Behind The Nihon Review

It’s an interesting season so far.  I wouldn’t say “brilliant” (it’s way too early to make that call) but it’s different from what we’ve seen so far this year in just the sheer magnitude of titles that are at least worth checking out.  I’ve got a massive list of titles that I’ll be following this season (more than I originally intended, and more than is healthy for me, I think), and there are quite a few that are particularly intriguing.  There’s also a few that are pretty banal at this stage, but there’s plenty of time for things to turn around.

Akane-iro ni Somaru Saku
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: C

The only things that I knew about this going in was that it’s being directed by the wonderful mind that brought us the School Days anime (ugh) and that it’s yet another eroge adaptation with a plethora of colourfully designed female characters.  So, while I was expecting a cringe-worthy lulz-factory in the same vein as School Days, what I got was actually relieving: it was merely boring, not enraging.  If you momentarily take out the tsundere violence that has become such a meaningless cliche of shounen romance these days, the characters interact with an over-polite tepidness that is simultaneously phony-feeling and boring.  These aren’t characters we haven’t seen before elsewhere, and the reason for Yuuhi to be living with the Nagase family is pretty contrived (but we wouldn’t have a story otherwise, so yeah…), but the progression so far has been sufficiently inoffensive that I don’t mind dedicating twenty minutes a week to it once I’ve turned my mind off and expectations down.

Toradora!
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: B+

The first episode was slightly above average, but the second episode was thoroughly enjoyable.  Like Akane-iro ni Somaru Saku, this is another series with a Kugumiya-voiced tsundere in the female lead role but the difference is that the characters in this are very enjoyably odd-ball.  To steal a comment from the AnimeSuki forums, I really like this quote:

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Minorin is ADHD poster child, Ryuji is a OCD standard bearer, Taiga has anti-social tendencies and soon to come Ami is a histrionic hedonist princess. Kitamura has god complex.

What is there not to love about this series?

It makes for a stark comparison with Akane-iro ni Somaru Saku and other anime with Kugumiya tsunderes because the character interactions are so entertaining.  I’m a little concerned about the consistency of this show, though, since I hear the third episode isn’t as good.  I’m hoping the show finds its groove soon enough, and isn’t up-and-down throughout its entire run.

Kannagi
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: B

I wouldn’t call the art “superb”, but the animation is vibrant and energetic. The characters are always in motion; no one stays still for any length of time. That’s a good thing. People don’t stay perfectly still when they talk IRL. The anime itself is well directed and the characters are a lot of fun, particularly Nagi. It’s yet another with a “girl-meets-boy” premise, but this anime has been a fairly enjoyable series so far.

Clannad After Story
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: B

A slow start for the new season of Clannad, but that’s how Key adaptations generally begin.  The first episode was pretty much a filler (albiet an entertaining one that incited memories of Suzumiya Haruhi) while the second episode started upon the Sunohara route genuine.  Sunohara is one of the more maligned Clannad characters (people have claimed that he hasn’t been translated all to well to the animated medium) and the repetitiveness of aspects of this episode probably hasn’t done all too much to win over some of his critics.  I am interested in where they’re going with this, but I do think the premise of this arc has been ridiculously contrived.  I would have thought Mei would see through Sanae’s Clark Kent-esque disguise.  I thought she was a little smarter than that.

Hyakko
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: C

Speaking of repetitive humour…  Look, I liked the first episode of this.  I likened it to a fusion between Ichigo Mashimaro and Hidamari Sketch.  It wasn’t ROFL-funny but the characters shared a good chemistry and energy and a few of the jokes had a tendency of sneaking up on you (which are the type of jokes I tend to enjoy in anime).  But the second episode was repetitive to the point of tedious.  The characters started to become annoying and the situations became predictable.  The comedy might yet get better but I’m starting to regret picking up this one.

Rosario + Vampire Capu2
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: C+

If you’ve seen the first Rosario + Vampire you know what to expect, and very little has changed.  If there’s an aspect of R+V that I prefer over the standard harem, it’s the humour.  The humour is derived more from what the characters say rather than what they do, so there’s more jokes based on repartee and less jokes based on the standard visual gags (you know, hapless male lead kicked into space, clothes randomly falling off… not that those things aren’t there, they’re just less frequent, and not completely relied on for the funnies).  If there’s an aspect of R+V that I really dislike, it’s the repetitive, formulaic fights.  That’s the sort of thing that can be tolerated, though, I guess.  I mean, it’s a fanservice anime, so check your brain at the door.  But if there’s one thing in particularly I absolutely love about R+V Capu2, it’s the OP sequence.  It is a miracle!  It cannot be described, you must see it for yourself.

To Aru Majutsu no Index
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: C-

If Fate/Stay Night and Shakugan no Shana had a bastard child, this would be it.  So far it’s a pretty generic shounen action series with a hint of mystery.  The characters are patently one-dimensional with no depth or idiosyncrasies to speak of at this stage, the plot is told through lengthy, boring info-dumps that resemble lectures and the fights are long and have little more to them than well-animated, bright flashes of fire.  This is why shounen action is my favourite genre…[/sarcasm]

ef – a tale of melodies
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: B+

This is one of those series that can’t be judged on a single episode since the whole thing is in constant flux.  But, just as in the first season, the show focuses on character development and an intricate set of themes, all set to a creative and vibrant visual background.  There’s not all too much to say about this series except that if you liked the first season, ef – a tale of memories, expect more of the same… I think most people know where I stand on the ef franchise.

Vampire Knight Guilty
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: B-

Expect more of the same from this as well.  Again, this is another anime that is just about impossible to judge from one episode.  I gave my criteria for this anime when I reviewed the first season of Vampire Knight.  If we get much needed answers to the million questions the first season left us, then I’ll consider this a worthwhile venture.  If not, then this will be a disappointment.

Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: A-

Gyabo!  Best first episode so far this season.  It was all there, the jokes that sneak up on you, the subtle character development, the hilarious interactions and, most importantly, the amazing characters.  I like how Kon Chiaki (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) is directing this so far as well.  There’s a bit of a couragous flamboyance to his style, but he’s maintained a lot of the same respect and poise that Kasai brought to the first season.  I loved the final conclusion that Frank and Tanya came to about Nodame and Chiaki at the end of the first episode.  It said everything.

Ga-Rei-Zero
Episodes seen: 2
Initial impression: C+

I don’t consider anything to happen in the first episode to be a spoiler, so beware.  I like the fact that this show has the balls to kill off major characters, but the regularity with which it happens means that the audience has no opportunity to build up a rapport and then care for the characters when they get knocked off.  Add in some seriously cheesy action sequences, and you have an anime that isn’t all that impressive, despite the solid animation (if you can get past the jarring CG) and the shock value of sudden and melodramatic deaths.

Chaos Head
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: B

This was intriguing.  Here we have an otaku scumbag that’s slowly losing his mind.  It works as a mystery because the atmosphere is rightfully unsettling and everything is shrouded.  (Trust Madhouse to always get atmosphere right). We’re never completely sure what’s reality and what’s delusion.  At this stage there’s about a million questions and not much in the way of answers.  The comparisons to Higurashi are reasonably well founded, but there’s a much stronger renai feel to this than to Higurashi (which is seemingly quite deliberate, as evidenced by the male lead’s “this feels like an eroge” comments).  This has potential.

Earl and Fairy
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: C+

My initial expectations were totally off, but the things that really struck me about this first episode weren’t all too positive. The premise is pretty contrived. She’s can see faeries, and he needs her skills to help him track down his mystical inheritance. It’s a fairly obvious excuse to have these two characters go on an adventure together, with romance and intrigue along the way. The characters are fairly stock-standard, and the dialogue is anything but profound. It’s a fantasy series, so I can forget about the down-to-earth Victorian shoujo romance I was hoping for (maybe I should just rewatch Emma), but it might be ok. I don’t have huge expectations though.

Tytania
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: B

Epic space opera, dramatic power plays and a family of assholes.  I’m not really sure what to think of this, I don’t have all too much experience with space operas (haven’t seen one since the up-and-down Heroic Age).  I guess it could go anywhere, which is good, and I’m willing to bet this will be one of those series that develops really slowly and (assuming it does) becomes awesome before we all realize it.  The influential and all-powerful family reminds me a little of Gasaraki, which I guess is a good thing.  The “protagonist” doesn’t strike me as particularly interesting, though.

Kuroshitsuji
Episodes seen: 1
Initial impression: B-

There are some aspects of this that are intriguing, but there are some aspects of this that are downright annoying.  But it seems to play well within itself.  It’s kinda dark, except not really.  It’s kinda funny, except not really.  It’s kinda gay, except not quite.  There’s a lot of teasing for people that like all three of those things, but not enough to satisfy any one of these groups (that are arguably mutually exclusive).  For that reason, this strikes me as one of those series that could suffer an identity crisis.

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It’s pretty clear to me that I’m watching way too much anime this season…  Ironically enough, the series that have the most promise are the sequels: Clannad After Story, ef – a tale of melodies, Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter and Vampire Knight Guilty.  Toradora!, Chaos Head, Kannagi and Tytania are arguably the other mildly interesting series.  The rest probably have a lot of work to do to convince me that they were worthwhile choices.