Season Preview / Series Introduction

Winter 2012 Preview!

It feels like 2011 went by in the blink of an eye, as I haven’t even had a chance to look back on my favorites of the year. Before I do so, let’s first take a look at what’s just around the corner in the new year. Winter is generally not one of the busier seasons, but there are actually 23 offerings in 2012, which is pretty close to the 27 this past fall. Of the new titles, some of them stood out immediately — the sequel to my favorite romance of 2010 Amagami SS, the horror series Another, the sequel to Sousei no Aquarion, the TV version of Black Rock Shooter, the sequel to Bakemonogatari, and the fourth and final season of Zero no Tsukaima — but as is often the case when I put together a season preview, I discovered many are a lot more interesting than they originally appeared. Best of all, there is a wide variety of shows from various different genres, so there’s a good chance there will be something for everyone. Care to find out which ones I’m talking about? Then do read on.

* This preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.
* A season poll will be available a little later is available on the sidebar.

Fate/Zero / First Impressions

Fate/Zero – 13

「禁断の狂宴」 (Kindan no Kyouen)
“The Forbidden Banquet of Insanity”

Considering how Fate/Zero was originally slated for a contiguous six-month run, I wasn’t expecting the midpoint break to coincide with some finale-worthy material. However, I wasn’t expecting ufotable to leave off on a highly suspenseful cliffhanger either, which is downright cruel.

First Impressions / Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown – 11

「共鳴 resonance」 (Kyoumei)

Considering how the last episode went, this week’s was definitely a step in the right direction. Most of my complaints about Shuu’s flakiness were addressed with him coming clean with his friends about his Void Genome; however, just as things were looking up, the writers had to script in the most unconvincing reason to get them to help him save Funeral Parlor — “They believed in me.”

Final Impressions / First Impressions / Mawaru Penguindrum

Mawaru Penguindrum – 24 (END)

「愛してる」 (Aishiteru)
“I Love You”

If you’ve come here looking for answers to Mawaru Penguindrum’s ending, I’m afraid I don’t have them. The best I can offer is my interpretation of it, which is a bunch of fragmented ideas that revolve around the theme of neglected children and fighting fate.

Update: This isn’t official, but this 2chan chart illustrates one interpretation of how the “fruit of fate” was shared between the Takakuras. It suggests that Himari’s portion “rotted” after the Sarin gas attack.

Final Impressions / First Impressions / THE IDOLM@STER

THE IDOLM@STER – 25 (END)

「みんなと、いっしょに！」 (Minna to, Issho ni!)
“Together With Everyone!”

I was anticipating A-1 Pictures to pull out all the stops for the 765 Pro’s New Year Live, but they really outdid themselves with a fully animated, 2.5-minute special performance of “READY!! & CHANGE!!!!”, followed up by a second insert song, “Itsudemo mo, Dokodemo mo”, before wrapping the series up with one more ending theme. It was just about everything I could’ve asked for in IM@S’ finale.

Fate/Zero / First Impressions

Fate/Zero – 12

「聖杯の招き」 (Seihai no Maneki)
“The Holy Grail’s Invitation”

This week’s episode may not have exuded the same “epicness” as the last one, but the dialogue between Kirei and Archer was just as good as the three kings’ debate. It was a lot less ambiguous with the foreshadowing, not only with the Holy Grail’s invitation but with Archer’s not-so-subtle proposition as well.

First Impressions / THE IDOLM@STER

THE IDOLM@STER – 24

「夢」 (Yume)
“Dream”

Up until about a month ago, it would’ve been nothing more than a joke to consider IM@S as one of the best dramas of year, but this recent string of episodes has really made a case for the series. Of course, it never hurts when the budget’s been blown for this episode, where we finally get a resolution to all of Haruka’s bottled up feelings.