Category Archives: Season Preview
Winter 2012 First Impression: Recorder to Randoseru
Plot Synopsis: “On the surface it seems as if Atsushi is an adult, but really he’s just an elementary student! However, he is paired with a second-year high school student Atsumi, whose height is just the opposite of his. These two together create an unusual relationship and will undoubtedly instigate some comedic antics in this slice of life comedy!”
Thoughts :So let me start this off by asking this question. What you can say about a three minute long (okay 2:30 if you take out the ending) show? There is not much at all that can be said here about the first episode of Recorder to Randoseru. We are introduced to the main characters Atsumi and Atsushi. With the male lead looking like an adult we a get a joke that is pretty predictable on how it turns out.
It is not a terrible looking series, but it is not going to set the world on fire animation wise. The character design are okay but like the animation is not going to be neither ground breaking nor be impressive.
Recorder to Randoseru is in short a time killer. It is going to be best to watch in between shows or if you need something to do. Those looking for ground breaking shows should look else where.
Score: 2/5
Fall 2011 Anime First Impression: Gundam AGE
Plot Synopsis: “Hundreds of years have passed during the space age that began with the settlement of the space colonies. The wars that were once fought for control of the Earth Sphere had ended, and it seemed that an era of peace had arrived. But this fleeting peace has now collapsed.”
Thoughts: This is not your daddy’s Gundam that is for sure. This new Gundam series was pissing off anime fans before the first episode even aired. Everything from the character designs to the fact that it is aimed at a younger audience has set the fickle anime fandom in an uproar. However, is as bad as fandom thinks it is going to be? Based just off the first episode I would say no that is not quite the case with Gundam AGE.
It would not be a Gundam series if some common tropes that usually pop up in the Gundam did not appear. Any trope you can think of that comes with the Gundam franchise you will find here. Young male lead who happens to be a pilot? Check. His family has something to do with the Gundam mobile suit. Check. Way too young to be in the military? It would not be a Gundam series otherwise.
There are however a few things make this new series different from the others in the franchise. The biggest one is that this story going to be covering several generations over the course of the series instead of just focusing on generation or a small period of time that some of the other shows focus on. The other big change is that this series is aimed more at a younger viewing audience than an older viewing audience. Now does this mean someone who is older cannot enjoy this series? No, someone who is older can enjoy this series, but those that looking for a show that is similar to the Gundam shows of yore will be disappointed to find out that it is not like the previous shows in the franchise.
The animation is solid from what we have seen so far both in background art and character designs. The character designs do take a bit used to seeing since they are a lot different from what you may expect from a Gundam franchise. The mobile suit designs that we have seen so will take some time to get used to but they are not terrible. We do some mobile suit fighting here and is animated quite well and are not boring. They are not quite at the same level of battles that we see in Gundam 00 but they do the series justice.
Gundam AGE is going to be a mixed bag for the fandom. Some outright decry that because it is aimed at kids and that it is terrible by default. Is Gundam Age going to be for everyone? No it will not but fans of the Gundam franchise and non-fans should give the first episode a watch.
Score 3/5
Fall 2011 Anime First Impression: Ben-To
Plot Synopsis: “Saving money on a half-price Ben-To (box lunch) is no laughing matter: in the world of high schooler You Sato, the placement of a half-off sticker can set off a battle of extreme proportions right in the middle of the supermarket. Along with martial artist Sen Yarizui and half-Italian glasses-girl Ayame, You must learn to navigate grocery stores on an entirely new level.”
Thoughts: Ridiculous concepts can work if they pulled off correctly. To say the whole concept behind the show Ben-To is ridiculous is an understatement. It is a tad crazy with a dash of humor and fighting in for good measure. It is smart and takes a serious look at what it is like to eat when you do not have much money? Hell no, not even it is not even in the same ballpark as smart. It is stupid, but it is fun stupid. This is leave your brain at the door entertainment at its finest. Really, you should not even try to think why a battle royale breaks out when a bento box goes half price.
While this is a fun series to watch, not everyone is going to enjoy this show. To put it simply there are two camps with this show that you can fall into you either love the show, or you hate it. You cannot sort of like it. That is exactly the kind of show this is.
The character designs are good and so is the background art. The fighting scenes that we get in the latter half of the episode are fun to watch and enjoyable on all levels. The music is not too shabby either.
Ben-to while being the shortest named title this is season, is also one of the wackiest shows this season as well. The whole concept of fighting over half-priced bento boxes might seems like a stupid concept but if you happen to like popcorn entertainment type shows this would be right up your alley. Of course this show is not going to please everyone.
Score: 3/5
Fall 2011 Anime First Impressions: Maken-Ki!
Plot Synopsis: “Students at Takeru Oyama’s elite private school don’t just study— they battle one another using unique items called “maken.” But Takeru’s problems aren’t merely martial in nature: he also has to deal with Inaho, who claims to be his fiancée, the mysterious girl Kodama, and his childhood friend Haruko.”
Thoughts: Do you like your anime with lots of fanserivce, fighting, and females with large breasts? If so, guess what Maken-ki! is right up your alley. There just a bit of everything for fans of fanservice to see here. We have hugely breasted teenage girls who give panties shots quite often and without a care in the world. We get fight scenes with lots of panty shots. Hell we even get some censorship that seems to be inconsistent from time to time.
Oh, but you want to know about the story you say? Well, think of Ikki Tousen but without the other schools fighting each other and the Romance of The Three Kingdom backdrop. Is this going to blow you away story wise? Nope it will not at all. In fact, there is not much plot presented here in the first episode. I do not think there is going to be much plot given here with this series. However, this is not a series that you watch for its plot. You watch for one thing and one thing only the fanservice.
The character designs are nice, but the fanservice is going to turn away those who are not into fanservice. The voice acting is fine and so is the music presented. The background art works for series and not is not intrusive. The fight scenes are nice and are pretty fun to watch. They are not at the level of say Cowboy Bebop but they are fun enough to not get bored watching.
Maken-Ki! Is not a show that most fans are going to be excited to see or even running to see. This is a show that is going to fanservice heavy, classic harem with fighting elements in it. If this is not your think do not bother watching. If it is your thing put your seat and enjoy the ride
Score (for fans of these types of shows): 3/5
(everyone else): 1/5
Fall 2011 First impressions: Mashiro-Iro Symphony
Plot Synopsis: “Shingo Uryu’s elite academy is merging with a prestigious school for girls in the same town. A batch of boys— including Shingo, of course —are sent to the girl’s school early to partially integrate before the full merger…but all of the girls hate boys. Shingo must befriend the girls and convince them to give his fellow classmates a shot.”
Thoughts: Have you ever watched a show or an episode of a show and once you finished watching it say to yourself, “I have seen this done before and it has been done much better? “ If you have not you are going to be saying that after you finish watching the first episode of Mashiro-Iro Symphony. This whole episode just screams and bleeds generic. Just about everything that we are presented with here is generic, the voice acting, the character design, the background art, the cast from the little we have seen so far is generic and uninspiring.
The show moves at such a slow pace that you might fall asleep before the episode is even over. Hell, half the episode is about a character being stuck in the rain for Christ’s sake. The character designs fit the moe standard and do not really even try to be above average. The background art is okay but is nothing special and forgettable. The cast which is important to any otaku show here is nothing but run of the mill character types that we have seen before. The nice lucky dude, the younger sister who acts way younger than her age, the maid character, and to top it all off a tsundere that is way too tsun tusn and not enough dere dere. What makes this so jarring to see is that earlier in the episode the same tsundere was nice to the male lead. Then later out she is flipping out at him. I mean what the hell gives?
I guess there is one good thing about this series and that is the music is no so bad to listen at all. It is a masterpiece of the audio experience. No, but it does enough that you just listen to that and be happy, but even then it just brings the slow pacing of the show out even more.
I guess if you are curious to see more of the same moe shows that we have seen a bunch of times before or maybe you need to fall asleep Mashiro-Iro Symphony will do the trick. If you are not looking for either, do me a favor and STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM IT!
Score: 1/5
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