After one episode, Kurenai, Macross Frontier, and Vampire Knight are at the top of my list. In fact, there are lots of watchable shows, but unless Kurenai steps up, there is nothing really in my drama sweet spot. Here are some reactions to first episodes (which can be misleading).Kure-nai -- the director of Red Garden serves up one of the few apparently serious dramas we have going for us this season. Great VA performances from young actress Yuuki Aoi as the tsundere nine-year-old, and from Sawashiro Miyuki as her (male) protector.Macross Frontier -- So what if it's "mecha"? It has characters and relationships, as well as the fighting, and I enjoyed it.Vampire Knight -- Excellent look and intriguing story, with wonderful character design and great voices (Horie Yui, Miyano Mamoru, Kishio Daisuke).Wagaya no O-Inari-sama -- Promising little show featuring a double-gendered fox god/dess played by Nakamura Yuuichi and Yukana. Young Hayami Saori is excellent as a miko, and godly doing the ED.Allison & Lillia -- I enjoyed the first episode, which developed at a leisurely pace, but had a bit of a feel of Last Exile about it.The Tower of Druaga: Aegis of Uruk -- Not my thing, but this deserves to be popular. Clear homages to Gurren-Laggan.SA - Special A -- Gotou Yuuko and Fukuyama Jun star in this school comedy, which has echoes of Ouran HS Host Club in its atmosphere and look. It all depends on whether the next episodes develop the characters further than their quirks.Monochrome Factor -- Whew, this one snuck up on me. Excellent voice work, especially from Suwabe Junichi and Ono Daisuke. Snappy direction by Kou Yuu (Loveless). Yaoi factor.Kanokon -- Erotic fantasy featuring a fox girl and the shouta she loves. The first episode worked for me.To Love-ru -- Good quality ecchi from an entertaining manga.Neo-Angelique: Abyss -- Seems like a good version of the franchise. Some of the staff from Corda D'Oro give it a nice look and feel, the men look good, and Endou Aya makes a good Angie.DC2SS -- I was so frustrated with the lead guy during the first season of DC2, but I watched episode 1 of the new season, and the relaxed magic of the DaCapo atmosphere took hold. I'm back to see if Takagaki Ayahi can get the guy.Soul Eater -- Wonderful art direction. Great fight animation. Within the limitations of a formula, the characters are interesting and a bit unique. The wooden-voiced heroine puts some people off.Code Geass R2 -- I'm not a fan, but the first episode of the new season at least made sense to me. King Lulu? CC's homeworld?Zettai Karen Children -- The director of Hayate brings Hirano Aya on board for a new show in Hayate's timeslot. Three ten-year-olds with superpowers and bad attitudes is a good premise. Aya's high-tension Haruhi-as-Konata version of the main girl takes some getting used to, however.Crystal Blaze -- A mystery involving women who seem to be made of crystal. Shows promise. Miki Shinichirou in fine voice. Directed and animated by the team that did Saikano.Real Drive -- A slow and beautiful Production IG start. Story by Shirow Masamune (Ghost in the Shell).Blassreiter -- Starts well, with good racing and fighting scenes and an intriguing plot. But some people fear the Gonzo decline.Itazura na Kiss -- I'm not sure whether it's because I've already seen the Taiwan drama based on the same manga, but this dragged for me. There's a lot of story to come, however.Amatsuki -- Fukuyama Jun suddenly finds himself back in Edo times with Paku Romi. A good, if slow, start that feels as if it might go somewhere.Kyou kara Mao 3 -- I started watching episode 1, but quit partway though. Nishimura Junji (Simoun, true tears) is directing it, but it felt bland to me.Nabari no Ou -- Stylish character design in a story involving ninja fighting. Not my thing, but may be others'.xxxHOLIC: Tsugi -- I was enjoying its strengths until I realized I had no desire to spend one more second with Fukuyama Jun's wimpy male protagonist.Kamen no Maid Guy -- I got through about ten minutes before quitting. I didn't really get it.
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Hikari Hanazono has sworn that she will beat Kei Takishima at everything after he defeated her in a wrestling match when they were kids, but whatever she does she always comes in second place. As high achievers, she and Kei are part of the “Special A” group of seven sickeningly clever teenagers who get [...]
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Yes, you can tell that I am a huge fan of Zero compared to Kaname. Still, Kaname is fine too. I like Ichijou most though! It’s really a total pain when I have to blog two possible blockbusters in a single day. I am not complaining though. After Special A, the second series that I have [...]
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Akira-sama, how I worship thee. You are my goddess of Special A! For those using IE, Impz did something stupid yesterday. That is why you cannot access it. Yes, blame it on me ;_; After waiting for so long, Special A is finally released to the lovely shores of THAT Anime Blog. Being an absolute avid fan [...]
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As expected, I was forced to watch Special A and Vampire Knight. Special A was quite girly, albeit not as girly as Itazura na Kiss. It did not, after all, have a girl daydreaming about marrying (AND ONLY AFTER MARRYING) and kissing a bishie. Most of my enjoyment from that show came [...]
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As I mentioned before I’d be picking up Special A. It’s supposed to air on Sundays but the raw was missing in action. Hopefully next week I can blog it on time so my Mondays aren’t so crowded. So anyway let’s start with the character designs…yes those legs are really long. I mean I [...]
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After waiting for almost a day, I can finally see this and it doesn't disappoint. I admit, I'm a bit iffy with the character design. It looks like the kind of character design that can look ugly easily if the animators are lazy or if it's outsourced to other company. However, for the time being the quality is pretty good so I have no complaint on that regard. Unfortunately, this episode doesn't come with the OP theme. Maybe on the 2nd episode we'll get one. The ED theme, on the other hand, is pretty good and is sung by all of the male VAs, including Fukuyama Jun. As for the story itself, it's pretty entertaining actually. I have heard from other posters that the storyline is not that fun and that the characters are not pleasant. From what I've seen so far, sure, they behave like spoiled brats but that's what makes them amusing. I also get the feeling that GONZO tries to capture that Ouran Host Club look since the style of the design here reminds me of that other series. Even the special area where SA students gather look similar to the area where Ouran Host Club is located. Overall, this is a fun and pleasant comedy which everyone should really check out.
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Soul Eater What a fun series! Really, Bones did it again, creating a series with an absolutely terrific sense of style. Everything about this series clicks so far. It may not have the most realistic storyline, but it’s fun to watch without a doubt. It’s also got a great sense of humour, and I especially love [...]
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Go all the way up. Impressions: Well, let’s get the negatives out of the way first. Lay off the CG Gonzo. Seriously. Just because you can make a CG handweight/fan/clock doesn’t mean that you need to. The elongated figures also creep me out even more than the xxxHOLiC ones. Hikari in particular has morphing [...]
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