sickVisionz (Level 24)
The Spring 2012 anime season is kicking into high gear. Some shows have already started airing and a glutton will be arriving this week. This season has more shows that I want to check out than usual and as they air, I plan on writing a quick first episode impressions on them. Now, it's important to note that these are not reviews of the entire series. They are simply my quick opinion on on the impression that the first few episodes gave me.
Yurumates
Quick Summary
A high school graduate moves into an apartment building filled with crazy college kids.
Quick Thoughts
The opening theme was incredibly short for this series. That should have been the first sign. Anyways, this episode kicked off decent enough. The animation was good enough, the art style reminded me of Hanamaru Kindergarten a bit, which was a bit of a let down due to me having seen an image somewhere that looked like it was ripped straight from Scott Pilgrim. Anyways, things seemed decent enough to continue on and just at it seemed like it was going to start getting to the funny, the screen went black and I saw the familiar Crunchyroll "replay" symbol. I had no clue whatsoever that this was a three minute anime series.
Quick Verdict
2/5 Dropping It
Nothing really grabbed me, but it did seem like it was about to get pretty good before it ended. I'm not interested in watching a three minute series though and, unfortunately, I'll probably have completely forgotten about this once there are 30 minutes worth of episodes that could be watched back-to-back.
View the Wiki - Watch the Series
Sengoku Collection
Quick Summary
A teenage tsundere Nobunaga Oda is teleported to modern day Japan.
Quick Thoughts
Many will either write this series off or fall in love with it based off that summary and what it brings to mind. After enjoying some goofy moe fanservice shows, I'm willing to give stuff like this a shot and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this episode. The tone reminds me a lot of Cat Planet Cuties (I hate that name change more and more every time I hear it), but with less fan service. The second both of them kick off you know what to expect, but there is a surprising amount of heart and genuine funny bits to be had in both along with your typical girl and boy comedy gags.
I also really enjoy the art style of it, especially the backgrounds. They have an almost watercolor look, which isn't particularly unique on its own, but there is often a cloth-like texture underneath it that gives it the impression that it was drawn on tapestry or some other similar surface. When combined with the relative simpleness of the art (including the characters), it really creates an inviting tone that I fell in love with over the course of the episode. The animation ranges from average to good, with the best element usually being Nobunaga's hair blowing in the wind with a level of fluidity that really draws your attention to it.
Quick Verdict
3.5/5 Sticking With It
Who knows how things will go in the future, as the show apparently will have a new historical figure put in the role of an anime stereotype every week, but this episode ended up being far more enjoyable than I thought it would and I'm glad I checked it out.
