asian_pride (Level 18)
Overview
Winter season’s finally over, and I can’t say I wasn’t at least okay with what I saw. Another was a definite, horrific surprise; Shaft was unabashed (really though, Isin Nisio is to blame) with the way they handled the fanservice in Nisemonogatari; Listen to Me Girls. I Am Your Father! (Papa no Iu Koto Kikinasai!) was a decent feelgood show for the most part, and I think I’m pretty much alone when it comes to enjoying the rather bizarre Thermae Romae—probably more than I actually should have.
I wanted to like but ended up being disappointed/don’t really care for Waiting in the Summer, Daily Lives of High School Boys, and Rinne no Lagrange. I’ve already found some shows to hate on with the amazing, epic storyline of High School DxD and…probably the ‘best’ rom-com, omnibus anime ever made with Amagami SS+ plus. At least I’ve finally found some worthy candidates for my future ‘Worst of 2012’ list, so look forward to that!
Spring 2012
But enough about that, Spring 2012 is here! It’s only been a week and a half in, but I think I’m going to enjoy this season more than the last. Hopefully. Here are some of my quick impressions of each show I checked out:
Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
I love anything Lupin III, and when I heard about a new Lupin TV series last month, I was stoked. Already two episodes in, and I’m enjoying it. The very first thing you notice is its visual art. It has an old-school look to it, yet it feels new at the same time. Character designs and background are well detailed, chock-full of shading and charcoal/pencil marks. It’s probably a bit too excessive for some, but I didn’t mind it too much. Oh, and the jazz music? Excellent. Yuji Ohno would've been ideal as the composer, but I’m liking Naruyoshi Kikuchi’s work so far.
Presentation-wise, the film noir style evident in episode 2 was great, and right now they’re introducing the characters you’ll be expecting to see for the rest of the show: The master thief Lupin III himself, the femme fatale and central character of the show Fujiko Mine, and the hard-nosed Inspector Zenigata in episode 1, and the gun-slinging Jigen Daisuke being the primary focus of the second. Given that pattern, I’m expecting samurai extraordinaire Goemon Ishikawa to show up in the third.
Also, boobs. Did I mention that already? Yeah. Boobs. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine contains the ‘sensuality’ element present in Monkey Punch’s original manga, and it’s nice to see a show intended for an older audience. It’s just a show oozing with style, and I hope this attracts new audiences to the series.
Fate/Zero
Wow, what an opening. Berserker controlling an F-15 and having an epic dogfight with everyone’s favorite asshole, Gilgamesh? And I thought Berserker (Fate/stay night) transforming into a car was pretty awesome. Argh, this just makes me wish for a second season of Carnival Phantasm with the Fate/Zero cast in it. Is that wrong?
Right now, I don’t think there is much to say how much I’m enjoying this show as much as Lupin III. It’s just jam packed with great action, quality animation, and a better story and characters that rival that of the Kara no Kyoukai movies. It’s everything Fate/stay night should’ve been in the first place.
Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? Of the Dead
So…zombies. Well a zombie, really. There’s also a necromancer, vampire, err…women…? A mahou shoujo…did I forget anybody else?
The first Kore wa Zombie was fairly enjoyable, and to see that there aren’t any major changes to speak is a-okay with me. And it looks like there will be new girls to add to Ayumu’s harem, which is always great. Can’t wait for the action parts of it.
Sankarea
And here’s the other zombie show. I was not planning to see this at all, but then I thought, “Hey, why not?” So far, doesn’t seem awful. The main character doesn’t seem like the typical dumb, perverted type you usually see in ecchi/harem/romance shows, and the girl is pretty cute. And I understand this has zombies in it? With the way the first episode ends, I’m weirdly interested in how they’ll convey the undead parts of the show.
Kids on the Slope (Sakimichi no Apollon)
Honestly, I was going to dismiss this one as well until I saw that Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno were on board for this project. Going into the first episode, it’s incredibly…middling so far. But it’s only been the first episode, so I’m going to hold my judgment until after watching more episodes. Since it’s Watanabe and Kanno we’re talking about here, I’m willing to give this a chance. It does look good though.
Upotte!!
I think I’ve just found my “WTF!” anime of the year. From reading about it initially, I thought “Hey, this looks really dumb and bad. Ima go watch it!” And here I am. I got some laughs out of the rather suggestive jokes they were pitching (FNC almost having an orgasm about her “hammer” was probably the best one). Overall, I just can’t seem to wrap my head around what the fuck I just watched, but it was funny to say the least.
Might Watch (just for the hell of it)
- Zetman
- Jormungand
- Shirokuma Cafe
- Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals
- Space Brothers (Uchuu Kyoudai)
These shows I don’t really have any interest in but might eventually check them out. If you think any of the shows above are worth watching, let me know. Or if it’s not on the list, suggest some stuff.
And there you have it. Overall, I think Spring 2012’s going to turn out alright. For once, it’s great to be excited for anime that doesn’t have the words ‘Fate’ and ‘Zero’ in it. I have a good feeling about the ones I’ve already started watching, and there’s bound to be a surprise or two down the road. As long as I enjoy 2-3 shows each season, I guess that’s fine, right?
Don’t know if I’ll write more blogs like this, but it all depends on how motivated I am to do so. Other than that, thanks for reading and enjoy the song.
Oh, School Food Punishment. How I already miss you so. *sigh* =/
I've already seen a fair amount of shows, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed so far. I don't separate shows from what season they came out with, so I'm just going to combine both Spring and Summer '11 just for the hell of it.
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Hanasaku Iroha
Steins;Gate
Mayo Chiki!
Directed by the same guy who did Hayate the Combat Butler, I immediately jumped in to check it out. The first two episodes seem alright first impressions-wise, so I'm going to watch more episodes as I go along. I hope they don't go over-the-top with the fanservice, but that probably seems unlikely at this point.This is what I've been enjoying this year so far, but there are a bunch more I want to check out:
Usagi Drop
Kamisama Dolls
Kamisama no Memochou
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (AnoHana)
Persona 4: The Animation
That's it, so far, though I'm sure more will pop up as the year rolls on. I also have a bad habit of starting shows and never actually finishing them. I'm changing that this year. I've already slaved through Hayate and enjoyed my fair share of comedy with shows like Cromartie High School and Seto no Hanayome. I'm almost done with shows like Gurren Lagann and Welcome to the NHK. My list of unfinished anime shows is even bigger than that, so it's going to be a stretch actually going through all of them when 2011 eventually ends.
Aaaannndddd that ends my 2011 impressions so far. I'll probably write something like this for year-end stuff, but we'll see. Thanks for reading!
