January 15th, 2021
Fireball Gebaude Baude - Disney's Robot Princess is Back!
Anime Relations: Gebäude Bäude
What a pleasant surprise! I just found out that a new series in the “Fireball” anime franchise came out recently, so I found it and watched it. “Fireball Gebaude Baude” is the final part of this marvellously imaginative series of Disney Japan full CG ultra-short sci-fi animes about a snarky robot princess and her robot servants in some unimaginably distant future.
Yes, Drossel is back, but this time she is being addressed as Ariadne Ojoo-sama. (Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos and helped Theseus kill the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth.) Gedachtnis has been replaced by Gebaude Baude. Ariadne/Drossel is in a slightly different body again. The wonderful Theater of the Absurd approach to the story is still there, along with Ariadne/Drossel’s usual antics. The lightning fast dialog (which is fun to listen to, albeit a big challenge to any non-native speaker) is still there. The animation is top notch. Overall, this was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. My final rating is A.
Yes, Drossel is back, but this time she is being addressed as Ariadne Ojoo-sama. (Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos and helped Theseus kill the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth.) Gedachtnis has been replaced by Gebaude Baude. Ariadne/Drossel is in a slightly different body again. The wonderful Theater of the Absurd approach to the story is still there, along with Ariadne/Drossel’s usual antics. The lightning fast dialog (which is fun to listen to, albeit a big challenge to any non-native speaker) is still there. The animation is top notch. Overall, this was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. My final rating is A.
Posted by dbaranyi | Jan 15, 2021 6:59 PM | 0 comments
January 13th, 2021
Wonder Egg Priority - Get the Flyswatter
Anime Relations: Wonder Egg Priority
I just finished watching the final new Winter 2021 anime first episode that I intend to view this season, “Wonder Egg Priority”. This is an original fantasy/psychological drama story about Ai, a bullied 14 year old girl who escapes from her fears by staying at home in bed all day and sneaking out at night to wander the empty streets. One night Ai finds a dead lightning bug, buries it, and then is haunted by a spectral version of the bug that speaks with her and offers her a chance to get her most important wish granted for free.
The wish is contained in an egg. As Ai travels restlessly between reality and dreams she is pressured to break the egg to release the wish. She finally does break the egg, the broken egg grows huge, and out from it comes a school girl. The egg girl is then chased by dream demons and Ai has to decide if she wants to become involved or not. But becoming involved brings dangers both in the dream world and in reality.
The first episode had spectacularly good and detailed background animations.
I’m at a loss for something else nice to say about it. The problem for me started right from the beginning when the spectral bug told Ai that her dearest wish was for a Friend. That immediately started to push all the wrong buttons for me. We are in Contemporary Lit territory here: a story about an unhappy protagonist who makes poor decisions. The Development here is that the protagonist is offered a magical pathway to achieve Retribution and eventually Redemption. The mystery is whether or not this is really a Deal with the Devil.
I don’t care for characters or story lines that these. I can’t relate and I don’t find them entertaining to watch. This series will probably be Loved to Death by a gawdzillon fans, but I don’t want to spend my time forcing myself to watch it. Therefore I am dropping the series and giving it a final rating of C.
The wish is contained in an egg. As Ai travels restlessly between reality and dreams she is pressured to break the egg to release the wish. She finally does break the egg, the broken egg grows huge, and out from it comes a school girl. The egg girl is then chased by dream demons and Ai has to decide if she wants to become involved or not. But becoming involved brings dangers both in the dream world and in reality.
The first episode had spectacularly good and detailed background animations.
I’m at a loss for something else nice to say about it. The problem for me started right from the beginning when the spectral bug told Ai that her dearest wish was for a Friend. That immediately started to push all the wrong buttons for me. We are in Contemporary Lit territory here: a story about an unhappy protagonist who makes poor decisions. The Development here is that the protagonist is offered a magical pathway to achieve Retribution and eventually Redemption. The mystery is whether or not this is really a Deal with the Devil.
I don’t care for characters or story lines that these. I can’t relate and I don’t find them entertaining to watch. This series will probably be Loved to Death by a gawdzillon fans, but I don’t want to spend my time forcing myself to watch it. Therefore I am dropping the series and giving it a final rating of C.
Posted by dbaranyi | Jan 13, 2021 7:09 PM | 0 comments
January 11th, 2021
Kemono Jihen - Don't Bend Over
Anime Relations: Kemono Jihen
This brief summary came to mind as I watched the first episode of the new shounen fantasy anime “Kemono Jihen”:
“Pedo monster collects monster kids so he can show his a$$ to them”…
A kooky Detective is called out from the Big City for a case in a small rural town where farm animals are being mysteriously killed and mutilated at each new moon. The detective starts to question the Strange Boy who works in the fields instead of going to school. At the next new moon the Strange Boy turns into a Strange Boy Monster, but he isn’t the chicken killer, instead it is a Strange Monster Deer which the Strange Boy and the Kooky Detective kill by a combination of magical and physical means.
This was yet another paint-by-number series. Everything is telegraphed. The scenery is nicely pastoral in a totally unoriginal way. I didn’t care at all about the characters or the situation. Therefore I’m dropping it and giving it a final rating of C.
“Pedo monster collects monster kids so he can show his a$$ to them”…
A kooky Detective is called out from the Big City for a case in a small rural town where farm animals are being mysteriously killed and mutilated at each new moon. The detective starts to question the Strange Boy who works in the fields instead of going to school. At the next new moon the Strange Boy turns into a Strange Boy Monster, but he isn’t the chicken killer, instead it is a Strange Monster Deer which the Strange Boy and the Kooky Detective kill by a combination of magical and physical means.
This was yet another paint-by-number series. Everything is telegraphed. The scenery is nicely pastoral in a totally unoriginal way. I didn’t care at all about the characters or the situation. Therefore I’m dropping it and giving it a final rating of C.
Posted by dbaranyi | Jan 11, 2021 6:44 PM | 0 comments
Kai Byoui Ramune - The Cliché Disease
Anime Relations: Kai Byoui Ramune
“Kai Byoui Ramune”, aka, Dr. Ramune, Mysterious Disease Specialist” is a new shounen series about a young Doctor of Mysterious Diseases who cures people who have developed strange psychosomatic illnesses. Ramune has his office in a temple, acts and dresses oddly and generally behaves in a seemingly unprofessional manner. He is assisted by his laconic young assistant, Kuro. They take on cases that normal doctors and hospitals won’t handle.
In the first episode Ramune takes on the case of a pre-teen actress who has been crying condiments – mayonnaise, ketchup, soy sauce and so on. This is caused by the stress put upon the girl by her mother who is determined to make the girl succeed at any cost. Ramune sets up a situation where the mother has to choose between the wealth that she acquired through her daughter or the wellbeing of her daughter and eventually chooses her daughter’s wellbeing.
As you can tell from the summary above, this is not a subtle series by any means. There is a forced juxtaposition of paint-by-number melodrama and ridiculous humor. The buddy team of Ramune and Kuro are cut-and-paste from any of a number of similar shounen “mysterious buddies” shows of the last 25 years. I drifted off to sleep in my chair during the final credits and preview. In any event, this is not a series that I want to follow so I’m dropping it with a final rating of C.
In the first episode Ramune takes on the case of a pre-teen actress who has been crying condiments – mayonnaise, ketchup, soy sauce and so on. This is caused by the stress put upon the girl by her mother who is determined to make the girl succeed at any cost. Ramune sets up a situation where the mother has to choose between the wealth that she acquired through her daughter or the wellbeing of her daughter and eventually chooses her daughter’s wellbeing.
As you can tell from the summary above, this is not a subtle series by any means. There is a forced juxtaposition of paint-by-number melodrama and ridiculous humor. The buddy team of Ramune and Kuro are cut-and-paste from any of a number of similar shounen “mysterious buddies” shows of the last 25 years. I drifted off to sleep in my chair during the final credits and preview. In any event, this is not a series that I want to follow so I’m dropping it with a final rating of C.
Posted by dbaranyi | Jan 11, 2021 5:48 PM | 0 comments
January 9th, 2021
Horimiya - Laid Back Shounen Romcom
Anime Relations: Horimiya
I just watched the first episode of “Horimiya”, a shounen high school romcom that has a lot of shoujo vibe to it. So much so that the first episode felt a lot like an updated variation on “His and Her Circumstances”. Kyoko, a smart and pretty girl can’t socialize after class because she has to go home to take care of her younger brother and their house while their parents work long hours. Izumi, a geeky, strange and quiet guy in her class keeps to himself but outside of school he is something of a good natured, albeit not very bright, rebel. The two get together because of Kyoko’s younger brother and soon start to become more than just classmates.
The first episode was bright, cute and funny. The voice acting and dialog work well and the characters are appealing from the start. The artwork is nice but minimalist in a very shoujo manner. All-in-all, the first episode was enjoyable and well-paced. If the series continues like this it ought to be a nice bit of weekend relaxation. My initial rating is B+.
The first episode was bright, cute and funny. The voice acting and dialog work well and the characters are appealing from the start. The artwork is nice but minimalist in a very shoujo manner. All-in-all, the first episode was enjoyable and well-paced. If the series continues like this it ought to be a nice bit of weekend relaxation. My initial rating is B+.
Posted by dbaranyi | Jan 9, 2021 8:10 PM | 0 comments
January 4th, 2021
Urasekai Picnic - Mystery and Imagination
Anime Relations: Urasekai Picnic
I just watched the first episode of “Urasekai Picnic”, aka “Otherside Picnic” and I enjoyed it a lot! I was expecting just another Isekai story, but there was no Truck-kun or the other staples of regular Isekai stories. Instead we got imagination and mystery.
The premise is simple: urban legends about mysterious doors that lead into another strange and dangerous world next door are true and a few people are exploring that world in search of adventure and treasure. Two college-aged girls, heavily introverted Sorao and manically extroverted Toriko, meet under very dangerous circumstances in the other world. They end up saving each other’s lives, find a treasure, and escape back to the regular world. Toriko convinces the very reluctant Sorao to return to the other world with her in search of more treasure. There are no trustworthy guides to where they are going or what they will find. Each time they go they are taking chances with their lives.
The first episode pushed a lot of the right buttons for me – they science fictional feeling of the Other World and its denizens, the ways by which the girls go from the mundane world to the other world, and most of all, the pure imagination of setting and premise. I liked it a lot and my initial rating is A.
The premise is simple: urban legends about mysterious doors that lead into another strange and dangerous world next door are true and a few people are exploring that world in search of adventure and treasure. Two college-aged girls, heavily introverted Sorao and manically extroverted Toriko, meet under very dangerous circumstances in the other world. They end up saving each other’s lives, find a treasure, and escape back to the regular world. Toriko convinces the very reluctant Sorao to return to the other world with her in search of more treasure. There are no trustworthy guides to where they are going or what they will find. Each time they go they are taking chances with their lives.
The first episode pushed a lot of the right buttons for me – they science fictional feeling of the Other World and its denizens, the ways by which the girls go from the mundane world to the other world, and most of all, the pure imagination of setting and premise. I liked it a lot and my initial rating is A.
Posted by dbaranyi | Jan 4, 2021 5:42 PM | 0 comments