[1st episode] Binbougami ga!



Hey! It's time for you to read yet another first impression of something I didn't intend to watch. I'm so weak.

I probably would have given up and watched even if other people didn't talk me into it granted it's Sunrise and I'm usually curious about thei stuff.

This time their comedy is about Momiji, god of misfortune trying to repair the balance of the world. However she happens to be cursed by misfortune while her opponent is the luckiest person in the world. What the hell will happen?

And actually I wonder what happens too. Though it's the kind of absolutely hilarious nonsense I love.

Our two heroines make a wonderful duo (that I actually already ship, I'll always be a fujoshi) and despite fighting against each other they actually really look like they're friends more than enemies, it's nearly cute to watch.

I don't even know what to say because in the end there's not really anything to say, those two are nuts and I'm looking forward to more of their adventures and more development, because the first episode already showed a bit and I thought it was well played.

Another definite one on my watchlist, if they keep on being as fun and interesting I'm in.

Oh and I nearly forgot to mention that the really fortunate girl is voiced by Kana Hanazawa in her Kuroneko voice, I nearly didn't even recognize her and damn is she good, damn is Momiji's seiyuu interesting to listen to as well. She just gained a new fan.

[1st episode] Accel World

I'm pretty sure I had meant to check that anime, unfortunately, I have actually no memories of the list I took so much time to make. Oh well, it'll come back to my brain in time. 

So, Accel World is the story of Buta (I don't remember his actual name) who's being bullied, but one day appears a magical older girl student who presents him with a power that can help him, and so it does. Unfortunately for him, everything has consequences. 

Ah and I forgot to say that Sunrise managed to put some kinds of mecha suits in the anime. They love mecha at Sunrise, even Nichibros had them. 

Oh well, Accel World has a pretty not-original concept, the poor and weak and voiced by Kaji Yuki (Sounds familiar?) meets a girl (Sounds familiar?) and through her he manages to access an incredible power (Again, sounds familiar?) 
Obviously he can't really use his power without consequences, the power is limited to a certain number of uses and when he doesn't have any left, well, he's done for. Or at least he will never be able to use that power anymore. 
In the end, I'm not really interested, nor by the plot, nor by the characters. (And, since the writer has worked on Guilty Crown too, I'm guaranteed it won't improve, but I shall do further researches on that)

What could be interesting (and isn't) the thing I had the most hope about after having watched 5 minutes of the anime is the world building. Come on, everyone is linked to a virtual world where they can connect and disconnect whenever they want. A bit like the network from Summer Wars. 
That could be interesting if handles properly, however it's not either. 

The voice acting is OK except for Kaji Yuki that really starts to get on my nerves with all of his annoying roles lately. The music has no unity, it goes ell to illustrate the events, it doesn't to build an atmosphere. 

To sum it up, dropped

[1st episdoe] Natsuiro no Kiseki

And the last one in the series of things I didn't intend to watch and didn't even know existed.

Natsuiro no Kiseki is the story of 4 childhood friends in middle school, apparently two of them got in a fight and then magic happened and they flew in the sky and they'll try to become idols? I think it was something like that.
Oh and it's done by Sunrise.

First of all, it's cute, I quite like the character design of the blonde. Who happens to be the poor "I'm suffering so much so I'm a bitch but you can't understand what I'm going through" kind of character. I really hope she'll improve or I'll end up hating her big time.

This anime has been started because Kotobuki Minako (Damn, Tiger&Bunny what kind of stuff are you making me do?) I don't particularly complain though.

The problem is I have no idea what the plot is really going to be about. One of the friends is moving so I don't know how they'll manage to try for their dream together. Maybe we'll get a magical time skip or something? Well whatever happens I don't get how it'll work if she moves. But I guess I'll know next week? Probably.

No matter how this will turn out to be I can say the one who wrote this episode is good, it made me want to watch the second, despite the knowledge that this is a seiyuu anime, it's just made so they can sound cute while voicing cute looking characters (and looking cute themselves, let's admit it).
In the end, kudos to the writer, dunno how this will turn out but I'm watching the second episode. (Maybe not the third and if I watch the third, maybe not the fourth, well, you see what I'm trying to say, this is Sunrise after all)

Winter 2012 - What will I watch?

Suddenly I realized Un-Go was already at its Ninth episode and that in two weeks it'll be already finished. Where did my Fall go? (Granted, it doesn't feel like Winter at all yet but nevermind)
As such I thought it was about time to decide more or less about what I'll watch next season. (Instead of working on my Anime Blogger Choice Award post, damn procrastination ^^)

On my watch list for sure! 
- Kyousougiga : In the hopes of finaly getting what it is all about I shall watch it.

- Black Rock Shooter : I liked the OVA and I'm curious about how they'll continue the story and how they'll balance the two worlds.

- Another : Horror story? Yes please!

- Nisemonogatari : Love Bakemonogatari a lot so I'll obviously watch this.
And they look like they're wearing a fried egg on the promo picture so ...

- Natsume Yuujinchou Shi : Well, it's Natsume Yuujinchou! <3

- Brave 10 : Sengoku Jidai is always a must. And I heard it had Kamiya so ...


Will at least check out (and probably end up watching anyway)
- Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou : Well, I usually trust Sunrise when it comes to adapting gag manga (*cough*Gintama*cough*) BUT I really don't want to see Kimi to Boku n°2 and Sunrise is either really good or painfully average so we'll see.

I think something's wrong. Usually my first list has at least 10 shows, I'm at 7, and I don't even know what's continuing.
Well, guess I won't have to feel guilty and suppress my urges to check more things when the season will start

[1st episode] Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

As you may have noticed I made a new banner, I don't even know where the hell I found time to devote to this but I did, as such, please enjoy this temporary Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Halloween themed banner.
I thought it fit quite well.

Back to the topic at hand, mainly the other Sunrise Saturday night anime Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon. You probably ask for a summary but I have no idea what the hell it is about. The official one reads that it's about a very modern Japan re-enacting Sengoku Jidai war for some reason having to do with manipulated history.
I might as well tell you now, I haven't understood a thing.

I can't even critique the plot, I haven't seen it, but there are lots of things I can critique.

- What the hell is this absolutley awful character design? The expressions are shitty, while the form of the body is OK (I've seen Clamp stuff before, I can deal with really strange body shapes) the heads are defying all logic, boobs, boobs everywhere and a total ignorance of male anatomy.

- Why do you guys censor some rather innocent and clothed breast fondling while displaying a totally naked man running around and claiming he's not suspicious (I'll admit I feel quite sad for said male since he lacks quite an important part)
Point is, it runs between 2am and 3am. Who cares about censorship at this hour?

- I'd say it has a good cast but they can't do miracles. Even if it's FukuJun.

- This is worse than Sacred Seven. I'll watch the second episode in case the plot develops enough for me to ignore, well, everything else.
If it doesn't interest me by then. Dropped.

[1st episode]Phi Brain - Kami no Puzzle

First of the two new Saturday night Sunrise anime (or so I assume, which reminds me, I missed Hoshizora Sunrise yesterday, I like that radio show) have the review of the first episode of Phi Brain.

Apparently, this is the story of a young man, Daimon Kaito, great fan and genius at solving puzzle. One day the president of the student council and puzzle club gives him a mobile device that leads him to an unsolvable puzzle that he solves anyway (obviously, he's the genius protagonist) thus gaining access to the power of his Phi Brain (that apparently makes him even more of a genius).

Plot is interesting, at least it got me more interested than the average Sunrise first episodes, the whole concept of solving puzzles to make the plot advance is quite interesting.
That first episode made me think about a Zelda game, finding your way through the dungeon, then acquiring your prize, but oh god another brain teaser to solve and you can finally get out of the place.
These were my favorite parts of the games. Of course I'd like to see the same concept in an anime, it's quite a shame we can't take part in the solving process though, it goes too fast and they don't really present the viewer with enough elements to do so, but since they don't make it obvious either I'm happy.

There's not really anything worth to note about the characters so far, the principal and the student council president obviously have a not-so-hidden agenda. The main character seems like an average delinquent and the main girl like an average main protagonist best friend.
Apparently next week we will discover the character voiced by FukuJun, who, judging from the voice he used in the preview, will be quite an interesting fellow.
I'll be looking forward to it.

So far, and aside from Bakuman which got me fangirling for a very shallow reason, Phi Brain is one of my favorite show of the season.
And the music writer should get more jobs! He's damn good.

Tiger&Bunny 25 - Eternal Immortality

Want the short version of what I'm going to write? Watch the show. Once you get through the first episode it's surprising at so many levels. And now it's finished you won't have to deal with the cliffhangers.

For the long version and after episode 25 thoughts (once again, haven't seen the subs yet) it's under the cut. Because I wouldn't want to spoil. 

Fall 2011 - Facing the end of Tiger&Bunny what will I watch?

While I admit the title is a bit over-dramatic (Come on self, you'll survive, you've survived the end of DRRR and the lack of your favorite character in it, you survived death of your favorite characters too, so there's no reason why I won't be able to get over the end of Tiger&Bunny, right? RIGHT?), the fact that the only shows I'll have the pleasure to continue next season are Gintama, Beelzebub and Mawara Penguindrum. Not that I mind, but that's not much, and I feel empty when some days (like thursdays) nothing new comes out.

So, what will I watch?

These are the things I can't miss (for various petty reasons) :

- Un-Go : I can only hope for Noitamina to finally bring me a very good mystery anime. Please?
It should right? The original author is good. So maybe?

- Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon : Depending on the end of Tiger&Bunny I may or may not have lost all hopes in Sunrise by the time this airs but, it has a good cast and a kind of Sengoku Jidai setting in modern times.
I should enjoy this.

- Persona 4 : It seems, I've been one of the only person on Earth who REALLY enjoyed Persona : Trinity Soul so, more? Yes please!
And everyone who played is super excited, and since I never played I won't complain about the adaption. It's a win/win type of situation. (Well, except if it's bad ^^)

- Working!! : Yamada loved the first season to bits. Yamada even recently rewatched it when she heard about a second season.
Yamada is overjoyed!

- Sekaiichi Hatsukoi : Don't ask. It wasn't as half bad as I'd have expected it to be. I enjoyed it enough to keep going. If worse comes to worse at least I'll laugh at the animation.

- Phi Brain - Kami no Puzzle : Or, how Sunrise may or may not be the death of me. I shouldn't expect much from this but the setting interests me enough. The fate of the world reside in a puzzle my friends!

- Mirai Nikki : Liked the manga. Should be enjoyable enough.

- Bakuman 2 : We're entering the interesting part. Mainly, Hiramaru.
Hiramaru means more Yoshida-shi. Yoshida-shi is my favorite character. (When I say I'm cursed, I'm not joking ^^)

-Gundam AGE : Well. It's a Gundam.



I will check but am a little bit wary (or, things with obvious flaws from the beginning)

- Guilty Crown : Noitamina + good cast = must watch.
Even though the plot seems like a mess and like they're trying to throw everything they can into it. (Please don't let it become another Sacred Seven fiasco because from the look of it, it's a Code Geass style dystopia, resistance group included, with a virus reminding me of Bloody Monday and a hero à la Kamijo Touma)
Also note that it's the first time a Noitamina thing is downgraded to this section, that shows how wary I am.

- Hunter x Hunter : Heard a lot of good stuff about the serie, the mangaka wrote Level E , it has Daisuke Namikawa, Sawashiro Miyuki and Keiji Fujiwara.
BUT, it's Jump. And that makes it a major flaw because it'll go very near the boring line for the first 25 episodes.

- Kimi to Boku : The title sounds like a cheesy romance thing, and it looks like a slice of life thing, which isn't my favorite genre either. But it has Toyonaga Toshiyuki so I'm willing to give it a shot.

- Tamayura hitotose : I love photography, I really do, but yeah I'll stay wary of slice of life things.

- Ben-to : Or Battle Royale in the supermarket. The plot is completely nuts but as I have seen girls with big breasts on the promo picture I'm not going to hope too much.

- Fate/Zero : I didn't like the previous installements very much but there's nothing I can do against Kajiura Yuki.

Tiger&Bunny #21 - Do you like Spandex?

And there I nearly thought I'd never get to make this post. Do you know how awful distractions are? Do you know of many of them there are? Worse of it all, and aside from the dreadful heat I'm facing at the moment, do you realize they've all been somehow related to Tiger&Bunny?
Before starting on the episode, and more, I have 3 facts I wanted to share.
1) I love the aftermath of Comiket. I really love it. Very much.
2) I love Tsuda Kenjiro too, very much. In fact I love all the radio shows that have to do with Tiger&Bunny, especially the ones with extracts of the character songs, which totally don't sound like them but are hilarious all the same Oh Baby I'm gonna save youuu
3) Don't you think raisins kinda look like Maverick's face? (and now you're never going to see them the same way anymore MWAHAHA!)

Anyway, back to the actual episode.
I honestly don't even know why I bother making a post about it because to be honest, I wasn't blown away. I mean, everything was more or less predictable.
While I have to admit I totally forgot about Ben (and I should have thought about him, I don't even know why I didn't after the mysterious disappearance of the preview pic), everything else went just as planned.

So, what's interesting in that episode in the end? I don't really know myself to be honest.
All I know is that it gave me incredibly conflicted feelings. The first (RAW) round left me giggling happily, the second round left me uneasy. Well, I still think Bunny will die so ...

On the other hand, Kotetsu finally came back to being himself, dumb but not too dumb. Dumb enough to be funny and not piss me off. This scene especially left me laughing for a few minutes.

Then the real shit happens and we get to meet the "new" Tiger, which is probably a robot.
Exactly as predicted Kotetsu almost got Karina to remember, almost because obviously it wouldn't be fun if they remembered now.
And, exactly as I predicted, Lunatic protects Kotetsu, gratifying us all about a wonderful talk about justice and ramblings about how he is the voice of Thanatos.

Then, more shit happens, while Kaede meets Maverick who affectionnaly pats her head and everyone but me was thinking how cool it was since now she has copied his powers (I was more thinking things such as "OMG OMG he's gonna abduct her, he's gonna abduct her")

All in all what really striked me in this episode is the general urgency. No one knows what he's doing, no one, but Kotetsu. Kinda, since well, it's Kotetsu.
It was an established fact before that Maverick's plan had a major flaw, the scale. (Its second being the fact he definitely wants Bunny to kill Kotetsu before the scale problem goes out of hands, and can he do it?)
With more time it would have been resolved, he could have gathered more people, he'd have thought of more people.
Ben too had no plan in mind, he was just looking for Kotetsu, Kaede's doing the same and see Lunatic? He's not wearing his cape, he was pressed by the time, he didn't bother. (Or he burnt it ^^)
It's a bit strange to see all these people normally calm to jump into things like that without thinking. I guess that's where my uneasy feeling comes from.

So, will Kaede saves the day next week?

[1st episode]Sacred Seven

Rejoice! No rant on Uta no Prince-sama today!

Instead, let's rant about Sacred Seven, also known as the new Sunrise thing airing at 2:30am (Japanese time of course) right after Tiger&Bunny. (And yeah I remember the hours at which air my favorite anime, Japanese time,  my time, Finnish time (which isn't that hard to be honest), Singapore time and Kiko's time, who lives, somewhere in the US)
Anyway, so Sacred Seven, it's Sunrise, so the mandatory mechas are there, and a boy whose needed by some secret organization to save the world. And there are maids. A lot of them.

I have no real problem with the characters, to be honest I even like the main guy. Well ok he's the only one I really like. No wait, I like the talking stone. The upbeat classmate is pissing me off. Her friends are pissing me off even more. The probably main girl is the kind of girl who can't do anything only orders and then let others get hurt. And the other guy is plain and has basically no personnality.

Despite being not interested I originally intended to watch because FictionJunction sings the OP and let's face it, when it comes to Kajiura Yuki I'm an hopeless fangirl. Result? I don't like it, yet. I didn't like Magia either, I probably will come to like it later on, if I keep on watching the anime.
Liked the ED on the other hand.
The rest? Forgettable.

As for the story which could be the redeeming point, well, as I said in the summary it's the basic "boy needed to save the world" kind of setting. I don't really have anything against it, it's a typical shonen setting, I have watched enough of them to be able to bear it. The problem is that I don't see anything else beside that, maybe how he'll come to, finally, have friends and contorl himself? But if it's just that then it'll be boring.

So, did I like it? No.
Will I continue to watch it? Yes.
Why? Because last time I hated a first episode it turned out to be the first episodes of Madoka and Tiger&Bunny, both of which I've grown to like a lot. So will give Sacred Seven another chance. Only for next episode though, because even if I want to believe in Sunrise (except when it comes to character death) the level of boring I can stand has a limit.