April Wrap-Up

Even though it's Autumn here in Australia, this month was the start of the spring season of anime. I've probably rambled on a little too much about the start of this season, and maybe I haven't had a taste of enough of the anime to say this, but it's really not that impressive. There are ones the certainly do stand out in the crowd but I have never been watching so many generic or boring shows at once in my life.

GOOD: The spring season started!
BAD: The spring season didn't turn out the way I expected it to.

Best shows I'm currently watching that aren't ongoing: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, Highschool of the Dead

Most memorable moment: 

SUPER VICTORIQUE! Who knew she was so strong?

IN	OUT
Slife of Life	Ecchi
Hysteria Mode	Totally-Useless-I-Can’t-Do-Anything Mode
Tear jerkers	Church related plot
Bad but funny	Harem
Girls with guns	Episodic style
Lisa Komine	K-pop
Shoujo manga	Integration
Candy	Pantsu
Clannad: After Story - English Dubbed	Natural disasters
Cold weather	Girls

To make a long story short, it was an absolutely terrible month. I just want to forget it.

Spring 2011 Anime Rankings

To begin my April wrap-up, I give you my two cents on the current season of anime. This season was a definite improvement from the last. As with any other forms of media, how you view it is all really a matter of taste. It's virtually impossible to comment on anything subjectively, so here's my take on spring 2011.

1. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (AnoHana)
Never have I seen a more touching story in my life. It's quite emotional. I was initially very skeptical about the sort of anime this was going to be and was never planning on watching it at all. The characters are also very easy to relate to. I feel a potential masterpiece in the making here but there's still a long way to go. Have I mentioned long title is long? Well it is.




2. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Too cute for words. It's absolutely adorable and I really have nothing to complain about except maybe the fact that the plot is very well disguised. Everyone is comparing it to Shaft's previous production, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, which I found insanely boring in the 2 episodes that I have seen. So far, this show is in many ways superior. I also love the OP. It's so cute.



3. Hanasaku Iroha
It's an absolute work of art. Visually, it's the best so far this season. I'm not all for the melodrama though. It doesn't stand out too well but themes wise, I'm really liking this. Reality is harsh. This series still has a long way to go though and I guess I'd like to see a little more originality but it's a solid #3 so far.

4. Hidan no Aria
Now who doesn't love tsundere lolis with weapons? Seriously though I'm loving this show. It reminds me very much of Shakugan no Shana which is one of my all time favourite light novel/ manga/ anime. So far, it's one of the better ones this season. Excuse the language but SHIT'S GOING DOWN NEXT EP.

---

5. Moshidora
It's a little dry at times but it's starting to pick up after 3 episodes. I don't really know how it stacks up to other sport anime considering this is the first I've ever seen. It's quite interesting though.

6. Deadman Wonderland
The set up is a bit unbelievable but I'm still interested in the story nonetheless. Even though you kind of know what's going to happen in your mind, you still feel that suspense while watching it and I like that. I even spoiled the story for myself and am still curious to see how it all connects. Well I didn't spoil it per se but I did look up who The Red Man was.

7. A-Channel
It's a little like Lucky Star.... just not as funny. The gags get a little bland at times but all in all it's not a terrible show. Yet.

8. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
Honestly, I don't mind shounen-ai or yaoi but this makes me cringe a little while watching. The drama, however, is no different than that which you would find in a typical male x female romance so it's not terrible. It's more awkward than dramatic sometimes...

9. Ao no Exorcist

Another disappointment. It was probably over-hyped. It's so predictable but the visuals are definitely a plus. Also, the ending theme is absolutely terrible but I probably dislike k-pop too much.

10. C
The art is weird, it's boring and the male protagonist is a wimp. I'll be ecstatic if the plot gets somewhere. I really will because right now I'm disappointed in something that was so highly anticipated.

11. Steins;Gate
The concept of time and time travel is really the only reason I keep trying to watch this show every week. Frankly though, it's so mind-boggling. Not to mention all those references I don't understand.

12. Dog Days
This show is kind of amusing at the most. It seems very childish. I'm not entirely sure if I'm watching this too superficially. I really don't know if there's anything more.

13. Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
Your typical harem + shota boy + notions of incest. What am I watching? I feels as if I'm watching Shuffle all over again. I didn't like Shuffle but there are striking similarities character-wise.

14. SKET Dance
I don't know how the title has anything to do with anything in the story. There isn't even really a story. It's a very episodic show and it reminds me of those Saturday morning cartoons with your local team of 'superheroes'. It's really not a fantastic show.

15. Astarotte no Omocha
It's a little twisted to say the least. Visually, it looks very princess-y. It's also currently missing any form of plot development.

16. Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
It's extremely disjointed. There were way to many characters introduced in the first couple of episodes and I don't remember any of their names. There isn't any sort of plot here either. Biggest disappointment of the century.

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1-4: These shows really stack up this season and are something I would encourage others to pick up. This season is a lot better than the previous, that's for sure.

5-6: The good kind. Not fantastic but better than average.

7-13: My average kind of show. I see a lot more of these as I start to watch a lot more and stray away from shows I know I'll like.

14-16: Why am I even watching this? I just want to expand my horizons. Seriously.

Moshidora First Impressions

Ignoring the fact that I forgot to include this in my previews for the spring season, it was actually the first anime that caught my eye and was added to my spring list. Honestly, I really have no idea why. After a while I started to doubt why I even decided I would watch it, because sport related anime aren't my thing, and even considered not picking it up at one point. Eventually, I decided otherwise because it was already on my list and I did say I would watch everything I add to my list. I feel obligated to.

Moshidora was surprisingly refreshing. It's really something different. It just has this nice relaxing effect and it's rather interesting. It is aimed at older men and women (business people) but really, I think anyone could enjoy this. It's not absolutely perfect in any way, shape, or form, but it's one of the better ones this season. It's not your average anime that's aimed at pleasing the fans. The art isn't too flashy or anything but this episode is a nice start to the series. The first episode is really worth a try. 8/10

Hanasaku Iroha First Impression

I think I'm utterly in love with the art. It has the most beatiful, intricate, detailed art I have ever seen. It's absolutely amazing. I can't even express how much I like this. I was honestly that breathtaking.

Hanasaku Iroha was produced by P.A. Works as part of their 10th anniversary so it was apparently very anticipated but it really didn't catch my eye at all initially. I was just surfing the net, reading a couple of reviews about various anime when I came across screen shots from this show. I was so surprised. The art looked so beautiful that I had to watch it immediately... and that's when I fell in love.

The art aside, the story is actually a really nice coming-of-age drama which I actually found quite enjoyable. 

I'm hesitant in giving this a 10 so it'll be a 9/10 for the first 3 episodes but it's really something that I think everyone should watch.

Madlax「REVIEW」

Madlax was produced by Bee Train in 2004 as part of Bee Train's 'girls with guns' trilogy but I felt it explored a lot more than simply the 'girls with guns' genre and is a high underrated series.

Details
Producer: Bee Train
Season: Spring 2004 (April 4 - September 27)
Genre: Action, Drama, Supernatural, Psychological, Mystery, Military/War, Girls with Guns
Demographic: I'm not too entirely sure on this but I'd say seinen.

The plot was very intricate in the way the sub plots all tied in with the main plot in the end. The initial episodes are often accused of being too slow-paced but I think it was important in establishing the characters in a certain depth and also the contrast between the war-torn Gazth-Sonika and the peaceful Nafrece. The first part of the series pretty much consisted of self-contained episodes that uncover bits and pieces of the puzzle.

The story on the surface is essentially about people who are searching for answers. Answers for why things happened, answers about who they are and answers about their past. On a deeper level, it brings up a lot of ideas about human existence, emotion and desire, and that was one of the reasons I really liked this series. An idea that is as well though out and meaningful as this is a rare find in anime these days as most of them simply aim to please the audience with unnecessary fan-service, rather than to incorporate any meaning into their story. Speaking of fan-service, it was present, but it was very subtle.

In terms of characters, this is one of the rare anime where I grew to like all the characters over the course of the series. They are really unique in their personalities, from the kind killer to the naive amnesiac. They were from all different walks of life but they were all searching for something and the way they were all connected in the end was really quite profound at the time. It kind of made me think of how as humans, we are all different and yet we are really all the same. I also liked the implied yuri undertones in the relationship between Madlax, Vanessa Rene and Limelda Jorg.

The art and animation in Madlax really weren't the best although it wasn't all bad. The character designs were rather plain and simplistic. None of them really stood out and in all honesty, some of them were really quite strange. The lush backgrounds created a somewhat dreamlike atmosphere which contrasted with the civil war that was going on but really made all the supernatural elements seem very natural rather than unrealistic. What I did have a problem with here was the actual animation sequences. Action scenes were really lack-lustre but I guess the focus was more on Madlax's graceful movements that accompanied her almost superhuman ability than fast-paced action. It made what should've been fun, exciting fight scenes become a little boring and no longer entertaining. The animation also looked unnatural at times when hair was moving in the wind. It was strange to see a few 3D strands flowing amongst the rest of the 2D hair.

The soundtrack also had a powerful effect on the series. It really added to the haunting, dreamlike atmosphere of the whole series and went well with all the scenes. The compositions really accentuated the emotions conveyed and made it all the more memorable for me. I'll never have enough praise for all of Yuki Kajiura's compositions though.

To sum it all up, Madlax is not something for everyone. It's very heavy content-wise and it requires a little faith to get through the first few episodes. If you're looking for a straight up series and some light entertainment, you're looking in the wrong place. However, if you are looking for something deeper, this is something I would recommend this and as a general viewer, I'd score it an 8/10. This is after taking into consideration much more than simply how much I enjoyed it.

On a more personal note, I found Madlax to be a really touching and emotional experience. Even though it took a little effort to get stuck into, it was thoroughly captivating in the final few episodes. At times, I wondered if the story was even going anywhere but it turned out to have real depth that I wasn't expecting. I also noticed that a lot of people seemed to compare Madlax to Noir, as Madlax was its spiritual successor, and seemed to think Madlax was the inferior of the two. I watched Madlax first so I could avoid comparing it and I really loved Madlax. In my opinion, I would give it a 9/10 out of pure enjoyment and not much else.

Ao no Exorcist First Impression

It seems as if I'm the only one who didn't really find that this episode lived up to their expectations. It was one of my most anticipated for the spring season and it just really didn't impress me at all. It's a shame really. To put it simply, I just didn't feel that vibe from this episode (which is apparently non-cannon anyway). I got quite bored while watching this and paused several times to do other things. While the story is interesting and is a nice change from your typical shounen, the episode itself failed to capture my attention. I didn't find it awesome, epic or intense at all. Even during parts that had really good background music, it seemed so lifeless and emotionless to me. The way the events panned out, some of it was really predictable except the part where Rin is the son of Satan. Some of the events really should've triggered some sort of reaction inside me but I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was a big disappointment but I didn't hate it. I just hope it gets better. 6/10

The ED is also terrible. K-POP? SERIOUSLY? (Yes I'm mad.)

Kore wa Zombie desu ka?「REVIEW」

This was far from one of the best but it was quite the entertainer and not your typical zombie anime.

Most of the time I felt the story had no direction so after a while I pretty much disregarded the story and just watched the show for fun. Initially, it was about your average high school boy who happens to be a zombie on a quest to discover his killer but after he does find out (in episode 5) the show just loses direction and purpose. It seemed as if the story just ended and they had nothing left to tell. There were a lot of dark, emotional scenes but none without a mood killer or a joke tacked on the end. The show always walked along the border of serious, dark, action anime and a comical romance one. It seemed unsure in which approach it would be taking so I never really knew what to expect. This was really one of the downsides to this show that prevented me from scoring it any higher.

The characters were actually one of the things I really liked about this anime. They were really original in not just who they were but what they were. Take Seraphim for example, she's not just a ninja but she's a vampire ninja. Also with the 'masou shoujo' which is a play on your typical mahou shoujo, meaning magical equipment girl rather than just magical girl. They're really just not the typical characters you'd find in a harem. If you don't believe me, just look at Ayumu. He's a zombie. As a harem lead, he's not a complete failure. He does have his redeeming qualities. I mean he is your average teenager but when thrown into some ridiculous situation he demonstrates some pretty cool badassery.

While I really liked the characters, the art was by far my favourite part of the show. Artwork is generally what grabs my interest in an anime. It's always the first thing I look at even before what the show is called. In this case, it was at times the only thing that kept my interest. I loved the character designs, the soft lighting and the backgrounds. It was also great not to see any extremely exaggerated sizes in body parts which is rare in the ecchi genre these days. The way the violence was drawn, for example slicing a body in half, was more funny than gruesome and I'm the type to cringe at graphic violence. It wasn't so extreme in this case which was a real plus for me.

A further plus for this show would be the soundtrack. I can't really comment on voice acting because to be quite honest, I can't really tell if it's good or bad. The soundtrack on the other hand is a completely different story. It was done by some composer I'd never heard of but it went so perfectly with all the scenes conveying the emotion so well especially during action, suspense and melancholic scenes. My favourite song from the soundtrack is below.

Overall, I'd recommend this if you like light comedy and want to watch something purely for enjoyment. If you're looking for something a little deeper, unfortunately you won't find it here. If a well defined plot is essential for you then this probably isn't your cup of tea either. Plot aside, I found it a thoroughly enjoyable series although a little disappointed with the mood killers and the plot that wasn't really there so in overall quality I'd rate this a 7/10.

Deadman Wonderland First Impression

I was hesitant in picking this up. It wasn't something that appealed to me at the first glance like it did for many others nor have I seen the manga. In the end, I decided I would give it a go because of all the hype it received. Of course keeping in mind the fact that nothing with a lot of hype has ever really impressed me, namely Code Geass, Death Note, Gintama, Clannad, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

Firstly, if you don't like or can't handle graphic violence, just don't watch this. Personally, I find this level of gore pretty disgusting and for me the censoring just made me imagine things that were probably 10 times worse that what it actually was. I find this sort of horror gross and scary but that's the whole point isn't it? Although if you enjoy watching this sort of graphic violence, you're a sadist or you have issues and you really need help.

The premise is pretty sadistic - prisoners who are subject to punishment for the viewer's enjoyment. It's original and interesting though. I'd like to see where it goes. The way the boy ended up in there is pretty unbelievable. What kind of normal person would believe that a 14 year old boy is capable of taking on 29 of his classmates? I don't think anyone would be able to decapitate 29 others unless they were superhuman or something.

For a 12 episode series, I think they should've explained a few more things in the first episode rather than leaving it for the next few. That way they might actually get more story in. I don't know. I was way to curious and felt as if they left me hanging a little too far off the edge so I looked up all the missing details like what the death sentence was and the significance of the collar and candy. This episode earns a 7/10.

AnoHana First Impression

Also goes by the name Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

Yes, a long title may be long but there is no denying that this first episode was amazing. It was far from what I was expecting but in a good way of course. The OP, the ED, the art, the story.. everything was so beautiful. I think we can expect a lot of tears during the course of this anime. It's been a while since I felt something so real while watching an anime in terms of emotion. (Madlax has it) It was real, fresh and had no fanservice. I absolutely loved it and it joins my top 3 so far this season along with Hidan no Aria and Denpa Onna no Seishun Otoko. I'm expecting great things out of this series and I'll be very disappointed if it doesn't deliver in the end. 10/10 Highly recommend this.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL First Impression

I was expecting a lot out of this and in the end I was pretty disappointed in it. It kinda of reminded me of GX but I'm afraid I don't think this will ever live up to the greatness that was GX (in my eyes anyway).

Things that disappointed me:

• It seemed so childish compared to it's successors Duel Monsters, GX and 5Ds. Maybe it's because Yuma is 13 compared to Yugi, Judai and Yusei who were 16, 15 and 18 respectively or maybe it was something else.
• The D-Gazers make me think of the scouter devices in Dragon Ball Z.
• The character designs are horrific.
• Preparation for the duel seems very mahou shoujo-esque.
• Yuma can't duel. I mean I don't mind that he's losing. It makes it more realistic if the main character doesn't win all the time but what kind of duelist lays a trap card face down and TELLS THEIR OPPONENT?!
• Exceed Summon. I don't get it. I think my brain just stopped at Synchro Summon but that actually made sense.

What I did like:

• The backgrounds were beautiful.
• New duelling systems. It's pretty cool how you see the duel in some alternate dimension or something.

As an avid Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I'm extremely disappointed but I'll keep watching to see where it goes. 6/10 right now.

Hidan no Aria First Impression

I absolutely LOVED it. I love J.C Staff, I love Kugimiya's tsundere voice and I love guns. This wins the best of the season for me hands down. I can't even express how much I love this in words so I'll just do it in numbers. I give this episode a massive 10/10.

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control First Impression

This was certainly not what I was expecting at all. I'm really liking the concept of selling your future for money and am quite interested in seeing how the financial world will potentially corrupt this down-to-earth 19 year old. This episode doesn't really give any indication of where the story is going so I have no idea what to think in terms of how potentially good it may or may not be. Being a massive Yu-Gi-Oh! fan I'm not into the whole Yu-Gi-Oh!-esque card battling thing I'm seeing here. I do however find the art quite interesting. 7/10 for this episode.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko First Impression

Now I'm not really one for the whole moe thing and the OP & ED were absolutely terrible but for a show that I wasn't really anticipating, it did not disappoint. It was fun, cute and extremely enjoyable. The art was really nice. It's the best part of this anime so far for me. It was a really good first episode in terms of introducing the story and characters. Best start for the spring season yet (although there's still a few I've yet to watch). For this episode I give a 9/10. Why not 10 you ask? Well see for yourself.

Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi First Impression

Beware of bias.

Honestly, I think I've seen enough of fanservice for a lifetime and when I saw the one moment on fanservice in the entire episodes I just snapped. Seriously, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE CLOSE-UP PINK PANTIES WITH LOVE HEARTS ON THEM. Not to mention and glowing to make it even more in your face. That kind of just made me annoyed for the rest of the episode so I didn't really enjoy it as much as I probably would've if I didn't spend the earlier part of the day watching Seikon no Qwaser.

Pardon the rant.

In all seriousness, this episode was nothing more than your average formulaic start to a harem. I have nothing against harems and the minimal fanservice in the first episode leaves me a little more satisfied than with Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai. The characters are all pretty much out of the book but they're decent except the male lead. But then again, who likes the male lead.. ever?

I'll keep watching in the hope of finding a decent harem like Kanon. At least I'm hoping this will be better than Shuffle and Clannad. Dearly hoping. I give this episode a 6/10 which by the way is much more than I scored it in my head last night.

Astarotte no Omocha First Impression

10 year olds giving oral sex? What is this madness? This concept of a succubus is pretty strange. The story seems to be about a girl who is coming of age and has to form a male harem and have oral sex with them to survive. It sounds like trash but it's quite funny and entertaining to watch. Lots of lolis and breats present. Truly a seinen anime. I'll probably keep watching because it seems like one of those mindless fun ones. Who knows, I might actually end up enjoying it. 6/10

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi First Impression

Honestly, it wasn't a fantastic first episode. It felt a little all over the place but it was more of a 'let's get straight down to business' beginning. I have high hopes for this anime although I've never seen a yaoi anime before. I don't have much to say considering this episode was pretty average. 6/10

Sket Dance First Impression

I was never planning to watch this initially but then I was told the humour was like Gintama and it was like GOSICK so I decided to give it a go. Honestly, I'm not impressed. At all. The characters was boring, the art was strange and seriously, the mystery wasn't even a mystery. It wasn't funny or attention grabbing at all. I honestly struggled to get through the episode. All in all, it seems like a failed attempt at a highschool detective type anime and it doesn't compare to Ginatama or GOSICK at all.

I'm extremely disappointed with this adding to the list of not so great anime this spring season. I'll give it another 2-3 episodes and decide. 4/10 for this episode.

A Channel First Impression

So from reading the synopsis, anyone would think this is simply a rip off of Lucky Star and if anyone has seen Lucky Star, you'd know it's a really good anime. I had my doubts about how good A Channel would be but I'm pleasantly surprised. It's actually really funny. The characters are simply adorable and it's quite enjoyable to watch. It's a very nice slice of life anime and very cute.

I'll most likely be following this to the end and the first episode definitely does get my recommendation. 8/10

Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai First Impression

I have one word for this: notsureifsrs.jpg

Under the Innocent Sky - Not really innocent. Derp.

It was like 100% the complete opposite of what I was expecting. Seriously. Those pretty girls were so deceiving.

No really this first episode was pretty much awkward panty shots, fail censoring and more awkward panty shots. For a harem, the first episode was pretty odd. They shoved like a million characters in your face and I hardly remember any of their names. The episode went from ecchi - ecchi - ecchi - random stuff - ecchi - random stuff - shove in some random attempt at establishing the plot right in the last 2 minutes. It was funny, I'll give it that. It was really, really funny.

"You have a monster in the pocket of your pants. Dora thinks you want to put that monster in my kitty."

I will keep watching this for the nice art and because it's funny but this episode was truly terrible. Barely a 3/10 because it made me actually laugh out loud.

Steins;Gate First Impression

I don't really have much to say besides the fact they pretty much threw you in the deep end right from the get go and it was all like "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? I'M SO CONFUSED." until the end of the episode. That doesn't mean I thought it was bad. Oh no, it was great. Very entertaining. It was just a little fast paced for my liking.

What I'm really liking at the moment is the originality. Microwaves that allow you to send texts back in time may sound a little far-fetched by it certainly is very original and who doesn't like original? I really wouldn't admit to that if I were you. The characters are also quite likeable. I haven't seen a single one out of the stereotype book just yet which is great.

Overall, this show is off to a really good start in my opinion. 7/10 for this episode simply because I was wondering if I was watching the right show for the entire 20 or so minutes.

(ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ KIRABOSHI!

I've been putting (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ KIRABOSHI! everywhere I can think of to celebrate Star Driver Sundayz. Waiting for Star Driver to finish downloading is so painful I just want to do this:

I'm going to miss waiting for hours every Sunday for a new episode. I fear Sundays may never be the same after today. No more ginga bishounen. Sad story. I'm really going to miss this awesome show. Right now, I'm just sitting here hoping for an epic ending and hoping for a possible sequel although it seems unlikely. And now just because I feel like it: (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ KIRABOSHI!

IS: Infinite Stratos「REVIEW」

It was so close to perfect for me. The art, the animation, the music. Everything was so perfect except the story. The end. If the series had been extended to 24 episodes, there potentially could've been a lot more development in terms of plot and character but 12 was still great. A second series would be very nice. People were surprised I liked this as much as I was.

Initially, I was hesitant to begin this series and I didn't actually start until episode 9 was released. I read the plot and it just sounded like another badly done harem anime but what really caught my eye was the mecha. The nice mecha that didn't cover the entire body. It looked like a nice change from the typical mecha that doesn't interest me so much. I found the plot to be a little lacking in climactic battle scenes but it was 100% enjoyable regardless. It had many stereotypical harem elements but it was better than many other harem anime I have seen. (Seriously, why do I even watch so many harem anime? I'm a girl.)

With the harem lead, we obviously have the weak guy who is oblivious to all the girls that like him. I didn't like him very much but who ever likes the male lead in any harem? Name one likeable one. I dare you. The funny thing is I actually liked the girls in the harem. I found them all the be quite interesting and charismatic in their own way no matter how stereotypical they seemed on the surface. Actually except Cecilia. That blonde egotistical rich girl. She was a little annoying.

Another reason I simply adored this anime is because I just couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The art, the mecha, the backgrounds, the colours, the animation. It was all just so wonderful and eye-catching especially the battles. They were so EPIC. (I hate that stupid overused word but there are no words to describe how cool the battles looked) The music was also spectacular especially during the climaxes.

The ending was a nice attempt at a tie-in with the pilot even though I didn't even notice until it was brought to my attention. This led me to realise many things that were left unexplained but a second season would suffice.

Entertainment-wise IS was funny and dramatic. It was everything! Well, almost so a 8/10 on this one for me.

Dog Days First Impression

Looks very childish. It's very cute though. The story is literally dogs vs. cats. It was pretty much eyebrow raising from the start. I'm not even sure who it's aimed at any more. I mean it airs at 11:30 at night and the story is simply ridiculous. I did however really like the music and the animation. That was wonderful and really major plus points for me. Although for something from the creator of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, I certainly did expect more.

So here's the deal. We have this fantasy world called Fronyard and a country called the Republic of Biscotti and this place in inhabited by dog people and cat people. If someone told me this, I wouldn't even think twice about not watching this. Honestly, it sounds like such a joke. But then again, consider the airing time. OTAKU HOUR?! WHAT? Frankly, this is so strange it just might work.

The characters are nothing memorable as yet but at least the 'hero' isn't entirely useless, right?

Only time will tell how this will turn out and I will give it a chance. Since it was good music, animation,art and entertainment wise, 7/10 for the first episode.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 15 2011

Producer:

Shaft, Starchild Records

Synopsis:

The story revolves around a highschool boy named Niwa Makoto. He lives with his aunt’s family since his parents are away on business. It is there where he meets his mysterious cousin of the same age Touwa Erio — who happens to tie a futon mattress around her upper body and is a self-proclaimed alien. Her staple food is pizza. Erio had been missing for half a year and was found floating in the sea. She doesn't remember anything about what happened during that period of time, but she began to think that it was the act of an alien and wanders the neighbourhood wrapped in the futon.

Genre:

Comedy, Sci-Fi

My Thoughts:

First thought: Wow, the art looks so cool!

Second thought: Obvious ecchi from the suggestive picture... do I really want to watch this anymore?

And then after seeing the survey done by Dengeki, I actually went on MAL and re-read all the information. It turns out the synopsis sounds quite interesting. Well to be quite honest, it sounds like a This Ugly Yet Beautiful World x Yumekui Merry. One which I found to be a really nice anime whereas the other turned out to be a total snorefest that has ended and I haven't finished.

Only time will tell. I'll give this show a couple of episodes to impress me.

Dengeki's Most Anticipated April Anime Survey

This is a survey done by Dengeki of the most anticipated anime this spring.

1. Hidan no Aria
2. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
3. The World Only God Knows 2
4. Nichijou
5. A Channel
6. Hana-saku Iroha
7. Ao no Exorcist
8. C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
9. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (AnoHana)
10. Kaiji 2

Okay so I initially wasn't planning on watching Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko but I'm probably going to pick that up now.

Original article on Dengeki HERE.

The Return of Sailor Moon

So I went on twitter this morning and I see this news post about Funimation acquiring Sailor Moon. Turns out it was just a rumour. Sad story really. It really would be nice if someone would re-dub the entire series without changing the cast or leaving out any episodes.

In other news (also a bit old), Kodansha USA is re-releasing the manga. Maybe I'll finally be able to get my hands on it and read it... even though I don't live in America.

More info at ANN.