New anime.
Apr. 11th, 2007 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elwenSo as part of a campaign to remain sane and not dream about the musical last week, and to avoid outlining, I've been trying to sample more new anime than usual. I think there's more that interests me this season, too, maybe, but I've looked at a few series that were iffy enough not to make it onto my notify list as well.
I figured I'd start with what I've seen, and update this as I go:
Heroic Age - Looks like a solid sci-fi series, if a bit typical. I almost forgot that anime, too, can have aliens that are, well, alien and bug-like, rather than pretty girls that hit on the protagonist. :P Scenery is good, the made-up science was inobtrusive but nice, mech designs don't bug me. Lots more explanation is needed, of course, but the first episode was a good introduction at a nice pace.
Touka Gettan - This story has gorgeous animation, lovely music, and beautiful style. . . . I just had absolutely no idea what was going on the entire time. Random flashbacks and cryptic conversations should be saved for after the audience is hooked, not as the hooks themselves. The character designs are by Carnelian, who also did Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, and thus far it reminds me of that series, which I kept watching in the hopes that it would eventually make sense, but it never did. I'll give it another episode just because it's so pretty in every other respect, but I don't have the patience these days for things that don't make sense. It also has the potential to lose all of its intringuing supernatural premises and turn into an ordinary high school romance, which would also be cause for ditching.
[ETA: Augh, I just can't do it. I can't ditch this series after episode 2. Still nothing makes sense, but it's just so pretty and stylish and intriguing. I'm not supposed to let opacity string me along like this, dammit. It did seem like things were starting to become more clear, and perhaps moving in the direction of boring and angst; or I'm just in denial.]
Hayate no Gotoku (Combat Butler Hayate) - Wow, this show is totally random and over-the-top, which is probably how it's supposed to be. The first episode was kind of intro, so I'll probably give it another episode, but right now it's looking too crazy for me. On the bright side, it's got Chiyo dad as narrator. It's also got Mahoraba-style character designs, in that people who are supposed to be in their late teens look prepubescent. It didn't bother me all that much in Mahoraba, but it's slightly worse with the lead girl here. But then again, the people who go after her are supposed to look like pedophiles...
[ETA: Okay, after the second episode, the show has reached appropriately ridiculous levels of insanity such that it's hilarious rather than off-putting. Props for the Black Lagoon reference. XD This one's a keeper.]
Kamichama Karin - This series -- well, mainly just the OP so far -- is a lot darker than I expected from the character designs and my impression of Koge Donbo (not that I've ever actually read anything by her). In some ways, it looks to end up like a typical magical girl series, but Karin and Kazune are cute, and I like Karin's personality so far, so, hey, why not? [I don't normally crush on guys with overly childlike character designs, but for the scene in the rain at the end, Kazune may become a first. It makes me feel dirty. ._.] The set-up is kind of similar to Saint October, another recent magical girl series, with a occult/gothic lolita twist, which kind of fell off everyone's radar and which I'm too lazy to watch raw, so maybe it can be a replacement. D:
Seirei no Moribito - This series just made me go, "Wow." The opening scenes were stunning -- they reminded me of the lighting of the beacons in Lord of the Rings, with the snow-capped mountains and rocky wastelands, and they were just as realistic. I think the CG helped, and, while noticeable, it didn't bother me, so props for that. The music is beautiful, and the writing is very effective. I almost passed this by because I didn't really like the character designs -- it's by Production I.G., so if you're used to Ghost in the Shell, you probably won't have any issues -- but it fits with the rest of the style fairly well. The setting and feel remind me of Kenshin OVA so far. The AniDB summary is kind of misleading in that there's no indication that Balsa, who is very kick-ass and fascinating, is the more likely protagonist, rather than Chagum, who always sounded kind of eh.
Claymore - Didn't last through the opening for this one. Stylized gore is not what I seek. The summary sounded so-so, and the manga looks cool, so I wavered and finally decided I should just give it a try, but my first instinct was right this time. From what little I saw, it reminds me of the little I've seen of Blood The Last Vampire in AMVs and such. Neither one suits my tastes.
So the theme of this season is amazing art. Either people suddenly learned amazing computer animation techniques, or budgets swelled massively this season, or they're splurging on the early episodes to attract an audience [and maybe by the end we'll have paper cut-outs like in KareKano, whee]. Whichever it is, I'm not complaining at the moment. *_*
Late additions:
[Split off because the "amazing art" comment doesn't necessarily apply.]
Kaze no Stigma - Looks like a good supernatural action/adventure/drama. I keep associating it with Shakugan no Shana because the girl looks like Shana, but the supernatural element and the flaming sword are really all they have in common that I can see. Thus far, it appears to be about a flame-wielding clan and a guy who was banished from it for having now powers. He then signed a contract with the god of wind and now has wind powers, but the god frames him for killing members of his family, plunging him into an all-out battle with the flame-wielders. There's enough hint of complexity and scheming to keep me interested for now.
Shining Tears X Wind - Anime based on fantasy RPGs inevitably turn out disappointing, but I can't resist them all the same. Episode 1 was mainly your standard set up: get the protagonist transported into another world, get him a weapon, throw in some cryptic prophecies and a love interest, and you're done. The pacing was definitely weird. There were a lot of unnecessary pauses between lines, and the lines themselves are delivered seemingly sluggishly and without feeling. The main character's voice somewhat grates on me -- Hoshi Souichirou has done plenty of uke and uke-type roles that I like (Oujirou from Angelic Layer, Sunao from Sukisho, Kazuki from Getbackers, Camus from Meine Liebe) but apparently his deeper "manly" voice is kind of bleh. I guess he has to save the uke voice for Zero. [That's another thing about this series -- I'm not sure I can handle another series with a character named Zero at the moment.] But the other two guys are played by Ishida Akira and Okiayu Ryoutarou, and I haven't heard the latter in so long that I kind of have to keep watching for now. Especially if Okiayu Ryoutarou's character becomes a villain. <3
Darker than Black - This series strikes me as amazingly crafted but not quite my genre. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's kind of film noir. It's kind of like Ghost in the Shell or Witch Hunter Robin, in that you have an investigative agency that's looking into people with supernatural powers -- though as far as I can tell the agents don't have powers of their own. To me, the pacing felt a bit slow, although I recognize that's part of the impact. I didn't actually look at the clock, but I wondered if I should stop watching and just set it aside as something I probably won't follow all the way through. By the end of the episode, though, I was mostly hooked. Because it's slow, though, I think it'll ultimately fall off the priority list. Definitely worth a try for everyone, though.
Saint Beast - Generic-ish BL fantasy. I really don't know what to say beyond that. It seems to lean more towards angst and action than comedy and optimism, so at least it won't be grating and outrageous like Gakuen Heaven. I'll be honest: if nothing else, I'll keep watching it for the seiyuu.
Romeo x Juliet - I was wavering on whether to try this one, and I finally gave in in hopes of hearing Okiayu Ryoutarou's Tybalt. I like it when anime takes a well-known story and adds a twist, just as I liked Shakespeare in Love. This looks to be along those lines. The Montagues rule Neo Verona with an iron fist, although Romeo has more benevolent tendencies, of course, and Juliet is in hiding as a man, while leading her own mini-resistance. I can't say I'm ever fond of the whole "friends turn against each other" plot device, but we'll see.
Kaibutsu Oujo (manga licensed as Resurrection Princess) - This show is like Hayate but less funny. Clueless guy gets killed and resurrected by the daughter of the king of monsters and ends up being her servant. That's as far as episode 1 got, but the humor just isn't as over-the-top as Hayate, and instead it seems to drag. I didn't really like the art style either -- I don't know how to describe it, with the goth and the chainsaws. The constantly jiggling breasts didn't help either. It's like they couldn't be bothered to be creative with their humor. ...I guess it's not all that bad. I'd probably watch it if there weren't so many other good shows.
Whew, I think that's all.
And I'm definitely watching the second season of Saiunkoku Monogatari, of course. :3
I figured I'd start with what I've seen, and update this as I go:
Heroic Age - Looks like a solid sci-fi series, if a bit typical. I almost forgot that anime, too, can have aliens that are, well, alien and bug-like, rather than pretty girls that hit on the protagonist. :P Scenery is good, the made-up science was inobtrusive but nice, mech designs don't bug me. Lots more explanation is needed, of course, but the first episode was a good introduction at a nice pace.
Touka Gettan - This story has gorgeous animation, lovely music, and beautiful style. . . . I just had absolutely no idea what was going on the entire time. Random flashbacks and cryptic conversations should be saved for after the audience is hooked, not as the hooks themselves. The character designs are by Carnelian, who also did Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, and thus far it reminds me of that series, which I kept watching in the hopes that it would eventually make sense, but it never did. I'll give it another episode just because it's so pretty in every other respect, but I don't have the patience these days for things that don't make sense. It also has the potential to lose all of its intringuing supernatural premises and turn into an ordinary high school romance, which would also be cause for ditching.
[ETA: Augh, I just can't do it. I can't ditch this series after episode 2. Still nothing makes sense, but it's just so pretty and stylish and intriguing. I'm not supposed to let opacity string me along like this, dammit. It did seem like things were starting to become more clear, and perhaps moving in the direction of boring and angst; or I'm just in denial.]
Hayate no Gotoku (Combat Butler Hayate) - Wow, this show is totally random and over-the-top, which is probably how it's supposed to be. The first episode was kind of intro, so I'll probably give it another episode, but right now it's looking too crazy for me. On the bright side, it's got Chiyo dad as narrator. It's also got Mahoraba-style character designs, in that people who are supposed to be in their late teens look prepubescent. It didn't bother me all that much in Mahoraba, but it's slightly worse with the lead girl here. But then again, the people who go after her are supposed to look like pedophiles...
[ETA: Okay, after the second episode, the show has reached appropriately ridiculous levels of insanity such that it's hilarious rather than off-putting. Props for the Black Lagoon reference. XD This one's a keeper.]
Kamichama Karin - This series -- well, mainly just the OP so far -- is a lot darker than I expected from the character designs and my impression of Koge Donbo (not that I've ever actually read anything by her). In some ways, it looks to end up like a typical magical girl series, but Karin and Kazune are cute, and I like Karin's personality so far, so, hey, why not? [I don't normally crush on guys with overly childlike character designs, but for the scene in the rain at the end, Kazune may become a first. It makes me feel dirty. ._.] The set-up is kind of similar to Saint October, another recent magical girl series, with a occult/gothic lolita twist, which kind of fell off everyone's radar and which I'm too lazy to watch raw, so maybe it can be a replacement. D:
Seirei no Moribito - This series just made me go, "Wow." The opening scenes were stunning -- they reminded me of the lighting of the beacons in Lord of the Rings, with the snow-capped mountains and rocky wastelands, and they were just as realistic. I think the CG helped, and, while noticeable, it didn't bother me, so props for that. The music is beautiful, and the writing is very effective. I almost passed this by because I didn't really like the character designs -- it's by Production I.G., so if you're used to Ghost in the Shell, you probably won't have any issues -- but it fits with the rest of the style fairly well. The setting and feel remind me of Kenshin OVA so far. The AniDB summary is kind of misleading in that there's no indication that Balsa, who is very kick-ass and fascinating, is the more likely protagonist, rather than Chagum, who always sounded kind of eh.
Claymore - Didn't last through the opening for this one. Stylized gore is not what I seek. The summary sounded so-so, and the manga looks cool, so I wavered and finally decided I should just give it a try, but my first instinct was right this time. From what little I saw, it reminds me of the little I've seen of Blood The Last Vampire in AMVs and such. Neither one suits my tastes.
So the theme of this season is amazing art. Either people suddenly learned amazing computer animation techniques, or budgets swelled massively this season, or they're splurging on the early episodes to attract an audience [and maybe by the end we'll have paper cut-outs like in KareKano, whee]. Whichever it is, I'm not complaining at the moment. *_*
Late additions:
[Split off because the "amazing art" comment doesn't necessarily apply.]
Kaze no Stigma - Looks like a good supernatural action/adventure/drama. I keep associating it with Shakugan no Shana because the girl looks like Shana, but the supernatural element and the flaming sword are really all they have in common that I can see. Thus far, it appears to be about a flame-wielding clan and a guy who was banished from it for having now powers. He then signed a contract with the god of wind and now has wind powers, but the god frames him for killing members of his family, plunging him into an all-out battle with the flame-wielders. There's enough hint of complexity and scheming to keep me interested for now.
Shining Tears X Wind - Anime based on fantasy RPGs inevitably turn out disappointing, but I can't resist them all the same. Episode 1 was mainly your standard set up: get the protagonist transported into another world, get him a weapon, throw in some cryptic prophecies and a love interest, and you're done. The pacing was definitely weird. There were a lot of unnecessary pauses between lines, and the lines themselves are delivered seemingly sluggishly and without feeling. The main character's voice somewhat grates on me -- Hoshi Souichirou has done plenty of uke and uke-type roles that I like (Oujirou from Angelic Layer, Sunao from Sukisho, Kazuki from Getbackers, Camus from Meine Liebe) but apparently his deeper "manly" voice is kind of bleh. I guess he has to save the uke voice for Zero. [That's another thing about this series -- I'm not sure I can handle another series with a character named Zero at the moment.] But the other two guys are played by Ishida Akira and Okiayu Ryoutarou, and I haven't heard the latter in so long that I kind of have to keep watching for now. Especially if Okiayu Ryoutarou's character becomes a villain. <3
Darker than Black - This series strikes me as amazingly crafted but not quite my genre. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's kind of film noir. It's kind of like Ghost in the Shell or Witch Hunter Robin, in that you have an investigative agency that's looking into people with supernatural powers -- though as far as I can tell the agents don't have powers of their own. To me, the pacing felt a bit slow, although I recognize that's part of the impact. I didn't actually look at the clock, but I wondered if I should stop watching and just set it aside as something I probably won't follow all the way through. By the end of the episode, though, I was mostly hooked. Because it's slow, though, I think it'll ultimately fall off the priority list. Definitely worth a try for everyone, though.
Saint Beast - Generic-ish BL fantasy. I really don't know what to say beyond that. It seems to lean more towards angst and action than comedy and optimism, so at least it won't be grating and outrageous like Gakuen Heaven. I'll be honest: if nothing else, I'll keep watching it for the seiyuu.
Romeo x Juliet - I was wavering on whether to try this one, and I finally gave in in hopes of hearing Okiayu Ryoutarou's Tybalt. I like it when anime takes a well-known story and adds a twist, just as I liked Shakespeare in Love. This looks to be along those lines. The Montagues rule Neo Verona with an iron fist, although Romeo has more benevolent tendencies, of course, and Juliet is in hiding as a man, while leading her own mini-resistance. I can't say I'm ever fond of the whole "friends turn against each other" plot device, but we'll see.
Kaibutsu Oujo (manga licensed as Resurrection Princess) - This show is like Hayate but less funny. Clueless guy gets killed and resurrected by the daughter of the king of monsters and ends up being her servant. That's as far as episode 1 got, but the humor just isn't as over-the-top as Hayate, and instead it seems to drag. I didn't really like the art style either -- I don't know how to describe it, with the goth and the chainsaws. The constantly jiggling breasts didn't help either. It's like they couldn't be bothered to be creative with their humor. ...I guess it's not all that bad. I'd probably watch it if there weren't so many other good shows.
Whew, I think that's all.
And I'm definitely watching the second season of Saiunkoku Monogatari, of course. :3
