Spring Season 1 Part 1

Well, the spring season is in full swing and I am fully behind! I realized I have picked too many shows to review. Starting in on the season I have also realized that there is a certain amount of shows that will have to be dropped as time goes on, some not quite making it past their two episode limit (every show has two episodes to make a good impression and get itself started). So, let’s get started on the Spring Season!  As per usual, we’ll move from best to worst. I’ve had to split the season up again, simply because I’m starting to fall behind trying to watch everything and this post would be ridiculously long if I included another five shows. While the second episode of Deadman Wonderland is not available to me right now, I will say that thus far it is my favorite of the season.

Hanasaku Iroha
The animation quality alone made me look forward to Iroha and it certainly delivered with its plot as well. Masahiro Ando, an excellent director who has worked on several of the most popular anime (Gundam Seed, Wolf’s Rain, Evangelion), is doing yet another bang up job, especially since he is in charge of almost every aspect. The show itself is a slice of life, no giant robots or evil nobles are stopping main character Ohana from achieving her goal, which is really just to survive. When fanservice makes an appearance it is done in a subtle way, or serves some purpose (that’s right, fanservice can be relevant to plot). The characters all relate together well , and the music is subtle enough to carry scenes on their own. I can’t say this is surprising as Shiroh Hamaguchi is in charge of the music and he did the same great job in Final Fantasy VII. While not Wandering Son quality animation it is still rather nice to look at and not nearly as harsh as other shows this season. Hanasaku Iroha is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
+Character Design
+Music
+Episode direction
-Perverted author
-Cranky grandmother syndrome
-No clear plot

Tiger and Bunny
Imagine a superhero show. Now imagine a mech anime. Combine them and we get Tiger and Bunny, where perhaps the most hilarious premise is the product placement (boy, do I want a Pepsi Next now). Despite the product placement it is a fairly entertaining show and the characters are all quite amusing. The standard hero regime does not seem to be ever present just yet, and there is more of a focus on the pseudo-mech plot. The only female hero is, in fact, also an idol, something highly reminiscent of Macross. There is a reason for this, as director Keiichi Satou is fairly at home in the Mech world having worked on Big O, MazinKaiser, and several Gundam arcs. He manages to combine it with the superhero genre fairly well. Music is your standard superhero fanfares and helps carry the action quite a bit, something Yoshihiro Ike is quite experience having worked on mostly shonen shows. As a fan of both superhero shows and mech shows, I am quite excited to continue watching this show, almost as much as Heroman.  Tiger and Bunny is currently streaming on Anime News Network and Hulu.
+Plot
+Superheroes in pseudo-mechs
+Fun characters
-Product Placement
-Reality TV show producers
-Random CG sometimes

Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi (World’s Greatest First Love)
Here it is. The yaoi of the season. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, seeing as the plot for it is a fairly typical love story. The only exception being, of course, the fact that the couple is two males. Chiaki Kon is well experienced in the world of romantic anime (and even non-romantic if you don’t consider Higurashi to be), and it certainly shows. Nothing is too rushed, and when the little instances of fanservice designed to make fangirls giggle with glee occur, they are done superbly (if you oversaturate anything with fanservice it loses all value). The music is fairly upbeat, as it should be seeing as it is also a comedy, and Hijiri Anze does a good job of bringing it subtly in. Of course, this show is not for everyone, because I said it is yaoi, and unless you enjoy that you will not enjoy it here. What makes the plot good outside of it is the sheer ridiculousness of some scenes: a literature editor who ends up working for shoujo manga is something that could only happen in Japan. Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi is not streaming on Crunchyroll.
+Plot
+Character Design
+Comedic Effect
-Yaoi [if you aren’t a fan]
-Strange character shifts
-LOOK OUT IT’S THE EMERALD TEAM!

She'd be adorable if it weren't for this.

We, Without Wings
There are so many things wrong with this show I’m not even certain where to start. Let’s start with the summary Anime News Network has: It's winter in the big city of Yanagihara, and young people will meet and fall in love. Takashi is a boy who plans to escape to another world, but is held back by thoughts of his younger sister Kobato and girlfriend Asuka. Shusuke is a poor part-timer who has to work with student-author Hiyoko in spite of their initial dislike for each other. The antisocial Hayato makes his living as a handyman until he is visited by a girl name Naru. Within the first two episodes there is , at no point, a mention of this plot. If it’s in there, I missed it amongst all the fanservice. The characters should not be all that suprising considering Kumi Ishi, the same character designer for Rozen Maiden is also the chief animation director. The amount of jiggles and panty shots are ridiculous, and is even more so when its compared to the amount of fan service in Highschool of the Dead. Yet it’s not the animators fault, as Kumi Ishi also worked on several excellent animated works (Cardcaptor Sakura, Perfect Blue),  its largely Shinji Ushiro’s direction that is leading this show astray. I have not seen any of his other works, but given the fact that I saw seven characters named in seven seconds, I’m not sure I want to. Not even music acts as a redeeming quality, as there is just a lot of random genres thrown together, and there isn’t even a musical director listed. Almost everything I can say is basically summed up in the screen shot. Unfortunately, this series is being dropped, though perhaps I will visit it again later to see how it turns out. We, Without Wings is streaming on Crunchyroll.
-Excessive Fanservice
-Poor Music
  -Confusing exposition

Final Winter Review

Well, the seasons have officially come to an end. I know I run about a week late, but I would rather run late and watch free legal streams than free illegal ones. Any screen shots that are used belong to their respective owners and companies, and I do not own the rights. There are two shows that have to be done a little differently than the others: Madoka and Gosick. Madoka will be broadcasting the last two episodes back to back in about a week, so I cannot comment on it just yet. Gosick is continuing into the spring season, so I will only be reviewing the first twelve (a full season). As a result they will not be counted towards the top and bottom scores of the season in this review. So who made it to the top this season and who fell flat? Let’s find out.

BISEASON (FREE PASS): Gosick

Unlike Victorique...

Gosick started off good, but slow. As it moved farther into the show it began to reveal itself as a show that solves mystery with the characters trying to solve their own. As of episode twelve none of this has been fully solved, and like Detective Conan it can be a little repetitive. Find a mystery, solve it. Here’s some overarching plot, moving on. Even with this flaw (if you want to consider it one, I personally do not), the characters are charged and blend rather well together. There is no one character that acts as a plot hog, which is impressive as a large portion of the show is spent figuring on the mystery of Victorique’s character. If this were to be placed in the season ranking again, it would certainly rank quite high.
+Art
+Overarching Plot
+Mystery
-Long development
-Disappearance of the overarching plot
-Blatant villain (how haven’t the characters found him yet)

FREEZER BURNED (LOWEST RANK): Koreha Zombie des ka?

This was totally worth it though.

Oh Zombie, you started off so well and so humorous. You even picked up a fairly interesting villain. Unfortunately he was an interesting villain guilty of godmodding. Yes, that’s right, godmodding. He was that kid in elementary school who calls shield before you tag him. They do of course defeat him, but the battle is somewhat anticlimactic and the viewer is left unsatisfied. In fact, the series completes itself before the twelfth episode because it was just complete fanservice. So unfortunately, Zombie,  you have a bad case of freezer burn. Koreha Zombie des ka is streaming on Crunchyroll.
+Humor
+Moe Necromancer
+Catchy Ending Theme
-Plot
-Godmodding Villain
-Strange exposition

IN THE FREEZER: Yumekui Merry

Unlike the power of friendship!

Much like it’s first few episodes, Yumekui sort of loses its pace. Or rather, it gained too much of a pace. Within two episodes the main villain is revealed, introduced, and defeated in the finale. Perhaps most frustrating about the final battle is the fact that Merry’s innate power shown in an earlier episode is never brought up. Ever. And perhaps the biggest annoyance is the power Yumeji seems to gain: his will. Yes, that’s right. The one thing that can possibly protect a human from a dream demon is your will. He still was unable to win without help from others, but I feel as though “the power of will” was both a cop out and a little inspiring. The only reason Yumekui is scoring higher than Zombie is because it pulls off the final battle so well. All the character stories are resolved (with the exception of Merry, who is unable to return “just because”) in a timely manner and by the last episode, no fan service required. While it is based off a manga, there has been no second season revealed as of yet. And that’s why Yumekui never quite made it from the freezer. Like Merry’s quest to go home, it will stay frozen for a long time.
  +Plot
  +Animation
  +Fight Sequences
  -Plot Resolution
  -Goals (don't encourage the NEET's!)
  -Plot device never touched upon again (Merry's power)

IN THE OVEN: Wandering Son

He is most certainly not a zombie.

While one of the nicest shows of the season, Wandering Son didn’t quite make it to the top of the top. It is certainly a great show to satiate your anime appetite, especially with its artwork, the finale is a little confusing. Shuichi seems to have finally grown into himself, but whether that means him giving up on his personal feelings to become a female and undergo a sex change or that others have finally accepting him is a little unclear. Now, the finale is actually the twelfth episode, the tenth and eleventh having been combined and so some things may be explained in the expanded version of the series. For now, however, the fact that there is no definite answer is a little confusing. And yet, the open endedness is appreciatable. Wandering Son ends with a warm feeling, like the feeling one gets when standing in front of an open oven door. And so, it certainly garnishes a high review. Wandering Son is streaming on CrunchyRoll.
  +Art
  +Plot
  +Ending Theme
  -Finale
  -Ambiguous Antagonists
  -Quickened Exposition (final episode)

GOURMET MEAL: Fractale

No it's not, that's not Haruhi!

Yutaka Yamamoto never ceases to amaze me with his story ideas. In an interview in The Otaku Encyclopedia he said he was aiming to move away from moé anime, as well as the fact that he was working on a great project for 2010 (it made it out in 2011 so that counts). Fractale ends in an amazing conclusion to the series, pulling everything together and nicely concluding the show, something that all anime should do. I only had a few issues here, one of which was the fact that there is always the “god” character in his shows. It all started with Haruhi…and I will say no more without revealing the ending. The other is the endless cycle that seems to be invoked, though I suppose with lack of access to a certain place, history will not be doomed to repeat itself. In the end any issues it had seemed to have worked themselves out, especially since you are able to see the whole series in a new light. Fractale is available on Funimation’s YouTube channel.
  +Animation
  +Soundtrack
  +Plot
  -Existentialism (God again?)
  -Future Implications
  -COMPLETE PERSONALITY CHANGE

Madoka Magica  will be reviewed separately. Look forward to the Spring Review in the next blog post. Unfortunately there are a lot of things I want to watch this spring, but don’t have the time to review them all in one go (the spring season is MASSIVE)! So, consider it Spring Review I and when I finally get the time to watch the next half we’ll consider it Spring Review II! Look forward to these shows in part I:
Iroha
Ore-tachi
Sekai Ichi
Hoshizora
Tiger and Bunny
Astarotte's Toy
Hen Zemi
Nichijou
Abnormal Physiology Seminar
Deadman Wonderland

Pray for... (Transliteration)

I drew upon t1211 and Moetron's translations to come up with this transliteration. This is the most I can do, because my voice is not suited to Miku or Gumi's ranges in this song. Let me know if you use it and spread it around! : ) Let's all pray for Japan!

Is my prayer really reaching to you?
Does it reach where you are at?
If this voice of mine cannot reach you,
I will still continue to pray for you.

In this deep mystery of unknown darkness
You stopped a bit to adjust your eyes
Is the anxiety keeping you from sleeping?
Were you crying silently because of your fear?

All of the students that always act so stoic
It seems like all of that's come to an end
140 words of the prayer I'm praying
I will softly devote them to you

My voice cannot reach where you are at
My hand cannot reach to you either
Therefore I will offer up this brief prayer
To the skies
To the stars
To God
And to you

I'll pray up to the skies
Up to the stars, way up above
I'll offer a prayer to God too
Just so long, as it reaches you

You are never really alone
Everyone is actually connected
We just cannot see it
Therefore let's all face forward right now!

I'll pray up to the skies
Up to the stars, way up above
I'll offer a prayer to God too
Just so long, as it reaches you

I'll pray up to the skies
Up to the stars, way up above
I'll offer a prayer to God too...

Mid-Season Review

Before I start off, it would be callous of me not to address the current situation in Japan. Every night I pray for those I know, and I pray for those I don’t. It goes beyond the stereotypical American Otaku, wanting a singular industry to survive. I want the people to survive, and I want the country to survive. I have been following what has been happening through someone’s first-hand account, news from ANN (animenewsnetwork.com), the BBC, and the New York Times. One of the best donation efforts I’ve seen has been Crunchyroll (crunchyroll.com) as they match every donation dollar for dollar. Something else to note is the need for food and other supplies, especially blood for the injured. There’s a cultural stigma against donating blood in Japan, so for the American Red Cross to be continuing to supply it is fantastic. If there was a donation in my area, you can bet I would be all over it (being the universal type that I am).

With all that said, let’s take a look at the same shows I reviewed earlier on this season. Some shows started later, so they are four episodes away. Other’s are two away. Either way, I admire the hard working members of the industry for continuing onwards with all the devastation going on around them.  Some shows I have changed some of my opinion on, but I am not going to reiterate upon what was said before.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Wow. Just wow. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica has taken quite a turn and it is in the best direction possible. One of the things I pointed out at the beginning of the season is that there was a wandering plotline, and that has certainly been solved by the eighth and ninth episodes. However, the references have gotten more and more complicated. Madoka has easily become my favorite show this season, especially with its twists and ideology. There is a definite tribute to the mech work Bokurano later on.  

+ Soundtrack

+ Animation

+ Overall Plot

- WARNING! EXISTENTIAL CONTENT!

- References not everyone may understand

- Potentially annoying protagonist

Fractale

Fractale has kept very much the same lighthearted feeling as before, which is good as it starts to handle heavier material later on. While the material is not as heavy as that covered in Madoka, it still brings up a good deal of questions. They aren’t new questions, as it is something asked in almost every work at some point in time, but they are good questions. If anything, Fractale has kept me coming back to learn more about the vivid world that is depicted and to look more closely at some of the character interactions as they grow more and more intertwined. Fractale is streaming on Funimation.

+Soundtrack

+Character Design

+Plot

- Common Theme

-Menagerie of Characters

- Occasionally overuse jokes

Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko)

The art style continues to blow me away every time I watch this show. It’s soft and matches the slow plot. Of course, by now I’m still not sure what the plot is. There is still the attempt to grasp one’s identity, and it is pulled off incredibly well. Almost too well. Wandering Son has become, essentially, an afterschool special. Anyone who is used to the push for shonen style action understands why this is so baffling, and enjoyable, about this. Even with all the faults it starts to pick up in later episodes (it started much later than the others, so it’s only on its seventh or eighth episode and is only picking up its stride. There’s actually quite a lot fit into the half hour episodes, which is what makes it so difficult to pinpoint just how it is going to end. Wandering Son is now streaming on CrunchyRoll.

+Art Style

+Voice Acting

+Slice of Life

- Plot not to everyone’s liking

-Forgettable score

-Confusing character relationships

Gosick

Gosick has certainly developed out of its standard detective plot. By now there is quite a bit happening and a nice overarching story line. AT times they have even brought for the question of whether or not one of the main characters even exists. There are certainly a good deal of delightful lplot twists that  have occurred since the beginning and seem to be heading towards the same stunning conclusion Otome Youkai Zakuro had. Gosick is currently streaming on CrunchyRoll.

+Art Style

+Ghost Story/Fairy Tale References

+Sherlock Holme's homages

-Almost uncanny plot twists

-How did they do it?! moments

-The same references start to be used over and over again

Yumekui Merry (Dream Eater Merry)

Yumekui has gained it’s plot and my what  a plot it is. Sometimes I wonder how they are going to fit it all into twelve episodes and they throw out an amazing twist halfway through the episode to ensure it happens. Of  course, it does have an entire episode dedicated to exposition where the kittens go fan service, but what anime doesn’t (probably Evangelion). Here’s to an exciting conclusion!

+Story Line

+Plot raises decent questions

+Character Design

-Soundtrack

-Long Plot Development

-Shinji syndrome

Koreha Zombie Des Ka?

Same silliness, same problems as before. While Zombie has picked up the big bad of the series, it does not seem to be doing much with it. It continues to take itself lightly without apology, and even when a major event happens it’s not quite as heart wrenching as it could be. Koreha Zombie Des Ka? is now being streamed on CrunchyRoll.

+Silliness

+Creative Villain

+Character design

-Silliness

-Long Plot Development

-No clear conclusion

Princess Tutu Review Part I

There are a lot of good series that get overlooked in the anime world, often resurging at random times into massive fandoms. Last summer I made my way through one such anime, entitled Princess Tutu. The series director is Shougo Kawamoto, by now probably best remembered for his work on Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s and Escaflowne. However, leading up the full series is Junichi Sato, which makes all too much sense.

 Sato also worked on Cowboy Bebop at one point. He must really enjoy throwing these protagonists out windows.

While I have not watched Kaleido Star yet, I do eventually plan on doing so, even more now that Sato, the lead director of Tutu and Sailor Moon is on board. If you are not sold on the series yet, fret not, there is still a world that awaits you. I am not going to hold back on spoilers, and will presume the reader has some knowledge about the show. However, if you are trying to avoid them and still reading this I would avoid the section on characters and the last paragraphs of plot. That said, let’s take a dive into Princess Tutu starting with something I always feel is important to any anime: music.

MUSIC

Overall

Originally I was going to dedicate this section to the way the episode titles interact with the show. I still am, there is just one thing to get out of the way that honestly stunned me. The musical director of he series is one well respected among the RPG video game community: Kaoru Wada. Yes, this is the same Kaoru Wada who has been in charge of Kingdom Heart’s music direction (more notably the opening orchestrations) and Inuyasha’s musical direction as well. With that out of the way I want to look at something unique to this anime (I can’t say I’ve watched any other’s that utilize this). Each episode has a particular subtitle, so while the first season is known as Chapter of the Egg the episode title may be something like The Wedding Waltz or Swan Lake.  Even watching episode 12 the suite Scheherazade appears early on in the episode, something that appears early on as a title. Even after it is played though, there is another suite that joins in. I’m not nearly familiar enough with ballets to identify some of these songs or when it is just Kaoru Wada’s touch to the series. This is perhaps a sign of a great composer. It might seem a little strange to have so much ballet music within it, but keep in mind that this is an entire show about ballet. What’s more, the show is designed with the idea that the whole world is a book, or a stage. It is almost necessary for the show to have such a strong classical influence, and what’s more the show does a brilliant job of picking the right suite for the right episode. Episode 13, Swan Lake carries most of this classical ballet and manages to make even the most elegant of music into a battle scene. So while not an entirely original score, the music of Tutu is one to be greatly desired: incorporated wonderfully and without shame.

Opening/Ending

Another interesting fact about Tutu is that it not only keeps it’s same opening and ending sequence without change, but also the same songs. I don’t know much about Ritsuko Okazaki aside from her work on Tutu, but from what I’ve pulled up across the internet is that it was one of her final works and she released one single afterwards. What’s more disheartening is that she died young. The opening is one of the better ones, and very fitting for a show like Tutu. It is almost impossible not to relax when listening to Morning Grace, and even harder to avoid conjuring up images of ballet. One of the cooler parts occurs right before the show starts when Okazaki brilliantly incorporates part of Swan Lake. When I first sat down to watch the series this wowed me and made me a little hesitant to continue on: was this just going to be a retelling of Swan Lake? Had Wikipedia (as it often does) lied to me? To this day I’m still not entirely certain if it did, but I am glad I continued on afterwards. With such a wonderful opening though, the ending, Watashi No Ai Wa Chiisaikeredo, becomes a little disappointing. It invokes the same soft feeling of a gentle lullaby and after an especially action filled episode takes out some of the drama, winding it all the way down. If I had to pick one to change I would choose the ending, even though it has its own calming merits.

ART STYLE AND ANIMATION

If I were to compile a list of difficult actions to animate, ballet would certainly be up there. For those who have ever fenced, you know that the entire sport was designed to make the body do things it was not meant to (this may be discussed later in a review of Revolutionary Girl Utena). Ballet is fencing taken one step farther: the French grew bored with making the body fight and decided to have it do even more difficult things. Thus, we have ballet. So for an anime to pull off animating something as difficult as ballet there has to be a lot of work put into it, and it certainly shows that there was. It is not hard to imagine an actual ballet dancer pulling off some of the brilliantly illustrated scenes. Unfortunately, this means some battle scenes are a little lacking, especially when Fakir or Muto (Mythos) is involved. There is a definite shift in the style of animation, and sometimes even the coloring. It’s not often notable, but when it does happen and is picked up on it can be a little annoying. This is probably more on the key animators, but let’s take a look at our animation director.

I don’t usually pay too much attention to the character design and animation director. Well, I do, but I don’t often notice if they match up. In this case Ito Ikuko is not only the original creator, but also the chief animation director and in charge of character design.  He also worked on Sailor Moon, which shows in some of the character’s facial expressions.  For the most part their quite smooth, but they can get silly. This is especially true with Drosselmeyer, who always seems a bit out of place with the other characters. This is probably done on purpose, as he stands outside of the plot itself.

Overall Tutu does not have the smoothest animation by today’s standards. Compared to other releases of its time (2002), it’s still not that sharp. If you keep in mind the fact the release time is well before the advent of full digital media, then the idea of quality improves somewhat. Even so, the slight grain in the animation and coloring is reminiscent of the eighties and nineties. In the end, what it gains for animating difficult scenes (and even mild use of CG for gears), the quality is still not quite there.

SEE PART II FOR PLOT AND CHARACTERS

Princess Tutu is now airing on Hulu.

Upcoming Reviews

Been really busy lately, but luckily a break is coming up so I should have time to do a proper review. Look forward to the following shows to be coming in the following months. It's a little difficult to do these reviews as it requires watching the entire series, taking notes, and then doing a write up. Sometimes I have to watch it twice if I have not seen it before (once for enjoyment, once for academia):


Anime
Princess Tutu
Wolf's Rain
Full Metal Alchemist (The original run, not Brotherhood)
Summer Wars

Manga
Bokurano
Claymore [Vol 1-4]
Shutterbox

Megurine Luka's "Fragile System: Boys and Girls"

I looked at a couple different translations for this song, neither of which I felt completely captured the rhythm of the song in English. Here's a transliterated version based on Tatenia and animeyay's translations of the song. Please let me know if you decide to use them, because I know I will be.

Transliteration

One more time

Why are standing there crouched like that?
Is your mother coming to save you now?
Your head is a carousel of melancholy

You show no sign of leaving silently
Crying and screaming in blurred reality
Really wanting to see you is beside the fact

“It’s for adults to handle” is falsely said
Self destruction happens after acting cool
It’s not really clear how many times I’ve really perished

Serving up perseverance you disguise
A gentle sense of false kindness
Take that bored attitude and tear down everything

One more time, one more time
If I could just see you…
One more time, one more time,
Please hit the reset button
One more time, one more time,
What are the words I truly want to say?
One more time, one more time…

What’re are you doing still standing still?
Did someone stand you up and leave you there?
Put on a sad face and dance through the night silently!
You show no sign of dying quietly
But you cut your wrist in blurred reality
Really, who are you trying to care about now?

“I’m single” is said in a bitter tone
Actually there’s someone looking for you
Even if you leave me, I always find you running back

When your heart turns into something else,
Twisted into hidden ugliness
No matter the foolishness it’s time to burn down everything

One more time, one more time
If I could just see you…
One more time, one more time
Please hit the reset button
One more time, one more time,
What are the words I truly want to say?
One more time, one more time…

One more time