While it took me awhile to get around to the other new shows from this season, here are some quick impressions of the remaining seven. A fair mix of shows, with a lot of variety among them. Also including my current watching/dropped list, since most of the three episode tests are complete.
Definitely Watching – Right From the Start Good
Shows that seemed promising enough based just on their first episodes that barring some massive trainwreck or change, I’ll be watching for the rest of the season.
Kuragehime
So cute I died.
Two sentence summary: Tsukimi lives in an apartment building in Tokyo populated only by fellow socially awkward female nerds like herself. One day she thinks she’s met the sort of princess she dreamed of becoming as a child, only to find out that the princess is a prince.
Thoughts: Looks to be one of the best, if not possibly the best show of the season. Many great shows have come from the noitaminA time-block, and Kuragehime seems set to continue this tradition. Female otaku/fujoshi are in plenty of shows, but here we actually see them as realistic characters: awkward, obsessive, and less than the ideal of beauty. (Not that that means Tsukimi isn’t the cutest character I’ve seen in some time.) There are hints of her past and the story of why her favorite subject as an illustrator are jellyfish for a serious angle, as well as the antics of her apartmentmates for comedy, and the trap princess could prove to be an interesting angle. It’s good enough that I’ve already signed up to co-blog it with Hana.
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru
Everything is beautiful. EVERY. FUCKING. THING. -@8C
Two sentence summary: Arashiyama Hotori works in the most vaguely maid maid cafe in existence, but her friends finding out about it certainly livens up the place. No plot to speak of yet, but lots of great, unconventional comedy setups with the typical interesting SHAFT style.
Thoughts: Delightful. I’m sure plot will emerge later, but the first episode didn’t really need any. Just some encounters with Hotori’s friends at the cafe and her teacher finding out about her part time job and we’re off. Great comedy as Hotori is lectured by her friend on her deficiencies as a maid and tries to respond that somehow never runs out of steam. It’s hard to say that much of anything happened in the first episode, but it was immensely entertaining. DOWNTOWN e kuridasou~.
Probationary Viewing – The ‘Maybes’
Shows that peaked my interest enough to keep watching, but which I haven’t decided on just yet.
Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows)
If only he were voiced by Fukuyama Jun…
Two sentence summary: Keima is the ‘god of galge’, who can figure out any situation and complete any character’s route effortlessly. He’s renowned for this in eroge circles, but a demon tasked with collecting loose souls from the hearts of mortals mistakes him for a real romeo, and he’s unwittingly bound to a contract to help her.
Thoughts: I didn’t think it would have that much potential, but something keeps me coming back to it. Keima seeing the world through eroge tropes isn’t new (think of Sugisaki Ken from Seitokai no Ichizon), but the way it plays out doesn’t feel old. He’s actually good at pulling off the lines and behaviors in real life, he just seems to have no interest in real girls. His demon partner, Elsea, is also more endearing than her ‘magical girl falls into lap of boy’ and clumsy tendencies would suggest. I’m not sure if I’ll follow it all season, but for now it’s keeping me entertained.
Togainu no Chi
There are only two moon phases in the world of dramatic: full and crescent, and they’re always oddly colored.
Two sentence summary: Apparently Japan has gone to hell for unspecified reasons and two factions fight it out in a sealed off no-man’s-land for power…or something. Akira is caught up in a murder he may have caused after a street fight, and gets spared his life sentence if he will enter this sealed area and fight for the interests of his recruiter.
Thoughts: Blindingly obvious BL-bait, but I can deal with that if the action is cool and stylish. I’m currently on the fence about whether it will deliver on this front, but I’m willing to give it until the upcoming third episode. The style is certainly there, but whether it will be made interesting or just be a bunch of bishonen with knives and excessive blood spurting is yet to be determined. I’m guessing that I’ll end up dropping it, but we’ll see.
Dropped
The dropped shows this time around weren’t terrible, but they didn’t hold my interest enough to make me want to spend time on them.
Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
It’s like someone threw Shugo Chara, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, and a bit of Darker Than Black into a blender.
Two sentence summary: The world is in a never-ending battle between Detectives and the Gentlemen Thieves, each possessing individual powers known as ‘toys.’ The four girls of the Milky Holmes team are renowned for their prowess, until suddenly they lose their powers and have only three months to regain them or be expelled from their Detective Academy.
Thoughts: Kinda fun, but not really enough to want to make me watch an entire season of it. It’s the first show I’ve watched in a while that definitely felt like it was targeted to kids, but that’s not to say that it can’t be lighthearted fun for adults too. The powers thing was neat, only to have it taken away during the first scene of the show. And the rivals that have infiltrated the academy seem more intent on having fun, so don’t expect any serious criminal drama.
Shinryaku! Ika Musume
I never wanted to try squid ink spaghetti anyway…
Two sentence summary: Humanity’s neglect of the oceans has led the Ika Musume to begin her invasion of the land. Emerging near a seaside food stand, things rapidly get off-course when no one believes her threats and she ends up having to work to pay back the owners for damage she caused.
Thoughts: Again, good, but not good enough for me to want to watch more. It’s pure, simple comedy that will probably fit a range of tastes, but because it was so broad ranging, it never really hooked me. It’s got comedy, it’s got cute character designs, but it kind of felt lacking to me in any sort of comedic depth.
Fortune Arterial
Welcome to your improbably luxurious boarding school!
Two sentence summary: Kohei has moved frequently with his parents, but now he’s able to choose to live at a boarding school on an island he once lived on in the past. The school is incredibly nice and populated by the typical harem of girls…and there are vampires…or something….I think.
Thoughts: Didn’t offend, per se, but it was all just so generic harem fantasy that I had zero interest in it. There was about 20 seconds of interesting anything in the whole first episode, and even then only mildly so. There also seems to be an issue with what kind of show it wants to be, since the few dramatic moments were hurriedly followed by typical eroge-adaptation sorts of comic relief moments. Overall it doesn’t appear to offer much of anything.
Final Season Watch List
Definitely watching
Kuragehime – looks immensely promising, and plenty of DDDAAAAAWWWWWW.
Otome Youkai Zakuro – a well executed blend of shoujo and mystery with great characters.
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru – Wonderful humor in glorious SHAFT style. Ukiuki~
Continuing to watch
Togainu no Chi – this close to dropping it, but we’ll see after episode 03.
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai – still managing to be fun and have a normal, warm brother-sister relationship. Will drop at first sign of confirmed sis-con though.
Yosuga no Sora – Still has an unfortunate amount of fanservice, but the mystery seems to be in motion now and I’m interested to see how it will go.
Shinrei Tantei Yakumo – nearly definite, I’m just hedging my bets.
Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai – Surprisingly fun thus far, but it’ll have to deliver something impressive soon or I’ll drop it due to time constraints.
Iron Man – Haven’t gotten to the newer episodes, but I retain my initial faith in it.
Dropped
Fortune Arterial – just too boring and cliche.
Tantei Opera Milky Holmes – not really my style.
Shinryaku! Ika Musume – if there was a dearth of comedy this season I’d watch it, but there are better shows out there in my opinion.
Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – just wasn’t catching my interest, despite the mecha.
Star Driver – I’m not really into the show’s whole drama club nerds vs popular clique, overt sexuality = evil thing.
MM – garbage.
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt – Crude humor and Powerpuff Girls animation style immediately turned me off to it.
Bakuman – this show has nothing for me. It’s not bad, but I don’t care about anything or anyone in it.
32 Comments
For some reason I can’t fill myself into anything that is or was reviewed so far this season ><
It’s a good season for shoujo-esque shows, comedy, and ‘soft’ dramas, and there’s some potential for good mystery with Yakumo and Yosuga no Sora. But it is lacking in action-y sort of stuff, at least with the way things are going at the moment.
somehow, Ika musume really lacks that Rewatchable element that makes it good. but, if they inserted that element into the main stream… maybe their loopholes will disappear.
Soremachi was good, after reading 15 chapters of it and watching 2 episodes, maybe… I’ll hang a little longer, asides episode 3 is now on chapter 11.[what?].. man, I’m really lacking out of luck at that manga.
Ika Musume definitely could use some substance to its humor, but if you’re looking for a light, sort of ‘junk food’ comedy then it’s perfectly good for that. I’m just not watching it because there are plenty of other shows that caught my interest this season, and I don’t have time to watch everything.
hahah… I sense Bad Omen For Yosuga no Sora but Curious about blunder that will be made by Kasugano Haruka (A good Boy and in the End Turned into Different Character ^_^)
This. The third episode in particular sealed the deal for me, as a relationship starting so quickly in this kind of series can only end in at least mild tragedy. Not sure if it’ll be Haruka who goes to the dark side or if events will conspire to do in the local Oujosama, but either way I’ve got the popcorn ready for some good old BAD END.
Wait, no Toaru Majutsu no Index II?
No, for two reasons. Firstly, I wasn’t reviewing anything that already had a first season, since people will already be familiar with the franchise. And secondly, because I hate To Aru Majutsu no Index with the fire of a thousand suns, with the exception of Accelerator. (Though oddly enough I found Railgun to be quite entertaining.)
Everyone already knows there is a bad end in store in Yosuga no Sora. I’m on board to find out how it’s going to go sour.
You have convinced me to give The World God Only Knows a try.
Yosuga no Sora is showing wonderful signs of going bad for the characters. And I for one can’t wait to see it, hehe.
Glad you’re checking out The World God Only Knows. I wasn’t expecting much of it, but something about it has caught my interest enough to keep watching for now.
So, just watched the latest Yosuga no Sora episode. Looks like it’s going to have arcs resetting back to the second episode. Disappointment
I liked MM! Episode 1 was a lil crappy….but starting from episode 2 it picks up. I’m offended by your calling it of garbage. It addresses serious issues and uses the m side of the protagonist as an icebreaker.
To each their own, but I stand firmly behind my opinion. There was nothing about it that I thought good. Not the characters, not the premise, not the humor nor dialog. And there are plenty of shows that touch on ‘serious issues’ (with varying degrees of depth, and I didn’t feel MM had depth to it) but that does not make all of them good. But again, that is my view of it. If you enjoy the show, then I’m glad there’s something for you in the new season.
Here’s my list for this season:-
Hall of Shame (not recommended for watching):
Yosuga “Say No” to Sora : An Aki-Sora and Ookami Kakushi hybrid. Shameless and in fact should’ve been put in Hall of The Shameless. It’s my first time seeing masturbation and lesbian *** displayed explicitly in anime.
Sora no Otoshimo: Yet another SORA. Basically boob groping and whatnots. Crap!
Motto “I don’t love U”: what i can say, for its explicit turn-me-not fanservice.
Hall of The Promising (I’ll keep watching for a while)
Star “Gay” Driver: Nice with mecha and fluid animation.
Ika Musume: Funny and relaxing. Sometimes Ika Musume is called INKdesu for her resemblance to Index from Toaru series.
Arakawa: Still as bizarre and yet enticing as always.
Hall of the Degenerate (Anime in this list are slowing degenerating into the abyss of the Hall of the Lame)
Toaru Majutsu no Index II: Ep 1 is meaningless. Ep 2 is pure fanservice with nuns. Very disappointing indeed if you watch the novels. The adaption becomes so low and I’m really afraid this wonderful series will spiral into the point of no return. Still I am willing to revise my opinion based on upcoming episodes. If the trend continues, I will drop the anime altogether like what I did with Railgun and live under the hypnosis no anime adaption of the novels has ever been made. Period!
Although I do agree that episode 1 was a bit pointless since it was skipped over in the second season, but it was a great way to reintroduce the characters and the setting. Also, you should go back and check the original sources before accusing the anime of being bad because those scenes are in the light novels and the episode did a great job of following the beginning of volume 7 closely. If you have a problem with the fanservice, complain to the author, not to the anime staff. Index has always had fanservice starting from the very beginning and I don’t see why you’re complaining about that now.
Or perhaps are you saying that the background info on magic and the arc itself that episode 2 revealed is pointless as well? In which case, I believe the truly interesting part of Index is the setting and the detailed explanations for magic and esper abilities. If you what you want is an anime with absolutely no depth in its plot whatsoever and you’re looking for a show with just pointless fight scenes in it, then drop Index since it’s obviously not what you’re looking for.
I too was really put off by the maid ‘sidestory’ with masturbation and all that, as well as by the general level of fanservice in these first episodes. But episode three really sealed the deal for me, because such a development this early in the show can only end somewhere between heartbreak and Nice Boat.
Have you watched MM! beyond episode 1? Episodes 2 and 3 showed a surprisingly serious side to this series, considering the whole M stuff. Instead of using Taoru’s problem for just comedy, they use it as an interesting dynamic between him and the androphobic Yuuno, as they both try to solve their respective problems. The two episodes that follow it are pretty different than the first. It kind of surprised me considering how episode 1 went.
MM was one of those rare shows that I actually had to fast forward through parts of it because I just couldn’t find anything I liked about it. I haven’t watched the next two episodes, but honestly I can’t see anything about it that I could possibly like. The M and androphobia stuff just seemed way too over the top and artificial, and there are plenty of shows that address overcoming personal problems much better.
I also am offended at you calling MM! garbage. Past all the masochist jokes there are some serious themes and situations, such as being ostracized for being who you are and acceptance. The second and third episodes to this are excellent and this is a perfect example of why a one episode taste test simply isn’t enough to judge the potential of a series.
With how artificial and contrived the whole setup was, I very much doubt it can get better. My intense dislike for it on episode one meant that it was one of only a few series that I didn’t give at least a 3 episode test to. I’d rather not have to “get past” a layer of material I hate to get to those themes, themes that are being explored better and with superior execution in Kuragehime, Ore no Imouto, and (abstractly) Star Driver, just to name series from this season.
I’m surprised there was no review of Toaru Majutsu no Index II.
Admittedly it started a bit later than the rest of these shows, but it’s already up to episode 3.
I didn’t review anything that’s had a season one, since people will already be familiar with them. I also hate hate HATE Index, having been made to watch it at anime club. The OP for the second season looks so cool, but season one had great OP sequences too. I won’t be fooled again!
Indeed anime has stood so low that it has become a mockery to our intelligence. A little criticism and then all the tidal wave bashing from the so-called die-hard “Otaku” fans.
Haruhi’s Endless Eight. Otakus call it “creativity”
Amagami SS’s Junichi hallucination. Otakus call it “surrealism”
K-On’s plotless plot. Otakus call it “slice of life”
Yosuga no Sora’s incest. Otakus call it “boldness”
… and many more
But I call them “trying my patience”.
If criticism are rejected in favor of mindless worshiping, I see a bleak future to the already sorry state of anime industry today.
The colours in Soredemo, the colours. I find it really hard to describe it – it’s not even “colourful”, per se, but the hues and tones just feel so right. The initial viewing just makes you feel like you’re just drowning in the whole thing in a way that’s hard to convey with still screenshots. I think it’s got that same SHAFT sense of luminosity that gaguri points out about Bakemonogatari in his post here – the show “glows” in much the same way: http://guriguriblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/unstaple-my-heart-embracing-heavy-omoi-%E6%80%9D%E3%81%84-in-bakemonogatari/
Also, move over K-ON, we have a new challenger.
The anime industry is facing a meltdown over the last few years.
GONZO is history and AIC bought by Pachinko company.
Now the studios are clinging desperately on the otaku market as their lifeline. But never do they realize they have done more harm to the already weakened industry. The only way out is to expand the fan base and produce more high quality anime. Great potential lies within the international market. Why limit yourself to the lowly otakus when you can do much better than that?
I was right about Shukufuku no Lamenella all along. When I pointed out a few months ago, I was rained with bashing like ‘GTFO’ harsh words. Now I can have the last laugh. The sale was so bad that the studio decides to release a second 3D pedo fanservice featuring Minette. And mind you, this is after releasing the first bath shower scene featuring Carina. Why AIC? WhY? If you have the money, why don’t you channel the money on improving the anime at the first place?!
Sorry for posting too long a comment. But ExecutiveOtaku, what is the worst anime of the year so far? My choice is Shoot-cool-fool-cool no Campanella. Anybody agrees?
Togainu no Chi is fatally boring. Especially the second episode. Keisuke is as annoying as any brainless bimbos animes seem to have in abundance, and Akira is so stereotypically “cool” that he is as far from cool as a… a cucumber. The best action sequences can’t save it from an abysmal narration. It’s possible that I dislike it so much because it had so much potential going to waste there. On the other hand, I didn’t think the BL component is that apparent, but then I couldn’t care less for any of the characters, so I might have just erased any signs of BL from my mind’s eye.
The only other new anime that I actually follow so far is Yakumo. It suffers from rushed storytelling. If it had spent more episodes telling a story (doing arcs rather than episodic), I think I would have been more engaged. As it is, each story has barely gotten across before it was resolved, usually in a rather simplistic manner. Episode 2 was weird too in the sense that there seemed to be too many things left unexplained, which gives it an even more rushed look.
WRT to the drama, EO, it’s fairly low budget, with no actors that I truly recognized, but IMO it delivers the suspense and depth a lot better than the anime did, at least at the moment.
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru is severely underrated. The OP and ED themes are so catchy. *starts humming*
Star Driver for me has gotten more interesting with later episodes. There’s a lot of mystery to it but the plot line is starting to unraveling a little. Although I can see how the ‘pretty boy’ aspect can be a turnoff.
Shinrei Tantei Yakumo I was hoping to be a bit more creepier. It started out exciting but fizzled to a Natsume Yujinchiro feel. I loved Natsume and I don’t particularly like horror, but the series is starting to fall flat for me :/ What is it about Shinrei Tantei Yakumo that keeps you watching? Just curious.
yosuga no sora is just a harem show with an arc for each different girl, just like amagami. i guess the first arc seems rushed most of the time. it’s alright imo, i’m okay with fanservice-y scenes since the main character is so kawaii uguu~
stoked for kuragehime, just an hour after the first episode aired, /a/ was swarmed with “SUBS FUCKING WHERE” posts. good times. traps are awesome.
soredemo has been a little disappointing, i sort of cringed at the opening. maka/judo voice kept me watching, shaft animation kept me happy, reverse trap made me squee.
ika musume is moe done right *u* the humor reminds me of yotsuba& in a way, i actually liked it a lot.
MM! was admittedly rather lame. typical character types (HURR DURR TSUNDERE), typical scenes (someone overworks themself, gets a fever, and is carried dramatically to the hospital through the rain by their love interest), ehh…yeah. the whole masochistic thing is way overblown as well. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF MAN. shit reminds me of Hen Zemi only not actually at all interesting.
Ore no Imoto is going to have it’s moments of wincest-oriented fanservice. it seems like it’ll end with a healthy sibling relationship sort of thing, but there were a few things in the light novel that i’ve been spoiled of involving fanservice. it’s to be expected with its target audience. also futsuu-chan 2.0 made me so very happy, but so so sad that she’d never ever end up with the main character. probably.
P&S made me so very mad with the PPG style. i couldn’t trudge through more than one episode, even if the transformation scene was lovely.
very lovely.
To throw in my two pence worth/ my final list:
Defo watching
-Arakawa II
-Kuragehime
-Otome Youkai Zakuro
-Shinrei Tantei Yakumo – though, this shiny balloon full of tension and suspense is in danger of forming a growing hole; but so far it’s not bad
Continuing to watch
-Togainu no Chi – very close to dropping; I like the bishies, but as a whole it’s fugly and bloody boring
-Star Driver – despite the fabulousness and the homages, it’s kinda losing me; needs more character developemnt and fast
Dropped:
-Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt – first epi was funny, but not enough to hold my interest.
-Bakuyawn – nuff said.
(Wasn’t really interested in much else. Though I’m still to check out Hacookie II, so we’ll see about that one…)
Count me in on the small choir of voices slightly off-put that this blog isn’t doing Index II. I actually started reading this blog in earnest thanks to Crusader’s amusing takes on such series as To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, Valkyria Chronicles, and Gundam 00… especially Railgun. The put-downs of characters like Touma (a.k.a. “Spiky-kun”) were especially fun to read.
The most I will do is just capture moments relating to the all together more ideal cast of Railgun.
I really like おれの妹, the sister is a nitwit, but the hard times the bro goes through reminds me of Ryuji from Toradora. Yeah the encroachment of the broxsis relationship is kinda creepy. Incest is only fun if you’re from W Virginia, a Mormon or lived in the classical age: cuz hey, back then you had bigger problems than shagging your sister. But anyways, having someone stand up for the otaku in a way that says, ‘yo, I can be a normal, functional individual and still like this stuff,’ isn’t the easiest middle-ground in the pop-culture world.
Anyone who’s ever seen the creepy, middle-aged men that stalk the misguided cosplayer girls in 秋葉原 knows the bad rep that otaku get.