05/11/11 Weekly Wrap-Up

Wow, I haven't done this in forever.

This week in anime:
After a terribly long internal debate about whether I had enough space left on my hard drive to download more, I decided to pick up two more series. Following that debate, I had another one about which fansub group I should go with. I'm not too picky with the translation or awkward phrases because for the most part they convey a similar message, but I am picky with the visuals so I generally go with the nicer typesetting. I really am trying my best not to turn this into spring again where I picked up way too many shows.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukani
It's giving me Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko vibes. I like it.

C³
Gore. Fighting. Lolis. Fanservice. To be quite honest, I really don't know what to say about this show. I'm really liking the gore, which is perhaps the only reason I keep coming back for more. I have no idea where this show is heading and I can't say there's anything remotely new or revolutionary about it at all. It's not even funny. Not even close to being a tiny bit funny.

Fate/Zero
Everything about this show is simply amazing. Perhaps a tad biased coming from a fan of the series but honestly, this tops Fate/stay-night by a mile. It makes me wonder if they were ever really part of the same series. Ufotable didn't disappoint with those impressive visuals either. The soundtrack is also a given considering it's Kajiura Yuki composing. If everything keeps up the way it's been going, the show is probably only going to get better from here.

Guilty Crown
I've never really been a huge fan of this kind of future post-apocalyptic war set up but this story isn't too bad. It still manages to retain my interest. What I really do love about this show are the stunning visuals and the soundtrack. That soundtrack is superb.

Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle
Mediocre series. Not bad but not amazing either. Frankly, it should be bad. The premise is stupid, for lack of a better term, but some how it didn't turn out to be a complete joke. It did kind of become more interesting after the recent episode so I guess we'll see where it goes from here.

Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
For one of my all-time favourites, it really didn't fail to deliver this season to the point where I'm constantly checking what day it is in anticipation for the next episode. It doesn't help when the subs are delayed.

Un-Go
Starting... really soon.

I recently finished Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen or Samurai X - Trust and Betrayal. Anime really doesn't come like this anymore. It kind of made everything I've been watching recently seem not so good. Now I have this onset of nostalgia and feel like watching every 90s anime in existence. Kidding. Gotta keep up with the times too, y'know?

I'm working on a few reviews and on my way to finishing off anime from the spring and summer seasons but alas, real life gets in the way so I haven't been able to finish anything.

Clannad: After Story「REVIEW」

Details:

Producer: Kyoto Animation

Season: Fall 2008

Episodes: 24

Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance

Synopsis: Events in After Story take place immediately after the first season, following Tomoya's final semester of high school. After declaring his love to Nagisa, they begin to have a close relationship. Their life together will be faced with unexpected challenges, as the truth behind the Illusionary World and the city's legend come to light. (From MAL)

Surely by now, you've all heard how much of a tear-jerker Clannad and it's sequel are. After the disappointment that was Clannad, I wasn't expecting much from the sequel and found it difficult to get into. However, after much nagging from a friend, I gave it a try and it exceeded my expectations. I have never experienced something so monumentally heart-wrenching and beautiful as this. It is a huge step up from Clannad but the fairy-tale ending really didn't cut it for me, so this is by no means a masterpiece in any way, but it's definitely worth a watch.

What I loved about this story was that it goes beyond high school romance and tells us what happens after. It goes further than most anime dare to go and is more emotionally and content heavy than most anime ever dare to be. The premise isn't ground-breaking or original. It is simply the story of a boy just trying to do the right thing and protect what matters most to him. Nothing more; nothing less. However, it is this simplicity that makes this story so profound. There is no exaggerated drama or romance, no enemy to defeat, nor is there a need to save the world. While there are supernatural aspects in the story, for the most part it is exceptionally well written realism. The emotions I felt while watching this were absolutely indescribable. Unfortunately, a good story wasn't without its flaws in this case. The first few episodes felt reminiscent of Clannad and made me wonder whether After Story would be as good as it was made out to be. However, after the initial part of the series, it becomes and emotional roller-coaster through and through.

Although I was not a big fan of certain characters, they are easily one of the things that make After Story such a success. They are all so incredibly human and believable, and watching them - particularly Tomoya and Nagisa - grow from boys and girls to men and women, made it a little hard not to feel attached to them. The character development and the relationships between characters really went well with the overall family theme of the series. It was refreshing to see such a pure, innocent love rather than something with over-the-top drama or fanservice. On the downside, Nagisa's character was perhaps a little too perfect at times. While she epitomises quiet strength, she was a borderline Mary Sue. A little more and it would've made the entire series much less believable.

Visually, there isn't much to say. Honestly, visuals was initially the only reason I gave this a try. I'm a fan of Key's character designs and I am by no means an expert on animation but I didn't see anything odd so I guess KyoAni did a fine job with that. I absolutely loved all the background scenery, especially that of the Illusionary World. It was quite surreal and very beautiful.

The soundtrack was perhaps a little mediocre at times. The background music fit well with the situation at hand but there was nothing particularly riveting. There is, however, one aspect of the soundtrack that really didn't sit well with me at all, and that is the ending theme. As each episode tended to end on a sad note, the ED really just detracted from the emotional impact of the story. It's kind of awkward when you're sitting there in the zone with tears streaming down your face and suddenly you hear a poppy, cheerful song. It's a rather strange clash of emotions. I was always making sure of where I was up to so I could close the window before hearing the ED, in fear of an immense buzzkill.

All in all, it's not something I would watch again any time soon for fear of running out of tears but it did leave a great impression. I'm not entirely sure whether it's because After Story is such a huge step up from Clannad, or because it is simply a good story, but it is a great watch and I do highly recommend it.

Personally, I gave it a B(8) but that's rather meaningless as it depends on what you consider average.

I'm back~

I know I've been MIA for a long, long time now but I've now finished high school so I'm back! So here's a run down of what is coming as soon as I can get organised and clean the mess that is the aftermath of my HSC.

We're already a month into the fall season so I don't think I will do previews/first impressions because it's a bit late for that. I will for next season as soon as there's a little more info on it. Here is what I'm watching:

C³ - Lolis, gore and bad fanservice. It's a somewhat entertaining but far from good.
Fate/Zero - I'm a massive fan of the Fate series. I liked it enough to read the visual novel. I never read visual novels.
Guilty Crown - Supercell soundtrack. Enough said. Just kidding. I love the visuals.
Mirai Nikki - I've got the first three episodes on my hard drive and will commence watching later tonight as I've heard it's quite good.
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle - High school genius versus dark grande organisation with run-of-the-mill characters. How original. I like the puzzles though.
Shakugan no Shana III (Final) - I've been waiting for this since I finished Shakugan no Shana S back in February. It's one of my favourite series.

Funny story: I dropped Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon after 5 minutes.

Reviews I owe:

• Clannad: After Story
• Moshidora
• Highschool of the Dead
• Chrno Crusade
• Astarotte no Omocha
• Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
• Gosick
• Hidan no Aria
• Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
• Ao no Exorcist
• Yumekui Merry
• Angel Beats
• Deadman Wonderland
• Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
• Hanasaku Iroha
• Usagi Drop

That's a lot.... Hopefully I get time to update with reviews tonight with my mum trying to drag me everywhere. I'm on Twitter 24/7 if you want faster updates. 

Dantalian no Shoka Preview and First Impressions

Airing
June 16, 2011 @ 0123
Every Saturday.

Producer
Gainax

Genre
Fantasy, Supernatural

Synopsis
Hugh Anthony Disward inherits an old mansion and a personal library from his grandfather. In the basement of the mansion, he meets a mysterious girl, Dalian. She is a Dantalian and a gateway to "Dantalian's bookshelf", which stores the prohibited books of the demons.

"Gensho (Illusory Books)", the prohibited books, endanger the balance of the world, but people are fascinated by the taboo. Hugh and Dalian solve the cases involving Gensho with their ability to access the Dantalian bookshelf.

Pre-season Thoughts

"I see a gun, fire, and Victorian era style. Disregard everything because this is the most necessary thing to pick up this season." 

As you may or may not know, I choose anime by the art style first. The ones I pick are always usually not the best but I have a far better chance of being able to finish it. Plot wise it sounded pretty original. I'd never heard of anything like it before so I wouldn't be expecting much coming into this series, albeit it seems like the typical anime I'd watch.

Typical anime for me = tsundere girl + boy + some sort of magic + MacGuffin

Considering the prospects as a whole, I wasn't expecting a masterpiece. I was just looking for a bit of fun.

PV


First Impression
It started off nicely, clearly explaining the situation. It wasn't overly poetic or beautifully done or anything but it set the premise for the story so you kind of actually know where the story was heading. I guess that denotes predictability in a way, but hey, it's the first episode. In a way, I found it a little boring at the beginning. I mean, I knew what was going to happen but at least it didn't confuse me. The art was somewhat mediocre. It was a bit strange seeing how insanely pale Dalian was. What I wasn't expecting was that it was a little scary. (Maybe it's just because I watched it in the middle of the night. Who knows.) Yes, I was thoroughly creeped out. Not to mention that ED. How freaky is the girl in the ED? I was scared watching that during the day.

Overall, the first episode was a bit rushed. It did introduce the story but everything happened way too fast and too much  happened in a short time span. It didn't seem to flow very well. Hopefully this show won't become episodic. There are only 13 epiosdes.

And another thing. I've noticed a lot of people comparing this to GOSICK. I guess Hugh and Dalian are somewhat similar to Kujo and Victorique in that they're a male and a female. Oooh, what a striking resemblance. The leads are of the same gender. Wonderful. Seriously though, the only similarity I've noticed is the Victorian era style. Really.

Can't say I minded the start too much really. It's obviously not ever going to be the best anime in the world and I'm honestly not expecting much more out of it. I mean, if it did offer more, I wouldn't be complaining but I can enjoy it just the way it is.

Usagi Drop Preview + First Impression

Airing:
8th July 2011 (Yes, that was last week.) 0045

Producer:
Production IG

Genre:
Slife of Life

Synopsis:
Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!

Fansub:
I do believe I'm watching Doki Fansubs. (Why is the fansub important? I've got no idea. In any case, anything is better than HorribleSubs ripped of Crunchyroll. To be honest though, after watching all these Korean shows, any Japanese fansub is way better.) 

Thoughts:
At first, I didn't really notice this show because the art really isn't too eye-catching. That's an understatement really. I had a look at the chart for the 100th time a few days before the season started and actually read all the synopses and thought it sounded really interesting and really felt like it was something I had to watch. So I ditched my plans of watching Blood-C (which I heard isn't too good) and went with this instead. 

PV:


First Impression:
Truly and completely honestly, my first thought was 'the art is weird'. The colours aren't that nice and it takes a bit to get used to. Well, for me it did. I didn't really like the way the scenery was done, but hey, each to their own. Story-wise, it was a good introduction episode. Nothing too extraordinary but it was nice. The story isn't extra special or different but I'm looking forward to a heartwarming series.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée First Impression

This first episode completely defied my expectations. Having not read the manga, I was expecting a moe-fest but what I saw was quite different. The animation features the story of a young girl who travels to France to work. While it may seem slow to some, I find the story really nice and heartwarming. Yune is a really respectable character, portrayed as the ideal Japanese woman. She's really adorable, it's hard not to fall in love with her immediately. The character dynamic between Yune and Claude is really cute. I also really liked the classical background music.

Apparently, this show has Aria vibes. I haven't seen Aria yet so I wouldn't know. What I do know is this is a good show to enjoy after a long day or before bed. I don't like giving away plot in these things so that's all I'll say. The first episode was a nice start to the show and to the season for me. 

「PREVIEW」Ikoku Meiro no Croisée

Airing:
4th July 2011 0030

Producer:
Satelight (Fairy Tail, Macross Frontier, Shugo Chara)

Genre:
Slife of Life, Historical

Synopsis:
Based on manga by Hinada Takeda, who did the art for Gosick. Maybe that's why it caught my eye. 
The story takes place in the second half of the 19th century, as Japanese culture gains popularity in the West. A young Japanese girl, Yune, accompanies a French traveller, Oscar, on his journey back to France, and offers to help at the family's ironwork shop in Paris. Oscar's nephew and shop-owner Claude reluctantly accepts to take care of Yune, and we learn how those two, who have so little in common, get to understand each other and live together in the Paris of the 1800s.

Fansub:
According to fansubwiki, it's Interrobang. They're slow. My life is over. Just kidding. I'm just going to have to wait and see.  I should be thankful to those who sub these shows considering I don't understand much Japanese, especially conversational Japanese.

Thoughts:
This was the third series I decided to pick up this season with the firm decision that it was just something I had to watch. Oddly enough, it was the last series to catch my eye and I only saw it on about the 10th time I had a look at the chart. There's just something about the story that sits well with me. It really sounds like a beautiful story. I don't want to expect too much and see it fall flat but I'm hoping for something enjoyable. It doesn't have to be spectacular but I just has to be worth my time.

PV: