First Impressions / Shinryaku! Ika Musume

Shinryaku! Ika Musume – 03

BEHOLD! The true power of Ika Musume unleashed!
Question is, can she really swim without her tentacles?

「怖くなイカ？／天敵じゃなイカ？／新入りじゃなイカ？」
(Kowakunai ka? / Tenteki Janai ka? / Shiniri Janai ka?)
“Aren’t You Afraid? / Isn’t That My Natural Enemy? / Aren’t You The Newcomer?”

In case I haven’t made it clear enough from the Fall 2010 Preview and my posts on the first two episodes, I love this series. It’s not often you can find a cute, lighthearted comedy with a naive squid girl who absolutely steals the show. From ghosts, to killer whales, to the new part-timer at Lemon, this most recent episode delivered a bundle of laughs that left me eagerly anticipating more.

First Impressions / Yosuga no Sora

Yosuga no Sora – 03

「ツカズハナレズ」 (Tsukazu Hanarezu)
“Indecision”

Despite the beach portion of this episode, I couldn’t help but feel that the entire thing had a very somber mood to it. It all started with Kazuha revealing that Akira is the illegitimate child of her father, putting a very literally meaning on the “big sister” conversation Haru overheard last time.

First Impressions / Super Robot Wars OG

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 03

「背負った十字」 (Seotta Juuji)
“The Burdened Cross”

The Hagane battleship captained by Daitetsu Minase (Shibata Hidekatsu) and vice-captained Tetsuya Onodera (Horikawa Jin) arrives on the scene, and with it the SRX team as well. The Choukijin that came and gone have become the focus of Bullet’s investigation, while the subtle reintroduction of Kusuha Mizuha in his prized photograph sort of foreshadows what will come from them.

First Impressions / Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai – 03

Everyone’s probably thinking it, so I’ll just say it. “Moeeeeee~”

「俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない」 (Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai)
“There’s No Way My Little Sister is That Cute”

A mix of heartfelt drama and the usual comedic flair makes this week’s episode of Oreimo one to remember. I still found it a bit cheesy with the way Kyousuke “put his life on the line” to defend Kirino’s unusual hobby in the face of their no-nonsense father, but the end result that shows exactly where the title of this series comes from was so sweet. It was quite possibly the ultimate “dere to the tsundere” moment of the year.

First Impressions / Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt – 03

「キャットファイト・クラブ」 (Kyattofaito Kurabu)
“Catfight Club”

A little disappointed after the last bundle of episodes, seeing the title “Catfight Club” on a bar of soap gave me some surprise, never thinking I would ever see such a blatant reference to Fight Club in an anime.

First Impressions / Tegami Bachi

Tegami Bachi REVERSE – 03

I’d like to see this sleeping posture when Lag and Niche are a bit more grown up.

「アジサイ色の絵テガミ」 (Ajisai-iro no Etegami)
“The Hydrangea Colored Picture-Letter”

As Lag struggles over what to write in the letter bullet, the series starts progressing down the episodic route with a request by Ray Attlee (Takayama Minami) to find out who’s been delivering hydrangea colored paintings to her.

Bakuman. / First Impressions

Bakuman. – 03

「親と子」 (Oya to Ko)
“Parents and Children”

Some people think Bakuman is basically an anime based on two guys trying to make it big by becoming mangaka. Some people think that such a premise would make for a really boring anime. I am here to tell you today that Bakuman is a lot more then just “about mangaka” but something that is pretty darn amazing.