06-04-12, 5:29 AM
May (2012) titles
Anime Relations: Blood+, Shigurui, Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun, Maria†Holic, Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!!, Omamori Himari, Saraiya Goyou, Kiss x Sis (TV), Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!! Specials, Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei, Hen Zemi, Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls, Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls Specials, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Hen Zemi (TV), Towa no Quon 1: Utakata no Kaben, R-15, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko Special, Towa no Quon 2: Konton no Ranbu, R-15 OVA
- (8.7) House of Five Leaves: Why does a gem like this receive so little attention with meager 12 episodes? I'm craving for more! Such an enjoyable ride - I was already sold hearing the first tones of that magnificent OST. A calming yet gripping atmosphere, an intriguing character driven story line and a very likeable and fitting character cast. I can't find any faults with this show except maybe for the difficulty of distinguishing the characters due to similar design (still a complementing and original art style). Did I mention I want moar? That music! That mood! Banzai!
- (8.1) The Tatami Galaxy: Looking at the avantgarde animation approach I certainly was expecting something brimming with creativity. I wasn't disappointed - and yet it was a tough pill to swallow at first. The delivery of complex narration at lightning speed put a great strain on me (especially in the first episode) which hindered my enjoyment for the intriguing story greatly. At first I was even close to dropping the show as I was forced to pause my way through the early episodes in order to catch up with the dialogues and the unfolding story was still rather blurry. However, I had faith in the potential of a show that promised originality above all. My appreciation rose throughout the 2nd half of the show and by the end I was really glad to have stumbled upon this marvel. The way in which all the episodes ended up being connected to each other was satisfying and humbling, the message was meaningful and significant. A profound story and truly original characters, which anime can claim such things nowadays? Still, my rating turns out lower than the amazing concept suggests because I did not fully enjoy either the avantgarde art or the rushed narration. I'm inclined to believe that the show will have great rewatch value though and may grow further with every cycle.
- (7.5) Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko: I'm starting to really enjoy Shaft productions. The art is excellent, the camera angles original, the stories and characters are odd yet hilarious. I absolutely appreciated the Bakemonogatarian feel of the show. Erio was super cute and every scene with the milf Meme extremely funny. Regrettably it lacked some kind of closure on the suggested relationships. Where Bakemonogatari went for a decision pleasantly early on, this show decides to leave everything in the open. Even the 13th episode special is wasted with a meteor supposedly called down by Yashiro - I couldn't care less. That was so irrelevant for crying out loud, please don't waste half of the last episode on it Shaft! For a guy collecting adolescent points you'd expect him to be much more forceful about getting a girlfriend, especially when surrounded by women. I sometimes fail to see the point of solely surrounding a guy with several love interests (while not having a single male friend) and never ever even bringing up the thought, let alone the decision of going for one of them.
- (6.9/6.5) Hen Semi OVA/TV: Welly welly welly, this was fun. Although at times a little too distasteful (e.g. when talking about feces) the whole open-minded approach to sexuality and fetishes was hilarious and entertaining (especially when it was actually erotic and not just disgusting). Wish there were more shows with characters like these who don't nosebleed or scream at the sight of the opposite sex (or generally convey the thought that sexuality is sinful). The TV series was a little watered down in terms of explicit material compared to the OVA, which is a damn shame. In terms of 'abnormal' psychology they were trying a little too hard at some parts in the TV series, especially the whole personality makeover from Anna turned her from favorite to last, bleh.
- (6.3) Kiss x Sis (TV): Not as stellar as the OVA but still one of the more enjoyable ecchi shows. With the introduction of a wider supporting cast (albeit generic) the series watered down and lost its narrow focus for more comedy than ecchi. However, the show still got its moments, definitely a good addition.
- (5.9) Shigurui: Jesus christ, this was creepy and disturbing. I don't really get the hype about the supposedly intricate story or realisitc portrayal, because it has neither. What it has was atmosphere - and a lot of it. I was constantly between being disgusted and captivated. The animation was fitting and the 'sounds' did their part in thickening the mood. However, I cannot forgive the open ending. I understand the manga wasn't finished at that point but to introduce the story in a future point of time and then never close the cycle makes me wonder - what was the point of it all, seeing as this show has never received a continuaiton. That was pretty disappointing, otherwise the rating would have been a little higher.
- (5.5) Towa no Quon: While somewhat generic in its premise I hoped for some potential. After the kinda dull first movie - which I accepted as an introduction - I hoped for them pick up the pace. However, the 2nd movie was actually a step backwards with nothing significant happening, no character development (or fleshing out for that matter), no story progression. Very average. Character design wasn't too appealing either, animation was decent though. My growing dislike for Quon doesn't help either, I hate those naive and indistinctive do-gooder character types.
- (5.4) Blood+: Just cause they're set for 50 episodes doesn't mean they should move the story at a snail's pace. I'm also surprised how seemingly easy it was to dislike all introduced characters. Wanted to see some bad-assery from Saya, instead I get another angst-ridden school girl. Not to mention the bad writing. Run from a monster and feel safe after closing a glass door behind you. And call for a teacher. Sigh.
- (5.0) R-15: Solid entertainment, sadly it noticably lowered the ecchi content later on. My biggest gripe was Fukune being the guy's choice and sole interest from the very beginning while she was actually so bland. Hardly said anything, boring looks and the dullest out of the whole cast. I kinda felt bad for Utae throughout the last episodes, Taketo even only talked about Fukune in her presence, not very considerate there pal. Not to mention that in the end Utae even had to support the two, gawd, it was painful to watch. Oh and Fukune's clarinet song annoyed me so much, sounded more like playing the scale, at least nothing like a genius. Character design was a little too childish but at least this received proper production values.
- (4.9) Maria†Holic: I understand that this isn't supposed to be taken seriously and I can accept that premise. However, that doesn't automatically make it funny. A lot of the jokes and situations felt trite and without any form of story I got bored quickly. Mostly, when a joke was initiated, it felt already old and overused even before it was finished. And some ideas were so drawn out, they just wouldn't stop dwelling on it. Animation and music was nice but I won't trust the promise of romantic development. I hardly saw Mariya for the first 5 episodes anyway.
- (4.9) Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls: The animation was pretty interesting and I had high hopes for the male dude in the cast, since he seemed to be a capable samurai. Anyway, the usual clichés were exploited with the guy being a failure in every sense of the word and the women ended up just as stereotypical. Not to mention the dreadful loli at the center. WHY Japan, WHY?? Dropped the show before the rushed story supposedly begins because I couldn't care less for the retarded story this show tried to hold back for its end.
- (4.1) Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!: Admittedly, I had some expectations for a show that came from the creator of KissxSis and while it certainly had a few unusual ideas it still fell incredibly flat. The male dude hitting everyone with his baseball bat and the girls pissing themselves was something I had to get used to, but the really annoying thing was the pretentious story that was far too central to make the whole fanservice show enjoyable. I thought that especially in this regard the guy behind KissxSis woulda known better. The lack of development and the infantile loli antagonist gave me the rest.
- (2.0) Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun: Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. And I got even less. I'm not so vain to judge the story since I do not search for one in this genre. But I just can't enjoy pointless things happening that are neither funny nor bring progress to the characters. In fact, after 3 episodes of Mayu being chased by men - I felt greater enjoyment from closing my eyes than watching any more of it. I thought it was a good start when I realized the male lead's not a total wimp but alas, he believes in a proper order of things: marriage before looking at a woman. OK. Sure. Anyway. The situations were soo weird throughout the beginning of the show. Yes, weird is the ideal word for this show. That includes the art as well. This series seemed to have received extremely low production values, the faces just looked plain wrong half the time. Sigh.
- (1.5) Omamori Himari: I knew I was in for generic, trite, bland and whatnot before even watching a single second of this. The only reason for watching is the supposedly fanservicy nature of the whole thing and it sure was a let down. It feels like watching a porn movie that has forgotten all about its purpose and instead tries to convey a laughably bad story with horrible amateur acting. Honestly, if they are minimizing the ecchi content to once every 10 minutes in the form of a boob-hug or panty shot I have to wonder where this show's justification for its existence lies. Morever, even the art/animation was of extremely low value, truly disappointing. And why the frack is there a loli at the center of each and every of these shows, I fucking detest it sooo much. And to have once again the nice-to-everyone-let's-all-get-along cliché being exploited for the already pathetic male lead is beyond bearable...
Posted by Vurtox | 06-04-12, 5:29 AM | Add a comment