CrackedOnyx (Level 10)
The Endurance Run of Persona 4 was part of what brought me to the Whiskey Media sites, so while I still haven't taken the initiative to play the game myself--it is around one hundred hours long, after all--I do have fond memories of it. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it would be getting what sounded like a straight-up anime adaptation, and I was even more enthused to learn that the Anime Network would be simulcasting the show. Well, I've been looking forward to this for a good week or so, and after a busy day, it was nice to sit back, relax, and watch the start of my first Fall 2011 anime.
So, how was it? Well, for starters, those expecting surprises will be very disappointed. The first episode is an extremely loyal adaptation of the first two hours or so of the game; there are no meaningful deviations from the storyline. On the other hand, old fans who want to see P4's story in a new format will be very happy with this.
For the uninitiated, P4 begins with high school student Narukami Yu arriving in Inaba, yada yada...hell, any of the 5 people who haven't seen the ER can just watch the bloody episode. In any case, astute readers will have noticed that the main character does, in fact, have a name. In fact, Narukami Yu has a voice, as well as a personality. However, this is one of the few deviations from the original storyline shown in this episode. The rest is a direct adaptation of Persona 4 rife with little nods to the game; since these are the only surprises the episode has in store, I'll refrain from spoiling them.
While the oodles of nostalgia make the show quite enjoyable, it stands up quite well on its own. The animation is solid, the few bits of new music are more than decent, and the only fight scene shown was decent, if not exactly exciting--it's hard to feel any trepidation when you know who wins.
In all honesty, there isn't much to say about this. I can't help but compare this with another straight adaptation job, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. While it was loyal to the original manga, it was also flexible; there were occasional surprises. This show is so loyal to the original game that while I certainly enjoyed the first episode, I don't have much to say about it. I hope to see some reactions from folks who haven't played or watched the game, because I just can't come to this fresh.
In any case, I urge any of the two or three people who might read this to give the first episode of Persona 4: The Animation a whirl. You can find it today on The Anime Network here, or you can wait until tomorrow, when it will show up on hulu.
Oh wow, it feels odd to be back here! Haven't dropped in since...June, apparently! It's been a wild and crazy couple of months, but I doubt either of the two or three people who might give this a look will be interested in hearing about all that, so.
So! Over the last week, I've watched most of Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! (off topic: does anyone else find it annoying when shows incorporate exclamation marks into their titles? Baccano! and Negima! were bad enough, but then things escalated with titles like Durarara!! and Negima!?; what gives?). The first season came out of nowhere and impressed me with its fun animation quirks and occasionally twisted sense of humor, so I definitely looked forward to this one after hearing about it. Did the second season live up to my high hopes?
Pretty much, yeah.
The characters are still as watchable as before; Akihisa persists in being an oblivious idiot, Yuuji continues to lead the class while suffering his clingy would-be fiancee Shouko's violent shows of affection, and Hideyoshi is still more feminine than his twin sister. Meanwhile, Shimada and Himeji still pine after Akihisa even as they torment him with spectacular displays of violence and lethally awful cooking, respectively. All of the cast get some time in the spotlight, and a few get more than decent character development; Akihisa and Shimada probably get the most airtime of the lot, which makes sense, as several episodes focus on their rocky relationship. Of course, all the delightful side characters are still present as well. The FFF lurk in the shadows with pitchforks and clubs at the ready, Kubo is just as infatuated with Akihisa as ever, and Miharu still hasn't given up on her quest to butcher Akihisa (the poor kid just can't catch a break) and get into Shimada's pants.
Ni! consists mostly of two- and three-episode arcs, as well as a few flashback episodes interspersed among the rest, but otherwise things are mostly the same--by no means a bad thing. The animation is as fast-paced and unpredictable as ever, with wild art shifts at every moment. The humor is more twisted than ever; each episode is sure to draw out a few laughs, even the serious one.
Yes, you heard that right; Baka and Test actually has a couple of moments of genuine (if short-lived) drama, including one episode that, while not devoid of laughs, is certainly the closest that the show has come to taking anything seriously. Thankfully, it's executed pretty well, and said episode was probably one of my favorites of the season.
All in all, Ni! continues to do what the previous season of Baka and Test excelled at. The animation is flawless, and the charming cast manages to stumble into insane but well-written and hilarious situations on a regular basis. While there are a few notable deviations from the first season's formula--as mentioned above, there are flashback episodes, and one of them is very different in tone from the rest of the season--all of them only add to the show's impressive overall quality. I can definitely recommend this one to any of the two or three people reading this.
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! is available for viewing on YouTube here, as well as on Hulu, and presumably on Funimation's own video site as well (but why would anyone touch that ugly thing?). The first season is available online as well, but a prior viewing of that isn't necessarily necessary (I think I just broke the English language; man I'm awesome). From what I can tell, there's just one episode left for this season, so now's as good a time as any to give the show a whirl!
After seeing the last episode this morning, I felt...drained. If I had to compare it to anything else, it would be the feeling I get after watching something like Gurren Lagann or Wolf's Rain. Both were wild rides with plenty of dramatic twists and heart-wrenching character deaths, and both had endings that just didn't quite satisfy. Since not everyone has had the good fortune to see Gurren Lagann, or the dubious fortune of watching Wolf's Rain back when it aired on Adult Swim's anime block back in the Stone Age, I won't post any details of what exactly happened at the ending of each show.
Or is there? The second season takes a different direction than the first; the writers spend a lot of time exploring just what their world of contractors and otherworldly Gates would look like from the perspective of a teenage girl, and to be honest, it can be pretty horrible at times. To make matters worse, the people around her are all absolute bastards; even Hei, who was the nicest person in the first season, is a horrible jerk to the girl.
This isn't the only change; the music is decidedly different, although just as enjoyable as Yoko Kanno's work from the first season. Almost none of the old flock of characters have returned, and the few who have returned have also switched sides--sometimes more than once. However, as a whole, the cast is just as memorable as that from the first, and benefits from yet another change: this season ditches the more episodic structure used in the first in favor of a single linear storyline, which allows viewers to become more attached to a smaller cast of characters, as opposed to a flood of bit players who come and go with each plot arc.
In the end, I'm just not sure how to feel about the second season of Darker Than Black. The characters are great, the fights are great, and the music is great, but while the story as a whole is interesting and compelling, the ending is even more confusing and dissatisfying than that of Wolf's Rain, and raises far more questions than it answers. While there seem to be a few interquel OVAs to bridge the gap between seasons one and two, I have yet to hear any word of a third season, which means that for the time being, those questions are going to go unanswered.
That being said, I definitely recommend this show to anyone who wants a good, enjoyable, twelve-episode anime. The first season is great and has been released as part of Funimation's "Classics" line, but for those unwilling to fork over thirty or forty bucks, the second season doesn't necessarily require having seen the first, and doesn't spoil too much from the first season, either. You can find the first season here on Amazon; it's going for about $35, though that is of course subject to change. As for the second season, you can find it here on Hulu.
Last time I checked in, Keima Katsuragi was helping the overachieving demon school graduate Haqua to capture her first loose soul. Predictably, Haqua's jealousy over old classmate Elsea's unusually quick progress makes her vulnerable to the loose soul, leading to a dramatic setback that lasts for maybe five or ten minutes before Elsea swoops in to save the day with a short pep talk and some suitably heartwarming music. While I saw this coming a mile--or rather, an episode--away, it was at least nice to see Elsea get in on the action for once.
Of course, things don't go precisely according to plan, and by the end of the arc, Keima is forced to drive out the loose soul himself. While the three-episode arc ended up following the usual formula, I still enjoyed watching Keima's attempts at playing matchmaker. The arc plays out like a demented Japanese take on My Fair Lady until near the end, when I was almost sorry to see the parallels collapse. It's a pity; I had almost hoped to hear Keima belt out his own take on "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face."
While I don't expect much out of this show, given its formulaic nature so far, it definitely continues to entertain, and I still recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy with an interesting premise. You can find the first and second seasons here on Crunchyroll.
An even bigger surprise, though, is the posting of both dubbed seasons of Birdy the Mighty: Decode on hulu. I loved the hell out of this show when I watched the subtitled version nearly a year ago, and seeing that Funimation's put the English dub up, for however short a time, was an extremely nice start to my morning.
While the story is enjoyable and the characters are endearing, the show stands out more for its smooth animation and distinctive musical style, both of which play a huge part in making the plentiful fight scenes more exciting than the average fare. Birdy does most of her inline skating and alien punching (these two activities are not mutually exclusive) to some pretty epic orchestral tunes.
Which was all very fine and good in Japanese, but how does the English dub hold up? Well, long story short--it's good so far. The principal voice actors all do a great job, and while I wouldn't call their performance uniformly better than that of their Japanese counterparts, I certainly wouldn't call it worse, either. My favorite out of the bunch, at least in the episodes I've watched this morning, is probably Tsutomu himself, whose voice actor brings a fun mixture of honesty and snark to much of his dialogue.
Birdy the Mighty: Decode is a very good series, and putting the dubbed version up will hopefully give newcomers an incentive to give the show a chance. You can find the first episode here on hulu, or here on YouTube.
