Tuesday, January 22, 2013

First Impressions: Winter 2012/13

 First thoughts on watching the first episode of the series. 




Chihayafuru Second Season
The series I am most looking forward to this season ! After the first season I was super pumped for this season but instead I was being fed "Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Uta Koi" - a series on the poems and its background, which I did really enjoy from that season. And so, I welcome Chihaya and co. back into my life ; w ;

First episode welcomes a new school year for the team and follows them with the goal to recruit new 1st year members to keep the club alive. A particular character is introduced as Sumire Hanano - the bitch we all love to hate. Her boyfriend has just dumped her and now has Taichi in her sights.

The first episode pretty much refreshes on the characters from last season and introducing Sumire, making your blood boil. Here's to another season of Chihaya, Taichi, Arata, the team, kimonos, and more shoujo plot lines I guess since that wasn't really seen in S1 ^^;;

Of course it's a definite recommendation from me :P



Sasami-chan@Ganbaranai
Pretty interesting series. It is clear that there was a huge lack of budget for the surroundings within the series. It's something like Bakemonogatari where it's unusual and only the characters move, though unlike Bakemonogatari, it doesn't have a major focus on dialogue  I thought it quite boring in the beginning when the only two characters you know are Samami and her older brother. And the fact that her brother has a little sister's complex and pretty much her slave ^^;;

Sasami is a 16YO girl that lives in her room 90% of the time. She's never really left her house and when she does try for certain reasons, she feels sick, barfs, collapses, etc. It does have it's humour and also some good action when the series' tables flipped to a whole new development.

I think I'll still continue this series just because the ending really got me intrigued !





Cuticle Detective Inaba
A good comedy I'm looking forward to ! You've got the Pretty Megane Wolf Boy, the cross-dressing boy, the ridiculous Police Captain, the ordinary boy that seems to be the only one with common sense, and of course an arch enemy for our hero.

It's very funny, very cute, pretty darn ridiculous and not much actually makes sense but it's all enjoyable to watch ! Nothing in particular that strikes me or intrigues me more than I need to, it's just a fun watch that will keep you out of a state of boredom.

Not too excited about the series but I look forward to more episodes :)






Amnesia
Otome gme turned anime ! This seems to be a popular game since I see a lot of people cosplaying from it. I had always wanted to play it too but I don't know how to get Japanese games TAT I had some high hopes for the first episode but really...it seemed I only reached the end because of the ikemen characters...

The female character is very boring at this point, and not because her head is blank of memories. She /is/ very boring - timid, meek, doesn't really think straight...LOL Typical of a otome female character maybe ? I tend to dislike them because they don't have personality. The first ep basically sets the story and introduces the main characters - She wakes up, has amnesia, meets a other-worldly creature called Orion who claims to be the reason her memories are gone and in an attempt to regain the girl's memories (whose name still hasn't been said), Orion follows her and gets her to go on about her daily life and interact with others. A little cliffhanger is left at the end where these jealous girls from the maid'butler cafe she works at come after her and it is revealed that she made some sort of promise to them (probably to stay away from Ikki...or the boys in general) and she regains a memory regarding the said girls and then collapses. Not so interesting in the first episode, more for the eye candy and I love the OP and EP :)




Tamako Market
I am definitely really excited for this series. I didn't know what to expect, in the visual chart it was noted to have a very impressive team behind the animation - and also you can see the similarities between the art of K-ON! and Tamako Market. Let's just say I didn't really find myself interested in K-ON! and mostly listened to the music instead than follow the series.

We are introduced to Tamako - a mochi-maker's daughter - who loves to make and share the goodness of mochi ! She stumbles across an oh-so-very-sassy bird that can talk and who is on a mission but has found himself astray and comfortable at Tamako's house. It is very cute and cheerful, I am definitely looking forward to this series a lot, I love the sassy bird, I love Tamako...though I love the boy next door most keukeukeu jk jk~~~

Definitely recommend !!! 








Vividred Operation
I am super excited about this series ! At first I wasn't so keen but I gave it a go since the intro on the visual chart had noted that the setting was in a futuristic setting where science solved everything (I thought it literally) though it turns out it's just a place with advanced tech f( ^^;;
I didn't even realise as well until I saw the credits, that Redjuice was part of the character design team, f course now I can see it's his art OTL And also the amount of close-up ass shots...
It's got everything I really like - something similar to Rinne no Lagrange.
It's about a young girl whose Grandfather developed a great system to use renewable energy across the globe. Suddenly there is a threat to the said system that may bring the end of the world and because the Grandfather had a past encounter with these "Alone", he had developed a System called Vivdred that can only be used by Akane - simply put, it makes her a magical girl.

Together with her friend who's just returned home, Aoi, they will try to defend their home and the world.

Really looking forward to future episodes ! ! 





Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun
This series looks really promising - lots of mystery, supernatural and lots of ikemen *333* If I remember correctly, this is an old-school manga that now, has finally got it's anime ! I don't know why it took so long but it is awesome ! I may look into reading it. The beginning of the episode shows a village burning down and certain characters dying - this event happened 5 years ago from the present time of the series. The characters shown dying were a girl, her younger sister, a boy & a wolf.

When in present time, we meet Shino, a young boy who shows great resemblance to the dying girl from the flashback and who lives in a sacred house with priests? Shino and Sousuke seem to be quite close and seem to also have supernatural abilities as well as in possession of a Black Crow. They are also in hiding from the Central Church I think~ Many things happened in the first episode I'm not sure about what was told but it is clear that there is a war between them and the Central Church.
Many connections with demons, supernatural stuff and fighting in a not-so-modern setting.

I really enjoy the characters, setting, themes so I'm ecstatic for future episodes ! !

Saturday, January 12, 2013

[ 緑間 真太郎 ]


 緑間 真太郎 @ 冬美 
 Photo @ Ray 

[ シェリル・ノーム ]


 シェリル・ノーム @ 冬美 
 Photo @ Ray 

[ 桃井 さつき ]



青峰 大輝 @ Lisa 
Photo @ Eric Chau 

Watch List Winter 2012/13



 Not many releases this season that I'm particularly interested in~ But I'll try more since it feels wierd to just review on 5 out of many releases, so it's 9 series' for me this season :) Since my exams, I've looked to tv shows to quench my thirst for entertainment instead of anime so I am as behind from last season as I'll ever be, hence there wasn't a new post for the Final Impressions... o x o (forgive me!) 


Sasami-Chan@Ganbaranai

Chihayafuru Second Season

Vividred Operation

AKB0048 Next Stage

Amnesia

Tamako Market

Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun

Cuticle Detective Inaba

Thursday, October 11, 2012

First Impressions: Autumn 2012

CODE:BREAKER
5/5

Really looking forward to this series. It's theme include supernatural and mystery. It has some cute humour and heroine has good character, that is not to say that she is a good character - she's a bit too perfect - but I'm not too picky on it. The introduced characters thus far (just Ogami and heroine) are interesting. Of course Ogami is shrouded full of mystery and as the first episode proceeds through events I definitely can't decide if he's good or bad guy - though I'm speculating he's a different kind of bad guy. The plot was pushed quickly at the end which I don't mind, they built the introduction of characters well and got right into it and of course leaving a cliffhanger that no one can turn away from. Themes seem to be very dark - I have no idea what to expect but I'm excited from thinking about it.


Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
4/5

This series is very sweet and cute. It seems like a typical shoujo - where the heroine is in a state that needs growth and change and main male character will be the reason that she will so. The characters are very interesting, especially the heart-throb - he's strange, weird...just not how heart-throbs usually act - it's a romantic comedy alright xD The first episode hasn't done much except introduce characters...oh and did I forget to mention CONFESSION AND KISS ALL IN THE FIRST EPISODE ?? Ahahah definitely a good series to watch if you love your shoujo and romantic comedies !



Shin Sekai Yori
4/5

Another supernatural series but I think it will concentrate on friendship themes in a world that they live in. The first episode has a lot of context you have you digest - they put down a lot of information in one go for you - the aspects tat surround the supernatural nature of the series was a little fast-paced and so ou may be slow to grasp the concept (watching the episode a second won't hurt ;D). It definitely has lots of mystery (kind of a 'Another' feel though not too murderous...I think). Don't really have much to say about it since we hardly know anything about the characters either but I am definitely looking forward to where it's unique concepts will go.



BTOOOM!
4.5/5

So far so very good, this series. It's another virtual-game-turns-reality type of game, but don't go thinking SAO - this is no MMORPG in fantasy land - first-hand combats and bombs are the only way to fight, defend, and ultimately, kill. Our hero is a 21?YO guy, unemployed but he's in the Top 10 of players in the game BTOOOM!. He wakes up in a rainforest or something and he's got amnesia, then bam he's forced to use bombs and connections between the game and reality are made as he attempts to regain his memories. Definitely a different approach form SAO so don't underestimate it :P The female character hasn't appeared yet, neither am I keen. the only thing stopping a good action series is a big-breasted girl



[K] / K-Project
4/5
This series has received a lot of anticipation it seems. I for one freaking love it (I'd give it a 5 if I could xD). From the animation, it is clear that this series has an extraordinary budget. It's got a fantastic opening, great character designs an actually very mysteries - I haven't been able to find any extra information about characters or the series so definitely loving the mystery. Critically, the first episode has no substance at all - just a massive introduction to so many characters we still haven't grasped the names of all of them yet (although we see too many relatives of characters we know and love in other series' *cough*ShizuoKandaShion*cough* But by the end of the episode you are so lost about everyone and everything you really want to get to next episode to find out more (not to mention that cliffhanger). This series has a lot to live up to for this season !


Sukitte Ii na yo
4/5 (critically, since I would give it 5 regardless xD)

This manga has been long awaited from fans of the manga for a loooooong time (me included). The introduction to Mei was a little bit different from the manga but main point of the story were stuck in the anime which I am grateful for Of course art is a little downer but it's better than I expected. /stahps comparing/ Characters are typical - anti-social female character, popular male character and then the others that will fall in as the female character changes and makes friends etcetc. It is  pretty predictable I guess but I look forward to them /forgets anything about being critical/ SO ADORABLE I LOVE SEEING THE MANGA COME TO LIFE UWAHHHH AND FIRST KISS IN FIRST EP AS WELL /drowns in flail/



Zetsuen no Tempest
4.5/5

As the name suggests, there will be a tempest - looks apocalyptic :P And yes there is a Shakespeare reference you will pick up in the first episode. Characters's behaviours and set up do reflect on Shakespeare's character but not just to The Tempest. The two main characters, Mahiro and Yoshino are quite the pair, Mahiro, as expected as a main has lots of drive and personality. Yoshino on the other hand, we hardly know nothing about - he seems apathetic and boring though friends say there will be more - so I look forward to seeing what type of character Yoshino is and what he will show of himself. Series is of magic and action genre.



BAKUMAN 3
5/5

BAKUMAN IS BACKKKK ! ! ! So happy it's returned for a third season. I wouldn't recommend new-audiences to watch it from here (YOU MUST GO TO THES FIRST SEASON!!). It picks up straight from where Season 2 left off. There is no hesitation of the story - they dive straight to it. And they even give us female viewers some relief - MIHO x MASHIRO SAH ADORABLE >wwwww< Old characters that we both love and hate has returned (not all seen yet) and so begins the third part of this Slice of Life Romantic Comedy :"DDDD SAH GUD TO HAV YOU BACK GOIS !!~




Kamisama KISS / Kamisama Hajimemashita
4.5/5

Another romantic comedy which witnessed the two female and male characters' first kiss kekekeke >www< It's a romantic comedy which is definitely cute but better than I expected. The heroine has great character (I love her so much!!) Although her personality kinda changes a bit here and there. But it's typical love of master and servant...better yet, love-hate relationship :"D /sucker/ Characters have all such great personalities and I look forward to how their relationship develops and how our heroine deals with her current situations :3 Definitely one of the tops in my list this season.



Litchi DE Hikari Club
3.5/5

Has received negative feedback from followers of the manga. Litchi E Hikari Club is supposed to be a horror-genred manga and after watching the first episode (2 minutes long btw) I think it may be a parody of some sort. The characters are chibi and it's quite cute and funny. Not much to write about since it only ran for 2 minutes but I suspect it may be something like Daily Lives of Highschool Boys where it's senseless humour but a friend that followed the manga said it does reference the manga's main events :)




PSYCHO PASS
5/5

From the artist of Katekyou HITMAN REBORN! I was super stoked that this would be a good series and yes, I am definitely loving it ! It has pretty cool futuristic concepts in terms of weaponry. The series opened to what I suspect may be the main arc of the series but quickly changes to the starting of the series - introducing the female heroine and setting the context of the series. The heroine is a newbie in the Police force of some sort. In this setting the Force use criminals to hunt criminals. Loving the characters and the events that took place in the first episode has me at the edge of my seat. It brings up ethics involving the legal/enforcement system with the presence of technology. May look into humanity theories or something. The themes in the series seem to be quite dark and serious. BUT SO BAMF !!


MAGI
4/5

Another manga-turned anime that's been highly anticipated. A friend of mine had told me that the company that took on MAGI was a company more known for their moe stuff so I was a bit anxious. Well...Aladdin's voice is super girly xD But it wasn't so bad, the art was great and even though there were details that were different from the manga to the anime, the feel of MAGI was still there. It's an adventure shounen to those who are new to the series. It has very appropriate comedy bits in there and characters you will come to love so much !!






Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Watch List Autumn 2012

Due to a major final high school exam taking place for majority of this season I will not be very active and so, seeing as Autumn Season has begun I will watch the first episode of my chosen series and post the usual First Impressions on 11 October (the last series released on this day) and Final Critique of this season will be posted on the 30th November. Until then, this will be the watch list for this season. The Final for last season will also be posted on the 30th.

I'll see you soon ! :)


CODE:BREAKER
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

Shin Sekai Yori
BTOOOM!
Sukitter Ii na yo

Zetsuen no Tempest
Bakuman S3

Kamisama Kiss
Litchi DE Hikari Club
K-Project
Psycho Pass
MAGI