feel is a worthy addition to his creative portfolio. The end result isn’t on the same level as say, Macross, but what he manages to do here is worth mentioning nonetheless—as ultimately, I don’t think there’s anyone else out there who could’ve pulled off what he did with AKB0048. I mean, not only does he create an original story that combines much of the prior experience he’s had with sci-fi/mecha, he manages to also incorporate all the elements that make AKB what it is in real life, AND creates something that’s not only enjoyable and entertaining, but runs counter to what people expect from series that look like they’re purely for marketing. It’s an impressive feat to say the least.
Ultimately, if there’s one thing left to say, it’s that I’m going to end up missing this series. The over the top and dramatic Kawamori flair is something that can’t really be replicated by anyone else, and the fact that he consistently makes series in my favorite genres only contributes further to the void I feel upon realizing there’s no Kawamori series this spring. At least though, he does seem to be working on something new, so the wait for another Kawamori work may not end up being as long as anticipated.
On that note, I hope those if you reading this now enjoyed this series as much as I did, and I hope that my coverage contributed at least in part to that. Looking forward, I’ll be covering Suisei, Shingeki, and Date A Live next season, so I hope you’ll join me there as well. If not, I’ll bid you a fond farewell for now. In an ode to the episode’s final quote, “someday, we’ll surely meet again.”
It seems to me that we’ve had an unusual number of girls with eyepatches in anime lately…
I think in terms strictly of narrative execution, this may very well be the best episode of Little Busters! to date. As a self-contained story with internal drama and humor, it worked pretty much flawlessly. The pacing was spot-on, the dialogue was sharp, and it probably integrated the disparate elements of LB – the mythology and the slice-of-life – more smoothly than we’ve seen so far (though to be fair, what we’ve seen so far has mostly been an intentionally stark contrast rather than smooth integration). While the serious haters will never be won ever, it’s pleasing to see LB gradually winning over many viewers as it nears the end of the first season and the reasons behind some of its choices start to become clear.
While we technically only had the introduction of one major new character this week, it almost feels as if it was two – and that’s because we’ve seen so little of Kengo up to this point. The newbie was Koshiki Miyuki (Honda Youko), an archery club member with an eyepatch. We don’t get a lot of details about what’s happened to her, but it’s clear that she has a deep and abiding love for archery – so much so that the prospect of being unable to continue pushes her to some desperate behavior. Where does Kengo fit into this? That’s also hard to say. Masato gleefully describes his conversations with Koshiki as flirting, but Koshiki claims she only wanted Kengo’s opinion as a fellow practitioner of martial arts.
Where does the truth lie? Given how much of a Sphinx Kengo has been and how little we know of Koshiki, the only logical thing is to take her at face value – but my suspicions are otherwise. In any event it’s very clear that he was mercilessly honest in whatever he told her about her prospects (with archery) and that seems to fit with what we know of Kengo. He’s obviously a bit of a facetious character to begin with, walking around school in his Kendogi and Hakama. But the impression he gives is of someone unfailingly honest and direct – I might even say rigid in his dedication to what he believes is important. I found the interaction between he and Masato especially interesting, and it’s always been clear that there’s something deeper in their mutual verbal sparring than meets the eye. There was just a hint of malice in Masato’s ribbing of Kengo in Koshiki’s presence, and some very real rage in Kengo’s reaction.
As with everything in Little Busters now, what happens has to be seen not just as an event in itself, but as a reflection on the mythology. Kyousuke has arranged a game – with an "All-Star Team" of athletic club captains – and as Masato points out (was his mistake in counting Riki and Rin twice a gag, or a hint? Hmmm…), the Little Busters need a ninth to make an actual baseball team. It’s always seemed likely that Kengo would be that ninth player, but the interesting element here is that Kyousuke has rejected Riki’s offer to recruit someone because "It’s only a matter of time until the final member joins us." With the benefit of perspective we of course have seen for a while that Kyousuke was obviously eyes-deep in the "Secret of This World" but this seems to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and opens Riki’s eyes. The obvious next conclusion Riki could draw from that is of course that the writer of the cat-tail messages also seemed to know things about the future that they should not have known…
Riki is creeping ever closer to the truth, and if indeed Kyousuke is the note-writer it seems that he’s been trying to help him get there. I found Riki’s wording of how narcolepsy "severs his connection to the world" far too provocative to be a coincidence. His inner thoughts tell us that Komari’s "Eight Dwarves" story is also a major clue (as I suspected), and the scene on the rooftop where we see Koshiki seemingly contemplating suicide is also seemingly more than simply a dramatic moment (though it is quite a beautifully-executed one). Koshiki obviously didn’t want to kill herself, she was simply feeling utterly confused and helpless – but it’s the involvement of the teachers that I find most troubling. It’s not just Koshiki’s terrifying vision of them – which could, at least in theory, be attributed to her situation – but the overall violent and angry tone they strike which seems ill-suited to the moment at-hand. One of them in fact quite literally punches Riki (which is like kicking a puppy) when he tries to help. Again, this could simply be clueless adults doing to worst possible thing when a teenager is in trouble, and it wouldn’t be the first time. But LB has a way of making you question everything you see.
In any case, things are building admirably towards a season-concluding ep (and an unusually late one at that) next week. We’re clearly at a transition-point in the story – as Riki inches towards the truth, Kyousuke suddenly announces that he’s stepping down as leader of the Little Busters and passing the job on to Riki (an acknowledgment, it seems, that Riki is indeed getting close to The Secret). Kengo has joined the team under circumstances I would never have predicted before this week – unable to participate in the kendo inter-highs because of the arm he breaks saving Koshiki’s life (and it’s suspicious that he didn’t break more than that) he decided he can be a one-armed swinger for the Busters (one might ask what defensive position he’s going to play, though clearly that’s not the most important question in the big picture). It seems all the pieces are finally in place for something big to happen – the game-changer that will make the second season fundamentally different from this one.
Might as well say it now–the culprit was exactly who we expected it to be…kind of. I’m disappointed that the show didn’t use the opportunity to pull a red herring on us and create some real tension, since the hints they gave us made it painfully obvious who the culprit is. The only mystery that really unfolded for the audience was the motivations for Tsukino–it makes sense that she has multiple-personality disorder, but it wasn’t a revelation that made me gasp. We can all feel sorry for Tsukino’s situation, but the desired effect the show wished to achieve was lost due to poor pacing and terrible foreshadowing issues. Instead of all this suspense on trying to figure out who the criminal was, more focus should’ve expanded on Tsukino’s past, preferably in a properly animated flashback. Too much attention was given to the mystery portion, diverting attention away to where Kotoura-san’s true potential lies in–character introspection and development.
It’s Mifune crying over her mistakes that makes this show. It is Manabe constantly worrying about Kotoura even after a fight that makes this show. It is the once detestable Moritani confessing properly and getting rejected, ending in tears and acceptance, that makes this show what it is. Although the story didn’t give nearly enough attention to those moments as they should’ve, they were the strongest moments of the show, giving a glimpse into the inner thoughts and struggles of each of the characters. I could’ve cared less about the results of the mystery–it was always about how the characters would react to the consequences and how they would all grow internally as a result. After all, Kotoura’s powers are to encourage an honest introspection for each character, rather than turn the show into a suspenseful mystery. Unfortunately the last few episodes have failed to capitalize on that strength and as a result, the last arc fell pretty flat. If it were any other show I’d be alright with this arc, but due to the high bar that the show set early on, the last half of the series never met those high expectations.
But then the last episode showed itself and…
Preview
Episode 12
「伝えたい言葉」 (Tsutaetai Kokoro)
“The Things I Want to Tell You”
…it made things a bit better. Just a bit.
Alright, it made things better for sure. First, the obvious.
I shed a little tear for Kumiko when she finally revealed the full side of her story, though I still disagree with the decisions that she made. The world called her daughter a liar, lies and cheating destroyed her relationship with Haruka’s father, and her own resulting cheating was revealed–it’s fully understandable why she would leave at that point, though for Haruka’s sake she should’ve persevered and kept trying to understand her innocent yet persecuted child. Though Kumiko naturally harbored negative and malicious feelings towards Kotoura and her powers, it only added to the guilt that Kumiko had for failing to protect Kotoura, both from outsiders and the dark side of herself. The path of redemption should not be denied for Kumiko even with her deeds, especially since an intense pillow fight paved the way for the healing process to begin. Just as Kotoura took some time to adjust herself to her friends (and still continues to do so), it will take time for those two to heal their emotional wounds and reform their mother-daughter relationship. Judging from the epilogue, those two are well on their way on doing so…though it’s a shame we don’t get to see more of their development this season. Of all the conclusions, this one played out the best, and obviously was the one many of us were expecting to see–above all else, the goal of this show was to show the process of healing and how dark pasts can be put aside, of which the Kotoura family was crown example.
Meanwhile, Mifune finally came out about her true intentions for Kotoura, though Kotoura herself reveals her own “intentions” in the process. As many of the readers pointed out, Mifune executed her role as a “bad guy” pretty badly, as it ended up mending her past scars rather than chase the ill-planned course of avenging her mother. It’s a shame that Muroto still isn’t responding to Mifune’s advances just yet. At least Mifune acknowledges that her subtle methods are ineffective against her best friend, a trait that Kotoura herself sympathizes with. Mifune finally is being true to herself, which symbolically showed itself in the disbanding and reformation of the ESP Club.
Finally…we get Manabe’s confession to Kotoura, or rather his verbal confession. Kotoura knew about Manabe’s feelings, but you just can’t beat a physical confession. Although they didn’t end up smooching and sealing the deal, hand-holding suffices considering how innocent the two of them are. Although it makes me happy that the two of them finally got together, the execution felt tacked on without much buildup to the scene. All I can say is that it could’ve gone a lot better, but at the same time they actually did open up their feelings for one another, which is a feat in itself for most romantic comedies.
All of the above would’ve been fairly great to end any reasonable romantic comedy, but Kotoura-san dug itself a hole by having one fatal flaw–it was too good at the beginning. Romantic comedy traditionalists, you may disagree, but I think that Kotoura-san’s greatest flaw was also its greatest strength. Awkward segue into final impressions GO!
As I usually am every season, my coverage of shows is very non-committing due to dark horses rearing their heads to tempt my free time. Last season it was an adorable couple, this season it was an abused psychic struggling to regain the ability to trust. For those of you like me who were among the pioneers to watch this show, to go through that first episode without word of mouth, we were floored. Absolutely floored. A simple 4-koma had managed to completely smack the blindside of everyone watching with its raw and brutal treatment of Kotoura. It was hard watching those first ten minutes, but it provided a very compelling story that suggested one thing–this story was not what anyone expected it to be. People were charmed by its unique approach to a romantic comedy, by the strength and honesty of the main male protagonist, and of course the overall sweet story of a girl beginning her quest at trusting people once more.
The 4-koma suddenly saw a surge in translators hoping to see what would happen next–the next few 4koma strips indicated that at least for the next few chapters, this hook was not a one-shot. Word of mouth spread, and suddenly what was under the radar rose to be a crowd favorite. The next few episodes sustained this drama, continuing to draw people in. Mifune had her hidden intentions that only teased at what she was planning. Moritani drew the ire of the audience with her actions as she introduced herself as a jealous rival. Manabe continued to garner praise as a strong male protagonist who wasn’t a blockhead or a coward. On top of all that, Kotoura continued to drive the plot with her ESP, allowing a deeper, more raw introspection into each of the characters. Things were looking good for the show, with so much potential to strip away the surface of the characters and see the raw thoughts affect the story.
But…something happened. The story turned romantic comedy, and life was cheerful and happy. The issues brought in the beginning of the series were cast aside in order to emphasize the bonding of the group and Kotoura’s healing process. While a relief for those who like the rom com status quo, and in fairness a good strategy to emphasize the good things present in Kotoura’s life, it was the beginning of a fall from an intriguing show to a fairly tame rom com. Many episodes were spent in funny situations like theme parks made for Kotoura, the awkward moments of a first date, and of course the eternal repentance of Moritani for her misdeeds in the past. I’ll admit these situations were really funny and well executed, and that the characters were so likable and energetic, but it created a disconnect between the drama of the beginning and the mellowness of the middle–the story was trying too hard to be two things at once. For it to be an effective story, with the 12 episodes they were given, they had to have chosen a path to focus on. Should it be a really funny romantic comedy, or should it instead focus on the hooks of the drama? Unfortunately such focus was lost.
When the drama started once again, I was hoping for a return to the fairly well-executed drama of before. I was hoping that all the loose ends the story set in the beginning would cleanly tie themselves here in a full-circle manner. However, what we saw was the story trying to stay a comedy while keeping the drama afloat. It didn’t work and it ended up lacking focus–the comedy wasn’t strong enough to elicit the laughs of the mid-section and the drama wasn’t intense enough to satisfy those looking for some serious introspection. The plotlines were terribly predictable, the jokes fairly tame, and a lack of a display of extended stress or worry from the characters despite the situation they were in. Thus at the final episode, all these loose ends that were blocked by bits of comedy had to be tied up quickly, lest an audience be displeased by a terribly done cliffhanger.
Like I said above, all of this would’ve been alright if Kotoura-san had set off to be a “romantic comedy with a twist” as people previously were expecting. Flaws would’ve been more forgivable due to the lowered standards, and the romantic comedy aspects would’ve been more widely received as the norm rather than a roadblock. But instead, Kotoura-san tried, and it is that effort in the beginning that ultimately caused its fall–too high expectations were set on a show that in the end was just a 4-koma after all. I don’t dislike the show for trying–in fact I applaud it for trying to be something different, but the follow-through was not satisfactory enough. Perhaps as a blogger I had set my own standards too high and optimistically, but looking back 12 weeks ago, when I first had my mouth gaping at what was being portrayed on screen, I probably would’ve thought the same thing if I had to do it all over.
But alas, let’s not leave these final impressions with bitter words. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed each character and their interactions together, where their antics were enjoyable to watch independent of the plot–perhaps the most consistently enjoyable part of the show to look forward to. Two particularly stood out for me, though one is probably more universally agreeable than the other. All the characters eventually shone in their own right, but these two take the cake.
As everyone says, Manabe is one of the strongest male leads anime has seen in awhile, displaying feats of straightforwardness and honesty when the situation demanded it. He was always there for Kotoura and never let down his love for her. One might call it a bit overbearing, but in this case it was a true demonstration of dedication to not let your precious loved one be hurt again. His actions may have been a bit repetitive in the end, but his heart was still honest and true. Of all the people Kotoura needed at that moment, she was lucky to have found the guy whose heart, mind, and mouth were mostly on the same page. It’s refreshing to see capable protagonists like this, and I am proud to see Manabe finally able to express his affections even more openly than before. He deserves that good end.
The other character that garnered my affections though would have to be Moritani, solely for her beautiful combination of being the butt of the group as well as being stuck in a cycle of eternal redemption. Obviously no one liked her in the beginning, but as the series progressed, her antics and her hyper-energetic nature melted away her past wrongdoings. As she continued to stick up for Kotoura no matter what, even going to jail to help her, it was clear that she was trying her best to not just make it up to Kotoura, but instead become one of Kotoura’s best friends. Her love life sucks, but she sucks it up like a true Mori and faces it head-on when the time is right. Those feelings of jealousy and malice are completely gone now, leaving only feelings of regret, guilt, and bittersweet acceptance. It was a show of mercy from Kotoura that changed her life, and as such she consistently pays her respects every episode to that mercy. Since the 4koma is still ongoing, I sincerely hope Moritani finds another person who doesn’t care about her dojo, because I feel that she’s definitely paid off her dues in the short time she’s been given.
Thank you all for following this series to the end with me and giving it a shot. While disappointing towards the end, the actual material itself wasn’t so bad, and I don’t regret starting this series at all. If more shows could be as daring as this, the anime lineup would definitely be much more interesting, varied, and unpredictable. Perhaps fellow aspiring directors and storytellers can take some lessons from Kotoura-san and follow suite–the show dared to be something more, and pioneered a formula that may one day be perfected, giving us the true balance of thrill and story we were hoping for from episode one.
With the new season swiftly approaching, it’s time to let you all in on a little secret – our blogging plans! Here’s Random Curiosity’s Spring 2013 Blogging Schedule.
As always, this is a tentative overview of our plans for the new season. We’ll also be doing introductory posts on many of the shows we’re not covering, so if something catches our eyes, things will be shifted around to accommodate. The schedule will be updated to reflect any changes.
As you’ve probably noticed, there are a few changes this time around, the most obvious being that there are now two calendars. While we’ve always focused on anime here at RandomC, a few of our writers have been tirelessly slaving away to cover some of the best long-running manga series in Japan, and I think they deserve a little more recognition! From now on we’re going to include a manga calendar along with our usual anime one. Note that the schedule is done by release date in Japan, not when you can expect a post…it usually takes a while to get our hands on the latest issue, so expect the post a day or two later.
But wait, what’s this – who is this “NEW WRITER” fellow? That’s right – this season we’re bringing on a brand new writer for you all to terrorize enjoy! I’m not going to spoil too much since this this guy and/or gal’s introductory post will appear within the next few days, but I will say that I’m excited to have them join and help us cover some anime that may not have received it otherwise. They’re going to start off with at least two shows, as well as the long-awaited return of the ridiculously popular One Piece manga! Look forward to it, people.
Another thing you may have noticed is the big fat zero next to my name. Oh noes, does this mean Stilts is leaving!? No, not quite yet, though I will be dialing things back for a bit. The simple fact is that blogging at RandomC takes a lot of time, and I’ve been spending so much time here that I haven’t been dealing with other things in my life. So for the time being I’m going on hiatus from episodic posts. The good news is that I will not be disappearing completely – I’ll still be hosting our periodic podcasts, as well as bringing you some new editorials via my Stilts Out Loud column. As for when I’ll return to episodics…well, I won’t say, because I don’t like making promises I may not be able to keep. With that in mind, I’ll promise you one thing – I’m not disappearing quite yet. I love writing for you guys way too much to do that.
Other than that, it’s business as usual around here. We’re currently set to cover 15 shows and 5 manga series, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that first number grows a bit before all is said and done. We’ll keep cranking out posts, so I hope you will all keep coming back to read them. It’s time for another fun season of anime (and manga!) with Random Curiosity! Let’s all have a good one.
4/7: with Moomba & Stereoman’s departure, Uchuu Kyoudai, Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (manga), and FAIRY TAIL (manga) have been dropped. Their other shows have been shifted to other writers – Zephyr will be dropping Date A Live to pick up Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S, while KARNEVAL will be picked up by Kairi 4/7: After a great first episode, Cherrie will be picking up Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge. 4/7: A new writer has appeared! More coming soon… 4/7: What a busy day! Seishun has decided to become the newcomer all-star and pick up Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride. 4/8: My, my. The surprises just keep coming — Takaii decided to pick up Nyaruko-San. 5/2: Seishun has officially picked up the FAIRY TAIL manga.
「僕は友達が……」 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga….)
“I Have… Friends”
Seeing how we already knew that Kodaka would be spending time with Yusa and Hidaka from last week’s preview, I entered the episode questioning what kind of impact two brand new characters could bring. Because, at least from Yozora’s perspective, the two are an encompassment of what the Neighbors Club strives to be (or possibly strives to avoid) — friendly, popular, and down to earth with a decent amount of common sense. But boy, was I wrong for questioning the writers and their decisions to introduce new characters during the last episode! Because after two seasons of watching Kodaka endure unwarranted glares, it was nice to finally see people outside of the club recognize him for the person that he really is. And while Yusa’s view may be a little bit exaggerated it really puts things into perspective when Hidaka, the most popular/powerful person in school, follows suit and gives him the benefit of the doubt. And not only did it really get the ball rolling by providing a stark contrast between Kodaka’s view of the world versus a regular person’s but had the episode started with Kodaka being blackmailed by Rika into meeting her, I doubt it would have had the same impact.
But boy, the second half of the episode really was something. What do you get when you get the two most sane members of the Neighbors Club in a heated battle to the death? Besides almost real nekomimi and deadly projectiles, you get the perfect environment for two people to face the lies they’ve been telling themselves. Honestly though, I never once thought about all the sacrifices that Rika made for her friends in the Neighbors Club. Sure there were all the technology related things she managed but after listening to Kodaka point out how she had to do all the dirty work in order to keep the peace I started to feel really bad for her. In the end though, things came to a close in a fairly clear manner — Kodaka manages to get passed his fear of relationships by finally opening himself up to someone else and allowing that person to help him stand on his two feet.
Final Impressions:
Before I start my final impressions, I wanted to point out something that really stuck out to me toward the end of the episode. There was a scene at the end of the episode where you see a young Kodaka staring at a young Yozora and it transitions into the present Kodaka looking at Rika. The moment that I saw that, it dawned on me that Yozora had officially lost the battle she’s been fighting at for the entire series — trying to keep Kodaka all to herself. While she was going about it in all the wrong ways, it’s a little disheartening to think about how all of her efforts have been in vain. Not only did she lose on both fronts, friendship and love, but to watch Kodaka get ripped away from her because of the very club she created must have been ripping her up from the inside.
Haganai’s second season in my opinion was one of the rare occasions where a sequel manages to reach even higher heights than the first. (I’m looking at you Baka test!) With wacky characters who acknowledge that they’re missing more than just a few screws, this show leaves all the stale gags behind and creates situations where both the environment and the characters work together to create something that feels new and different. Be it the fake trap Yukimura wearing awfully revealing clothes before we found she was actually not a trap or Yozora and Sena ignoring motion sickness and taking on a gigantic rollercoaster way too many times — it doesn’t feel out of place but still brings out all the laughs.
But Haganai really shone this season with its constant focus on the emotional side of friendship and its shove at the very end for Kodaka to face one of his biggest fears. As the hints became less subtle with each episode, it became clear that the focus wasn’t on who Kodaka would end up with but rather when Kodaka would open up and acknowledge all the feelings of those around him. All while hiding the gigantic surprise that Rika would be the one who’d become Kodaka’s first official friend. In hindsight it probably should have been fairly obvious with all the screen time she was getting but it just makes me feel all fuzzy inside after watching the two let everything out and end up even stronger than before.
All in all, Haganai stuck with made it such a good show in the first place and then added more than anyone could have asked for. By keeping the gags at first and slowly transitioning into something much deeper than a standard harem comedy, the show was able to transcend into something that could make you question some of the decisions you’ve made in life. Don’t get me wrong though — this show is far from perfect. With pacing issues and jokes that some people probably wouldn’t be comfortable with, I wouldn’t say this this is a show for everybody. But for those of you who don’t take things too seriously and watch anime to enjoy it, I would have no problems recommending a show like this.
P.S. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my posts and leave all these awesome comments. It’s because of you, the readers, that I even consider doing this episodic-blogging thing. <3
「みそぎぞなつの しるしなりける」 (Misogizo Natsu no Shiru Shinarikeru)
“The Only Sign of Summer”
OK, I confess I’m starting to get a little worried.
A couple of weeks ago someone might have joked about this entire season taking place at Omi Jingu with the national high school championships, and I would have gotten a good laugh about it. But now I’m not so sure. The pacing has been quite a bit slower than it was in the first season already, but many more episodes like this one – five minutes for background on the creepy losers taking photos of a minor character? – and we might just be looking at that seemingly silly notion becoming reality. We managed to get all of six cards read in this match, which is only the semi-finals of the team event – then there’s the individual event after that, which – given all the dramatic permutations that are possible just in the Class A portion – is likely to take up several episodes on its own.
It’s a testament to just how good Chihayafuru is that it can stage an episode like this and still be very entertaining, without any feeling of dragging. But it’s definitely not the emotional powerhouse it was in the first season for me, for reasons that I laid out last week having no idea that this episode would exemplify them in such dramatic fashion. I don’t know whether this shift in focus and pacing takes place in exactly the same fashion in the manga, and it’s hard to blame Morio-sensei for following it faithfully if that’s the case. But given how much is left undone in what until very recently I felt confident in believing were the major plot arcs, it seems obvious we’re not going to get anywhere near closure on any of them in 25 episodes. Hopefully there’s going to be a third season, because if there isn’t Chihayafuru is probably going to feel very much like an unfinished story in anime form.
Points for consistency – every single opponent this season has been developed in much detail, either in terms of the team or its key individual. And now we finally have one who’s truly significant enough to warrant that development in Ousaka Megumu, a player serious enough to have been the Western finalist in the Queen qualifiers before being taken out by Yumi in a memorable match from the first season. Megumu was an afterthought then but she’s in full focus now – and she managed to make me dislike her pretty much immediately with her casual arrogance. The opponents on Chihayafuru are nearly always oddballs (so are the heroes, of course) and often do unsympathetic things, but this show is remarkably good at humanizing them. They have some work to do with Megumu – we’ve seen questionable sportsmanship but rarely anything quite so irritatingly improper as her "They should just let us play the final now." Confidence is one thing, but casually disrespecting the opponent (she also sits down in front of Fujisaki instead of Mizusawa at first) so openly crosses any line of sportsmanship you might care to draw.
I’ll be honest – when this match was set up, I was sort of hoping Chihaya would lose because the cycle of every team match boiling down to her individual one is getting a bit repetitive – it would be fun to see everything come down to Tsutomu or Nishida for once. Well, no longer – I’m really hoping Chihaya pounds some respect into Ousaka. And Chihaya’s maturity is perhaps the most welcome change from the first season – we see signs of it just about every week. She doesn’t panic when Ousaka takes the first four cards (although in truth Chihaya seems to fall behind in every match), even when one of them was a card she was camping. Not only that, she remembers Komano-kun’s advice about scouting the cards based on the opponent’s name, and remembers details from Ousaka’s performance in the Queen qualifier. She could use a little work on now showing her emotional state so openly on her face – that often puts her at a competitive disadvantage – but in terms of the emotional state itself, what a difference a year makes. She’s patient, calm and even though she’s irritated by Megumu’s poor behavior she doesn’t pointlessly rage about it – she channels it into a stronger desire to prove Megumu wrong.
As for the rest of the matches, well – there’s not much to say because we have no idea how any of the boys are doing (only that Nishida is sweating profusely, but that’s normal). We do at least see that Kanade is up by four cards – and indeed, that she’s impressing the hell out of an exhausted Tsukuba by performing so well despite having played every match and lost two by agonizingly close margins. And Kana also delivers the finest moment of the episode, where she and Chihaya bond over a shared memory of the "When winds blow" card – one that has special meaning for both of them. In this small way we see that Kana-chan has subtly influenced Chihaya’s Karuta – to see the meaning in the poem and not just the syllables that comprise it doesn’t come naturally to Chihaya, but here we see it as a source of inspiration for her.
「｢待たせたな、わたしの勇者｣｢寝坊しすぎだ、おれの魔王｣」 (｢Mata Seta na, Watashi no Yuusha｣｢Nebou Shi Sugida, Ore no Maou｣)
“I’m back, my Hero. You sleep too much, my Demon King.”
My my, that was…rushed. Erh, so it’s over? That didn’t feel like a finale to me.
Maou vs Yuusha–erh, that’s it?
Well, that was fast. This whole battle lacked punch. I thought this was going to be the climax of the show, but they blew their load in the first 5 minutes in a seriously underwhelming confrontation. It was neat seeing Yuusha bend the scythe, but they didn’t get into it enough for me to think Yuusha could possibly lose to possessed Maou. It was just thoroughly underwhelming. Not much else to say on that. I give it a D-, correct your work and see me after all.
Mistaken Identity
On the flip side, the fight between Katame Shirei-kan and Gunjin Shitei was pretty great. Here, there was actually risk of the good guys losing – Katame Shirei-kan was clearly the more experienced swordsman, which showed in how he carved up Gujin Shitei without taking a scratch himself. Gunjin Shitei was more clever though, be it with his wrist armor (I still wonder if that would interfere with wielding a sword, but a damn great moment) or going for the mutual KO to beat a stronger foe. My only qualm was that he saved his life by jamming a sword into the wall while he was grappling with a strong foe, and despite the fact that the sword dropped down the hole before them. Add in the logistics of jamming it into the wall and it not only staying in place, but it first stopping and then holding all of his weight…ugh, I shouldn’t think about it so I can still remember that fight fondly.
General Winter
I quite enjoyed how Onna Kishi and her troops triumphed over the mercenaries with better discipline and surprise attacks. Them separating them up by enticing them to follow their own dividing forces (despite the fact that the enemy didn’t know the land as well and their horses were already tired) was a smart tactic. Though, since ‘ol General Winter came right after that, it all basically amounted to not a whole helluva lot. A neat fight though.
Maou vs Onna Kishi – I Don’t Buy It
Now, I’m as much of a fan of a good harem plot as the next red-blooded pervert. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional story indulging in the fantasy of one lucky bastard getting all the girls, especially if there is some comedy and ecchi bits thrown in for shits and giggles. My problem is when a harem or love triangle is shoehorned into a story halfheartedly. Maou and Yuusha are clearly a OTP (trope!), and acting like anything else is true is just wasting our time. I was fine with Onna Kishi contesting Yuusha for a while, just as I was fine with Seinen Shounin doing the same with Maou, but the latter only worked because he realized he had no shot and buggered off. Onna Kishi is a great character, but she has overstayed her welcome on the I-want-to-bone-Yuusha train. Yes, I laughed a few times this episode, from the teacup and blushing (seriously, how did she manage to drop the teacup on her head?) to the two of them getting within kissing distance as they argued over Yuusha, but that doesn’t mean it aided the story by being included. I would have much preferred Onna Kishi get over Yuusha and be open to finding love with some other awesome character that could come along later. It’s a thought.
Looking Ahead
This is the first finale where keeping this section in has been appropriate, because it doesn’t feel like a finale at all!! There’s still so much ahead in the story, and they weren’t shy about making that obvious. A few items:
Apparently the humans and demons are already working together just fine, even if it’s for ill purposes. It is said that the best way to unite people is to give them something to unite against. It appears that the church is intent on doing this, even if they have to manufacture the enemy. Also, it’s time for guns to enter the fray? That can’t be good for anyone who likes living.
Though Maou is looking for peace via this Quriltai thing, it doesn’t sound like the demon people are quite as interested in that. She really needs to start changing the culture there if they’re ever going to have a lasting peace. Though of course, that’s easier said than done.
Nothing was really resolved. Seinen Shounin is still pushing for trade with the demon world, they’re trying to make a smallpox vaccine (for world peace!), everyone’s plans are still in motion…we didn’t even get a kiss between Maou and Yuusha!! Nothing was resolved at all, GAH!
tl;dr:@StiltsOutLoud – A finale that didn’t feel like it. This story has clearly only just begun. Time to pick up the manga #Maoyuu
Random thoughts:
I still have no idea what Onna Mahoutsukai was doing, talking about, or…anything else about her, really.
In writing my final impressions for Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, I described it as a work of flawed genius. If I were to describe Maoyuu Maou Yuusha in a similarly pithy way, it would be as a textbook example of adaptation decay (trope!). While the underlying characters and story struck me as very good, the implementation here was decidedly sub par. This was 2-cours (or more!) worth of material squeezed into one, and it suffered greatly for it.
Not all was bad, of course. Some episodes were quite good – episode 1 did a great job of slowly pulling us into the story and getting us interested in the characters, and episode 9 was so fantastic it was damn near worth watching the entire series just to appreciate that one episode alone. You may notice a similarity between these two episodes – they took their time. Very little material was covered, but what was covered was done with attention and care. When Maoyuu luxuriated over the little details, it was wonderful – that is exemplified by the disguised Meido Ane’s stirring speech in episode 9, but it was seen other times as well, especially when Seinen Shounin got in there and started negotiating the fuck out of someone.
The characters were great too. This was especially true of the side character, though not because the main characters were bad – it was just that they were the ones who most got short-changed by the rapid pace of the adaptation, so only certain secondary characters had anything like their full story told. Basically, there was so little of their story that they had to tell the whole thing for it to make sense! Special props go to Gunjin Shitei, Shounin Shitei, Toujaku Ou, and above all else, Meido Ane. Of anyone else, she was the character that grew the most. From a scared peasant to the one who ignited liberalism in the human world…stirring, simply stirring. I may go watch episode 9 again when I’m done with this post.
In the end, I’m forced to conclude that this adaptation was a failure. They rushed while trying to cover all this material, only for us to get to a finale that didn’t feel like a finale at all. If you are to rush, you need to at least give us a payoff to justify the pacing problems, and this anime lacked even that! I will say this though – after watching this, I badly want to read the what I understand is far superior “Kotowaru!” manga adaptation. If success can be counted in getting people interested in the source material (or another adaptation, in this case), then this was a successful anime. Unfortunately, I would have preferred they satisfy me with this adaptation so I didn’t have to seek out another medium to get the proper story. Strength in the source, weakness in the adaptation – for a tale with such interesting underpinnings, sadly that’s a story I’ve heard many times before.
Although I was reprimanded for revealing his name ahead of time, Ithnan’s name has revealed itself, allowing us to focus our rage onto a specific name. Al-Thamen has definitely been planning its next assault vigorously, splintering various groups to defend for themselves while also hiding their true motives at the very last second. Ithnan, though probably a pawn himself in the grand scheme of Al-Thamen, is still terrible–pawns who control pawns themselves are just as despicable as their masters. Their strategy of preying on good people who are emotionally weak during times of great stress and convincing them to use their rage in destructive ways…they truly are people who want to see the world burn. Despite how terrible it is in practice though, the tactic makes for some deeper storytelling, where many of the antagonists happen to be poor bystanders misguided and disillusioned by the cruelty of life.
Magi did suffer from some one-sided antagonists early on in the series, but that all began to change with the start of the Balbadd Arc. The Fog Troupe, Judal, and now Dunya and Issac, all of them have had tragedy befall them, causing them to curse their fates and take revenge on those who stand in their way. Due to this, white and black rukh in a sense cannot be used as measurements of good and evil, but rather the measure of hope one has for a better future. Dunya lost her hope when the greed and selfishness of others took away the one man who cared for her the most, while Judal never had a chance to feel hope at all. When Alibaba fell prey to the black rukh, it was not his soul becoming “evil’ persay, but rather his hope in fate becoming disillusioned, allowing those with cruel intentions to manipulate his heart through the emotions of hatred. It is hard to hate on any of these characters too much–though they have all committed heinous crimes, the characters themselves are not to blame, but rather the hive-mind mentality of Al-Thamen. It’s a bit of a cop-out, like how corporations protect its top executives, but in this case the organization itself truly is to blame. Now that everyone’s emotions are out on the table and severely thrashing about, hopefully Aladdin’s Wisdom of Solomon can guide them all back to accepting fate’s hope for a better future.
Aside from the dark backstories of the members of Al-Thamen, some of the nations of Magi have also revealed some of their history. Undoubtedly we will not see a detailed glimpse into these nations this season, but the acknowledgement that said nations have a deeper story behind them keeps the story able to move forward. More members of the Kouroyal family have been revealed, perhaps to play a greater role when a direct conflict between Seven Seas Alliance and the Kou Empire comes to fruition, but the more important royal member to arise is Dunya herself. Apparently the victim of a war between an established nobility and magicians, Dunya’s backstory gives insight into the other nations that exist. Though unclear of how Dunya escaped the treachery of her people and the rebellious nature of the magicians, it is clear she is part of a repressed and hated group that magicians apparently now dominate. To rise from a school of magicians to an entire nation of them signifies that magicians in this world may be more common than we’ve seen and most definitely more cruel than believed. Of course this probably links back to Al-Thamen, the all-encompassing evil organization, but it only serves to exemplify the reach of their influence. If magicians happen to be quite common, what of other formidable groups such as the Fanalis or dragon people? It goes to show how much of the world of Magi we have yet to see, as well as what international conflicts are to arise in the future.
To end on a meta-note, it seems that the anime has gone for an anime-original ending, which highly suggests that this season has been a “test run” of sorts for the series. With Fairy Tail ending its anime run soon, there may be hope that Magi can take up the mantle for a long-running show. This is entirely up to how sales and popularity run with the show though, so only time can say whether an extension of Magi’s anime story will occur–although a hard task, the show can realign itself with the next arc if need be, breaking back into source material. I would be saddened though to see the show end here, for most of the exciting political intrigue and epic adventures apparently start firing up after Zagan.
Gosh darn, this season really knows how to pull its endings doesn’t it? Virtually every single series I’ve watched so far has had some kind of satisfying/great ending, and Vividred Operation joins the list with its explosive (literally) finale.
Following up from last week, things look pretty grim for the most part to start things off. The UDF sends everything it has against the amalgamation of Rei + the crow to no avail, and the Incarnate Engine’s on the brink of destruction as a result. But true to their words, the Vivid team launches one final attack—powered by their friendship—in an attempt to rescue Rei. Needless to say, they pull out all the stops—including Vividyellow, Vividgreen, and Vividblue Final Operations—in order to do so. Ultimately, they succeed in getting Akane to Rei, and the rest they say is history…
…as we finally get to see the docking operation for which the series is named, and interestingly enough, it involves Akane docking with someone—rather than someone else initiating the process. And well, we get some ridiculously awesome moments afterwards—full of epic supersonic Vivid punches from outer space and crazy power levels surpassing the universe itself—as a result. Suffice to say, words can’t really describe how ridiculously awesome the entire sequence of events ended up being, and I think I can speak for most people still watching this series when I say that this finale was pretty darn enjoyable.
On that note, I have to give some recognition to Fukasawa Hideyuki, whose soundtrack really complemented the actions scenes—not only in this episode, but throughout the entire series itself. As such, it’s exceptionally painful to see that there’s literally no information regarding an impending release of the soundtrack, which is easily one of the more notable ones in the past few seasons. EDIT: Scratch that, looks like there’s an OST coming with the Vol. 4 BD’s… though it won’t release till June.
Finally, I’d just like to note how the crow was pretty darn devious. Not only did she take the arrows away from Rei to throw her powers to overdrive, but she intentionally kept her alive just so she could witness the death of her friends too. Admittedly, it’s somewhat cliche and ended up being her downfall, but there’s just something wicked about that regardless.
Final Impressions after the ED/Epilogue Caps…
ED5.12 Sequence
Epilogue:
Final Impressions:
Looking back in retrospect, the big thing I pointed out about Vividred Operation was how it seemed like it would be something entertaining regardless of how its plot ended up. As it turns out, the basic plot indeed wasn’t anything to speak home about, but at the very least, the entertainment value was definitely present. Seeing gals flying around kicking alien butt on a weekly basis—with a side of mayo on everything—was pretty fun, and it’s something that made Vividred a nice series to watch after a long, tiring day at school/work. At the end of the day, people watch anime to either be entertained and/or get away from the stresses of life and I believe this series managed to provide that entertainment/escape for a fair amount of viewers. Ultimately though, what can I say? What you saw was what you got with this series. Regardless of the obvious short comings with the plot and so forth, the fact of the matter is, those shortcomings were expected. Entertainment was the overall purpose of the series and entertainment was what we got. And to me, that’s all that matters in this case.
「それぞれの物語」 (Sorezore no Monogatari )
“To Each, Their Own Tale”
Here we are again. Another season’s gone by in a flash, and with it, comes the end of series we’d rather not say goodbye to. One such series is Zetsuen no Tempest (of course), whose finale ends up being a showcase of what the series has been about the whole time—the characters themselves. Yes, we got a lot of flashy action scenes throughout to support things as well (Bones did a really great job with this series by the way), but at the end of the day, it was the characters that really made this series. As such, it’s only fitting that the finale ends up being not so much about the final battle, but about the developments as a result of it. It’s about the culmination of the journey that led our main characters to this point, how the end is just another beginning, and most importantly—the things that they’ve learned as our characters return to some semblance of a normal life…
…one no longer ruled by Gods (or should I say, giant Trees of Destruction?). As Mahiro puts it aptly, “the dream is over,” and it’s quite the statement. Because in many ways, the world they’ve been living in has never been quite real, having been guided by magic and filled with illogical/impossible events. With the Trees both now gone, people can actually now live a life where they’re able to write their own scripts—or in Mahiro’s and Yoshino’s cases, actually live normal lives.
Speaking of scripts though, Aika’sfinal message just highlights the philosophy she had toward life, as well as how her circumstances led her to living her life the way she did. Her comments about how she believes life is something where you’re an “actor on a stage (who) cannot change their script,” as well as her belief that you’ve fulfilled your role if you manage to “exit beautifully,” really just hammers in the situation thrust upon her as the Mage of Exodus. In many ways, it’s quite tragic in and of itself how much that power (and responsibility) made it so she could never really ever maintain a life many would consider normal. At the same time though, it’s quite amazing at the same time how she was able to still live on despite knowing that her life would likely never hold the same things many people take for granted, which just combine to make her one of the most memorable characters in recent memory for me. I’ve said this time and time again, but there are few shows where a single character ends up playing such a significant role in the story. Yet, Fuwa Aika manages to achieve this (this scene kinda looks like a curtsy/bow now that you think of it), despite having been killed before the series even started. Indeed, it only helps further that she’s a female character as well, and combines with Hakaze to make Zetsuen no Tempest a rare beast in terms of having not one, but two strong and complex heroines in its cast (three if you count Evangeline).
Shifting back to the views on life for a moment, it’s also admittedly interesting how Mahiro and Yoshino ended up being complete opposites—fighting against a script someone has written for them, rather than acting it out. Of course, one could still say it was all fate regardless, but going from the assumption that this wasn’t all destined, it serves as a nice contrast to Aika’s point of view. What makes it even more notable, is the fact that Aika’s decision actually ended up serving as the spark that led them to this result, which kind of just brings everything full circle…
…which was another big thing for me this episode. Because as the sequence above demonstrates, it’s that everything is linked. Everything that has happened in this series has happened as a result of something else, and everything just builds on one another. The characters build off of each other, the plot developments develop off the characters, the story builds from great plot development—all culminating in a spectacular feat of storytelling. Interestingly enough, this whole notion of one thing leading to another and the butterflies we see this episode, make it so that I can’t help but think of the Butterfly Effect as well. By definition, the Butterfly Effect describes a situation where one small change can lead to a large difference at a later time… which in many ways feels representative of many of the things that we’ve seen happen in Zetsuen no Tempest.
Ultimately, this is what I mean when the finale ends up particularly fitting for the series. Everything just wraps up nicely, and it’s a conclusive ending that stays true to what the series has been about. The flashback montage at the end was just spectacularly done, as was Aika’s final message—which just highlights the person she was, as well as notion of how one should cherish the little things many take for granted. With that said though, this finally brings the series to an end. Sadly, the ending to this series is not another beginning, as we’ll likely never see anything else come out regarding this universe. At the very least however, the end of this paragraph is, as you’ll find some final impressions after the ending caps below.
Looking back to the beginning of the series, I was admittedly somewhat skeptical about Zetsuen no Tempest. Having peeking at the first few chapters to compile the preview, I remember being somewhat intrigued, but unsure how it’d develop in the long term. I decided to intro the first episode as a result though, which combined with Bones’ superb animation to keep me interested. One episode turned to two, and well, you know the rest.
Now a full five months later, I’m exceptionally glad that I decided to (and had the chance to) give this series the coverage it deserved. In retrospect, it’s not quite a masterpiece, but there was a lot here to distinguish the series from the run of the mill shows. Well developed characters, great plot twists (and facial expressions to those twists), superb animation, and a nice complementary soundtrack really came together to launch this series above and beyond all my initial expectations. That said, the ending of the series leaves a kind of void as a result, in addition to a bittersweet aftertaste. Because as many of you have probably found out the hard way, series like Zetsuen no Tempest just don’t go on trees, and it’s just sad how we’ll likely never receive anything more regarding this series/universe. On the other hand though, one has to take the moment also to bask in the glory of a series vastly exceeding expectations, which does at least nullify the post-great series depression somewhat.
And well, there’s not much to say here when you get down to it. I think I’ve made it abundantly clear how much I’ve loved this series (and what I’ve loved about it) through my weekly posts,and I guess all I can say is I hope that those of you reading this managed to get the same amount of enjoyment I did from Tempest. I’d also like to hope that my coverage contributed at least somewhat to that as well and look forward to seeing some of you guys again in some of my future posts as well. Until then, I guess we’ve reached yet another end eh? At least in this case, “the end is just another beginning.” To that end, just make sure you ain’t following anyone else’s script, you hear?
Author’s Note:
Decided to revive my blog. If you’re interested, take a gander. You’ll find a quick article about my PAX East trip there as well.
It has been said that every ending is a new beginning. Indeed, the end of the cold winter months signal the beginning of spring—and yet another new season of anime. Having given us some of the best series in recent years, the spring season has established itself as one of the strongest and most packed seasons, second only to fall. It seems like that trend continues this spring, as we have some 35+ series debuting (compared to the winter’s 31). Like the previous season, a wide assortment of shorts are also among them. Ultimately, despite the fact that this spring offers a wide range of series, it will likely be one remembered by fans of the fantasy, science fiction, and mecha genres for years to come. With series such as Date a Live, Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince, Kakumeiki Valvrave, Red Data Girl, Shingeki no Kyojin, Suisei no Gargantia (with UroGen!), and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S all falling under those respective categories, it’s just a great season to be a fan. Interestingly enough, I’m one such fan myself, and it makes me wonder if there was a measure of fate involved in me being the intro/outro writer this season. Regardless, it’s my pleasure to present to you Random Curiosity’s Spring 2013 preview, the product of countless hours from seven of our writers — many of which are coincidentally also celebrating their one year anniversary of writing here. How time flies!
As a quick reminder, each entry is divided into two paragraphs:
A brief introduction to the series and its premise, often with the starring cast of characters.
The writer’s impressions, expanding on the plot and highlighting specific points of interest.
As with last season, we’re bringing back our Expectation Levels in an attempt to help you decide what to watch based on how excited we are about each individual shows. For more on this, including our definition of each level, check out the overall impressions section at the very bottom. We’ve also included a list of all shows organized by expectation level, just to make things easier.
Disclaimer: Past season previews were done by a single writer, Divine. Unfortunately, none of the writers are full cyborgs like he is—we still have to eat and sleep—so we’ve divvied up the preview portion of this post amongst five writers (BakaMochi, Moomba, Stilts, Zanibas, and myself — Zephyr) in order to try and match the high-quality and objective impressions you’ve come to expect. Similar to what Divine did in the past, we will also try to identify what appeals to us in each series, in hopes that it will help you determine if it coincides with your tastes.
Disclaimer #2: Please note that this list does not reflect all the series airing this coming spring. It is meant to be as comprehensive as possible, but omissions have been made in regards to shows that stray from the anime norm or seem to be oriented towards young children. Please check out MOON PHASE for complete listings, syoboi for specific air times, and Fansub Wiki for a list of potential subbers for each series.
Finally, I’d just like to give out some shout outs to the people who made this possible. It’s still mind-boggling how Divine managed to get these previews out himself, as the seven of us took nearly a month to get this all together, but I suppose there are some mysteries in the universe that just don’t have answers. In any case, here’s what everyone did to help out (aside from the previews themselves):
Zephyr compiled the series/movie/OVA lists.
Asobi, Cherrie, Moomba, and Zephyr took care of the information gathering (links, air dates, episode lengths, etc).
Moomba and Stereoman encoded the PVs.
Stereoman single-handedly gathered and cleaned all the images you see in this post.
Stilts, Zanibas, and Zephyr formatted the post and made sure everything was working properly.
BakaMochi and Stilts finished everything up by proofreading, editing, and double-checking the entire post (multiple times!).
Last but not least, let’s not forget those of you viewing this post right now. To say the least, you guys are the reason we do what we do. Random Curiosity wouldn’t be what it is without you guys, so we’d just like to say thanks for coming out to this site and continuing to support us. We hope you’ll continue to support us in the future as well.
TV Series
Technical Note: the list is ordered by the date and time that the shows premiere. The links in the schedule will take you to a series’ corresponding entry and the “Top” links on the right will bring you back. You can also use the back/forward buttons in your browser to jump between links you’ve clicked. All times are given in a 24-hour, relative-day format where times are extended to show which day they belong to. For instance, Friday morning at 1:30AM would become Thursday at 25:30 to show that the episode aired late Thursday night.
From Japan’s mobile TV channel, NotTV, comes KARA THE ANIMATION. Continuing the trend of new series based on music groups, this series will revolve around the South Korean pop group of the same name and feature each of the members in a different career. All five of the current members will make their voice acting debuts — with Park Gyuri playing the part of a police officer, Han Seungyeon as an astronaut, Jung Nicole as a boat captain, Goo Hara as an officer protecting Monaco’s royal family, and Kang Jiyoung as a firefighter. Each member will have one episode dedicated to them, totaling five episodes. KARA will naturally provide the opening and ending themes.
As a series intended to reach out to KARA’s Japanese fans, KARA THE ANIMATION ends up being quite straightforward. What you see is what you get with this series, which means that while it’s likely be a treat for hardcore fans of the group, it won’t provide much for those who aren’t. On the other hand, those who haven’t heard of KARA before could use the series as a introduction to their music, and may find something likable as a result. Generally though, it feels like this will be one of those series that falls through the cracks, as its catering to a very specific audience will likely limit the amount of viewers who will watch, even though its short nature makes it easier to try out.
DD Hokuto no Ken is a gag anime based on the venerated Fist of the North Star series. The year is 199x, and mankind was not engulfed in the flames of nuclear war. Join the characters from Fist of the North Star as they enjoy a peaceful life in modern day Japan: Kenshiro (Tachibana Shinnosuke) is a convenience store worker, Raoh (Ichijou Kazuya) is a factory worker, and Toki (Seki Tomokazu), who is wracked by illness, is looking for work. The legend of the Fighting NEET begins in the modern day!
Created as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original Fist of the North Star manga, this show is aimed squarely at old fans of the series. I watched a little of the 2011 shorts, and they were fine, but they failed to connect with me since I’m unfamiliar with the characters. A combination of nostalgia, seeing beloved old characters in a new setting, and some decent gags are what will make this series fun to watch, but since I lack the former two I’ll be skipping this one. If you’re a fan of the original series though, this might be worth checking out. If nothing else, it may just remind you of an old series you enjoyed.
The overblown debate anime is back for another season! We’re all used to seeing battles fought with swords, but what about the most common “fights” in the world – debates? Coming exactly a year after the first season started, Gakkatsu! Second Season offers us a rare short-form school comedy that centers around words. It stars Takachiho “Rareko” Chiho (Kawasho Miyuki), a girl known for starting enthusiastic yet absurd debates which result in a lively school life. These debates take obscure topics and blow them out of proportion, and the arguments are exchanged like strokes from swords. As with before, each episode will be five minutes long.
I watched some of the first season, and I came away thinking “Wow…they really do blow everything out of proportion!” The series description is apt – Rareko can take the simplest of questions, and after a few mental leaps (and plenty of overreactions), the debate will be about something else entirely. I can see how this show could be funny, though honestly the humour didn’t strike me. The animation was cartoonish but lively, which seems to suit it. All in all, I respect this show for doing something a different and having a unique style while doing it, even if it didn’t especially entertain me. If any of this has piqued your interest, I suggest you seek out a few episodes of the first season and see if it suits your taste. At only five minutes a pop, you don’t lose much by giving it a shot.
In what seems to be Studio Gokumi’s most “interesting” adaptation yet (beating Koe de Oshigoto), Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge describes an interesting romance marred with curses. Haimura Kiri (Hanae Natsuki) is obsessed with cutting people’s hair, especially the hair of Mushanokouji Iwai (Koiwai Kotori), whose hair is apparently cursed to never be cut. The two find temporary happiness when Kiri is able to cut Iwai’s hair, but it’s short-lived as they discover Iwai’s dark ancestry. The two must now fight against those who seek to kill Iwai, the Hair Queen, as part of a centuries old game that rewards the murderer with freedom and power. With Kiri and his competitors equipped with “Killing Goods”, the anime plays out the couple’s constant duel with murderers who have their eyes set on the Hair Queen for various reasons.
It might be tempting to compare this show with the recent Cuticle Tantei Inaba, but only hair fetishes link the two together. Crime Edge plays out more like a game of Mirai Nikki where Kiri and Iwai are like Yuno and Yukki respectively–one character fiercely defends the other out of weird but honest love. The hair fetish will definitely turn off some viewers, but compared to Nazo no Kanojo X, this show is fairly easy to digest. Though a bit confusing with the action plot elements, I give the show props for being unique with the romance–those looking for a new romance niche to explore should check this out. Studio Gokumi has a fairly good track record and director Yuuji Yamaguchi has decent experience with directing, but the staff member to look out for here is scriptwriter Urahata Tatsuhiko–his work with Monster and Haganai should translate well into the romantic/action driven dialogue of the show. Though it has a ridiculous plot and a strange fetish, the series’ attempt to be different are enough to make me want to try the first few episodes. Considering how Studio Gokumi exceeded expectations with Oda Nobuna no Yabou last year, I have a feeling they can pull it off again.
As part of the Kadokawa Shoten 65th Anniversary Project, P.A. Works is producing an adaptation of Ogiwara Noriko’s fantasy light novel. The series centres on Suzuhara Izumiko (Hayami Saori), a shy and introverted girl raised in a rural shrine who destroys anything electrical she comes into contact with. After living a sheltered life, she decides she wants to change herself and move to the city despite the protests of her family. In the process she meets Sagara Miyuki (Uchiyama Kouki), an individual born to serve as her manservant but is reluctant to do so. At first, the two do not get along and Miyuki is forced into the position by his father, Sagara Yukimasa (Fukuyama Jun). But following a terrible accident, things between them begin to change as the two learn of their duties and accept their roles.
It’s been a while since P.A. last did something good with a fantasy theme and after watching the first episode I find myself cautiously optimistic. As per usual, the backgrounds are gorgeous and the animation lives up to typical P.A. standards. I’m easily drawn to the character designs since they originate from my all-time favourite Japanese artist, Kishida Mel, and they don’t disappoint on that front. The cast of seiyuu is pretty decent too, with many well-known individuals and a reprisal from Sarah Emi Bridcut following her first great role in Mondai-Ji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?. The premise itself is certainly interesting, especially given its basis on Shinto legends, and the first episode did more than enough to keep me wanting to see more! If you’re actively interested in watching RDG, I can only ask: why aren’t you already watching the first episode?
Based on the otome game of the same name, Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 2000% is a sequel to Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 1000%, which revolved around aspiring composer Nanami Haruka (Sawashiro Miyuki) as she navigated the labyrinths of love and song with a whopping seven possible “princes”: Ichinose Tokiya (Miyano Mamoru), Ittoki Otoya (Terashima Takuma), Kurusu Shou (Shimono Hiro), Jinguuji Ren (Suwabe Junichi), Shinomiya Natsuki (Taniyama Kishou), Hijirikawa Masato (Suzumura Kenichi), and Aijima Cecil (Toriumi Kousuke).
With the original staff and cast returning, Maji Love 2000% looks like it’ll be similar to its predecessor. Those who enjoyed the first season will most likely find the second enjoyable as well, and who knows? Maybe Haruka will actually end up with a guy by the end of the series. While I generally don’t mind otome game adaptations, I never caught the first season when it aired, so it’s unlikely I’ll tune in to 2000%.
Manglobe brings us an adaptation of Mikanagi Touya’s mystery/sci-fi manga, featuring an excellent cast of seiyuu and some intense-looking action! Nai (Shimono Hiro) is an extremely naïve young boy off in search of the mysterious Karoku (Hoshi Souichiro), who one day vanished suddenly, leaving only a Circus I.D. bracelet behind. In a strange mansion, he meets Gareki (Kamiya Hiroshi), a skilled thief, and both find themselves as wanted criminals. During this hopeless time, they encounter ‘Circus’, a goverment defence organisation made up of the strongest fighters which solves crimes and captures the most notorious of criminals. Other notable seiyuu include Miyano Mamoru, Endou Aya, Ono Daisuke, and Kitamura Eri.
There’s something about this kind of series – where it takes themes from stories we associate with our childhood and warps them into something more twisted and surreal – that really appeals to me. I’m a huge fan of Pandora Hearts which did the same, and there’s certainly a similar sort of vibe here from the first chapters of the manga. While the majority of the cast may be male, there are some pretty damned cool female characters in there to balance it out and the PVs seem to suggest copious amounts of impressive action! The great cast is certainly a huge plus too, along with a soundtrack composed by the wonderful Hamaguchi Shiro! I’ll admit to liking thieves as characters too and the ‘performance’ aspect of Circus sounds like it could make for some interesting juxtaposition between the dark brutality of the hunt for criminals and the more light-hearted performances. It’s certainly a show I’ll be watching!
This spring brings us the latest in the increasingly long list of totally unrelated maou shows, Hataraku Maou-sama. In another dimension, the Demon Lord Satan was only one step away from conquering the world when he was beaten by the Hero Emilia and forced into another world: modern-day Tokyo. Since the Demon Lord’s only skills involve conquering the world – and those are pretty useless in his new situation – he must work as a freeter to pay for his living expenses. Along with his trusted general Ashiya Shirou (Ono Yuuki), the newly dubbed Maou Sadao (Ohsaka Ryota) is looking for a way to get back to his world, while fending off the former hero Yusa Emi (Hikasa Yoko) and gunning for a promotion at work as well!
After checking out the source material, I’m getting an Ichiban Ushiro no Daimou feeling from this one, both in the sometimes silly approach to the whole “Maou” thing and in how the story doesn’t do much to distinguish itself, at least initially. The allure is definitely in watching these once powerful beings cope with modern life now that they’re powerless schleps, especially since they’re pretty bad at it – seeing Sadao’s megalomania channeled towards getting a promotion and Emi reduced to nothing but harsh words now that her holy sword is gone is quite amusing to watch. There is also the promise of action, and hints of romance as well, as Emi practically screams “tsundere” for Sadao from their earliest interactions. Still, I can’t help but think the story doesn’t do enough to separate itself from the pack. There’s reason for hope though, as both the studio and staff are surprisingly good, with WHITE FOX (Steins;Gate, Jormungand) and director Naoto Hosoda (Mirai Nikki, Shuffle!) being of particular note. In the end, I’ll be watching this since a modern romantic action fantasy is so right up my alley it’s scary. I won’t be surprised if this ends up being middling, even though it has the potential to be more.
It is the end of the 21st century and new technology has allowed humans to expand into the final frontier. The successful expansion is short lived however, as hostile aliens from Jupiter attack and leave humanity on the cusp of annihilation. The need to both adapt to the harsh environment of space and fight off the Urgal leads to the creation of genetically engineered children known as “Princes” who wield robotic weapons known as “Advanced High Standard Multipurpose Battle Devices” (AHSMB) to fight off the alien threat. A Dogakobo x Orange collaboration, Ginga Kukoutai Majestic Prince is a manga adaptation that revolves around a Prince named Hitachi Izuru (Aiba Hiroki). Together with Asagi Toshikazu (Asanuma Shintaro), Irie Tamaki (Iguchi Yuka), Kugimiya Kei (Hikasa Yoko), they make up the group known as Team Rabbits. This is their story.
It’s somewhat difficult to anticipate how this series will end up. The trailers have shown a mixture of serious and comedic scenarios, which could either end up leading it to great heights or failing miserably. I suppose that’s where director Motonaga Keitaro comes in. Having done some great work on recent adaptations in Jormungand and Katanagatari, Keitarou has shown the ability to both faithfully adapt a given source material while properly balancing the scenarios I mentioned previously. As such, I’m inclined to think that Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince will likely be one of the better series coming this season, though admittedly, this series will offer the most to fans of the sci-fi/mecha/action genres. Those that aren’t fans of those genres and/or Gundam Seed and its character designs—Hirai Hisashi is the character designer—may find less to like here.
Hikigaya Hachiman (Eguchi Takuya) is an antisocial high-schooler with no friends, no girlfriend, and a seriously twisted view on life. To him, the very idea of a happy youth is a lie perpetuated by hypocrites and liars, and he wants nothing to do with it, or them. This is how he drifts through his school life, until he runs afoul of a certain meddling teacher and ends up in the Service Club with the school’s prettiest girl, Yukinoshita Yukino (Hayami Saori). The club’s purpose: to rehabilitate troublesome students, Hachiman included. Join the two of them as they go head-to-head in this warped school romance.
This romcom feels simultaneously familiar and unique. It’s like they took Houtarou from Hyouka, dialed his cynicism up to 11, and tossed him in a Haganai-like world where everyone is just slightly “off”. Oh, and then they added in an even haughtier version of Yozora (Haganai again), a bunch of other weirdos, and sat back to watch the fun. That comparison is totally wrong in all sorts of ways, but it gets you closer to the truth. The thing is, while there are a lot of familiar elements, there’s something refreshing here as well. The atmosphere is practically marinated in warped cynicism, and the characters are compellingly unlikable. Their interactions even have a bit of a trainwreck quality to them – everyone is so twisted it’s just fascinating to watch. On the production side, the staff is a little light on experience, and Brain’s Base can be spotty at times, but they did good work with the recent Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, so there’s definite hope. In the end, I’m going to take refuge in the Haganai comparison, inexact though it may be – if you liked watching Kodaka and the crew, give this a try. The source material takes a subtly “off” spin on a familiar setting, and does it well, so now it’s all up to Brain’s Base to give us a good adaptation.
This spring Enterbrain’s third hit dating sim is receiving an anime adaptation. A spiritual successor to KimiKiss and Amagami, Photo Kano stars Maeda Kazuya (Shimazaki Nobunaga), a high school student who takes up photography after he receives an old DSLR camera from his dad. As his hobby flourishes, so do his interactions with several girls, including his beautiful childhood friend Niimi Haruka (Itou Kanae), as well as new faces like Muroto Aki (Nakahara Mai), Sakura Mai (Kanemoto Hisako), Masaki Nonoka (Saito Chiwa), Misumi Tomoe (Sawashiro Miyuki), and more.
I’ll admit that this wasn’t on my radar until I read “spiritual successor to KimiKiss and Amagami“. Photo Kano, you have my attention! Reading through the manga, it definitely has the same flavour as Amagami SS. Kazuya is more aimless where Junichi was broken-hearted, but he has that same tendency of getting pushed around when it’s funny while showing a spine when it’s needed, and I see definite potential for growth in him. He even has a very Miya-like little sister in Maeda Kanon (Ise Mariya)! Madhouse is producing, which is a good sign in my book, and the character art and animation I’ve seen so far has been quite nice. Of course, with a dating sim adaptation it all comes down to the girls, and here I take refuge in the KimiKiss and Amagami comparison once again – Enterbrain heroines + a stellar seiyuu cast has been a winning formula before, so I have no reason to doubt it now. The only question is, will they go for the omnibus format? I hope so, but we won’t know until it starts airing. I can tell you this though – I will absolutely be tuning in, and I encourage any fans of romance and/or dating sim adaptations to join me as well! Oh, and photography. There’ll be some of that too.
This adaptation is based on the game Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2, and helmed by Studio Bridge. Prompted by a morbid app called “Nicaea” that predicts their deaths, protagonist Kuze Hibiki (Kamiya Hiroshi), his friend Shijima Daichi (Okamoto Nobuhiko), and classmate Nitta Io (Uchida Aya) find themselves confronted by a strange chain of events when disaster forces them to choose between “life” or “death”. Now given the ability to summon “demons” via the “demon-summoning app” forcibly downloaded onto their phones by Nicaea, the three must continue to fight against the invasion that places their world on the brink of destruction.
I like it. This adaptation is probably one of the shows I’m most interested in, for its crisp character designs, semi-decent cast, seemingly solid staff (director Kishi Seiji and writer Uezu Makoto – the people responsible for Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita), and well-received source material to pull the story from. While it’s not guaranteed to be a success, Devil Survivor 2 has every chance of becoming one of the better offerings of the season, provided Bridge can deliver. The studio’s resume is anorexic at best, and having never seen Mitsudomoe or any of its incarnations, I can’t really vouch for quality in terms of studio prowess. The staff, however, seem pretty capable (although that School Days on Uezu’s resume is like a coffee stain on the white dress that is Jinrui and Carnival Phantasm), so I suppose that can help balance out that one confounding factor. In any case, Devil Survivor 2 looks pretty promising, so casual viewers should probably give it a try.
This dark tale revolves around Kasuga Takao (Ueda Shinichirou), a bookworm who claims to have a pure admiration for a certain girl, Saeki Nanako (Hisaka Yoko). One day, as Kasuga goes back to his classroom to pick up his current favorite book of poetry, Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire, he notices that Saeki has left her gym uniform. Before he can properly think, noises outside the classroom prompt him to steal the uniform and dash back home. However, a certain Nakamura Sawa (Ise Mariya), infamous for her rebellious and antisocial attitude, discovers Kasuga’s dark secret. It is from here that the story of these three characters begins to unfold in a dark and raw fashion, where the human psyche is severely tested and the limits of insanity and “shit” are pushed.
After blasting through the manga, I can safely say that this show will definitely challenge even the most experienced and hardened anime fans. Those who compare it to School Days are severely understating the gravity of the material, though comparisons with similar Onani Master Kurosawa fare better. If you’re looking for a show that seeks to challenge your faith in human sanity and logic, Aku no Hana is a good candidate. Don’t expect realistic reactions from any of the characters–the material is meant to reflect anything but realism, instead opting to push the limits that human nature can endure. This show embodies the loss of hope on many levels–in humanity, in oneself, and in the concept of redemption itself. Though themes of self-identity and independence do appear in the less depraved segments, the majority of the content focuses on “stripping away” the characters. ZEXCS has a good reputation for handling niche shows like this and with Nagahama Hiroshi (Detroit Metal City, Mushi-shi) as director, those who have been thirsting for a darker and introspective show should give this a shot, assuming one can tolerate the constant humiliation and hopelessness burdened upon the characters.
ARMS brings us a sequel to the anime adaptation of Suzuki Akira’s alternative timeline genderbent samurai light novel! Presumably continuing from where the first season left off, the stage is Buou Academic School where we follow Yagyuu Mineakira (Hirakawa Daisuke), a master of the Shinkage-ryu style and capable of creating Master Samurai. Returning with him for the generally light-hearted romantic-comedy aspects, interspaced with enjoyable action and copious fanservice are Tokugawa Sen (Kotobuki Minako), Sanada Yukimura (Kugimiya Rie), Yagyuu Juubei (Yuuki Aoi), Hattori Hanzou (Gotou Saori), Gotou Matabei (Kobayashi Yuu), Naoe Kanetsugu (Toyosaki Aki), and a whole host of other characters.
Genderbent historical figures are always quite a big thing in Japan. When it comes to genderbent samurai, Hyakka Ryouran tends to bring out some of my favourites, mostly owing to the somewhat unique artwork style presented in the series. There’s something rather nice about the thick borders and frequent ink-splatters that also double as a convenient and creative method of censorship. It’s almost like watching a work of art rather than a somewhat simplistic harem fanservice anime! Being set in an alternate modern-day Japan based on the Sengoku/early Edo periods makes for some interesting possibilities too, as presented in the first season. Of course, having Katou Tatsuya on the soundtrack will make for an awesome aural experience, especially when combined with such a large cast of high-class seiyuu! Typically, as with most sequels, if you enjoyed the original, you will enjoy this. If you haven’t seen the original, it would probably be better to start there!
AIC PLUS+ brings us one of the many light novel adaptations gracing the charts this spring. Itsuka Shidou (Shimazaki Nobunaga) is your generic and ‘ordinary’ high-school protagonist who discovers a mysterious girl after a ‘spacequake’ devastates his town. His sister, Itsuka Kotori (Taketatsu Ayana), reveals her secret identity as commander of an anti-spirit organisation and demands that he woo said mysterious girl in order to save the world by stealing her spirit powers. In order to protect mankind, Shidou must perform his duty, standing steadfast against the spirits and stealing their powers with love.
Date A Live captured me with its very first PV. It’s always fun when a loli is trying to destroy the world, and the combination of fantasy and sci-fi elements could be quite promising in terms of diversity, despite being what sounds like an extremely generic light novel adaptation. But this isn’t what captivated me. What captivated me was how the first PV was presented, combining intense music and brilliant use of cinematic techniques in completely ordinary situations. Whether this will also translate to the anime itself and isn’t just something for the trailers is another matter – but it speaks well that they managed to do something especially captivating in a medium designed solely to captivate. AIC PLUS+ is not a studio I’m all that familiar with, so I’m not sure what sort of expectations to hold in that department, but director Motonaga Keitarou has done a lot of cool stuff, particularly Jormungand and Katanagatari, so I’m quite looking forward to seeing how things turn out!
An adaptation of the manga series by the same name, Danchi Tomoo centers around the daily life of Kinoshita Tomoo (Sanpei Yuuko), a fourth-grade boy who lives in an apartment complex with her mother and big sister. It follows Tomoo’s silly, nonsensical, and occasionally heartwarming misadventures with his friends, classmates, and other people in his complex.
Ahhhh, to be a kid again. And that’s what this show is about – being a kid in Japan, and all the silly little adventures that entails. I can see the allure in this kind of show, though unfortunately I was unable to get my hands on much of the source material, so I can’t vouch for its comedy chops. Here are a few facts though: 20+ volumes of the manga have been published, so someone clearly likes this. They have the director from Doraemon, Nazo no Kanojo X, and Uchuu Kyoudai (Ayumu Watanabe) on board, as well as the script writer from Cross Game (Michihiro Tsuchiya), both of which feel very fitting for this show. The animation is simple, but then again, this is a simple show. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether this will be a short, though my gut says no. Note that I have nothing to back that up, but the apparent popularity of the source material coupled with the relatively simple animation (not to mention the staff working on it) makes me think they’ll offer up full episodes. We’ll see, though. I don’t know if I’ll be watching this one, but if I don’t I won’t be surprised if I end up hearing I missed out.
Pretty Rhythm is continuing (without interruption) with a third season of singing, dancing, and skating fun. Based on the Takara Tony arcade game, the Pretty Rhythm series is about fashionable super-idols who perform in the popular Prism Show. This season stars Ayase Naru (Kato Emiri), an 8th grader who can see the colours of music. One day she learns of a new shop that is recruiting middle school girls who can do the Prism Dance. Naru immediately tries out, and during her audition she experiences an aura she has never felt before. At that moment, a mysterious girl named Rinne (Sakura Ayane) approaches her and asks if she can see the “rainbow music”.
We’ve written about this series twicebefore, so I could probably make this easy on myself and just leave you with that. Instead, let me give you the basics – from what I’ve seen, this series is rather well done for what it is. The characters are cute, the atmosphere is light and fluffy, and each episode is fun in a Saturday-morning-cartoons kind of way. The music is pretty good too, provided you like super cutsey J-Pop. I still find the use of CG during the dancing/skating routines jarring, but once you get past that the choreography is good, if simplistic. That said, this series is targeted towards middle school girls, and there’s little cross appeal to be found. If that’s you – or you really love cute clothes and cuter singing – then this may be your thing. Otherwise, I would steer clear. It’s not a bad series by any means, it just knows exactly who its targeting, and statistically speaking, that’s probably not you.
Based on a mobile social game by GREE, Zettai Bouei Leviathan (Absolute Defense Leviathan) revolves around a fantasy world named Aquafall. Populated by dragons and fairies, the inhabitants find themselves suddenly threatened by meteorites carrying evil creatures. In response, the fairy Syrup (Hanazawa Kana) assembles the Aquafall Defense Force and recruits three dragon clanswomen in Leviathan (Hayami Saori), Bahamut (Kitamura Eri), and Jormungandr (Taketatsu Ayana) to assist. Together they work to fight the enemies that threaten their planet, while growing up in the process.
I’m not quite sure what to say about Zettai Bouei Leviathan. On one hand, I don’t feel like there’s not much to expect from this series. It’s based off a mobile social game after all, and seems to have a rather typical fantasy plot to boot. On the other hand, I can’t help but notice the all-star female cast this series has, as well as the fact that Gonzo is heading things up as the production studio. Granted, Gonzo hasn’t been in the greatest shape recently, but the fact that HanaKana, Hayami Saori, Kitamura Eri, and Taketatsu Ayana are all on board does potentially signal that there might be something worth watching here. I suppose the result is that while you probably shouldn’t come into this series with any kind of real expectations, it doesn’t mean there isn’t anything worth watching here—especially if you’re a fan of the above seiyuu or the fantasy genre.
Long awaited by many, Oreimo has finally returned after two and a half years to finish the story it began. The series will pick up where the “True End” route left off and is slated to run up to the final (unreleased) volume of the light novel series, volume 12. Kousaka Kirino (Taketatsu Ayana) returns back to Japan to receive more life counseling from her ever-patient brother Kousaka Kyousuke (Nakamura Yuuichi). Kirino’s friends, Gokou “Kuroneko” Ruri (Hanazawa Kana) and Saori Bajeena (Nabatame Hitomi) return to accompany Kirino on her otaku adventures along with Kyousuke, though the situation that the true end left us may put a strain on that relationship. Meanwhile, Aragaki Ayase (Hayami Saori) still struggles to accept Kirino’s hidden nature while keeping a watchful eye on the perverted “onii-san”.
Though I adore this series for its perspective on sibling interaction and otaku culture, opinion seemed to be fairly divided on the first season, stemming mainly from how people could tolerate Kirino’s mean streak and lack of outward appreciation for her family and friends. However, based on what I’ve heard, the second season should prove fruitful for the development of more characters outside of Kirino and Kyousuke (though their own developments will still play a major role). From where the extended end left us, the series is in a good position to start developing Kuroneko and Saori’s characters immediately–a good sign for Kuroneko’s significant fanbase! In terms of the workforce, the key seiyuu and staff are all coming aboard once again, with the only significant difference being A-1 Pictures backing the production rather than AIC. Although A-1 has had some rough patches with their later episodes dipping in animation quality, overall they make a good fit to produce this series. Although there may be pacing and coverage issues due to it playing catch-up with the light novel, I feel this will be the season that Oreimo fans have been waiting for.
Two years after his initial debut, Azazel-san is back with a second season in Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san. Z. A mixture of the supernatural and comedy genres, the series revolves around a detective named Akutabe (Namikawa Daisuke). With his assistant Sakuma Rinko (Satou Rina), they summon demons in order to assist them in solving cases, and threaten them when necessary. A mere figment of his normal self due to an anti-demon barrier, the demon Azazel (Onosaka Masaya) ends up being forced to help the two with their cases. Other demons follow, including Moloch (Genda Tesshou) and Beelzebub (Kamiya Hiroshi). Together, the demons find themselves realizing who the true demons really are.
Having watched most of the first season, it was an entertaining—albeit short, at 12 minutes an episode—watch. The irony of demons working for humans who are arguably even more demonic sets up a great foundation in terms of humor, which combines with great cast of seiyuu to bring it up to another level. Notably though, you will find that the gags here are not exactly run of the mill. To put it mildly, the jokes are typically of a more obscene or adult nature, which may or may not cater to your individual tastes. If you are okay with the occasional insertion of feces into your comedic diet—with a side of stereotype bastardization—you will likely find a lot to laugh about here. For the rest though, if a peek at a few episodes don’t have you laughing, then it’s likely the series isn’t for you.
Mukoujima Takurou (Mizushima Takahiro) is a teenager who spends his time fishing at the pier. One day, Takurou fishes up Muromi-san (Tamura Yukari), a mermaid that speaks in a Hakata accent. Muromi is cheerful, crazy, dense, and just looooves to drink. Along with her reformed sea monster sempai Levia-san (Nakahara Mai), her unlucky-in-love drinking buddy Sumida-san (Uesaka Sumire), and the innocent Hii-chan (Nonaka Ai), Muromi takes to coming ashore to chat and goof off every time Takkun is around.
I’ll admit, I’m easy to please – a crazy Yukarin-voiced mermaid who loves to drink was enough to get me interested in this show. And that’s the vibe that Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san seems to be going for – a silly, slice-of-life comedy affair. The seiyuu cast is great, with some serious heavy-hitters that I’m hoping will be able to sell the comedy well. As for the rest of the crew, they’re wildcards. Studio Tatsunoko Production has over 50 years of experience in the industry, stretching back to the original Speed Racer in the 60′s, but they haven’t done much in recent years (C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control and SKET Dance were the best I could find). Likewise, the rest of the crew has experience, but it didn’t exactly wow me. As for the animation, it seemed a little…cartoonish? I know that’s a weird thing to say, but it definitely has an old school feel to it. The good news is this ought to be an easy show to dip your foot in and see if you like it. I don’t see plot or love or any of that on the horizon, just jokes from a bunch of silly mermaids and one human holding on amidst the madness. Sounds fun!
From Wit Studio comes the adaptation of Isayama Hajime’s action/fantasy manga, Shingeki no Kyoujin. Also known as Attack on Titan, the series revolves around a world where giants known as Titans once put humanity on the brink of destruction. Several stories tall, they would devour humans—seemingly for pleasure, rather than for subsistence. Following the creation of a city with walls much taller than even the biggest of Titans, a small population of humans managed to survive and live in peace…until now. After having not seen a Titan in the city for over a hundred years, a colossal Titan suddenly appears and destroys the city’s outer walls. As the full-scale attack commences, two kids—Yaeger Eren (Kaji Yuki) and Ackerman Mikasa (Ishikawa Yui)—find themselves witness to their mother being eaten alive. Having survived, Eren ultimately vows to kills the Titans and claim revenge.
The winner of the Kodansha’s shounen manga award and a nominee for the Manga Taisho award in 2011, Shingeki no Kyojin comes in with some of the most highly recognized source material of the season. Granted, a lauded source material does not necessarily guarantee a successful adaptation—especially with a fairly new studio—but I’m still excited about this series regardless. We have Tetsuro Araki of Death Note fame leading things as the director, and the great Sawano Hiroyuki composing the soundtrack as well. In addition, the series seems to borrow some concepts from the Muv-Luv Alternative visual novel. Considering how well received the latter was, it bodes well to say the least, and makes Shingeki no Kyojin one of the series that people should keep an eye out for. In the end, it just might be a darn spectacular ride.
Almost 40 years since the original series aired, the Yamato anime is getting an update and retelling in Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199. It’s the year 2199, and a war with the alien race known as the Gamilos has all but destroyed the earth, turning it into a blasted red planet and driving the remnants of humanity into underground cities. But the destruction is reaching even there, to the point that scientists estimate humanity may be extinct within a year. The young officers Kodai Susumu (Ono Daisuke) and Shima Daisuke (Kenichi Suzumura) recover a mysterious capsule from a ship that made an emergency landing on Mars, and return with it to Earth. It contains humanity’s last hope: the planet Iscandar on the other side of the Magellan Galaxy has the technology to defeat the Gamilos and restore Earth. The space battleship Yamato is entrusted with this task, but they only have a year before humanity is no more.
This show actually came out as a series of seven movies throughout last year, so I was able to watch what will be the first episode in preparation for this preview, and let me tell you – consider me intrigued. I don’t often watch “retro” anime, but this has all the markings of a classic space epic that can stand up to anything seen today, and exceed most of it. An exemplar of the Space is an Ocean trope (trope!), within minutes we’re thrust into an exciting space battle where humanity is totally outmatched. I will say that the art is a bit retro, though it’s animated damn well, so that just takes a little getting used to. Also, you’ll find here that unique mix of technology that’s both oddly old (the control screens look like they were pulled from WWII destroyers) and super advanced (they all fly through space like it’s no big deal), which can be a bit wonky. The simple fact is that if you consider yourself any kind of sci-fi fan, you should watch this. For everyone else, if you like the idea of exciting space battles against a mysterious, neigh-unstoppable alien force, and witnessing the bravery of humanity in the face of impossibly long odds, you just may find something to enjoy here as well.
In a distant future, the Human Galactic Alliance fights a war of survival against aliens known as the Hideous. After a recent battle, a young Lieutenant and his humanoid weapon are drawn into a space-time distortion, which puts him into an artificially induced hibernation. Upon waking up, he finds himself on the now long forgotten Earth. Now a planet completely flooded by water, people live on fleets of giant ships, fending for themselves by scavenging old relics from the ocean. Stranded, Red (Ishikawa Kaito) finds himself forced to live with a girl named Amy (Kanemoto Hisako), a messenger of the Gargantia fleet—all while knowing nothing of its residents’ culture and language, and having previously experienced nothing but war.
For me, the big draw regarding Suisei no Gargantia was not only the fact that Urobuchi Gen was playing a big part in this, but that the premise seems to take the typical plots of military sci-fi and turn it upside down. As you’ll probably notice, most such series end up with the opposite scenario—the teenager is drawn into a war rather than out of one—and this is very intriguing as a result. It remains to be seen whether or not this series ends up being grimdark—which seems very unlikely considering the Urobutcher’s involvement—but this uncertainty makes it arguably even more interesting, as there’s a lot of ways director Murata Kazuya could take us by surprise. One could easily go the peaceful route and surprise us, or just lure us in with something that just looks peaceful and knock us out with UroGen’s specialty. Regardless, the conclusion remains the same – everyone should give this series a try before it’s all said and done.
Based on the belief that blood types are determinants of character comes the comedy Ketsuekigata-kun. Based on the manga by “Real Crazy Man,” the series anthropomorphizes the different blood types based on their expected characteristics—with Type A corresponding to reliability, Type B with passion, Type O with independence, and Type AB with capriciousness. Taking the roles of the respective blood types are Fukuyama Jun, Nakamura Yuuichi, Ishida Akira, and Kakihara Tetsuya, all of whom actually have the blood type they represent.
While I don’t personally believe in a link between blood types and personality, I have heard quite a lot about how Japan (and many East Asian countries) seem to subscribe quite heavily to the belief. As such, the series does get me at least somewhat interested because of the cultural difference involved, and the lengths to which they’re going to actually find seiyuu with the same blood types as the roles they play. It helps somewhat that a few of them are pretty well known too, but one should keep in mind that in the end, this series is a comedy (and likely prone to some hits and misses as a result), and is likely to be animated as shorts. With that said, if any of the above interests you, the series might be worth a watch—though you probably shouldn’t expect much from it.
Based (loosely) on the Cthulu mythos, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san is back for a second season. It stars normal high school boy Yasaka Mahiro (Kitamura Eri) and the titular Nyaruko (Asumi Kana), a formless Cthulu deity who can transform into a silver-haired girl. Nyaruko has loved Mahiro since she saved him from aliens that were trying to kill him, but that was just the beginning of Mahiro’s problems, because now it’s Nyaruko that’s after him! And she’s not alone – there’s also the criminally adorable Hastur (Kugimiya Rie, it’s a trap!), the perverted lesbian gamer Cthuko (Matsuki Miyu, *pant pant*), and school reporter / gossip hound Kurei Tamao (Ootsubo Yuka). Insane slapstick humour of ridiculous proportions ensues in this parody comedy with just a dash of romance and more absurdity than you can shake a tentacle at.
This series was one I knew I would be watching from the moment I learned of the first season, and I was not disappointed. For batshit insane, totally absurd, and uproariously funny comedy, there are few that can match it. The jokes fly fast and heavy, and run the gamut from referential parody to taking refuge so far in audacity (trope!) that you couldn’t see normalcy with a telescope, and would be too busy laughing to care. But there’s more to this series. The love square(?) not only provides many great laughs, but gave us a few genuinely touching moments, once Nyaruko managed to defrost Mahiro’s tsundere tendencies enough for him to even consider reciprocating her love. The voice acting is also fantastic – Asumi Kana alone could carry this series, but she gets a lot of help from a perverted Matsuki Miyu and a very confusing Kugumiya Rie. In truth, it’s hard to explain exactly why you should watch this, comedy being such a subjective thing. If the premise at all appeals to you, I suggest you check out season 1 – if the first episode doesn’t send you into fits of laughter, this may not be for you. As for everyone else, let’s get ready for another season of that chaos that always crawls up to you with a smile!
Adapted from Fukuda Hiroshi’s Joju Senjin!! Mushibugyo manga, Mushibugyou is a hot-blooded action story set in 1700′s Edo-era Tokyo. After hearing the voices of the commoners through his suggestion boxes, the eighth shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune created a new magistrate unit – the Mushibugyou – to protect the people from the massive bugs rampaging through Edo. Join the young warrior Tsukishima Jinbee (Kenn) in his quest to become the strongest warrior EVER by winning until he dies, and ensuring that those he protects will never feel frightened, no matter what.
Whenever I work on one of these previews, there are always a few shows that weren’t on my radar at all, but I wouldn’t miss for the world after learning more. This is one of them. Even a single chapter of the manga was enough to make me go “Holy shit!”, and I wasn’t able to stop until I had read several more. To call this story hot-blooded would be an understatement – Jinbee’s enthusiasm and optimism are so off the charts that they’re infectious. The combat is great too, with powerful warriors giving their all as they pull off awesome moves and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Speaking of jaws, if you have any suspicion that this might be one of those “lighter” shounen shows, lose it now – there is blood in this, and blood aplenty. The bugs that the Mushibugyou fight are brutal, visceral, even horrific – they don’t just kill people, they eviscerate them, and sometimes suck out all their goo out, leaving nothing but a sack of human skin behind. It’s an optimistic story, but not a naive one. My main worry is whether the studio, Seven Arcs, will be able to do the manga justice. The animation could be better, but I think it serves the combat well stylistically, and I see enough experience from the production staff to have hope. Here’s the bottom line: if you like 120% hot-blooded shounen action, with optimism, blood, and just a touch of a horror chill, tune in. You’ll have to get behind me though, because I’ll be first in line.
After only a season away, everyone’s favorite debt-ridden butler is back! Hayate no Gotoku! stars Ayasaki Hayate (Shiraishi Ryoko), an incredibly unlucky young man with very irresponsible parents. After they wracked up a ton of debt and dumped it on him, Hayate barely escaped the kindness of some “very nice people” thanks to Sanzenin Nagi (Kugimiya Rie), a super-rich otaku ojou-sama who paid off his debt in exchange for him becoming her butler. The theme of this season is “cuties”, and every episode will focus on a different heroine or route. They are: 1) Ayasaki Hayate, 2) Sanzenin Nagi, 3) Tennos Athena, 4) Saginomiya Isumi & Aizawa Sakuya, 5) Katsura Hinagiku, 6) Segawa Izumi & ??, 7) Suirenji Ruka, 8) Nishizawa Ayumu, 9) Harukaze Chiharu & Tsurugino Kayura, 10) Maria, and more…?
There is a lot to like about the Hayate no Gotoku! series. From surprisingly dark beginnings (the first episode includes parental abandonment, loan sharks, kidnappings, and a seriously bastardly Santa Claus), a hilarious harem love-comedy grew, with a heroine for every possible viewer (Hinagiku is mine, back off!!). I won’t go into much detail, because if you’re not watching this by the fourth season (and one movie), then you’re probably going to be a bit lost. Not that us anime-only viewers get off completely scott-free – as with last season, several characters have appeared that only manga readers got a proper introduction to. That said, the characters are interesting and varied enough that I picked them up quickly last season, so don’t let that stop you from diving in. As for the premise, a heroine-of-the-week format might actually work better than last season’s more ploty affair. Other thoughts: the same Manglobe crew is back – and though they aren’t quite as good as J.C.Staff was, they do a respectable job – along with the series’ always stellar seiyuu cast. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether the material will be anime original or not. Still, let’s be serious – if you’ve watched all (or most) of the series so far, tune in for this one. It looks like it’ll be more like the Hayate no Gotoku! we all fell in love with, with plenty of rabu-rabu comedy to go around. Count me in!
Watase Yuu’s (of Fushigi Yuugi, Alice 19th, and Absolute Boyfriend fame) Arata Kangatari is getting an adaptation by studio Satelight, the brawns behind AKB0048,Aquarion EVOL, and Macross Frontier. Revolving around two teenage boys both named “Arata”, the plot kicks into gear when Arata from ye olde land of Amawakuni (Matsuoka Yoshitsugu) is accused of murder and cross-dressing. By some order of magic he switches places with Hinohara Arata (Okamoto Nobuhiko) of modern Japan. Thrown in the midst of turmoil in a brand new world he knows nothing about, Hinohara Arata must navigate the political web of deceit weaved together by the “Twelve Shinshou”, the powerful group that framed the other Arata for murder.
Did that sound confusing? I’m sure it did. The premise isn’t as terribly convoluted as it sounds, but it’s also not the simplest thing. Terminology gets thrown around like hot potatoes and some of the setup seems needlessly confusing. While Arata Kangatari doesn’t take forever to get to the core of its plot, it’s really difficult to try and explain the storyline since, despite there being two Aratas, one is clearly featured more than the other…yet everyone talks about Amawakuni’s Arata as if he’s the main character. Satelight helming the series guarantees decent animation, although the character designs look fairly different from Watase’s original ones. I’m not too familiar with director Yasuda Kenji’s works aside from Fullmetal Alchemist, which I can’t remember that much of. Considering there’s a hefty bit of material of the manga to adapt though, I doubt there’s much room to take liberties with the source material – it should ensure a fairly faithful adaptation, so fans of the manga should probably check this out.
Going on a business trip soon? Why not take a vacation at Sparrow’s Hotel, the closest hotel to Heaven? As long as you don’t cause a ruckus, new employee Sayuri Satou (Chihara Minori) will treat you with hospitality instead of the tip of a blade. Oh, watch out for the management too, especially Shiokawa Tamaki (Nagashima Haruka) and her older brother, who happen to cause all sorts of troubles for Sayuri, intentional or not. Together they all manage the hotel, including the numerous troublemakers that it attracts.
As part of the five-minute gag comedy trend, Sparrow’s Hotel continues Dream Creation’s renewed efforts to release shorts with respectable voice actors and actresses filling the roles. Those who can appreciate Chihara and Kishio’s veteran acting experience may get a kick out of their unique roles here. While not much info has been released on the characters, the combination of assassin action along with comedy could end up hilariously funny, perhaps as well as Inferno Cop and Senyuu. were received. If you’re enjoying this new trend of short shows, then I’d give at least the first episode a try to see if it matches your tastes—otherwise I’d wait to see how this short pans out.
Anime fans are no stranger to schoolgirl 4-koma adaptations, and the genre is getting a new member in Yuyushiki. It stars the friendly and clueless Hinata Yukari (Taneda Risa), the enthusiastic and childish Nonohara Yuzuko (Ookubo Rumi), and the level-headed Ichii Yui (Tsuda Minami), three friends who belong to their school’s data processing club. There’s no underlying story here, just three cute girls who get together to talk about various subjects in adorable ways.
The premise pretty much says it all – cute schoolgirls talking about random things. If you’ve seen shows like K-ON! or Yuruyuri, you know what to expect. That Yuruyuri example is especially instructive, since two of its main seiyuu (Chinatsu’s and Yui’s) are reuniting as Yuzuko and Yui respectively. Production is being taken care of by Kinema Citrus (CØDE:BREAKER), a studio to which my first reason was “Who?” Let’s face it though, slice-of-life shows don’t exactly require the highest of directing skill, even if they may benefit from it. As long as the girls are cute (they are), the atmosphere is fluffy (looks promising), and the random discussions are entertaining (that remains to be seen), fans of the form will have something to enjoy. As for those who aren’t much for slice-of-life, this one doesn’t look like it’s trying to break the mold, so it may not be the best one to start with…though I’ve been wrong before.
Looking for another 5 minute comedy to fill up your week? Let the daily lives of genki girl Amaya Kanaka (Nakajima Yui), motivation-lacking Uehara Ayuko (Tamura Nao), and the quiet Iwasawa Saki (Iida Yuuko) offer to take the helm. Based on Chama Uji’s 4koma, the shorts seek to express “what happens when there is nothing happening” in a high school setting. It is your staple high school slice-of-life comedy wrapped up in bite-sized packages.
Aside from being a comedy short that’d be easy to jump into, fans of new voice actors may want to check this one out. All three of the seiyuu for the main characters have little to no experience in voice acting, though supporting characters will have more experienced seiyuu such as Sugita Tomokazu and Tamura Yukari. Linden Films animated Senyuu. fairly well and Hosoi Mieko (Nerawareta Gakuen) has drawn some good character designs, though Nakamura Ryousuke puts doubt into the execution, especially considering the mixed response to his last directing work with Nerawareta Gakuen. The slice-of-life high school comedy combination is overused, but shows like this serve not to break new ground. Those looking for something new in the comedy genre other than voice actors should pass this up—otherwise spending 15 minutes for the first three episodes can’t hurt!
From the studio who brought you Gundam comes a new original mecha animation in Kakumeiki Valvrave (Valvrave the Liberator). In an era where the development of space cities have seen over 70% of the human race migrate to space, two major powers dominate the world—the Dorushia Military Alliance and the Atlantic Ring United States (ARUS). In between the two powers lies Jiouru, a neutral and prosperous country home to high school student Tokishima Haruto (Ohsaka Ryota). With the sudden invasion of the Dorushia military however, Tokishima finds his life thrown into chaos. Ultimately, a sequence of events leads him to the discovery of a humanoid weapon known as “Valvrave,” which may hold the key to the nation’s liberation.
As a sci-fi and mecha fan through and through, few things stir up as much excitement as Sunrise does when it announces any kind of new mecha series. Having produced countless mecha series since their founding, Sunrise provides a unmatched pedigree in the mecha department, and it is something that makes Valvrave immediately worth watching. Admittedly, I am unsure what to expect from director Matsuo Kou, as he has not had much experience in that particular role, but he does seem to possess a wide range of experience in others. Furthermore, he has the support of Okouchi Ichiro (Code Geass, Planetes), so things are definitely looking quite good in terms of the staff and studio. It remains to be seen how it develops past the rather typical initial “stumble upon a mecha” premise—that is in ways similar to some of the Gundam series—but there’s definitely a lot of potential here, and provided you’re a fan of the respective genres, you should find a lot worth watching.
J.C. Staff brings us a sequel to the Toaru Majutsu no Index spinoff set in Academy City, a highly advanced training ground composed almost entirely of students with esper powers. We follow the titular “Railgun” Misaka Mikoto (Satou Rina) and her friends, Judgement members Shirai Kuroko (Arai Satomi) and Uiharu Kazari (Toyosaki Aki), and Level 0 Saten Ruiko (Itou Kanae). This continuation of the first season is said to revolve around Misaka’s viewpoint during the ‘Sister’ arc originally presented in Toaru Majutsu no Index.
Accelerator (Okamoto Nobuhiko) makes everything better. The first season was brilliant in its own right and I personally prefered it over Index, but Accelerator’s starring role in this arc should elevate it to even greater heights. This sequel has been a long time coming – I think many of us had even given up hope – but for fans, it should be quite a treat. Those coming from the original should already be aware of what to expect, though this arc could perhaps be a little darker than the previous given its subject matter. Anyone who hasn’t already seen Toaru Kagaku no Railgun should probably do so immediately, especially if you’re interested in this sequel!
Yokodera Youto (Kaji Yuki) is cursed…to be unnoticed for his perverted antics. Whether he’s accidentally beautifying the school when attempting to catch a glimpse of some underskirts or being promoted to future Track Club president for having perfect attendance due to his peeping antics, Youto continues to trap himself in a perfect world…away from every girl. Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko (Ogura Yui) has the opposite problem—she wishes that she could not wear her emotions on her sleeve and become more of a grownup. Upon hearing of a cat statue that can remove unwanted personality traits, Youto and Tsukiko decide to pray to the statue, but the results end up being more problematic than helpful. Thus begins the story of Youto and Tsukiko’s quest to reverse the cat god’s effects.
Generally J.C. Staff has done a good job animating and executing its romantic comedies, with this show looking like no exception. With Kantoku’s character designs (think Prism Nana), the animation department should deliver well, especially from what we’ve seen in the trailers so far. However, with this show being Suzuki Youhei’s first time as a full director, fans of the light novel should watch out for how well the show translates from the source material. Fans of Kokoro Connect and the theme of personality swapping should give this a look—though romantic comedy in nature, considering how well J.C. Staff handled Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, I’ll take bets that this show can keep making sharp statements on self-identity while preserving the romantic comedy air. As Sakurasou is conveniently ending as Hentai Ouji begins, romantic comedy fans will definitely have another show to look forward to this spring.
Did you miss the Higurashi franchise? Well have no fear, because Studio DEEN is stepping up to the plate with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak! The story takes place in the same village of Hinamizawa as in the other incarnations, except this time, the town has been struck with a mysterious virus, and Maebara Keiichi (Souichirou Hoshi) must deal with the outbreak with Ryuuguu Rena (Nakahara Mai) at his side.
To be perfectly honest the franchise has never been my cup of tea, so Outbreak is most definitely a pass for me. The series is not exactly newcomer-friendly either, so those that are new to the series may find it hard to grasp what’s going on depending on how closely related this show is to the previous ones. Higurashi has never failed to deliver in the mystery and violence department though, so anyone who’s looking for a show to fill in that slot should give this a try.
Watching This: No one yet
Expectation Level: Moderate
OVA / Movie
Technical Note: OVAs are sorted by the date they are released. For series that have multiple episodes coming out over the course of the season, please refer to the Notes column for additional dates. More information on each OVA can be found on their respective websites, including promotional videos in some cases. Movie premiere dates are not included since they don’t mean a whole lot to viewers outside of Japan. DVD/BD movie releases are, however. This list is likely incomplete and will be updated as more titles surface. If you notice anything missing, please feel free to point it out in the comments or e-mail one of us directly (Stilts, Zephyr).
Release Date
Title
Notes
03/22
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: 2nd A’s The Movie 魔法少女リリカルなのは The MOVIE 2nd A’s http://www.nanoha.com/
As only one of many writers who worked on this preview, I won’t say I speak for everyone when I say this, but the spring season looks like a winner to me. It’s admittedly a bit skewered toward particular genres, but where it lacks in diversity, it seems to make up in both potential quality and quantity. Indeed, recent springs have been exceptionally notable – at times even rivaling or exceeding the typically strong fall seasons in terms of debuts – and it looks like 2013 will be no different. With that said, this is one of those seasons where you might want to think about picking up some extra series you normally wouldn’t watch or feel iffy about. The projected strength of this upcoming season makes it more likely than not that you’ll find something you’ll like, and as people always say, you can never have too much of a good thing.
Now, onto the list. Below is a collection of all the shows debuting this season by excitement level, along with the definition of what each level means to us. We arrived at these levels by convening our seasonal (and now more shady than ever) “anticipation council,” consisting of Stilts, Zanibas, and myself. As usual, we tried to be as objective as possible and ended up with the list (ordered alphabetically) you see below. Keep in mind though, none of us live in Japan, so we’re not under the Sybil System’s rule. As such, we likely have some pretty high criminal coefficients/shady PSYCHO-PASS hues (*cough*Stilts*cough*) among the members of this council, so don’t – you can stop pointing those Dominators at us now – take these impressions/expectations as unassailable truths.
Hammurabi’s Code: The Rundown:
High expectation shows give us reason to believe they have the makings of a very good series that should appeal to the widest audience in their given genres. If you consider yourself a “casual” fan who only gets your toes wet every season by watching the “best” shows (i.e. popular ones that generate the most buzz), then these are the ones we feel you should keep an eye out for. We’re also expecting good things from these shows, so if they fall short, disappointment is understandable.
Moderate expectation shows don’t provide any immediate indication that they’ll be amazing in retrospect. This is often the case with shows that fall into one of anime’s overused plot devices, which most people, particularly self-proclaimed critics, will perceive as mediocre at best. However, in many of our experiences, these shows still provide a great deal of entertainment and may turn out a lot better than they appear. They’re good for “regular” fans who are aware of all these tropes and don’t mind seeing them used in different settings. Personal tastes come heavily into play, so your mileage will vary.
Low expectation shows don’t seem to be striving for much and choose to focus on more frivolous aspects such as senseless humor and fan-service. That doesn’t mean they’re the bottom of the barrel and shouldn’t get any consideration, but simply that you need to keep in mind what kind of show it is. Generally only “avid” fans will be interested in seeing what these have to offer, because they’re already watching all the better shows.
Niche shows break away from the norm by being slower-paced, extremely dark/grotesque, or even controversial. In most cases, these shows are oriented towards older audiences or those who feel that anime has become far too repetitive and want something different. Shows of this category tend to be highly under-appreciated but can turn out to be hidden gems for that very reason. Includes works oriented toward female audiences.
Established shows are generally long-running manga/anime series, geared towards younger viewers who are already fans of them. A commonality is that they all air early morning on weekends or well before midnight on weekdays so that “normal” people can actually watch them. They aren’t very dependent on expectations but a love for never-ending shows and a willingness to get into all the material that’s out if they’re completely new to you. Shounen series fall into this category, hence why we treat them differently.
「今年もまた暮れてった」 (Kotoshi mo Mata Kure Tetta)
“Another Year Ends”
Another KyoAni slice of life comes to a close. Tears were shed and conclusions were had – or not, as was the case. There were some though, and some smiles as well, which is probably fitting for this show.
Best Friend Dera
Dera is many things. He’s ridiculous. Gentlemanly. Too fat to be recognized by his osana najimi. But of everything that Dera is, he’s a really good friend. That thought struck me when he asked what Tamako felt about this whole prince-coming-to-marry-her situation; did you notice that no one else had really asked her that yet? Of everyone she’s known for nearly her whole life, the one who was looking out for her the most was the silly bird she met only a year ago. I don’t hold that against the others, but I hold it in favour of Dera. Silly he may be, but he’s a true friend as well.
Definite Conclusions…Or Not
Here’s a point that I know may annoy many. In the area of definite conclusions, we got one. Thanks to Dera barging in an declaring Tamako unfit to be the prince’s bride by way of loving her current life too much, and after Tamako came in and politely declined, it appears that–what, it was the scent of those flowers all along!? Gah! That’s a very Tamako Market thing to happen though, so I’ll let it go. At least that’s taken care of.
But, almost nothing else was. There was Midori and Mochizou’s love for Tamako, Choi’s love for her prince….hell, even Dera actually leaving the market isn’t a sure thing! On those, the best was Choi possibly getting her prince, by way of the pointed close up on her neck, where the mole that would qualify her is bound to be (if you want to believe it’s there, that is). Dera staying for at least a little bit longer…well, I’ll admit that I smiled at that, but I wish he would have decided to stay forever! For a second there I thought this was a story not of how Tamako leaves the market, but how Dera stays. If so, the punch was pulled. That’s realistic, of course – deciding to move to a new country permanently is not a choice to make lightly…you can ask Enzo on that – but that doesn’t mean it’s not disappointing. It just goes to show you what I’ve always said – reality in fiction is overrated. There’ll be a Stilts Out Loud on that one of these days, sports fans.
As for Midori and Mochizou’s love…well, okay. Here’s the thing – this is slice of life, and it has never tried to be anything else. But it was set up like it was more. It was set up with all these things that just begged for resolution, and we got almost none of them. To me, slice of life shows are the best when they’re low-calorie and easy to enjoy vessels of pure, concentrated relaxation – you just sit back, enjoy the fun antics, and end up refreshed by the time the credits roll. On that count – and I can’t wait for the flames this comment is just begging for – GJ-bu was the superior slice of life this season. While, as I said with Sakurasou’s finale, leaving some things open for us to imagine can be wonderful, leaving plot points that were broached during the season unanswered feels dissatisfying.
The Best Birthday Present
While I disagree with Dera’s stance on leaving without a word – tears of love don’t count, and letting Tamako get it out would have been the kinder route! – it was a poignant moment when he disappeared, and she ran off to find him. Fortunately, Mochizou gets major points for not only finally “remembering” her birthday, but giving her the best present of all. Awwww!
Looking–Oh. This is it.
As with all KyoAni shows, Tamako Market has been an interesting one. I guess the only thing I can say now is…erh, I’ll finish this in the final impressions below!
tl;dr:@StiltsOutLoud – One thing is resolved, while everything else is left as is. Fuwa-fuwa to the end~ #tamakomarket
Random thoughts:
I just realized…I still have no idea why Ono Daisuke was voicing Kaoru. I just got used to it. What is wrong with me!? …eh, I’m okay with it.
Tsundere papa unilaterally changes the prince’s name to Mochiumai. I will miss tsundere papa!
On a similar note, I will miss Kanna so, so, so, soooo much! And Tamako is going into evil mode now too? Woohoo! That’s character development I can believe in.
Is dat some more chu2koi right there? That’ll do…though I would have preferred more Full Metal Panic. It’s so long overdue!
KyoAni are known as the unrivaled masters of slice of life, and that’s not a title I will dispute. When it comes to the subtle nuances that are required for the form, they really are unrivaled. For slice of life, the devil really is in the details, and nobody does details like KyoAni. This held true throughout Tamako Market’s run – a hand obscuring Midori’s face, a look from Tamako to Mochizou, and pretty much everything that Kanna did were all examples to that effect.
The main problem I had was that while the story was told like it was slice of life, it was built like it was a light-hearted romance/drama. From Midori and Mochizou’s loves to the whole will-she-marry-the-prince plot, the ingredients for something deeper were there, but they were never utilized. It seemed to have a fetish for the status quo, deliberately resetting any progress between episodes. Changes took place, but they were all inside the characters, and they never manifested externally in anything but the smallest of ways. That’s fine for a slice of life story – but when they built such obvious areas where resolutions were desired, it began to grate.
In the end, it’s hard to know how much of this series will stay with me. Some moments – in particular the crux of episode 9 – were good enough that I do believe I’ll remember them for some time to come. Almost everything else I will be surprised if I remember, though…with the exclusion of Dera. Of anything, Dera was the one part of this show that consistently made me laugh, consistently moved the story forward, and is the only element that felt fresh and unique. A talking bird, in a slice of life show? And it worked! Dera was great, and his seiyuu Yamazaki Takumi was the best of everyone. Though I also think I’ll remember Kanna, simply because she is fantastic.
But I think I’ll bring this back to my old stand-by question – was this entertaining? Yes, it was. Any disappointment stems from potential squandered, and a setup that made me hope for more than they ever intended to give. What we got though was entertaining, as I consistently laughed and/or felt all warm and fuzzy each and every week. In my book, that means a lot.
Let’s end with a (slightly modified) quote from Dera himself:
“The season may end, but some things never do. You may not see them with your eyes, but when you look with your heart, you can.”
Thank you for reading my silly little posts for another season. Until next time, my friends!
It seems like the hollow-like creature rampaging in the human world is indeed one of Aizen’s experiments. Some people have speculated that it could be one of the Vasto Lorde, but as we know close to nothing about them, aside from the fact that Harribel is one, it’s difficult to confirm anything. The monster is able to fight toe to toe against Isshin, and as he noticed, its style is much like a shinigami’s (or as we know it, arrancar/vizard). The first of the two main developments in this chapter is Aizen and his crew showing up and attacking Isshin right after he releases his shikai against the creature. Isshin’s zanpakutou Engetsu bears some similarities to Zangetsu, from the moon theme to Getsuga Tenshou, but it also seems to have some fire-based properties. If I recall correctly, this would make him the only shinigami shown to have a fire-based zanpakutou other than Yamamoto.
The other big thing that happend would be Masaki rushing off to help after she feels the two reiatsu’s battling, despite Ryuuken’s stern warning about risking themselves meddling in shinigami affairs. Of course, she doesn’t give a crap about it and decides to go anyways, and unsurprisingly, Ryuuken decides to follow. I’m wondering whether the scene at the very beginning of the flashback was actually the same as what happens here, when Masaki first meets and rescues the injured Isshin. Everything lines up, and it would also mean that Masaki was able to defeat the creature and possibly cause Aizen to back off. It’ll be interesting to see what types of Quincy abilities she will be using.
