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「遠来の客」 (Enrai no Kyaku)
“Distant Visitor”
Episode at a Glance:
After feigning panic about the Daya, Kotarou comments on how the remaining Banten scroll is the most troublesome and how they’ll snatch everything from Hattori once he’s gathered them all.
Time for the July rankings – the new summer shows have been given a couple episodes to prove themselves, and for now, here’s how they stand. Needless to say, the new season isn’t looking too strong, but there are several shows that could surprise – although I doubt they are going to displace any of the top 5. How about combining some shows, like having Kotonoha finally pop a vein, and chopping down Pink Supervisor with a string of baka baka baka USODA!
| July 2007 | Rank (LM) | Title | Comment |
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1 (1) | Gurren Lagann | No surprises here – even after an incredible “final battle” with Lord Genome, the peaceful, time jump episode turns out to be adrenaline filled, except this time a little more of my adrenaline went to a different place after seeing grown up Darry. The new dynamics are intriguing and seem more real and developed; the characters look great and the new impending conflict is believable – something even Death Note couldn’t really pull off. |
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2 (9) | Seirei no Moribito | Get used to seeing this here, as it’s coming out of the filler episodes and back into the story. Balsa’s continued struggle to uphold her values against her warrior’s heart is not only fascinating but also inspiring. Seirei also excels in providing a constant viewpoint from a “wise” authority, whether it be the shaman, the blacksmith, or the traveling teacher – one who can really bring the depths of the characters to the surface. |
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3 (2) | Lucky Star | You can nitpick at the Haruhi exploitation all you want, but in the end, Lucky Star continues to deliver week after week with its own unique brand of humor. One could even make the argument that the clever execution of the more elaborate references is what pushed the show to the next level. Not to mention Shiraishi’s performances, and now Akira’s “live performance” are gems in themselves. |
More after the jump….
From some deep, dark corner in the back of jaalin’s mind…
Anime girls are the best. Unlike those found in 3d-land, anime girls were created for the sole purpose of entertaining me – decades in the making, the science of creating an anime girl has been perfected down to the little personality quirks, the glimmer in their eyes, and the nuances in their voice (Aisia lisp, anyone?) I thank these artists from the bottom of my heart, cuz man oh man do they do their job well.
I’ve always liked Shrek for its approach on the “family movie” genre – Shrek seemed to be the first major piece of American animation that had elements catering exclusively to the PG-13 and up crowd. Say what you will about Aladdin and his phallus-palace, but Shrek was the first to have no qualms about dishing out the adult jokes. Similarly, Japanese anime studios are very keen on their audiences – as far as the past-midnight shows go, it’s not a concern of age group, but rather one of… “moe preference.”
Since Manabi Straight is an anime about grade-schoolers, that means it’s a kid’s show, right?
Heh.
