I have enjoyed both seasons of The World God Only Knows. Especially the last arc of each season (s1 - Shiori "the quiet librarian" Shiomiya, and s2 - Jun "student teacher" Nagase). On the whole, TWGOK has been able to provide some striking social commentary. And whether or not this was intentional, I have found that the female characters I empathized with the most were the ones who had last arc of each season. In this blog I just want to lay out a situation in episode 10 involving Jun Nagase that I found cool, and then give some thoughts about it.
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The World God Only Knows, season 2, episode 10. The second episode of the Jun Nagase arc. Jun Nagase is a female student teacher. She is rather cute and well-formed and wonderfully voiced by Toyosaki Aki. Nagase at first seems rather energetic and optimistic about becoming a teacher. So she can help students and put them on the right path to a better life! At first she is generally well-liked by students and staff, especially male students. But things soon change as Nagase tries to take matters into her own hands and goes out of her way to help others.
For example, she notices that another teacher (Mr. Kodama) yelled at a student for always doing poorly on tests, calling him a failure. Nagase tries to tell Mr. Kodama off, saying he shouldn't be mean to students and try and help them, but she is just ignored and brushed off. Then when Nagase approaches the "failing" student and offers to help him study, he tries to refuse her. Two other female students who happen to be nearby interject and saying things like, "Don't worry he (Mr. Kodama/the student) is just like that." Nagase tries to argue by asking, "But isn't it a teacher's job to help students? Don't you think it's wrong that he (the teacher) calls another student names?" To which the female student replies offhandedly, "Yeah, but that's just how it goes in the real world, heh." At this line, Nagase seems to break down, but quickly excuses herself from the classroom.
Standing outside the doors to catch her breath, Nagase hears the students talk about her, "You know, I hate those kinds of teachers the most. The one's that but in on everything and get too passionate about their work. I guess it's fine that she's a student teacher, but she's getting really annoying."
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This scene really set off alarm bells in my head. The kind where I say to myself, "Oh wow, I completely understand where they're going with this, that is so cool." The situation that Nagase is put in is a classic one. Naive young person enters the "real" world, tries to make a positive difference, proceeds to get shot down and is forced to rethink his/her ideas.
The way this series puts a twist on this idea is with Keima-kun. The student who gets straight A's, seems to be anti-social and spends all waking time playing games in and out of class. Nagase, being the passionate and caring teacher she is, wants to help Keima make friends in the real world and not be absorbed in the virtual reality of video games.
This opens up a whole host of questions and complications. Most of which have probably already been discussed, at some point in history, at great length without any definitive answer. Questions about the relationship between student and teacher go all the way back to Plato, who's written dialogues (depicting his teacher Socrates) has coined the term "Platonic Love." In Japan there have been a number of cases where a male teacher has taken advantage of young female students. This may be a bit of an extreme example but even if a single person said something like, "It's unfortunate, but that's just the way it is in the real world sometimes," we have to ask ourselves why the case of the mean teacher is that different from the lolicon teacher, or the failing student and the delinquent student.
Isn't it a teacher's job to take care of their students and help them when they struggle? Maybe a better way to look at it would be to ask, "isn't part of being human, helping other humans around you?" I've been told that, "you only get out of life, as much as you put into it." So according to this, if I don't do anything, I won't get anything. It also means I can get by with the minimum if I just do the minimum amount of work. That might sound great and all, but isn't it better to strive for the ideal, like Nagase is trying to do, and give it everything you got? Even if you don't make a huge "profit", you'll still end up with more than you started out with.
Arguments can be made on both sides and anywhere in between. Nagase-sensei doesn't have definitive answers about these things, neither does Kemai-kun, and neither do I. But I still think the way TWGOK is able to achieve this sort of subtle social commentary, underneath the comedy and anime antics, is pretty awesome. Of course I might just be reading too much into things, *shrugs*. That won't stop me from enjoying the final arc of season 2 and the characters is centers around! >.>
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.
Anyway, I sped through the first few episodes of the new season of The World God Only Knows. Much like the first season, this is far outside my usual range of tastes, but the show's ability to subvert tropes even as it adheres to them appeals to me on some level, and I enjoyed the first season enough that I've actually looked forward to watching this.
In any case, the first two episodes of this season are more of the same. Elsie detects yet another loose soul, this time lodged in the heart of a martial artist named Kusunoki Kasuga, who openly despises weakness even as she harbors a secret love of cuteness and vulnerability. Keima springs into action and manages to wrap Kasuga's problems up by the end of the second episode. While the end result was rather predictable, I still enjoyed the arc. Sometimes, more of the same can be a good thing.
The third episode is where things get at least somewhat interesting; a new demon, Haqua, is introduced as a role model / friend / rival to Elsie, and manages to kick-start a new arc even as she gives some background exposition. It was nice to finally find out what exactly the hell is going on on the other side of things (namely, Hell), and Elsie's cute demeanor no longer seems quite so incongruous with her status as a, well, demon. The introduction of what looked like an actual demon demon at the end of the episode gives me the feeling that the show might get a bit more interesting next week.
Of course, this is just me being a worrywart. The idea of someone like Keima whipping out a zanpatuko--zanpakuto--zankaputo--oh screw it, do-over: The idea of someone like Keima whipping out a bankai or charging up a spirit gun is absurd, and I know a show like this will never go in that direction.
Silly worries aside, the second season of The World God Only Knows is great so far, and I'll be sure to check for the next episode in a week or so. In the meantime, I hope newcomers to the series will give the show a try over on Crunchyroll.
Its time to evaluate shows I watched, giving them a short impression and a grade, while going a little in-dept with ones I just watched. So let get started.
Overview
X-Men
So finally, Madhouse gets something right with X-Men. While the plot isn’t anything special, it’s the characters I kinda remember from either the comics or the cartoon. Adding good visuals and fitting Japanese voices and you got yourself a good adoption of a western series.
4 out of 5
Dog Days
While the premise is straight out of Zero no Tsukaima, characters are simple at
best, and lack of tension due to the war being an event, this show is pretty
harmless to watch and how can you not like energetic guy who is also the
Galactic Pretty boy. Supported with solid animation and a colorful pallet,
you'll be able to have an enjoyable time with Dog Days. Just hope you don't
mind Cats and Dogs ears and tails.
3 out of 5
Tiger & Bunny
Obviously a show that isn't about cute girls, Tiger & Bunny set the stage
with a unique twist on superheros, along with a cast of interesting characters
with possible back-stories, Wonderful art style, animation, and good use
of CG.
5 out of 5
Nichijou
An incredibly funny show with lots of strange gags, puns,
and humor. Top it off with great art style and animation from Kyoto Animation
and you go yourself a solid comedy.
5 out of 5
Hanasaku Iroha
P.A.Works 10th anniversary project that showcase their talent of a strong
story, interesting characters, and overall beautiful art style and animation.
5 out of 5
Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
What a mess. It is never a good idea to compile multiple stories with poor pacing, unlikeable characters from idiots to sluts, and flat jokes.
1 out of 5
Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~
Who comes up with these ideas? Dumb characters, bland visuals, fan-service in the most immature ways.
1 out of 5
Steins;Gate
A strange mystery tale involving the theories of time-travel, murder, and odd
ball characters. Able to set an atmosphere that makes you question what’s going
on. However, the lengthy dialog may be a negative to some, many will enjoy the
goofy conversations and the intellectual ones.
4 out of 5
A-Channel
While I agree that this is very much a K-on! clone, it is really doesn’t make it bad. A-Channel makes solid use of the usual slice of life formula with a steady pacing, basic but likeable characters, simple character design, and gorgeous backgrounds and environments.
4 out of 5
Maria Holic Alive
Very much like the first season with strange designs, wacky comedy, and odd premise of a lesbian living with a cross-dressing boy, in a all girl school dorm.
4 out of 5
First Impressions
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
So what is money? Does it have any other use then just a way to purchase items? What if you have to fight for it? These are the question that C makes its audience ask and a lot is riding on that premise. Our main character, Yogi Kimimaro (Uchiyama Kouki), is a university student who is barely getting by with a scholarship and a few part-time jobs. One day, a mysterious man offers him a chance to get limitless amounts of money if he is will to venture in to a parallel world call the Financial District. This series has the possibilities to be a interesting tale. However, what doesn’t have the potential is the visuals. They are flat out ugly. Very lack luster colors, bland backgrounds, and odd character designs makes for a rough experience to watch the show at times. Visuals, good or bad, won’t degrade the quality of the story and its direction.
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai
Man, this title is long but that is the least of this shows problems. However, the problems this show has doesn’t effect the plot of this new noitaminA show too much. The story goes that a group of friends, Jintan ( Irino Miyu), Anaru ( Tomatsu Haruka), Yukiatsu ( Sakurai Takahiro), Tsuruiko ( Hayami Saori), and Poppo ( Kondou Takayuki), all want their spread ways after six years. However, Menma ( Kayano Ai) asked Jintan to grant her a wish which involves getting the group back together. While this set up is kind a weird and it would led to a typical journey of convincing old friends to get back together, what makes it interesting is the possible reason these characters changed and it all centered around Menma in some ways. However, it’ll be tough at times to watch these characters exaggerate themselves a bit too much. The visuals are pretty similar to Sora no Woto of blobby character designs, heavy detailed backgrounds, and lots of animations. Some stuff I have to scratch my head at with the some hair designs and comedic scenes but it doesn't hurt the show too much for now.
Hidan no Aria
I feel like J.C.Staff are starting to run out of ideas. Let see, a male lead who’s in danger by some force and has abilities to fight back, a short female lead who is protecting him, always angry at him, and is voiced by Kugimiya, Rie. I feel like I’m watching Shana but without the magic and replaced it with real life weapons. Characters are pretty one dimensional with lots of cliché moments like the girl offering food to the main character who has the hots for him and the usual tsundere character that Kugimiya plays a lot. Visually, the shows looks nice but it isn’t anything to write home about but fight scenes are mostly made up of lots of still images and speed lines. Overall it wasn’t an interesting show and I can’t see if its going anywhere with its simple story.
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
If the visuals aren’t the strange part of the show, it is usually what’s happening in the show. It’s pretty much our main character Niwa Makoto ( Irino Miyu) living with his aunt Touwa Meme ( Nonaka Ai) and cousin Touwa Erio ( Oogame Asuka), a delusional girl who believes she is part alien. And so he goes out of his way to help her while finding out if she really is an alien after hearing reports that she want missing a long time ago. While the story is pretty simple, it is the dialogue that makes thing interesting with humorous moment of Makoto’s aunt asking him how she should respond to him in a cute way or the serious but strange way Erio explains things about her alien mission. The visuals are pretty strange with odd lighting designs, art style, and the cleanliness of it which all comes together in the end. It’s a strange show that any fan of Shaft may enjoy.
Deadman Wonderland
Talk about a mess up show. It didn’t took long for Deadman Wonderland to set its tone by murdering a class of 20 plus middle school students, with only Igarashi Ganta ( Paku Romi) surviving and being accuse of for that event. From there, he is sent in to an odd world of violence and conspiracy. I won’t give too much away as many small events reflect on what’s to come later on in the series. It would make sense for the visuals to reflect with the shows tone from the detailed character designs to the dirty colored environment and palette. This could be an interesting show but I do question will they be able to hold out for 12 episodes? We will have to see.
Ao no Exorcist
It’s a usual Shounen
but with a nice twist with demons from, an international group of exorcist,
and the fact that our main character, Okumura Rin ( Okamoto
Nobuhiko), is the son of Satan. To make things even more interesting,
Rin is will to become a exorcist, despite being part demon, to fight against
Satan and avenge the death of his past guardian, Fujimoto Shirou ( Fujiwara
Keiji). It’s a nice set up despite being a typical Shounen in some
places. However, the development of Rin character and the fact that he is
pretty likable from the beginning help move things along a lot easier. Visuals
have a nice style to them with lots of animation from fights to the just normal
conversations between characters. Both colors and lighting work well together
to help flesh out scenes. So far things are looking good with this series and
can only get better down the road.
Picture Highlights
This season is turning out to be pretty good! Well, I say that with almost every season, but this time round it's because of the number of good slice-of-life shows, and a replacement for Madoka's weekly mindfuck. This will probably be the end of my Spring 2011 Impressions as I have exams coming up soon. I've tried to cover as many shows as possible, but some are just not interesting enough to justify watching them instead of studying. Yes, I'd rather study than watch some of these shows.
Steins;Gate (WHITE FOX)
Episodes: 24
Weird man in lab coat channels Satou (from Welcome to the NHK) and thinks he has a time travelling microwave. Wow. Right from the start, Steins;Gate hits you with an amazing atmosphere. Great art direction and animation! These are the same people who brought us Katanagatari, which I thought was not bad. The story feels really fragmented at the moment, but that was what the producers wanted us to feel. It's definitely intriguing, and a strong contender to replace Madoka as my weekly mindfuck. On the staff list, Miyano Mamoru and Hanazawa Kana are both awesome here. Hanazawa-san sounds so cute ^.^
A-Channel (Studio Gokumi)
Episodes: ??
A bunch of school girls... go to school... Well. Kind of like Lucky Star I guess? But while Lucky Star took a while to get going (no offense to Yamamoto Yutaka), A-Channel starts off swinging (literally). The characters are quite interesting so far, especially Run. I was looking forward to hearing Kotobuki Minako, but her voice work here so far has been rather quiet and understated. Anyway, still enjoyable so I'll continue to check this out, all the while hoping for Kotobuki to start speaking in her kansai dialect.
30-sai no Hoken Taiiku (Gathering)
Episodes: ??
30 year old virgin. Umm... No more please. Apparently there was a live-action segment to the broadcast that was so horrible that they cancelled that segment for all future episodes.
Maria Holic Alive (Shaft)
Episodes: ??
Girl that likes girls goes to all-girls school. I think I remember why I did not follow the first season now. Maria Holic is so full of "Shaft quality" without the sharp writing of Bakemonogatari or Madoka. It just doesn't work out that well here... I think even Arakawa Under the Bridge was much better than this in the humour department and characterisation.
SKET DANCE (Tatsunoko Production)
Episodes: Probably quite long if it does well
Support, Kindness, Encouragement, Troubleshoot. A group of students start the equivalent of the S.O.S. brigade, except they actually carry out the appropriate activities. Just like last season's Beelzebub, I was looking forward to witnessing the start of a long-running series. Unfortunately, this isn't the next Naruto or Bleach. SKET DANCE has lots of heart and energy, but doesn't exactly hook anyone in.
Softenni (XEBEC)
Episodes: 12
A bunch of girls play "soft tennis", or tennis with a soft ball. Lots of fan service, and an over-imaginative, dirty-minded girl, but overall it's actually quite clean. at least in terms of plot. Makes me wonder why they bother with this much fan service in the first place. The characters aren't really clicking with me yet though.
Astarotte no Omocha! (Diomedea)
Episodes: 12
A loli succubus princess needs to build a harem. Being a Kugimiya Rie fan, I was looking forward to this reverse harem, but I didn't expect this much fan service. At least they don't really play it up (not many close-up shots or weird camera angles), but it does distract from what could be a cleaner romantic comedy from the folks who brought us the fantastic Ika Musume. This character AND plot was written for Kugimiya Rie and her awesome tsundere voice. Just cut down on the fan service and this might be good.
Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II (Manglobe)
Episodes: 12?
Our lead character needs to charm several girls using his skills in visual novels and dating sims. Kami Nomi wastes no time in jumping straight into the story of the next girl. So far, it is not as slow as it's last few episodes in season 1, which is a good thing. However, the formula remains unchanged, and I doubt there will be any interesting twists to what they have shown so far. Taketatsu Ayana's Takahara Ayumi is still my favourite girl in this series (maybe I like sporty girls?).
Hen Zemi (XEBEC)
Episodes: ??
Abnormal Physiology Seminar a.k.a. Hentai Seminar a.k.a. Hen Zemi. This show is just crap. The writing is bad and weird, and the art is horrible. I don't understand why Hanazawa Kana is even doing this!
Fireball Charming (Jinni's Animation)
Episodes: 13
A series of super short shorts about a robot princess. This show actually looks great and makes good use of its time. The humour is sharp and well-timed, while the 3D CG animation is always busy. Short but very entertaining.
Hidan no Aria (J.C. Staff)
Episodes: ??
A gun-totting girl falls from the sky to save our lead character. Hidan no Aria is an example where Kugimiya Rie, in her tsundere voice, sounds out of place. The writing here is quite bad, and the premise is quite ridiculous. A school that trains child mercenaries? It just seems to me that the seriousness of the child soldiers issue is being brushed off. The characters are too care-free to be killers... It's just a weird combination of moe and guns.
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (Tatsunoko Production)
Episodes: 11
Our lead character gets sucked into a world of money. C certainly looks pretty and the story is intriguing. And this is a Noitamina timeslot anime. But I'm quite wary of the Yu-Gi-Oh style battles... I'm not really a fan of these types of shounen action shows as the fighting is usually dumb. This does have Tatsunoko working on it though, so we might be getting some flashy action scenes.
Ano Hi Mata Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai (A-1 Pictures)
Episodes: 11
A bunch of childhood friends have grown apart. Off to a great start! While not as wow-inducing as Iroha's art and animation, this series still packs a punch, being more like Toradora, but with Fractale's or Kannagi's level of animation. This is from A-1 Picures after all. So far everything is coming together nicely and in terms of characteristation, this is the completely opposite from Hanasaku Iroha. While iroha concentrates on 1 character and her isolation, AnoHana focuses on a group of friends that have drifted apart. In terms of drama, this seems like it will be more powerful drama, with characters that won't really get along for a while. This being from the director of Toradora, I expect the drama side of things to be handled well. While I loved Toradora, the humour sort of fell flat, and it was the dramatic moments (the girl fights, Kitamura's confession, and Minorin's FANTASTIC ghost/UFO talk) that REALLY stood out.
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Shaft)
Episodes: 13
Girl thinks she is an alien. This show just looks great! The character designs are not bad, and they don't cut too many corners. Unlike Maria Holic, this looks like a quality Shaft production, more akin to Bakemonogatari in style, while almost reaching Madoka-level animation. They seem to be working on too many projects at once? There's Madoka's last 2 episodes, Maria Holic Alive, this, and the Kizumonogatari movie (to be released in 2012). Top talents were probably split between working on this and Madoka. Hopefully, after Madoka episodes 11 and 12 air, Denpa Onna would keep up with the quality. If all goes well, we might have another Shaft hit on our hands here, probably the only time Shaft has back-to-back hits.
Deadman Wonderland (Manglobe)
Episodes: 12
Our lead character is accused of killing his classmates. The first episode was intense! For the whole time he was put on trial (which didn't last long), I was wishing someone would just think logically. How could he have done it?? Won't everyone be able to overpower him or at least run out of the classroom? No matter, the sense of injustice you will feel for Ganta only cements the fact that the producers have successfully made you care about the main character. The animation was appropriately intense and fluid, particularly the camera movements and explosions. Looking at the staff list, we have Paku Romi (no wonder he sounded so much like chibi Fullmetal) and Hanazawa Kana as the two leads Ganta and Shiro. The music was produced by "NARASAKI", which I found out was the guy who did some theme songs for Sayonara Zetsuobo Sensei and Hanamaru Kindergarten. I'm not sure if this means he's responsible for lacing the entire episode with a fantastic soundtrack or it was the sound director at work. Regardless, this episode had high production values and a great story to boot, making it an easy decision to carry on watching.
Quick Peeks
Here is a list of the shows I took a peek at but didn't watch the whole way through. Needless to say, these aren't going to be on my watch/blog list.
Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~ (TMS Entertainment)
Episodes: ??
I typically don't like the sengoku setting when it isn't taken seriously.
Kaiji 2 (Madhouse)
Episodes: ??
Art sucks, and I'm not going to start watching this from the second season.
Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi (Studio DEEN)
Episodes: 12
Yaoi.
Dororon Enma-kun Meramera (Brain's Base)
Episodes: ??
Dumber than it looks.
Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san (Production I.G.)
Episodes: ??
Not really my cup of tea.
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hoshi (Dogakobo)
Episodes: 12
Full of cliches.
So that's it. It has been a great season premiere, but now it's time for me to face reality and take a break from anime. I missed out on Toriko (not interested, and did not chance upon it), Aoi no Exorcist (will look into it when it comes out), Moshidora (again, when it comes out), and Hyouge Mono (will check it out because psgels recommended it). I'll be back in May with Anime Weekly 8.
Read more @ http://the-visual-medium.blogspot.com
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Steve gets intimately close to Dragon Ball Z, for science! |
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prankxxxx
154 points
- jeebuzz 40 points
- Obsidian609 13 points
- damswedon 6 points
- thuiscool 5 points
