Vampire Knight
May 14, 2008 at 12:51 am | In adventure, anime, could be worse, one episode rule, ridiculous premise, school syndrome, shoujo cliche, spring 2008, yaoibait | Leave a CommentSummary: slightly better than average vampire bishounen
Based on: 4 eps
Series Info: at Anime News Network
(Image taken from FuanBLOG where you can see ep by ep summaries)
At this school there is the Day Class and the Night Class. The Night Class are all secretly(!) vampires, and all the girls of the Day Class are wildly enamored with them because they are of course all gorgeous and moody and aloof. Two prefects from the Day Class are adopted children of the headmaster and are the only ones who know the secret, but of course they have mysterious secrets of their own.
Everything about this screams typical – it’s got all your bishounen vampire cliches, it’s at a fabulously stylish high school, and moody sullen pretty boys abound. But I think in this case it actually manages to transcend the cliches with some very nice art, some decent action sequences, passable plot and dialogue considering the setup, and a slowly growing sense of discomfort. The only place where it really falls down is where the headmaster is involved – when he’s in the scene it’s a painful reminder of everything wrong with shows like Trinity Blood and Saiyuki.
So this isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement, but if you need your shoujo fix this season this is probably your best choice.
Library War (Toshokan Sensou) (spring 2008 anime)
April 30, 2008 at 7:56 am | In adventure, anime, comedy, guilty pleasure, ridiculous premise, spring 2008 | 2 CommentsSummary: dumbest premise ever, but I love the execution
Based on: 6 episodes
Series Info: at Anime News Network
This just has me in the grips of despair. Zetsubou! Zetsubou daaaaaa!
It’s very similar to Planetes, which I liked a lot, and I find the clean, heavily edged art style and character designs very appealing. It’s also in the ’short haired tomboy leading character’ genre like Planetes and Patlabor. So far the plot is thin, but dialogue and characterization are excellent.
However – it has possibly the dumbest premise I’ve ever seen in an anime that’s obviously aimed at adults. A Media Cleansing Act is passed which causes the formation of a bunch of elite book censorship Nazis (they even have the snappy uniforms). In response, a freedom of information act is passed which causes libraries to become more or less their own country with their own elite military force. They battle it out in bookstores and alternate heavy weapons training with Dewey decimal system filing. I am not making this up. How could I?
Okay, close your eyes, breathe deep, let it wash over you. Ignore the requisite Japanese sexism (‘Wow, you guys made it here in only one day even with a woman in the group!’). This is still pretty enjoyable.
Macross Frontier (spring 2008 anime)
April 30, 2008 at 7:00 am | In adventure, anime, macross, school syndrome, spring 2008 | 1 CommentSummary: It’s Macross. Not bad if you want music and robots and dogfights.
Based on: 12 episodes
Series info: at Anime News Network
This is Macross, so you get all the Macross cliches in full force. Now with that said, it’s not too badly done.
On the plus side, the music is by Yoko Kanno with vocals by Maaya Sakamoto, the production values are fairly high, the premise isn’t nearly as ridiculous as Macross 7, and there’s a lot of action. On the minus side you’ll have to endure gratuitous music ‘videos’, high school fighter pilots, and so far a razor thin plot. This all culminates in episode 7 with a full-episode 24 minute orgy of non-stop space combat and music concert.
If you want to check out Macross for the first time, I recommend Macross Plus instead, but you could do worse. Though I have the sinking feeling that this is all going to end with Ranka singing the evil alien badguys (the vajira) into submission.
Update: Ugh, ugh, ugh, I guess it was to be expected after they blew the budget on ep 7, but ep 8 is an insanely bad ‘Ranka and Sheryl transfer to Alto’s school’ thing that gets even worse since the main plotline is a panty-chase. If ep 9 is this bad, I’m giving up on it.
Himitsu: The Revelation (spring 2008 anime)
April 30, 2008 at 6:38 am | In anime, ridiculous premise, spring 2008 | 2 CommentsSummary: technogibberish for dumb adults
Based on: 1 episode
Series info: at Anime News Network
This is really the epitome of ‘grownup anime is not a panacea‘. It’s based on the ridiculous premise that 50 years from now people who have no idea about how the brain works will be able to run MRIs on the brain up to 48 hours after brain death. That will somehow boost up the brain’s function to exactly ‘120%’ and extract perfect video of the deceased’s last moments. Video which can be infinitely zoomed, yet has no audio track – which is where the new guy, our hero, comes in: he can read lips. Also the hippocampus stores several minutes of perfect video which can be rewound and forwarded as well. I swear to you this is even dumber than it sounds.
Follow this up with several astounding coincidences and leaps of logic and you have an utter trainwreck of a series that for some reason even tosses in some yaoibait between the new guy and his ooooo so mysterious boss.
Kure-nai (Spring 2008 anime)
April 28, 2008 at 3:46 am | In adventure, anime, nothing happens (and that's ok), one episode rule, school syndrome, spring 2008 | 1 CommentSummary: modern adventure, deeper than it appears, recommended
Based on: 12 (all) episodes
Series info: at Anime News Network
This one is about a high schooler (Shinkurō Kurenai) who hires himself out for odd jobs. A young spoiled rich girl who’s never been outside the family home (Murasaki Kuhōin) is kidnapped (or liberated, your choice) and Kurenai is given the job of being her bodyguard.
There’s a lot going on here – the kid is cute, but annoying as you’d expect a very young sheltered rich girl to be, so you’re alternately annoyed with her and sorry for her since it’s obvious not really her fault, and she does feel bad when Kurenai finally gets a basic concept through her thick skull.
The series has school syndrome, but it’s nuanced. Generally what I object to is the tropes that ’school anime’ lets the authors fall back on, but Kure-nai mostly, though not totally, avoids them. In particular the relationships are far beyond the usual subtle as a nuclear bomb triangles you expect from anime aimed at teens (because they don’t know any better). There’s a brilliant theme going on in episode 3 where one of the ‘lecherous women’ who lives at Kurenai’s apartment complex is teaching Murasaki about how to get yourself a ‘reliable man’ (which she can’t seem to find herself). She notes how all you have to do to keep a man happy is compliment him now and then (which is sadly mostly true). Meanwhile Kurenai himeself has a reliable woman, a fellow classmate, Ginko. She obviously likes him, but it’s more nuanced than the usual high school romance: she knows it but hates herself for it, he knows it (and even acknowledges it to her face) but still uses her anyhow, carelessly.
There’s another scene in episode 3 with three rude high school boys bullying an old woman on a train that in almost any other anime would have ended with Kurenai going medieval on their asses (he’s a skilled martial artist), but it confounds that and then rubs it in your face.
Ep 6 is a regrettable bit of padding, but with Ep 7 the plot starts to pick up again. And as of Ep 10 the series starts heading into a climax that is satisfying and yet not quite too cliche. This was a good series.
Real Drive Sennou Chosashitsu (spring 2008 anime)
April 26, 2008 at 12:15 am | In anime, one episode rule, spring 2008, technogibberish | 2 CommentsSummary: pandering technogibberish
Based on: 1 ep
Series Info: on Anime News Network
This is what happens when someone tries to write an adult(ish) series about science and doesn’t know much about it. You get tons of gibberish thrown at you to make things sound impressive, ala Star Trek: The Next Generation, badly forced expositions, and a mixture of hugely futuristic technology with anachronistically primitive tech where it’s convenient for the plot.
Then of course we have the obligatory cyber-matrix second life and pseudomystical hoo-hah.
I think the opening scene pretty much sums it up, where after you have a diver and his boss expositioning at you for a while the diver dives, then the boss goes into the boat where there’s a Death Star command center where apparently they’re monitoring the brain waves of the diver. You can tell this because there’s a big monitor with brain wavey things on it the boss says things like ‘Enable language decoding!’ and the henchman says ‘Enabling language decoding!’ and suddenly you can hear what the diver is thinking, so they’re beaming his brainwaves (and not just brainwaves, but ‘cyberbrainwaves’) up. But they can’t get a working radio or camera and for some reason wouldn’t want the language decoding on all the time.
So to counteract that the characters are mostly middle aged and old men, the Secretary General (of what, the UN?) is a busty ho who dresses to expose flesh and takes her video conference calls from her four poster bed, and they haul in a bevy of young teen girls (with panty shots of course) to take care of the old guys.
Kanokon is probably the worst show this season, but it wasn’t even trying. This is more disappointing because you can tell they wanted to make an adult anime, and they did, but only if you’re a dumb adult.
Soul Eater (spring 2008 anime)
April 25, 2008 at 11:48 pm | In adventure, anime, fightfightfight, spring 2008 | Leave a Commentsummary: Bleach Lite, but gorgeous
Based on: 7 episodes
Series Info: on Anime News Network
Soul Eater is a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting more from it based on the official website, but what we ended up with is pretty much Bleach for younger kids, or if you prefer Bleach done more like One Piece or Rave. It’s all fighting and posing and there’s not much plot or depth. So I can’t recommend you watch it based on the content – you’ve seen this all before.
On the other hand, I’m going to keep watching for a few more episodes just because the animation is so stunningly gorgeous. Bones has done a fantastic job of rendering it in bold lines and bright colors with lots of fluidity, and in HD it’s amazing eye candy. Sad, but as with Hellsing sometimes style over substance works.
The first three eps are just prologue, introducing the three main sets of characters, so we’ll see if it gets any better from here.
Update: Well, the story really never got any better (or worse), but I’m still watching this for the art.
Daughter of Twenty Faces (spring 2008 anime)
April 25, 2008 at 1:31 am | In adventure, anime, phantom thief, spring 2008 | Leave a CommentSummary: pulp adventure, promising, slow builder
Based on: 10 episodes
Series Info: at Anime News Network
Also known as: Nijuu Mensou no Musume
Twenty Faces (Nijuu Menou) is a famous phantom thief – for as yet undisclosed reasons he ‘kidnaps’ Chiko from her unhappy home and takes her off into a whirlwind and dashing life of crime, which of course involves plenty of car chases.
After three episodes this is still obviously in the prologue stage – the real story is going to start once Chiko stops being a hinderance, picks up all Twenty Faces’ skills, and starts her own career. But for now I think this one is definitely worth watching if you like Lupin-style adventure. Just be warned it’s a very slow builder.
Update: Oh yeah, in ep 6 all hell breaks loose. I think the extended prologue is over.
Kamen no Maid Guy (spring 2008 anime)
April 25, 2008 at 1:10 am | In anime, comedy, guilty pleasure, spring 2008 | 2 CommentsTags: anime spring 2008
Summary: over the top pervy action comedy
Based on: 7 episodes
Series info: on Anime News Network
This one conflicts me. A high school kendo champ and her brother are given combat maids by their rich grandfather to keep them safe. It’s utterly dumb with plenty of gratuitous nudity and can’t in any way be considered anime for grownups. When Kogarashi (the maid guy, seen above) isn’t present the series is completely formula, and the art style makes the fanservice pretty yawn. But his scenes are so over the top they still crack me up. So I can’t really recommend you watch this, but I am for now as a guilty pleasure.
Chi’s Sweet Home (spring 2008 anime)
April 25, 2008 at 12:52 am | In anime, cute, spring 2008 | Leave a CommentTags: spring 2008 anime
Judgement: harmless, lethally cute
Based on: 12 episodes
Series Info: on Anime News Network
These are miniscule 3 minute episodes about a lost kitten. A family with a young boy takes him home, but their apartment doesn’t allow pets. There’s no real plot or dialogue here, it’s all cuteness and gags. Totally inoffensive, good for a cute fix, makes nearly all females go ‘awwwwwwww’.
Nabari no Ou (spring 2008 anime)
April 24, 2008 at 11:57 pm | In anime, spring 2008 | 1 CommentTags: spring 2008 anime
Summary: Generic yaoibait adventure, school syndrome, pass
Based on: 1 episode
Series Info: at Anime News Network
This is the obligatory yaoibait adventure series for the season. Modern day high schooler MIharu has a deep dark unknown secret – the ultimate ninja power. Of course he’s completely unaware of this until lanky handsome evil ninjas and lanky handsome good ninjas decide to fight it out over him. You’ve seen this all before, though the animation and execution aren’t too bad.
Kaiba (spring 2008 anime)
April 24, 2008 at 11:25 pm | In anime, spring 2008 | Leave a CommentTags: anime, spring 2008
Judgement: must watch retro scifi (not for kids)
Based on: 8 episodes
Series Info: Anime News Network
Now this one is a surprise entry out of nowhere. It’s a sci-fi romance (I think, it’s a little hard to tell) that’s done in a minimalistic 60s Tezuka style. This definitely qualifies as adult in every sense. It doesn’t spoon feed you the plot and there’s a lot of slow contemplation interspersed with the bursts of action.
A young man called Warp wakes up with a hole in his chest and a mysterious symbol on his abdomen, in a a Gunnm-type dystopia where minds and bodies can be swapped and traded. I can’t really tell you too much more without giving away the sense of wonder you might feel while watching the first ep. I think you should feel a little off-balance while watching this.
I was wondering if the 2nd ep would be less weird (that’s usually what happens), but it’s even more disorienting. In a good way. It also introduces several adult situations – episode 1 you could have shown to your kids (though they might have been bored), but definitely not episode 2 which includes bizarre techno-clone-sex with a fairly gruesome aftermath. As of ep 4 it’s turned into the ancient literary format of island (planet) hopping via spaceship as you might know from Voyage of the Dawn Treader or the Oz books (though it’s a much older tradition known as an immram if you want to be snooty).
Update: Ep 5 with the designer bodies is fantastically trippy. This is still going strong. And as of Ep 8 the plot is pretty much opened up with just a few questions left.
Spring 2008 Season
April 24, 2008 at 11:24 pm | In anime, spring 2008 | Leave a CommentTags: anime, spring 2008
The Spring 2008 season is upon us. It’s slightly better so far than last season, though for some reason the perviness has really been ratcheted up. Now I don’t mind pervy, but I do mind it when it’s an excuse for stupid. Kanokon and To Love-Ru are prime examples of this. On the other hand, Masked Maid Guy (Kamen no Maid Guy) is pervy but at least it’s amusing when Kogarashi (the Maid Guy) is in the scene.
Best of the Season:
- Kaiba (retro scifi romance – absolutely not for children)
- Kure-nai (modern adventure, dialogue and situation heavy)
Worth a Look:
- Allison and Lillia (pulp adventure, from the Kino no Tabi author)
- Daughter of Twenty Faces (Lupin-style adventure)
- Macross Frontier (if you like Macross, this isn’t bad)
- Soul Eater (Bleach Lite, but the animation is gorgeous)
- Toshokan Sensou (Library War) (The execution so far is excellent, reminding me a lot of Planetes, but the premise is so ridiculous it may be insurmountable).
Special Circumstances:
- Chi’s Sweet Home (super cute, for the lolcat people)
- Kamen no Maid Guy (so dumb it’s funny, but only when he’s in the scene)
- The Tower of Druaga (watch the first ep, which is total RPG spoof, but only the first ep)
- Zenryoku Usagi (after two eps, this cute little series about construction worker rabbits has some appeal, though little depth)
Could be Worse:
- Crystal Blaze (totally generic modern scifi adventure)
- Nabari no Ou (modern day bishounen high school ninjas)
- Special A (Karekano meets Ouran Host Club. Not quite as good as either, but not bad)
- Vampire Knight (horribly cliche setup, but not badly executed)
- Wagaya no Oinari-sama (not a bad setup, but keeps veering toward domestic sitcom)
Pass:
- Bus Gamer (did you actually like Get Backers? This is for you. Yaoibait adventure).
- Da Capo II S2 (totally generic romance)
- Himitsu: The Revelation (technogibberish for dumb adults)
- Kanokon (the perviest and most forumlaic thing I’ve seen in years)
- Kyou Kara Maou! S3 (nothing should go for 3 seasons, especially something this cliche)
- Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (completely soulless catgirl domestic comedy for kids)
- Monochrome Factor (utterly formulaic yaoibait)
- Naisho no Tsubomi (this is not badly done, but it’s a sex ed infodrama for 11 year old girls)
- Neo Angelique ~ Abyss~ (I can’t even remember what this was about)
- Penguin Musume (even dumber Lucky Star with boobs)
- Penguin no Mondai (you’re far too old for this)
- Real Drive – Sennou Chosashitsu (pandering technogibberish)
- To Love-RU (modern Urusei Yatsura, with more perv)
- Zettai Karen Children (bad setup, juvenile, pedobait)
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