Hello again ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to my first
impressions review of the new Winter 2013 anime season. More specifically, welcome to troll country,
because that seems to make up a majority of what’s airing this season. I can’t stress enough how many times this
season I’ve been completely thrown off by what I’ve seen, but enough about
that, you’ll see what I mean shortly.
Let’s get right to it.
Vividred Operation
In a world where clean, cheap, sustainable energy for all
has become a reality, a mysterious enemy has appeared, seemingly bent on
destroying it. The only ones who can
stop it are the genius scientist that invented the technology, who has
accidentally transplanted his mind into a stuffed ferret, and his granddaughter
who possesses the ability to use his ultimate creation, the Vivid System. As you can see, this sounds like a pretty
standard opening for a magical girl or mech anime, and at present, I’m not
entirely certain which of the above it’s supposed to be, though I’m leaning
more towards magical girl at the moment.
The plot has made itself seem interesting and exciting, and though the
characters don’t seem to be anything interesting just yet, the first episode
was quite the fun ride. Some odd choices
of camera angle aside, it seems like this may be an entertaining series. If you like magical girl anime, definitely
give it a try.
Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru
Simply translated, My Girlfriend and my Childhood Friend
Fight Too Much. After being abandoned by
both his parents during middle school, Eita is taken in by his aunt, who works
herself to the bone to support the both of them. In order to repay her, he plans to enter
medical school on a full scholarship, become a doctor and pay back every cent
and then some. To accomplish this, his
studies come first, and everything else including romance takes a back
seat. That is, of course, until the most
popular girl in school blackmails him into being her fake boyfriend. Now his life is turned upside down, and his childhood
friend, and neighbour, Chiwa will not let this go without a fight. This is so far a thoroughly entertaining
series, if nothing original. It takes
care to keep you interested in the drama between the characters, and the
characters themselves bring life to a tired concept. If you like relationship drama with a bit of
humour, this looks to be a good series to pick up.
Ai Mai Mi
No, this is not about a cross-dressing man working as a
teacher at an all girls school, though I understand the confusion if you
thought that. (Bonus points for anyone
who understood that). This show follows
three girls named Ai, Mai, and Mi through their time in their high school manga
club. It’s a gag series, so don’t expect
anything too complex, though the episodes are only four minutes long each, so
you’re not exactly wasting much time.
Anyways, simply put, the jokes in this series just aren’t that funny, so
it kind of falls flat. Plain and simple,
probably the worst series of the season.
Maybe it’ll get better, but I wouldn’t count on it. If you don’t mind mindless shorts, maybe give
it a shot, but otherwise… meh.
Tamako Market
This series follows a talking bird, living with the daughter
of a family that makes Mochi, or rice cakes.
And that’s pretty much the premise.
Oh yeah, there’s something about the bird travelling in order to find a
bride for his king, but other than that, yeah, mochi. The major thing to note with this series is
that it comes from the same team that brought us K-On, and that’s pretty obvious
just from watching. It’s pretty standard
Kyoto Animation fare, and that can be good or bad depending on your point of
view. It doesn’t seem like there’s a
major plot or anything, aside from spreading the love of mochi, of course, but
it’s entertaining to watch regardless.
If you enjoyed K-On, Haruhi, or Chuunibyou from last season, consider
giving this one a try, seems like it could be fun, if lacking substance.
Senyuu
A quick four minute per episode series (There’s a lot of
those this season), that follow the adventures of a failure of a hero and an
imperial guard on a quest to slay demons and rid the world of a Demon King (Lot
of those this season too. You’ll
understand in a bit). Now, this is a gag
anime that follows the hapless duo through their quest full of failures and
injury on the hero’s part. This show is
pretty hit or miss as far as the jokes go, but at least it’s not as bad as Ai
Mai Mi (Setting the bar pretty low, go me).
The jokes do often have me laughing, so I give it a pass so far. If you like quick gag anime, give it a shot.
Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman
This series follows the antics of a master thief who works
to steal from the rich and give back to the poor. An important thing to note with this one is
that the character designs were all done by Monkey Punch, the creator of Lupin
III. It also seems like the writer and
director are very much inspired by his work, as it even feels like one of his
creations. The characters are fun, if a
little stereotypical for a series like this, but they all have their moments of
awesome nonetheless. The story so far is
episodic, but I see hints of a larger plotline looming in the background. All in all it seems like a good watch, so if
you like Lupin III, and other shows like it, this may be something for you.
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai
Okay, I’ll admit, even I don’t really know what this one is
about. So, there’s a Hikkikomori
(Shut-in) named Sasami, who lives with her doting, subservient, faceless,
creepy, oblivious brother, who always seems to be covering his face with
something even when there’s no good reason for it. Oh, and he’s a teacher, at the high school
she refuses to attend. Also, he seems to
be involved in some form of love triangle with three sisters, one being his
coworker, and the other two his students.
Also, these sisters have super powers, and one’s an android, and they
defend the earth from issues Sasami seems to cause. Yeah, it’s weird. Also, it’s almost completely
incomprehensible, which is disappointing (or totally expected) considering who
the director is. That’s right, this is
being directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, the man who brought us Zetsubou-sensei,
Madoka, and Bakemonogatari. You can say
all you want about his works, but they at least usually make some form of sense
at the end of the day. I can only assume
that the first episode was some sort of major troll, and he’s laughing at us
all as I write this. I can’t in good
conscience recommend this right now, but if you are a fan of his past works,
and don’t mind the weirdness, give it a chance, maybe it’ll surprise us.
Senran Kagura
Boobs, that is all.
Okay, in all honesty, that’s essentially the entire point of this show,
and it’s not exactly trying to hide it. I
mean, one of the characters spends half the series with his shirt wide open and
no underwear underneath. It follows a
group of five female ninjas that attend a special class at their high school to
become future assassins, bodyguards, and spies.
There’s a rivalry with another faction, and they find themselves
targeted by a mysterious enemy. But
let’s be honest, you’re not going to watch for the story, you’re going to watch
for the eye-candy. Anyways, if you like
fanservice and fighting, and not much beyond that, this is for you. Have fun.
GJ-bu
A simple harem anime based on a 4-koma about a high school
club that does essentially nothing. The
entire series takes place in their club room as the four girls and one guy read
manga, play chess, eat meat, serve tea, and get up to all sorts of strange
conversations and games. The humour in
this series is actually pretty funny to start off with, so it’s already a
decent anime for what it is. The
characters are nothing new or impressive, but they work well together, so it
really doesn’t matter. A purely entertaining
anime, if you enjoy stuff like Lucky Star, and Seitokai no Ichizon, I suggest
you give it a look.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha
In a world where the demon world and the realm of humans are
at war, one hero rises to slay the Demon King and bring peace to the world. He reaches the Demon King’s castle for their
final conflict, and the Demon King promptly explain the War Economy to
him. Oh, and it’s an attractive woman,
and she has a major crush on the hero.
The story follows the two of them as they form an unlikely partnership
to bring peace to the world by starting from the ground up and solving the
basic problems that lead to war, like food shortages. Honestly, this is like the stereotypical
setup for a JRPG, as directed by Hideo Kojima.
The writing is solid, and the female lead is charming, so the series so
far seems like a good pick. Give it a
chance, but only if you can stomach long-winded explanations about economics
and agriculture.
Boku no Imouto wa “Osaka
Okan”
A set of 4 minute shorts about a brother and sister reunited
after ten years of living apart when their parents divorced. The catch?
His sister has been living in Osaka all
this time, and after moving back to Tokyo,
she maintains the accent, uses strange terminology, and acts much different
than he remembers. First and foremost,
this show looks like it was made by an amateur with Flash. The animation is rough, and lacks detail, but
it gets the point across I suppose. The
jokes are odd, but since they’re mostly about differences between people in Tokyo and Osaka,
there’s probably some cultural knowledge I’m lacking on this one. Then again, at four minutes an episode, it’s
not exactly a lot to take in at once.
Decent series, needs better animation, but then again, I said that about
Nyaruko years ago, and then that got a proper release last year, so anything’s
possible.
Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun
First, allow me to mention that this has nothing to do with
the Touhou franchise at all, and I say that because I’ve seen confusion online
from people who watched it. The series
follows the survivors of village destroyed by a strange plague, who survived
only by making contracts with a set of gods.
They were taken in by the church, who now seems intent on receiving
their help with some sort of issue. The
series maintains a mysterious atmosphere, as well as some cool animations when
it comes to the characters’ powers. The
characters are a little bland though, but if that’s my only complaint so far
then I’ll count myself lucky for the time being. Interesting premise, and what seems like
decent execution, though that’s still up in the air. If you like mysterious, action-packed anime,
then this is probably one to pick up this season.
Yama no Susume
Yet another set of four minute shorts following two high
school girls as they climb mountains.
The catch? One of them is afraid
of heights. It presents itself as more
of an informative piece about mountain climbing and proper safety procedures,
but it’s also about the one girl trying her hardest to get over her fear in
order to keep a promise to her friend.
It’s a bit short for what it is, and I feel like it should be longer
since it feels a bit rushed as is, but otherwise it seems like an okay series. Give it a try, you may like it quite a bit.
Cuticle Tantei Inaba
Yeah, this is one of those weird shows that pop up every now
and again, and I really don’t know what to say about it. Basically, the title character is a private
eye that used to work for the police force.
He was once known as one of the best on the force for his investigative
prowess. All he needs is one hair from
the culprit, and he can understand exactly what that person is thinking. Oh yeah, he’s also a werewolf, who’s powers
change depending on the colour of the hair he sticks in his mouth. I told you it was weird. Anyways, he doesn’t seem to have any
customers aside from his ex-partner, and all crime seems to stem from the same
Italian mob boss. His name is Valentino,
he’s a goat. So yeah, this show is more
random comedy than serious investigation.
The characters are one-dimensional, and do a lot just for a gag, and
more of the jokes leave you confused than laughing. It’s a stupid premise, and it’s executed
poorly, but if you like completely random comedy that makes little sense, then
it may be for you.
Amnesia
This series is about a girl who, through a strange,
supernatural turn of events, lost all of her memories and is apparently in
danger of losing them permanently. A
mysterious being named Orion, who only she can see, is the one responsible for
this, and he tries to aid her in recovering her lost memories. The series itself seems like it may be one of
the deeper anime of the season, with everything looked upon as a mystery, and
even the little chunks of memory she does recall are called into question for
reliability. Aside from that, the
animation is stunning, and the opening theme is quite possibly the best of the
season. The characters leave a bit to be
desired, but then again, we know nothing about any of them yet, and that’s the
point. We know about as much as the main
character, and that’s what makes the series so interesting since its all seen
from her eyes. This one is a must for
everyone, do yourself a favour and give it a shot.
Inferno Cop
A series about a police officer version of Ghost Rider, out
for vengeance against a gang called Southern Cross for what they did to his
family. Now, this is another one of the
four minute shorts this season, and despite that plot, it’s not meant to be
taken seriously. The animation looks
like it was done with paper cut-outs, and each episode is absolutely ridiculous
from start to finish. It’s a cool, if a
bit tired concept used to create a random comedy series. If that sounds good to you, give it a
shot. I will vouch for how funny it is
though, I’ve yet to not laugh during an episode.
Kotoura-san
In quite possibly my favourite show of the season, the title
character is a high school girl that has been able to read minds since she was
little. As a child she was unable to
tell the difference between people’s thought and what they actually said. This caused all sorts of problems, ruining
friendships, and destroyed her family.
Present day, she’s now a loner who actively tries to avoid people. The series follows her in a new school, as
she develops friendships that don’t seem to mind her ability, and joins the ESP
Research Society. Now, before I saw
this, a friend warned me that the first episode started normal, and then “hit
you in the face with a baseball bat made of wtf”. After seeing the episode, I have to agree,
baseball bat is an accurate term. This
series trolls its audience, hard. The
writing is well done, and the characters are interesting and entertaining. I’m not going to ruin anything, so just give
it a watch. I promise you won’t regret
it. Even the first episode on its own is
a hell of an experience.
Mangirl
A series about a group of friends and coworkers working to
start up a brand new manga magazine, and all the issues and experiences that go
with it. Once again, these episodes are
only four minutes a piece, but that doesn’t seem to hurt it at all. All the issues are just quick things that
have to be sorted out fast, so the short format complements that well. The gags are decently well done, and the
characters themselves are entertaining, so this seems to be a good investment
for the time it takes. If you just want
something quick to kill some time, this is probably a good series for you.
Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?
Direct translation, “Problem Children are Coming from
Another World, Aren’t They?”, you know, like the person saying it is totally
dejected by the idea. In this series, a
set of teenagers with special powers are transported from earth to a new
dimension in order to compete in a set of games for fun and profit. Some perfectly simple, others treacherous and
deadly, and each with a prize in relation to the severity of the
challenge. However, the people who
brought them there may not have been totally honest with them. Anyways, the series seems interesting enough
so far, definitely a lot of potential to go off of. Then again, I’ve seen shows like that lose
momentum really quickly, so it’s still up in the air. The characters themselves seem like a lot of
fun, so this series may be worth it. If
you enjoy a fun series with a bit of action, this would be the title for you.
