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So, I always heard a lot of great things about Bakemonogatari. Well, in all honesty I can't remember any specifics about what I heard so maybe I should just say that I've heard Bakemonogatari mentioned alot around the anime world. Yep, I'll go with that.

*reset*

So, Bakemonogatari is a pretty popular title around the internet but I never actually got around to watching it. I did watch Katanagatari, based off of a light novel by the same author, and I fell in love with it. When I heard that another series of his was going to be animated, I knew I'd be there day one. Well, that series is Nisemonogatari, a direct sequel which I believe is a direct sequel to Bakemonogatari.

Nisemonogatari

This immediately brought up a problem: I've never seen Bakemonogatari and this is a sequel. The series isn't available legally on any streaming sites and I don't watch fansubs anymore so there is basically no way I'm going to watch it before NiG (my clever way of shortening all of these xgatari series). Would this be a sequel like Ghostbusters 2 where you really don't need any familiarity with the prior movie to pick it up or is this like jumping headfirst into Matrix Revolutions without having seen any of the other films? The mystery awaited me.

Well, less than 30 minutes ago I finished the first episode of NiG and here's what I thought. Now a caution: I have done ZERO research into the prior series so all of this is solely based off of one episode. Also, I'm going to try and present this as unedited as possible.

Act 1

Ok, the first that hit me were the visuals. As you can see in the picture below, this entire part is shot drawn in super wide screen film aspect ratio. Additionally, there is crazy bloom lighting all over the place. I thought to myself, well even if the show is confusing and I don't get it, it is cool to look at. Outside of the art style, the animation is pretty nice as well and shots are framed up in pretty cool way.

It's got black bars like a movie!

So anyways, that was my "I've been watching for 5 seconds" thoughts. As for the situation, some guy named Koyomi got kidnapped by this cute girl named Hitagi. From the outside looking in, they seem to have some type of history. She seems a little off in the head and says that she loves him, but hey, women can be crazy, right? No real shock about any of this. So, there's some sexual innuendo going on between the two of them but she really seems kinda crazy in love. I thought this was pretty interesting to watch and it made me curious about what their history was.

Now, one very important thing that I feel should be brought up. This act also immediately brought the first episodes of KaG (Katanagatari) and Tatami Galaxy to mind for one reason: they talk... a lot. Well, no. That's not really why. They talk a lot in the first episode of Fate/Zero but it's not like this. NiG reminded me of those shows because of the speed at which they talk. Everyone speaks like the Micro Machines guy or the person at the end of a car commercial that turbo charges their way through what should be like 10 seconds of legalese in 2 seconds flat. It's not quite as bad as Tatami where I eventually just gave up and came to the conclusion that you weren't supposed to catch everything being said, but it gets close to it.

Anyways, cool segment. It got my attention.

Act 2

So, somehow Koyomi is now in his house. I don't remember exactly how it transitioned to it and, keeping in line with my unedited style, I'm not going to go back for clarity. Plus, meh. I don't remember being puzzled at the time so I'm sure the transition makes sense while you're watching it.

Anyways, this segment I think this segment introduces Koyomi's sister Tsukihi. I don't really remember what her name was because #1 I'm terrible with English names of real people, let alone Japanese names of fake people and #2 everyone calls each other Oni, Ani, Nee, etc so it's not like you get the chance to have the named drilled into your head anyways. ANYWAYS, the two of them are talking and it really reminds me of, I want to say Tatami Galaxy because everything is really visually stylized. The house they stay in is very stark and they do a lot of cuts they keep what might be a boring scene visually interesting.

This is also where more anime tropes start coming in and the dialog calms down. Sometimes this stuff can make me groan but with this show, it grounded it more for me and put me into a comfort zone rather than making me facepalm. I think it's because I'm new to this entire world that obviously has a lot going on and if I was treated to another throw you in the middle of it scene I might have started to feel lost.

It wouldn't be anime if teenage characters weren't introduced via an upskirt shot now would it?

So as you see, we get some service and Koyomi calls up this chick who is clearly and obviously in love with him, everyone else on the planet seems to be aware that she is in love with him, but duh, he's totally oblivious to it all. It's executed a lot better than I may be making it sound and the oblivious to love thing actually made me chuckle with how they did it.

Also... dude was a vampire. I like how they kinda just casually through that in there in the middle of a nice scene between a teenage brother and sister.

Act 3

At the end of the previous act, Koyomi decides to chill out with the girl who he doesn't know likes him. He invites his sister to come, but having a brain and knowing that the girl obviously wants him to come alone, she declines. So, on the way to ole girl's house Koyomi sees a little girl and goes on a Zetsubou Sensei-esque inner monologue of much debate, confusion and explaining (safe to assume these two have a complex history, although I incorrectly thought they were enemies at first) before running up and giving her a huge super duper silly hug.

Ahh, isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Now, I'm pretty sure this girl is a vampire or some sort of monster since her immediate reaction to someone creeping on her from behind was to sprout claws and scamper up a light pole like a squirrel. This act is both my favorite out of the three and the most... what @Tom_Pinchuk would call "tricky" since Koyomi is constantly talking about how he wants to lick her or see her panties. It seemed weird and kinda out of the blue and I couldn't tell if he was joking because at some points the duo seemed like old friends catching up with each other and then in other parts dude is plotting to see her undies. Anyways, I had the courage to sit through and enjoy it for what it was.

Takeaways

Continuity

It's Tricky...Tr-tr-tr-tricky (Tricky) Trrrrrrrrrrricky

I got through the first episode and I have to say, I never felt particularly confused in a bad way. I don't know all of the character backgrounds and histories, but everyone's relationships with each other were laid out well enough for me to understand where they stood with each other, which I'm hoping is all I'll need going forward. If you've been hesitant about watching this without having seen BaG, definitely check it out.

Visuals

I really love the visuals. The character designs look like a lot of other shows, but the art style, particualrly how things are lit and colored really stands out. I can't recall anything similar to it.

Weekly Shaft Construction, Inc Special: pay for 3 broken walls and the 4th is free

I also LOVE the shots that they chose. There are a lot of interesting angles with things overlapping each other to create visually interesting scenes that could potentially be really drab if and boring if done any other way.

Comedy

The show has a lot of funny moments in it. The 4th wall is shattered multiple times and there a lot of subtle little jokes and lines here and there that you could miss if you're not paying attention, which I love but don't see enough of. It also has a few straight up you're supposed to laugh at this gags that are pretty funny as well.

I Bid You Adieu

Well, that's that. Definitely a worthwhile way to spend 24 minutes and like any good episode, it grabbed me enough to want to see what will happen in the next one. You can watch the series online via Crunchyroll at http://www.crunchyroll.com/nisemonogatari

Picture Gallery

-William Taylor ( sickvisionz ) is lazy by nature, procrastinator by trade. You can also find him on Twitter @mrsickvisionz and on Tumblr at In My Lifetime.

Having been absent from the Vice for too long, I've decided to return with the Winter 2012 season. You know what that means:

For a good amount of anime viewers, I'd say it's always time for piracy, even outside of Bodacious Space Pirates. Unlike contemporary pirates, however, these Space Pirates are legally sanctioned.

As of 7 January 2012, I've seen the first episodes of light novel adaptation Bodacious Space Pirates, harem visual novel adaptation-sequel Amagami SS+, and 4koma "moeblob" adaptation Kill Me Baby. I've also enjoyed my first simulcast (via Crunchyroll, which I would definitely recommend as a legal outlet for new anime) with Nisemonogatari.

Nisemonogatari

If you called me out for being most excited about Nadeko Sengoku's makeover in Nisemonogatari, I wouldn't argue against it. What can I say?
I love characters voiced by Kana Hanazawa. I'll even admit that I still listen to Ren'ai Circulation from time to time, too.

Straight up: if you haven't watched Bakemonogatari and are into intelligent occult-themed thrillers as well as the prominent, minimalist-yet-beautiful production style of SHAFT, I highly recommend you do so now. Its Winter 2012 sequel, Nisemonogatari, is already promising to be an entertaining ride filled with the wit of original light novel author Nisio Isin. I'd go so far to say that Nisemonogatari is the most anticipated Winter 2012 anime - and having just finished its simulcast on Crunchyroll - I can say for certain it will be the Winter 2012 series I will follow most religiously.

Why would I especially recommend that those interested in Nisemonogatari watch Bakemonogatari first, though? Out of sheer confidence in their craft, SHAFT wastes no time for reintroducing any of Bakemonogatari's extensive cast or recapping on the previous season. In the typical first episode style, the viewer is dropped into the story in media res - the first scenes of Nisemonogatari is an endearing, classic exchange between protagonist Koyomi Araragi and Hitagi Senjogahara.

What isn't there love about witty, eccentric, and domineering Hitagi Senjogahara? Not to mention the fact she carries an infinite amount of stationary that she can easily kill a person with...

The first episode is dialogue-heavy and doesn't hold back on the series' best aspects. Most of the entire cast is revisited with few exceptions, and each encounter throughout the episode relishes on the most endearing aspects between the series' characters while hinting strongly towards impending events with Araragi's eldest little sister, Karen. (Not to mention the episode title is literally "Karen Bee, Part 1" - despite the fact she actually has no screentime.) While some may understandably see this episode as a slow burn (considering how Bakemonogatari started with Araragi nearly having his tongue stapled!), I loved everything about about it and I'm definitely excited to follow Nisemonogatari. Thanks to Crunchyroll simulcasting, I will be sure to devote Saturday 12:30PM EST solely to this series.

Bodacious Space Pirates (Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku)

I don't know what possessed the shift between literal translation Miniskirt Space Pirates into Bodacious Space Pirates but I'm sure either form would probably turn away a lot of potential viewers. Either way, Kana Hanazawa will be having a busy season! Beyond voicing Nisemonogatari's Nadeko Sengoku, she will also lend her voice for Bodacious Space Pirates co-heroine Chiaki Kurihara.

Okay so I guess I can see the miniskirt part of the title. And Kana Hanazawa's voice (Voicing Chiaki Kurihara, right) does make this a bodacious title...

Essentially, this series looks like it will be a coming-of-age space opera featuring a semi-competent space-yacht club member and part-time maid café waitress Marika Kato (left) who must succeed her late father as a space pirate captain. I can already tell this series will incorporate gratuitous space battles (budget permitting) and a load of fanservice. Nevertheless, Kana Hanazawa is voicing a protagonist. So I must. Watch. This. Even though this will a hit-or-miss for a good number of people.

For an anime that places itself in a very action-oriented genre, the first episode was a slow burn of backstory, with the rapid buildup of tension into the beginning of formal action with a sudden gunfight saved for the last few minutes leading into cliffhanger. Some might quickly dismiss this series but I'll try to keep an eye on it, if only for Kana Hanazawa.

Amagami SS+

Few may remember summer 2010's harem visual novel adaptation Amagami SS. Those that do will probably remember the general distaste towards the conclusion of Rihoko's arc, which essentially threw away the best possible ending for her (Rihoko being the only heroine in the anime without the best possible ending) in favor of sending demeaning subliminal messages to Japanese viewers that "chubby girls only get friend zoned." While I was kidding about the subliminal messaging part, I do think it was backwards for the adaptation to not allow Rihoko to get the best ending when every other heroine, a stalker and even the protagonist's little sister get the most socially-acceptable amount of love possible.

My jab at the Rihoko arc aside, Amagami SS+ picks up where each arc from the previous season left off. So the makers actually have a chance to fix their malicious social commentary in favor of a better Rihoko ending. This is also an indicator for those new to Amagami to either continue on to the next part of this article if they aren't interested or start watching Amagami SS if you like harem visual novel anime adaptations. While it is competent it is certainly not among the best.

Nevertheless, I personally loved Amagami SS for the perverted antics of our protagonist and how he acted on them shamelessly, leading to some genuinely entertaining moments.

Where in the anime's first season each heroine had 4 episodes, Amagami SS+ will devote 2 episodes to each heroine. It looks like we've got a different order of arcs this time around, too, since the first episode was the beginning of Ayatsuji Tsukasa's arc. For those familiar with Ayatsuji, some may be surprised that she seriously hooked up with our typical perv protagonist Jun'ichi Tachibana. The amount of high school drama in this arc - having to do with an Ayatsuji rival who wants to win Student Council President from her even if it takes exploiting Jun'ichi's ineptitude to resist the allure of young women - seems like a unique way to start us off and I'm drawn to watch it all unfold. Fans of the previous iteration will likely also enjoy this new season.

Kill Me Baby: Baby, please kill me

Between the outrageous reading of this anime's title and the hilariously ridiculous opening, I just had to include the above video. I don't know what it is about how the melodramatic Japanese-accented English (I mean just listen to how "Baby, please kill me" is read off in the first few seconds of that video!) is so entertaining for me, but I think the video as a whole is telling on what Kill Me Baby is all about: moeblob shenanigans. Honestly, as tired as the genre is, I find this series endearing.

Also, for those interested - despite the character designs that suggest so - Rie Kugimiya isn't voicing any of the featured protagonists of this series. She will, however, be voicing someone to be introduced later in the series airing.

Seriously, doesn't she look like she should be voiced by Rie Kugimiya? Well, she isn't.

Considering how one of the protagonists is an overly cautious assassin (Sonya, pictured above), another is a shady ninja and the third is a normal happy-go-lucky moeblob girl, this may attract those into slapstick and those who aren't tired of 4koma adaptations. By the way, I refer to moeblobs lovingly (which may be considered derogatory to some fans of the genre for some reason) since I'd say the genre is still a guilty pleasure for me. Especially after Nichijou, which ended up being a sleeper hit for me.

I kept the subtitles just to demonstrate the kind of ridiculousness this show is about. Works for me! May not work for everyone.

If it continues to entertain me, I'll definitely keep Kill Me Baby as my guilty pleasure for this season. While the comedy isn't top-notch, I'm a sucker for slapstick and even anti-humor to an extent, so I was thoroughly entertained.

CONCLUSION

We're barely in the thick of the Winter 2012 season and I feel like I've already seen a little bit of everything. My universal recommendation would be Nisemonogatari with a prerequisite of Bakemonogatari, while the other series I'd only recommend to those especially interested in the respective genres aforementioned. Otherwise, they'll be hit-or-miss and your mileage may vary. I'll look out for more Winter 2012 anime series.

Actually, Zero no Tsukaima Final airs tomorrow. Expect something on that!

This was a interesting series. First season started off with a boy name Lag Seeing as he is literally delivered by a Letter Bee (Like UPS with magic guns), Gauche Suede. From his little journey with the Letter Bee, Lag learns of the trials and hardships these guys go through and soon to respect him for what Gauche had to do, which was to support his sister, Sylvette. Five years later, Lag now joins Letter Bees for not only doing the job Gauche did but also looking for him as it appears that he has gone missing. During his Seach, Lag meets up with interesting people including a Dingo (A protector) name Niche and discovers all sorts of things in this beautiful wasteland. Season 2 starts off with a surprise of Gauche appearing in front of  Lag and in a completely different person than when we and Lag first saw him. While season 2 will be heading in to a different plot line, its look still reminds will the beauty of the night sky and cold grounds of the wasteland. For anyone looking for a tale of discovery and meaning, take a look at this.  
 

Arakawa Under the Bridge X Bridge

Again, SHAFT just want Hiroshi Kamiya Characters to just suffer by the hands of weird events and characters. Arakawa season 2 is pretty much like season 1 was with its weird style of comady, weird but complex characters like the ex star head guitar player, Hoshi, or the Sister, a male nun with a submachine gun. Look of the series stays true to SHAFT's art style of abstract colors, design, and symbols. For those who are looking for something outside the usual, here one to try out.
 

To Aru Majutsu no Index 2  

Finally we return to the series that brought us the misfortune, super arm, Touma Kamijou, as he try to live a normal life while in-charge of protecting Index. This series can go off in weird directions with its world of espers and magic but when it gets on track with its concept, it can get pretty interesting. Already the first episode shows off a bad man getting hold of Index so that he can use the knowledge in her head (She pretty much a database of magic books) to help his wife, plus some nice action, and the usual J.C. staff's comedy. This seasons Index is very much a follow up and it is recommended that you see season 1 and maybe Railgun before jumping in to this one.

 Don't try this at home kids.

Brief Overview

 The class of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

• Kafuka Fuura - Sees everything in the most positive way possible.  Even in grim situations like when Nozomu tries hanging himself, she calls it "becoming taller" because her mother did it as well.
• Chiri Kitsu - She wants everything to be absolutely perfect even if she has to be extremely violent.
  
• Abiru Kobushi - A girl who is always heavily bandaged.  Most people think she is like that because she is a victim of domestic violence.  Her injuries are actually due to her pulling the tails of animals, which is a fetish of hers.
• Kiri Komori - A hikikomori.  She was locked up in here room until one day when Nozomu and Kafuka try to get her to come to school.  Kafuka believes that she is a zashiki-warashi and end up scaring her out of her home.  Now she ends up living at the school.
  
• Matoi Tsunetsuki - A stalker.  First she stalks her ex-boyfriend, but ends up stalking Nozomu after misinterpreting something he had said.
• Nami Hito - A completely ordinary girl who takes offense when you call her normal.
• Harumi Fujiyoshi - A fan of yaoi and cat ears.
• Taro Maria Sekiutsu - An illegal immigrant of unknown nationality.
• Meru Otonashi - A girl who does not talk and only communicates through text messages, which are very abusive.
• Kaere/Kaede Kimura - Suffers from dissociative identity disorder.  Kaede is an ultimately Japanese woman.  Kaere is a foreigner who is very disgusted with with Japanese culture.  Through out most of the show she is Kaere.  Kaere/Kaede is also the source of all the fan fanservice in the show with many panty shots.
• Ai Kaga - A very shy and insecure girl who constantly apologizes for trivial matters and things she didn't even do. 
• Manami Okusa - A married high schooler.
• Mayo Mitama -  An evil looking girl who always commits horrible acts. Not wanting to be accused of reacting to stereotypes, people simply assume she is a good girl who only looks evil.

My Thoughts

Kiri Komori - A hikikomori

 Kaere and her fanservice.  :)

Review in a Nutshell

• The bizarre cast of characters.
• Stylish Art Style
• Lots of memorable moments through out the show.
• I really dug the music.
• Lots a great cameos
• I'M IN DESPAIR!
  

• Some chapters where a little to fast paced
• I didn't get some of the chapters.  Left me saying "OK, I don't get it."
  

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