Blog Archives
Otaku in Review Podcast – Fall 2010 Preview
The Fall season is almost upon us. In this episode, Scott & I take a look at the upcoming anime. Two of my favorite ecchi shows are getting second seasons, plus we’re finally seeing some new mecha shows, and a slice-of-life drama that sounds like it could have KEY potential. Hear our thoughts on each of them in this episode.
In the news, we cover recent happenings related to Valkyria Chronicles, K-ON!!, and Atlus. Miyazaki is nominated for another (well-deserved) award, Hayate the Combat Butler gets a live-action series that doesn’t look too promising, and FUNimation rescues the Disgaea anime that nobody likes (but I do).
Oh, and I make fun of Scott’s terrible pronunciation of “shoujo.”
As always, credit goes to Chartfag for the chart and info.
Top 10 Greatest RPGs – #6 – Valkyria Chronicles
Until recently, I had never been a big fan of the SRPG genre. The appeal of these kinds of games was something I never really understood, as I found many of them frustrating in that one tiny screw-up could mean hours wasted. As a result, I generally steered clear of these kinds of games. When I first learned about Valkyria Chronicles, it didn’t impress me. It just looked like another generic war game. However, since there was a free demo available, I decided to give the game a try and immediately got sucked into it.
The continent of Europa, in which the game takes place, closely resembles Europe in the time of World War II. The peaceful nation of Gallia, rich in a valuable material known as Ragnite, has recently become under attack by the East Europan Imperial Alliance. They want the precious metal, and will do anything it takes to acquire it. Valkyria Chronicles tells the tale of Squad 7 of Gallia and their struggles to push back the Empire’s forces. At first this seems like a generic story, but there are some nice twists & turns that give it a fresh feel. It’s a great story filled with plenty of action, surprises, and even some sadness.
2009 in Review: Top 5 Honorable Mentions
I’ve already talked about the best and worst of 2009′s anime, but what about those in between? Surely some of those shows deserve attention, too. This post is for the honorable mentions that were good, but not quite good enough to make the “Top 10 Best” list.
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5. Sora no OtoshimonoSora no Otoshimono is a hilarious ecchi comedy about a boy who runs into an “Angeloid” – a robotic angel humanoid whatever who is willing to fulfill his every command. This is obviously a cliché concept, but this show does some pretty wacky stuff that makes it worth your time. Some episodes do drag on for a while and there isn’t much plot, but the crazy moments are really, really, funny. The show also has plenty of excellent fanservice, but it doesn’t go over the top. It’s an all around decent ecchi show that’s at least worth a look. Sora no Otoshimono is currently available on Crunchyroll |
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4. Valkyria ChroniclesBased on a PlayStation 3 game with the same title, the anime adaptation of Valkyria Chronicles is a decent re-telling of the events in the game. There are issues, and it’s easy to see that much filler was added in order to meet the 26-episode quota. Overall though, the story is an amazing tale of the characters’ struggles to defend their beloved homeland Gallia from invasion by the Imperial Alliance. Having played the game prior to watching the series, I didn’t feel it really lived up to the quality of the game. However, I would still recommend you check out both. |
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3. Kuchu Buranko (Trapeze)This show is nuts. Like, really nuts. Based on a novel and a collection of short stories, Trapeze is about a psychologist who treats his patients in a very non-orthodox manner. Every episode focuses on a different patient, so the series can be considered episodic. The visuals are really impressive in this show, as it makes use of vibrant colors and detailed character & background designs that really make the show “jump out at you.” There is some very interesting humor in the show as well. If you like artistic shows with a crazy sense of humor, then Trapeze should definitely not be overlooked. |
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2. Asu no Yoichi!Asu no Yoichi! (the manga is known as Samurai Harem in the US) is one of the best harem comedy series I’ve ever seen. Sure, it’s not original, but it manages to be really funny at times. The story follows Yoichi who ends up moving into a house with four sisters. Hilarity ensues. Asu no Yoichi! is an all-around great comedy that will have you laughing every few minutes. If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to check out my review of the show. |
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1. Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo (Sora Kake Girl)Sora Kake Girl is an action sci-fi space comedy. It’s a crazy roller coaster ride of laughs, action, fanservice, and wonderful characters. Perhaps the most notable seiyuu would be Jun Fukuyama (LeLouch from Code Geass), who plays the role of Leopard. Leopard is a “Brain Colony,” and the show centers around various Brain Colonys engaging in their petty hilarious battles with each other. Sora Kake Girl is by Sunrise, the creators of Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome, and fans of those shows will certainly see the resemblance. If you want some great visually appealing deep-space action scenes and don’t mind a bit of fanservice, than be sure to watch Sora Kake Girl. If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to check out my review of the show. |
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