When I first took a look at the lineup for the summer, I was completely distraught that it would be a weak season to follow the disappointing 2005 spring season. The incredible number of loli shows did not do much to allay my fears. However, after watching several early episodes, I am pleasantly surprised to find that almost every single show thus far has exceeded my expectations in one way or another. Here’s a few, quick, off-the-cuff remarks about some of this summer’s new shows:
Shows I have caught subbed so far (Gotta catch ‘em all):
- Kamichu!: I seriously underestimated this show, and found the first two episodes slightly boring (but beautifully animated). However, episode 3 set me right, because even strange oval blushes can’t dull the beauty of possessed talking cats.
- Amaenaide yo!!: This is one of the crappiest shows I’ve ever watched. The production values weren’t even good, and there is barely any animated action. I had low expectations going in, but Amaenaide yo!! was actually much much worse than I thought it would be. Even the double exclaimation points can’t save it (but points for trying).
- Oku-sama wa Joshikousei: I didn’t like the premise, but I wouldn’t say it’s terrible. To summarize, it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, but it was a lot fuglier than I was prepared for.
- GUN x SWORD: Feels a little unoriginal, but the action was very fluid and well-done. I was surprised that instead of being totally dorky, Van’s weapon was really cool. I like the potential for angst, and the awesome and unexpected sentai/ultraman posing really sat well with me. On the downside, there was more “Lucky” in this episode than a typical episode with Mist Ninja’s.
- Suzuka: A nice, solid-looking romance, with really cliche characters. However, I did like Suzuka, and am not terribly annoyed by any one character yet, so I’ll keep watching. The plot seems a bit more realistic and believable than your typical romance series.
- Tide-line Blue: Hard to tell on this one, although some of the outfits are terrible. Getting strong Ed Elric vibes from the hero, but points for the bushy-eyebrow’ed ostrich.
- SHUFFLE!: Actually a lot better than I thought it would be, but the ridiculous god-demon thing, and the annoying ears totally turned me off.
- Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid: Although I loved Fumoffu, I didn’t think that much of the first FMP, other than that it was a solid show overall. The Second Raid really impressed with the first episode, mixing amazing animation with some held over humor for a winning combination. All these shows with angsty heroes should have spinoff Fumoffu series (Gundam Seed Destiny comes to mind).
- Ichigo Mashimaro: The manga bored me out of my mind, but animated it seemed much better somehow. The voice actors did a terrific job, and I reveled in Miu’s wonderful annoyingness.
Subs that I am still looking forward to:
- Oku-sama wa Mahou Shoujo: My expectations of this are super-low, but I like the character designs.
- Paniponi Dash!: These crazy series often putter out quickly, but most are at least amusing and quirky in the beginning.
6 Comments
I really don’t think Oku-sama wa Mahou Shoujo is going to get subbed (being Media Factory and all), though I keep my fingers crossed every day that a rogue group will pick it up. Which is really a pity, since I miss so much that’s being said.
Suzuka has started off really good in my opionion. Yamato is interesting as a male lead because he doesn’t run around in a state of emotional panic all the time. He even gets annoyed with Suzuka at some points which is nice to see. Suzuka herself might be a bit stereotypical in her behavior but atleast she tries when Yamato says the right things. Even the annoying guy isn’t that annoying seeing how he tries to help Yamato in his own way. I really like it so far.
I didn’t have any problems with the first two episodes of Kamichu!, though I think the third one was very good also. I can’t argue that the pace and timing of the show are slower than most, but I think that’s in keeping with the hesitant nature of the shy-schoolgirl main character. Kind of reminds me of some of the things from Studio Ghibli, honestly.
SHUT UP, Amaenaide Yo! is the best show ever.
Fakeeagle, I agree completely. The first episode was so satisfying that I didn’t need to watch any further.
Indeed, I wouldn’t want to spoil the absolute perfection of the first episode by watching the rest of the series.