First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Seikon no Qwaser II – 01

「銀色の百合姫」 (Kiniro no Yurihime)
“Silver-haired Lily Princess”

Amazingly enough, the excessive censoring that Hoods Entertainment’s sequel has been subjected to is within reason, as we no longer have ludicrous camera zooming and completely off-screen panning that make it hard to discern what’s even going on. Instead, broadcasters have gone with the more typical (and bearable) bright white lights, a bit of cropping, and dramatic music to mask the girls’ moans of pleasure.

First Impressions / Kampfer / Series Introduction

Kampfer fur die Liebe – 14

「Jeden Tag Leben ～ひさしぶりなのでけんぷファーのちょっといいとこ見てみたい～」 (Hisashiburi na no de Kenpufaa no Chotto Iitoko Mite Mitai)
“Everyday Life ~It’s Been A While; I Want To See Some Good Parts of Kampfer~”

Despite the “For Love” German subtitle, this two-episode sequel of Kampfer is a direct continuation of the first season. Unfortunately, we were shortchanged on the more relevant first episode (thirteenth overall) due to the earthquake scheduling delays, leaving us with only the fan-service-filled second one as part of the televised broadcast.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Maria Holic Alive – 01

「禁断の女子寮」 (Kindan no Joshiryou)
“Forbidden Girl’s Dorm”

My favorite trap of 2009 Shindou Mariya (Kobayashi Yuu) makes his return to television airwaves right on schedule, suggesting that SHAFT may have “delayed” Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica to get Maria Holic’s sequel out on time. Whether or not that’s actually true is another matter, but I am quite impressed with how good Maria Holic Alive looks.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

30-Sai no Hoken Taiiku – 01

「はじめての■■■」 (Hajimete no ■■■)
“First Time ■■■”

Using a short skit format in its roughly ten-minute-long episodes, “Health and Physical Education for 30 Year-Olds” appears to be more about the hijinks that come from love spirits pressuring virgins to have sex than the educational aspect. At least, that’s what I gather when Daigarou (Okiayu Ryoutarou) offered his butt to 30-year-old virgin Imagawa Hayao (Shimono Hiro) after the latter refused his help to lose his virginity the normal way.

Final Impressions / First Impressions / FREEZING

FREEZING – 12 (END)

「Satellizer vs. Pandora」

Who says an anime can’t improve upon its manga counterpart? Just when I thought Freezing was going to ride out the remainder of this arc and conclude around Satellizer’s battle with Cathy, it throws in an added twist that further develops her connection to Kazuha, shows the entire Pandora cast banding together, and foreshadows what’s to come with cameos from the most powerful Pandora in the world, Yi Suna (Saitou Fuuko), and Kazuya’s grandfather, Aoi Gengo (Ono Atsushi). Sequel please.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~ – 01

「転送乙女」 (Tensou Otome)
“Transfer Maiden”

I was secretly hoping there wouldn’t be anything in this gender reversal Sengoku period anime to grab my immediate attention so that I could avoid adding another new title to the thirty or so I’m planning to follow already, but my interest in this war-filled era of Japanese history and the female seiyuu involved got the best of me. Oh woe is me.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Fireball Charming – 01

「ブートストラップ連続体」 (Buutosutorappu Renzokutai)
“Bootstrap Continuum”

I don’t have too much to say about Disney and JINNI’s fully-rendered CG shorts outside of what I already stated in the Spring 2011 Preview (shame on you if you haven’t read it by now), but I felt compelled to get a quick post out about the two-minute long premiere episode in glorious high definition.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

TIGER & BUNNY – 01

「All’s well that ends well. 終わりよければすべてよし」 (Owari Yokereba Subete Yoshi)

All the letdowns I had from the promotional video for Sunrise’s company superhero anime were quickly washed away after seeing it in action. With a story centering around Kaburagi T. Kotetsu (Hirata Hiroaki), a veteran hero who’s deemed past his prime, the series doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously and works well because of it.

Final Impressions / First Impressions / STAR DRIVER

STAR DRIVER: Kagayaki no Takuto – 25 (END)

「僕たちのアプリボワゼ」 (Boku-tachi no Apuribowaze)
“Our Apprivoise”

It was a bit abrupt, but this was a finale to remember. Unexpected twists and a galactic battle in space are just some of the things that had me on the edge of my seat. While there was little doubt about Head’s plan to use Sympathy’s ability to make Samekh his puppet, Keito’s revelation that she’s the one who sealed off the King of Cybodies was the first of many surprises.

Final Impressions / First Impressions / Super Robot Wars OG

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 26 (END)

「貫け、奴よりも速く」 (Uranuke, Yatsu yori mo Hayaku)
“Pierce, Faster Than Him”

It took twenty-six episodes, but we finally got to see the long-awaited Aussenseiter and Dygenguar “Tatsumaki Zankantou” combination attack where “real men ride one another”. It was the perfect follow-up to SRX’s Hyper Tronium Buster Cannon failing to kill something in one-shot like it’s known for, and brought about “Einst Beowulf” emerging from Stern Regisseur’s ashes.