Well I’ve caught a few of the fall shows, so here is a quick rundown of what I’ve seen so far and what I’m looking forward to. Click on for some highly unfair reviews based on a super-limited sampling. As I learned in stats class, 1-3 is usually considered enough to invoke the LLN anyway, so here goes!
Thumbs Up + Sparkly Smile
- Mai Otome: So far it’s exceeded my cautiously high expectations, and has jumped right back into things without any of that boring, not-really-funny introductory crap that started off Mai Hime. This means that 1) the countdown for Akane to get the shaft has started, and 2) Mai will show up with her new DRAGOON system within 10 episodes.
- Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s: They’ve upped the fanservice and shoujo-ai, and added German. This is all that a shounen series mascarading as a mahou shoujo show really needs to keep it on top.
- Mushishi: I expected to be bored, but I was totally gripped by the storytelling. I’m not sure why Ginko is so simplistically drawn, but everything else is beautiful and the scenery really adds a lot to the story. Mad props to Garten for putting this show on my radar.
- Blood+: When you start putting math symbols in the title, you know things are gonna get complicated, and Blood+ has been quick to put into place a standard confusing conspiracy story underneath the katana-schoolgirl action. You know how everyone dreads asking a woman about how her pregnancy is going, only to find out that she’s just fat and not pregnant? I’m secretly hoping for a scene where Haji kicks somebody down to unmask the target as a Chiropteran, only to find out that the person is just really really ugly. Whoops, my bad!
Thumbs Up, No Sparkles
- Shakugan no Shana: Let’s be honest with ourselves: this show hasn’t really been that good yet. I know it’s hard to look past Shana’s cuteness and the great OP/ED and the pretty art, but Shakugan no Shana has yet to live up to its potential. And what the heck animal is Marjorie supposed to be? Don’t get me wrong, though, I want to like this show just as much as everyone else, so I’m just one good fight away from bumping my rating of this series up a notch.
- Jigoku Shoujo: Mildly entertaining, but it seems to be missing that certain something that hooks you in. Enma Ai needs one of those nametag stickers that say “HELLO, MY NAME IS: Hell Girl”.
- Noein – Mou Hitori no Kimi e: The story was a bit confusing, and the art was kinda funky. Time travel always makes my head hurt; what would have happened if Yuu had been like, “Oh yeah??” and then stabbed himself to death?
- Ginban Kaleidoscope: Peet has already gotten farther in one episode than Fool got in two seasons. Ginban Kaleidoscope makes no effort to unfairly raise your expectations of future production values.
Thumbs Down
- Animal Yokocho: Sorry, but Mesousa is funnier.
- CLUSTER EDGE: It’s nice to see someone go after Gundam Wing’s Hard Gay title. Seethe with jealousy Meine Liebe!
- Black Cat: Let’s see, if it lives up to its potential and is as good as the manga it will be a decent, but super generic, shounen series. If it doesn’t, it will be just another sucky and forgettable shounen series. Not exactly tremendous upside potential.
- IGPX -Immortal Grand Prix-: I think I saw this on TV! Then I laughed and changed the channel.
Waiting For
- Rozen Maiden träumend: I haven’t seen Jun since his Ultimate Girls cameo and I miss Suisei Seki something fierce!
- Karin: This one is more of a lukewarm eagerness.
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This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1940 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sure I’ve said this before, but it always seems like I disagree with everyone else’s opinion of Mai-Otome and Noein. I absolutely can’t STAND Otome (among the show’s many flaws is the fact that it milks Mai-HiME for all it’s worth
). Noein, on the other hand, after just two episodes, is easily one of my favorite anime series ever. I hate how so many people dismiss it as mediocre because the character designs are a bit screwy. So sad.
That said, though, I completely agree with you in Mushishi’s case. Awesome series. I found myself smiling stupidly at the end of both episodes. I’m not sure why… but whatever the drug is, I want some more.
Don’t worry, there are enough Noein fans out there that don’t like Otome either, mself included. It is certainly unfair that it’s judged by its designs, but then again, I did exactly the same thing to Shana, so there you go… I just pray another ep 2 won’t happen (in terms of the designs getting totally screwed up)
That is certainly a valid criticism of Mai Otome, but if you liked Mai Hime, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing (provided the constant cameo-ing eases up pretty soon). I would be more inclined to criticize Mai Otome for its somewhat ridiculous overuse of shoujo-ai this time around. Clearly the marketers realized the effect that Shizuru and Natsuki had on Mai Hime’s popularity. At least they try to give a flimsy reason for it (those damn Y chromosomes!!!).
As for Noein, I don’t dislike it and I didn’t downgrade it because of the art. I’m more concerned about the somewhat twisted story, but if they pull it off and wrap up the story well, it could be a real winner. Time travel as a central plot element is always a red flag in my book.
For a show that I do completely discount because of the art, see exhibit W: Ginga Densetsu WEED.
I’m like Otome as well. I don’t mind the cameos at this point because I feel somewhere down the line a lot of the Hime characters are going to be removed (or their role greatly reduced), with the probable exception of Shizuru and Natsuki (although I think losing one of them would make for a great episode). Then the focus will settle on the new Otome characters. Either way, I’m enjoying it as is just fine.
Kabitzin, that’s exactly what’s wrong with Otome. It’s essentially Mai HiME with more fanservice, more shoujo ai, and more silly dialogue. I really enjoyed HiME while it was serious, but at its core, it was more of a comedy (and a bad one at that) than an action/drama series. Otome has yet to be serious at all, and I’m not going to wait for it.
And yes, the creators of Ginga Densetsu WEED were indeed smoking weed: “Heeeeeeeeey, maaaan! Let’s… make a show about talking dogs! Wooooooah!”
Mai Otome> “the countdown for Akane to get the shaft has started” – with the Y-chromosome/PSA anime science, Akane getting the shaft has a high chance being related to her getting Kazu’s shaft. Poor Akane! T_T
Blood+> I have no idea how this is going to be sustained for 52 eps but it needs for Saya-Kaori cuddling, dammit!
Rosen Maiden träumend> On the one hand, I’d really love to see Suigintou back but on the other, if Gin-chan’s brought back in some really hamfisted way, that’d really suck. (head explodes)
Nunka, the prequel was actually released in the States as Scooby Doo. Anyway, I think I have a lower expectation of Otome than some others, since I don’t see it getting as angsty or dark as Mai Hime. Not that that wouldn’t be cool.
It would be so tragic if Akane was simply phased out cause she got hetero-sexxored. It’s almost like Mahou Shoujo wa Okusama in a way…
I have to somewhat disagree with your assessment of Mai-Otome. It seems like everyone out there seems to think that Otome’s first few episodes have been somehow better than Hime was. Personally I think it was about the same. I remember the whole Natsuki losing her underwear thing was just outrageously funny, especially when the guy got the nosebleed on realizing it. Otome has been focusing very specifically on the main plot while Hime was more about introducing the cast of characters. Again, not better or worse, I think they are about equally as good.
Nunka: With THIS attitude you shouldn’t have watched Mai HiME at all, because it hasn’t been serious till episode 8, when we were sucker punched out of nowhere by Akane’s demise
… in fact, I’d say that Otome has several more serious storyline seedlings in the grown-ups arc (Natsuki, Sergey etc)
Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the first few episodes of HiME, as silly as they were. I guess a “more of the same” approach just doesn’t work in an alternate universe sequel thinger.