Sage's Winter 2008 Anime Picks
Okay, before March arrives and its too late, I figured I'd go ahead and list the series I decided to bother with for the Winter Season. I'm going off giapet's Winter Anime Preview (yes that's three different links) list on Japanator, which has pretty much become my favorite way to find out about new anime. Most people either do an incomplete job or offer their bullshit opinion, which I neither want or need. With her stuff, its not a problem.
Anyway. Due to my incredibly shitty dial-up, for most series I'm only going to go five episodes in to most of my picks. If I mention that I've decided to go past that mark, then you can pretty much assume its a favorite.
So. Here goes!
Ayakashi
Summary: Adapted from the 2005 adults-only superhuman battle action visual novel game Ayakashi. Ayakashi is a parasite life force that gives superpowers to its host, taking in return the host's entire life force. Kusaka Yuu is a student that lost his will to live after the death of a dear childhood friend, until the day a mysterious girl, named Yoake Eimu, appears. From that moment on, his life would never be the same again. Hunted by Ayakashi and their hosts, the power within Yuu awakens and a never ending battle begins. (Source: ANN)
Genre: Horror, Action
Progress: Still at episode 1...been busy.
Thoughts: Nice, clean art style and a mention of fights and I was there. Unfortunately, "there" happened to be kinda boring. A few parlor tricks and some C-Level villain chopping off noses can't win me. To be fair, I only saw episode one, but there was nothing special about it. I won't say "been there, done that"...that's bullshit. We've been everywhere and done it all. But there's always one element that stands out and makes me interested enough to keep with a show. Unfortunately, here that didn't happen. I had hope with the main character at the beginning talking about being a "hero of Justice" (I love that shit) when he grew up...but he (of course) forgot all about it. Apparently crushing spoons for spare change was more interesting. Still, I'll go ahead and check out the next four episodes.
Going past the Five? With Fate/Stay Night and Rozen Maiden to finish, along with the new Kamen Rider/Sentai coming up? Are you kidding?
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de (They Are My Noble Masters)
Summary: The title translates to "You're the Master; the Butler is Me," and it's a pretty apt description of the show's plot. The main character is Ren Uesugi, who runs away from home with his sister Mihato. The two wind up serving as butler and maid to three wealthy young sisters, heirs of the Kuonji clan: the haughty eldest sister Shinra, the diminutive but elegant middle sister Miyu, and the cute and sweet youngest sister Yume. (Source: Japanator)
Genre: Comedy
Progress: Episode 3.
Thoughts: Oh shit! This one was much better than I expected. Originally I figured I'd check it out since I don't know of any anime where a brother *and* sister get roped into being servants, and I thought it could make for some interesting situations. It was my first comedy/harem series in a long time though, so I had my doubts. I turned out to be right, but then I got hit with so much more. From a butler who can do energy attacks like he just transferred from the School of DBZ, to a sister who apparently keeps "secrets" all over her body (like vegetables in her panties...I shit you not), the whole episode kept me in stitches. Already I think I like all the
characters. Even Shinra, who worked my nerve (she's just not at that "Tendou" level of cool to be as arrogant as she is...chick you just play the violin!) until she declared her love for "all things cute", while basically molesting her younger sister. Win. My only problem with it? What the hell is up with the cardboard cut outs in place of *actual* background people???
Edit: Having caught up to episode 3, I still find this show hilarious. Twisted, as episode three turned out to be basically about how Shinra wanted her sister to prance around naked for her, but still hilarious.
Going past the Five? Uhm, if I have the time? Yes.
Ookami to Koushinryou (Wolf and Spice)
Summary: Craft Lawrence sounds more like the name of a furniture store at the mall, but in Ookami to Koushinryou (Wolf and Spice), he's the main character. A peddler who wants to earn enough money to open up his own shop, he meanders around buying and selling. One day he stops in a town and finds-- and I quote Wikipedia here --"a 250-year-old pagan wolf-deity girl named Holo" in his wagon. She is apparently the town's Goddess of the Harvest, but wants to leave and go back to her own hometown, and maybe do a little adventuring while she's at it. Hijinks, of course, ensue. (Source: Japanator.)
Genre: Romantic Comedy, so they tell me...
Progress: Not even episode 1.
Thoughts: Not much to even say here. Except....wolfgirl! *ninja hugs her* Yeah yeah, I know....its "really" a wolf god but I gotta go with the age-old rule. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a really cute wolfgirl. It very well might suck, but but...wolfgirl. Hopefully the deities of anime (basically, the guys who worked on Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop) will be kind to me.
Persona -trinity soul-
Summary: Set in a bleak future ten years after a tragedy known as the "Apathy Syndrome" occurred, high schooler Shin and his little brother Jun meet their elder brother Ryou, the chief of police, for the first time in ten years. Their meeting coincides with a series of mysterious occurrences: a submarine's crew suddenly disappears; an inside-out corpse is discovered, and others. Ryou must figure out what's going on, and how Shin may be involved. (Source: Japanator.)
Progress: Episode 1.
Thoughts: Again, not much to say. I was never a Persona fan, honestly, but I'm in support of any video game-to-anime projects, in the hopes that one day I'll get my Lunar: Silver Star Story anime. *imagines Dragon Master Alex and Magic Emperor Ghaleon duking it out* .....Damn that would be awesome. Anyway. Persona always seemed a little dark for me (and this anime's no exception..."Apathy Syndrome"??...inside-out corpses??...it gets my rubber stamp for "Likely to be a depressing as fuck anime"), but its possible it'll be good.
Edit: Caught episode 1. Lot less depressing than I thought, but a bit of a slow start. I reserve too many comments on the story itself until I'm further in, so my only comment is why does Ryou and Shin's brother look SO much like a girl. Even after realizing he was a guy it took basically the whole episode to get it into my brain.
Rosario to Vampire
Summary: Tsukune Aono is a slacker who gets bad grades, and therefore fails to get into any of his top-choice high schools. So when he is accepted into the extraordinary Youkai Academy, he jumps at the chance to enroll. When he arrives, he learns exactly why the school is so extraordinary: it's a school for monsters. In order to save his life he has to pretend to be a monster himself-- with the help of a beautiful vampire named Moka.
Progress: Episode 3 (I'm current! Holy shit!)
Genre: Comedy, Harem, Shonen
Thoughts: Panties! Sorry, sorry...I'll try again. Boobs! ....Huh. Did it again. Can't help it. Its not a knock against the anime or anything, its just really hard to focus when members of the main cast are feeding you a steady stream of fanservice. Anyway, I like this anime. Its got an interesting premise and the characters are all fun (and bouncy) and innocent, instead of angsty and dickish. Shame its only going to last 13 episodes. But between a beautiful vampire, a gorgeous succubus, and a catgirl (she won't play much part in the series I'm sure, but I don't care...catgirls are cute!), it should be fun ride. One question though...how come her T&A get larger when she transforms?? Is it the bigger the boobs, the bigger the strength? That might explain why Power Girl kicks so much ass... Also, I wonder if the trade-off is worth it. Dating Moka must be fun but I'm not sure I'd want to be her "snack" whenever she got hungry...
Last note? Transformed Moka = Win. (You know you're awesome when you've got a talking bat flying in and telling everybody how quickly you kicked ass that episode.)
Going Past the Five? Definitely, yes.
Okay, this thing will need editing, since two of the series I haven't even seen yet. But hey, I'll get back to it. There's also Sisters of Wellber 2nd, but since I haven't finished the *first* season, watching the second season might be kinda counterproductive. Anyways. Next time will either be a commentary on Sinestro Corps War or mecha anime. Not sure yet.
Anyway. Due to my incredibly shitty dial-up, for most series I'm only going to go five episodes in to most of my picks. If I mention that I've decided to go past that mark, then you can pretty much assume its a favorite.
So. Here goes!
Ayakashi
Summary: Adapted from the 2005 adults-only superhuman battle action visual novel game Ayakashi. Ayakashi is a parasite life force that gives superpowers to its host, taking in return the host's entire life force. Kusaka Yuu is a student that lost his will to live after the death of a dear childhood friend, until the day a mysterious girl, named Yoake Eimu, appears. From that moment on, his life would never be the same again. Hunted by Ayakashi and their hosts, the power within Yuu awakens and a never ending battle begins. (Source: ANN)
Genre: Horror, Action
Progress: Still at episode 1...been busy.
Thoughts: Nice, clean art style and a mention of fights and I was there. Unfortunately, "there" happened to be kinda boring. A few parlor tricks and some C-Level villain chopping off noses can't win me. To be fair, I only saw episode one, but there was nothing special about it. I won't say "been there, done that"...that's bullshit. We've been everywhere and done it all. But there's always one element that stands out and makes me interested enough to keep with a show. Unfortunately, here that didn't happen. I had hope with the main character at the beginning talking about being a "hero of Justice" (I love that shit) when he grew up...but he (of course) forgot all about it. Apparently crushing spoons for spare change was more interesting. Still, I'll go ahead and check out the next four episodes.
Going past the Five? With Fate/Stay Night and Rozen Maiden to finish, along with the new Kamen Rider/Sentai coming up? Are you kidding?
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de (They Are My Noble Masters)
Summary: The title translates to "You're the Master; the Butler is Me," and it's a pretty apt description of the show's plot. The main character is Ren Uesugi, who runs away from home with his sister Mihato. The two wind up serving as butler and maid to three wealthy young sisters, heirs of the Kuonji clan: the haughty eldest sister Shinra, the diminutive but elegant middle sister Miyu, and the cute and sweet youngest sister Yume. (Source: Japanator)
Genre: Comedy
Progress: Episode 3.
Thoughts: Oh shit! This one was much better than I expected. Originally I figured I'd check it out since I don't know of any anime where a brother *and* sister get roped into being servants, and I thought it could make for some interesting situations. It was my first comedy/harem series in a long time though, so I had my doubts. I turned out to be right, but then I got hit with so much more. From a butler who can do energy attacks like he just transferred from the School of DBZ, to a sister who apparently keeps "secrets" all over her body (like vegetables in her panties...I shit you not), the whole episode kept me in stitches. Already I think I like all the
characters. Even Shinra, who worked my nerve (she's just not at that "Tendou" level of cool to be as arrogant as she is...chick you just play the violin!) until she declared her love for "all things cute", while basically molesting her younger sister. Win. My only problem with it? What the hell is up with the cardboard cut outs in place of *actual* background people???
Edit: Having caught up to episode 3, I still find this show hilarious. Twisted, as episode three turned out to be basically about how Shinra wanted her sister to prance around naked for her, but still hilarious.
Going past the Five? Uhm, if I have the time? Yes.
Ookami to Koushinryou (Wolf and Spice)
Summary: Craft Lawrence sounds more like the name of a furniture store at the mall, but in Ookami to Koushinryou (Wolf and Spice), he's the main character. A peddler who wants to earn enough money to open up his own shop, he meanders around buying and selling. One day he stops in a town and finds-- and I quote Wikipedia here --"a 250-year-old pagan wolf-deity girl named Holo" in his wagon. She is apparently the town's Goddess of the Harvest, but wants to leave and go back to her own hometown, and maybe do a little adventuring while she's at it. Hijinks, of course, ensue. (Source: Japanator.)
Genre: Romantic Comedy, so they tell me...
Progress: Not even episode 1.
Thoughts: Not much to even say here. Except....wolfgirl! *ninja hugs her* Yeah yeah, I know....its "really" a wolf god but I gotta go with the age-old rule. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a really cute wolfgirl. It very well might suck, but but...wolfgirl. Hopefully the deities of anime (basically, the guys who worked on Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop) will be kind to me.
Persona -trinity soul-
Summary: Set in a bleak future ten years after a tragedy known as the "Apathy Syndrome" occurred, high schooler Shin and his little brother Jun meet their elder brother Ryou, the chief of police, for the first time in ten years. Their meeting coincides with a series of mysterious occurrences: a submarine's crew suddenly disappears; an inside-out corpse is discovered, and others. Ryou must figure out what's going on, and how Shin may be involved. (Source: Japanator.)
Progress: Episode 1.
Thoughts: Again, not much to say. I was never a Persona fan, honestly, but I'm in support of any video game-to-anime projects, in the hopes that one day I'll get my Lunar: Silver Star Story anime. *imagines Dragon Master Alex and Magic Emperor Ghaleon duking it out* .....Damn that would be awesome. Anyway. Persona always seemed a little dark for me (and this anime's no exception..."Apathy Syndrome"??...inside-out corpses??...it gets my rubber stamp for "Likely to be a depressing as fuck anime"), but its possible it'll be good.
Edit: Caught episode 1. Lot less depressing than I thought, but a bit of a slow start. I reserve too many comments on the story itself until I'm further in, so my only comment is why does Ryou and Shin's brother look SO much like a girl. Even after realizing he was a guy it took basically the whole episode to get it into my brain.
Rosario to Vampire
Summary: Tsukune Aono is a slacker who gets bad grades, and therefore fails to get into any of his top-choice high schools. So when he is accepted into the extraordinary Youkai Academy, he jumps at the chance to enroll. When he arrives, he learns exactly why the school is so extraordinary: it's a school for monsters. In order to save his life he has to pretend to be a monster himself-- with the help of a beautiful vampire named Moka.
Progress: Episode 3 (I'm current! Holy shit!)
Genre: Comedy, Harem, Shonen
Thoughts: Panties! Sorry, sorry...I'll try again. Boobs! ....Huh. Did it again. Can't help it. Its not a knock against the anime or anything, its just really hard to focus when members of the main cast are feeding you a steady stream of fanservice. Anyway, I like this anime. Its got an interesting premise and the characters are all fun (and bouncy) and innocent, instead of angsty and dickish. Shame its only going to last 13 episodes. But between a beautiful vampire, a gorgeous succubus, and a catgirl (she won't play much part in the series I'm sure, but I don't care...catgirls are cute!), it should be fun ride. One question though...how come her T&A get larger when she transforms?? Is it the bigger the boobs, the bigger the strength? That might explain why Power Girl kicks so much ass... Also, I wonder if the trade-off is worth it. Dating Moka must be fun but I'm not sure I'd want to be her "snack" whenever she got hungry...
Last note? Transformed Moka = Win. (You know you're awesome when you've got a talking bat flying in and telling everybody how quickly you kicked ass that episode.)
Going Past the Five? Definitely, yes.
Okay, this thing will need editing, since two of the series I haven't even seen yet. But hey, I'll get back to it. There's also Sisters of Wellber 2nd, but since I haven't finished the *first* season, watching the second season might be kinda counterproductive. Anyways. Next time will either be a commentary on Sinestro Corps War or mecha anime. Not sure yet.
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