Category: Reviews

This post will be updated as new shows arrive.
Dog days: Junior high school gymnastics jock is whisked away to fantasy land where Dog People are battling Cat People in some kind of battle tournament. The Dog Republic is governed by a hereditary nobility :-(. Unoriginal, and not my kind of thing.
Hanasaku Iroha (Personal Growth ABC): 16 year old Ohana, abandoned by her feckless mother, goes to live with her grandmother, who runs a hot-spring hotel. The welcome isn’t as warm as she expected. This has a strong script, adequate art, and interesting characters. Promising. Ep. #2 excellent. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
Nichijou (My Ordinary Life): Farcial gag comedy with schoolgirls. Amusing but frequently baffling; maybe it’s funnier in Japanese. Ep.#2 equally strange. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
Steins; gate: Mysterious events occur around a time-travel theory seminar. A group of misfits meddle. A murdered woman. Intriguing time-travel sci-fi. [Streamed on Crunchyroll –not UK]
Oretachi wa Tsubasa wa nai (Without Wings – Under the Innocent Sky): Adapted from an ero-game. Lots of fanservice and sexy talk, multiple story threads. I didn’t care for the scene where an under-age girl shows her sexy undies and talks dirty. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
Fireball Charming: 2-minute episode set on mecha planet. Great mecha animation, otherwise trivial.
Sengoku Otome – Momoiro Paradox (Battle Girls -Time Paradox): An average schoolgirl is transported to the Japanese Warring States period while praying for exam success at a shrine. However all the famous warlords, e.g. Oda Nobunaga, are women. One has a sinking feeling about this even before the opening credits are finished; it’s the usual magical rubbish with busty babes in skimpy armour. And why does Oda have only one attendant? The cute-but-dim heroine is the only good thing in it. Ep. #2: totally lame. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
Tiger and Bunny: American-style superheroes work in a heavily sponsored reality TV show, where they get points for their success in catching villains. Hero “Tiger” isn’t doing well. Why watch? Don’t ask me. [Streamed on ANN, including UK]
Tono to Issho Gantai no Yabo: 3 minute episodes set in the Sengoku historical period. Slightly anachronistic and very funny. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
SKET Dance: Transfer student encounters a strange club whose oddball members are dedicated to offering help and encouragement to other students. Ep #1 failed to arouse my enthusiasm. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
Toriko: Shounen fantasy adventure about Toriko, who hunts down exotic ingredients for gourmet restaurants. Set on a fantasy world. (The first episode is a 50-minute Toriko x One Piece special. One Piece fans should enjoy it.) In Ep.#2, Toriko meets the timid chef Komatsu, hunts down the monstrous 8-legged Galala Crocodile, and eats it. If totally over the top manly fantasy adventure is your thing, you’ll like this.
Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi – World’s Greatest First Love: Funny and interesting story set in world of shoujo manga publishing. I liked it despite the few seconds of icky guy-guy kissing. Not for gay-haters, I think. #2nd episode lame, dropped. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
A-Channel: Tiny Tooru is a bit too fond of her school friend, the dangerously scatty Ran, who since entering high school has acquired two female friends and several male acquaintances. Much comedy action ensues. I doubt if I’ll be watching much more of this, having taken a strong dislike to the near-psychotic Tooru.
Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera: Enma, nephew of the prince of Hell, and his associates, ice-wielding Princess Yukiko and the kappa Kappaeru, and Enma’s talking hat Chapeau, are sorting out the human world’s demons. Harumi, a schoolgirl, gets mixed up in their activities. All good fun, with slick modern designs, a little fan-service, and plenty of humour. {The original 1973 Go Nagai anime is pretty good too – though it looks its age it has more demon-battling action and less messing about in ep.#1}
30-sai no Hoken Taiiku (A Thirty-Year Old’s Health and Physical Education): Japan is said to have many 30 year-old virgins – this is a (censored) guide for them on how to date and have sex with women. Ep. #1 was so dire that watching 25 mins of it was like hard work. Don’t go there.
Happy Kappi: harmless stuff for kids.
Sofuteni: Soft tennis, played with a larger soft ball, is a popular game in Asia. This is another school comedy, with a group of cute girls doing cute things. It’s enlivened by fan-service, which includes some of the girls’ lurid imaginings. Not so bad, but not original enough to make it a must-see.
Hen Zemi (Strange Seminar): Nanako is a normal university student who happens to enroll in an Abnormal Physiology seminar. The lecturer and the other students are sexual deviants who persistently harass and embarrass Nanako. This show reveals the Japanese taste for body function humour. It’s ecchi, rude, abusive, and disgusting, but also rather smart and funny.
Showa Monogatari (Post-war Story): A story about daily life in the early 1960’s and supposedly aimed at older folks who remember those times. No fansub yet, which makes it hard to review, but it’s a reminder of what interested folks at that time.
Hyouge Mono: Historical drama. The story is set during Japan’s Warring States era and centers on Furuta Sasuke, a vassal of the great warlord Oda Nobunaga. He is obsessed with tea ceremony and material elegance, rather than with war. The art is interesting, and it’s clearly meant to be funny. I’ll continue to watch this. [There’s an online translated manga available. The anime follows the manga closely.]
Astarotte no Omocha (Astarotte’s Toy): Astarotte is a 10 year old succubus princess, and has to acquire a male harem, so that she can, er, suck their male essence. The animation style suggests that it’s for 10 year olds, and the first episode treads a fine line between moe cuteness and kiddy porn. However the late-night broadcast time implied that it’s really intended for adult pervs, not kids. Crunchyroll managed to “lose” my negative comment on this show! [Streamed on Crunchyroll].
Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san: About a private detective who has control of a demon used for dirty work. The demon, Azazel, is an unscary-looking sex fiend. The detective’s temporary worker, Sakuma is introduced to the demon. Contains some raunchy adult humour, and a bit repetitive, but at 12 minutes at least it’s short.
Gyakkyō Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku-hen (Kaiji 2): sequel to harsh adult gambling comedy drama. Lowlife Kaiji, deep in debt to the Yakuza because of gambling, is kidnapped and put to work in a forced labour mine. Might not be everybody’s taste, but well-done.
Maria-holic Alive: Sequel to “Maria Holic”, in which lesbian Kanako was persecuted by her pretty boarding school room-mate who was really a boy in drag. In the first episode of the new series, Kanako is induced to undergo some fantastical trials in a supposedly disused wing of the school. Looks like the same stuff as before. Slickly done, but I’m not over keen on this comedy of bullying. [Licenced by Sentai – to be streamed in US & Canada]
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (Bridge to the Stars): Kazuma’s younger brother has to move to the country for his health, and Kazuma accompanies him. Kazuma meets several girls, in variously embarrassing circumstances. A pretty if anodyne harem comedy, with mild fan-service. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
The World God Only Knows 2: Like last year, the game master hero, aided by little demon Elsie is sending bad souls back to Hell by winning the hearts of real girls. No development from last year, but that could still mean it’s very good. [Streamed on Crunchyroll]
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (That day we saw a flower whose name we do not yet know): The hero is being bothered by a very annoying younger girl. Gradually we discover that nobody else can see her, and that he’s a recluse alienated from his former friends. There’s a situation he needs to fix. Tolerably well-scripted but gloomy scenario.
Hidan no Aria (a.k.a. Aria of the Scarlet Ammo): Harem comedy with guns, set around a high school for young bounty hunters. Average stuff.
C – The Money of Soul and Possibility Control: Japan has been bailed ouit from a financial crisis, but citizens are struggling to survive. A student is offered a large sum of money, simply on the condition that he pay it back. He is then introduced to the mysterious Financial District. Bizarre supernatural comedy-thriller. I’ll definitely be watching the next episode. Streamed on Funimation (not UK), ANN’s Anime on Demand (UK)
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (radio wave woman and laidback man): High school boy goes to live with his single aunt, only to discover that he has a cousin who claims to be an alien and goes around wrapped in a futon. Totally bizarre. I’ll definitely be watching the next episode.
Deadman Wonderland: A 14 year old high school boy sees his class massacred by a red figure with supernatural powers. Subsequently he is accused of the crime, and despite his protests convicted on the evidence of a taped confession in which he boasts of the crime. He is sent to a private prison/theme park called “Deadman Wonderland”. A strange girl in a white bodysuit jumps down from the roof to talk to him. Around mid-episode the hero says “This can’t be happening..” which prompted this viewer to think “You’re right, it can’t”. I wasn’t impressed by this horror/conspiracy show.
Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist): Orphan in care of exorcism- performing religious order discovers that he can “see things” and that he possesses a strange power. Fairly well-scripted and looks promising. Steamed on Crunchyroll (not UK).
Moshidora (Drucker in the Dugout): Full Japanese title is: Moshi Kōkō YakyÅ« no Joshi Manager ga Drucker no Management o Yondara (“What If the Female Manager of a High School Baseball Team Had Read Drucker’s ‘Management’?”). It’s about a high school girl who is “manager” of the school baseball team, and who while looking for a baseball manager’s book, picks up Peter Drucker’s business management classic, and tries to use it to help her manage the team and aim for the Koshien. The ideas are interesting, the characters and the play less so. Will watch some more episodes. [This show was originally scheduled for March, but is now being shown daily in April/May]

UK Anime release schedule courtesy of http://www.uk-anime.net.

With two of the more interesting series taking a week’s break,  and the season well under way, it seems a good time to look at what’s good and what’s not.  Confounding one’s fears last year that decent anime was about to be history, a number of the latest series have great artwork, interesting characters, and well-crafted scripts with an ongoing storyline. In general they are far more sophisticated than say the anime of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is the hit of the season. Many thought this was going to be just an updated magical-girl series, with added magical-trip effects, till in episode 3 the story takes a markedly darker turn. To underline this, #1 and #2 had action playing under the end credits, while #3 onwards have the pounding and distinctly doom-laden ending song. (Those given to re-running episodes will note that it’s previewed at a lower volume during the fight in #2.)  Episode #3 reveals to general shock that being a magical girl can be fatal, and the nightmare continues in episodes #4-6 as further shocking events and revelations continue.  These girls evidently get a huge ‘high’ from the exercise of their powers, and their motivation is not necessarily directed towards the common good.  The cute-faced familiar, Kyubei , urges Madoka and her friend to contract as magical girls with an eagerness more usually met with in drug pushers.  Al in all, a series that leaves the viewer in mild shock at the end of each episode isn’t updating the magical-girl genre so much as demolishing it.
Each episode has a hallucinogenic magical-combat sequence, and each one is totally different. Some think it’s worth watching for these alone.
Halfway through, the eponymous Madoka still hasn’t become a magical girl. Will she? and what will happen when she does?  Is Kyubei evil? What ghastly thing will happen next? We want to know!

Yumekui Merry (Dream Eater Merry) : When the real world and the world of dreams intersect, strange things happen.  Yumeji Fujiwara has always been sensitive to other people’s dreams, even before a strange girl falls on top of him. Merry Nightmare has come from the dream world, and she wants to go back there.  Fujiwara has a nightmare of being in the dream world,  chased by cats.  The dream-world intrudes into Reality.  Fujiwara, a kind-hearted youth, decides to help Merry.  The dream demons want Yumeji’s body as a vessel to access Reality.  Initially, Fujiwara and Merry seek out dream-demons and battle them as a means of finding an exit for her to the Dream World, but the perspective changes.

This series has a warmth to it derived from the characters’ feeling for each other, and the storyline has developing twists and clues that require the viewer to pay attention and remember what happened in past episodes.  There is also some fine artwork in the dream scenes.

Kore wa Zombie desu ka? (Is this a Zombie?) : Daft and hilarious comedy about a schoolboy who is already a zombie as the series starts.  Errm, there’s a Wiki on this series so I don’t have to explain what it’s about… By episode 5 he has a magically powered girl, a necromancer girl, and a vampire ninja girl living at his house, somewhat against his wishes. He does his best to hold his own.

This is very funny, and the girls all have quite distinct and unique personalities. It’s the inventiveness that makes it worth watching. Why does the rather jail-bait Haruna insist on making Ayumu delicious fried egg lunches – with no rice? Why does Yu wear armour and never speak? Will the ninja-girl’s ample bosom poke Ayumu in the eye?

Gothic (ゴシック): Set in an imaginary European country, in 1924. Token Japanese schoolboy meets a tiny, brilliant and bossy blonde girl who solves gothic mysteries.  Not amazing, but can be quite a gripping watch. The setup is an excuse to pose and solve some Sherlock-Holmes style mysteries, invariably solved with brilliant deductions by Veronique. After an awkward start,  Kazuya and Veronique come to care about each other.  The story arcs, involving a death ship and a thief and a missing heiress, are rather fun.

Fractale: sci-fi anime, containing obvious homages to Miyazaki movies and Nadia TV series. Much discussed, much anticipated, but proving somewhat of a disappointment. It fails to convince the viewer that its world is internally consistent, and none of the characters are really likeable or admirable.  Some people are continuing to watch just so they can chuck rocks at it.

Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son) : This was widely anticipated as the “quality” anime of the season – another adaptation of a Shimura Takako manga – the other being the delicate drama “Aoi Hana”.  Not for everyone, perhaps, but HM has outstanding artwork, a solid script and tactful storytelling about gender identity, which affects several of the characters in different ways. Can be quite spellbinding in its quiet way.

Level E: Earth is infested with aliens, all here for their different reasons, and the humans are the only ones who don’t know. This is having some good fun with “the aliens are among us” storylines.

Kimi ni Todoke 2 (Reaching You 2) : Eagerly awaited by those who loved the first series of this shoujo romantic comedy. 2011 episode #0 was a recap. In ep #1, it’s chocolate-giving day, and Sawako can’t quite screw up courage to give lovingly-made chocolates to Kazehaya, who hangs about in increasing disappointment.  Give him the chocs already, girl! The characters have moved up one school year but their relationship hasn’t.  Nice, but no need to watch unless you liked the first series so much you want to watch another 12 or 13 episodes of the same.

The rest? Dragon Crisis isn’t bad, and I didn’t pursue the others.

The World God Only Knows was one of the shows I passed over during the Autumn 2010 Japanese anime season, in favour of more enticing works. During a mild bout of ‘flu recently I watched the whole show and found it quite a bit better than I had anticipated. A show about a self-styled “God of Gaming” who doesn’t interact with real girls, and a demonic girl, doesn’t sound like a must-watch.  In fact, there is a strong script, the characters are well rounded, and the girls are extremely cute (even cuter than the accompanying image suggests). There is no fan-service, which these days could be a plus point! The hero isn’t a hopeless loser – he just lacks social skills and loves gaming. When forced by the situation, Keima approaches real girls with determination, using the knowledge he has gained in gaming. The series pokes fun at the tropes of anime and games. For instance, when Keima comes home trailed by a little magical “half-sister” his mother welcomes Elsie – and promptly sues for a divorce.

There’s also an extended  and well-scripted story arc involving a shy girl and incidentally promoting the joys of libraries and printed books.  This is a hot topic in the UK at the moment, where for generations we have had public libraries which are free to all, but are now under threat. Local authorities, having spent too much money on prestige building projects, fancy salaries for executives, and so forth, are now faced with a recession and are looking for a soft target for spending cuts.

First a round-up of the Fall 2010 season:

Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru – best of the lot.  Even though the final episode wasn’t great.

Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii – Kirino learns to be a bit less obnoxious at the end, but an alternate ending may be presented in the DVD version! She still hasn’t been weaned away from her unacceptable hobby. Little that’s too embarrassing appears on screen in this series, mercifully.  There are several highlights, e.g. the sequence where a bratty child actress is pressurised into participating in a anime cosplay – and proceeds to totally ace it, and Kuroneko’s satiric and very funny manga featuring Kirino.

Yosuga no Sora – If you’re wondering what happens at the end, the answer is that it’s every bit as steamy as the rest of it. Now go take a cold shower.

Kuragehime – ends with all the situations suddenly resolved. A charming anime, except that the house-mates are just too weird. But they’re likewise too weird in the originating manga.

Otome Yokai Zakuro – continues to be charming, and we learn more about Zakuro’s background.

And now for the new season:

Starry Sky: Girl goes to previously all-male astronomy school. Awful, even if the don’t-care way they muddle astronomy and astrology doesn’t annoy you.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Magical Girl Madoka) : A typical magical-girl anime, but with some nice animation, especially in the CG magic bits.  The heroine is a pre-teen.  Promising.

IS: Infinite Stratos: romantic comedy adventure with mecha and some fanservice. Infinite Stratos (IS), is a weaponized exoskeleton system, almost exclusively piloted by females. Decently animated, but with some very familiar situations. Too early to tell if this will be silly but entertaining, or just silly.

Yumekui Merry (Dream Eater Merry) : When the real world and the world of dreams intersect, strange things happen. Could be worth following. There is contrasting animation for the real and dream worlds.

Onii-chan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!! (I’m not at all like that brother!) : A brother and sister fancy each other. Ecchi smut-fest comedy with few if any redeeming qualities.

Freezing: Aliens invading earth are countered by special force of female fighters.  Implausible but stylishly animated battle-anime with lots of fan-service.

Gothic (ゴシック): Set in an imaginary European country, in 1924. Token Japanese schoolboy meets a brilliant and bossy blonde girl who solves gothic mysteries. Quite funny, adequate animation. Promising.

Kore wa Zombie desu ka? (Is this a Zombie?) : Daft and hilarious comedy about a schoolboy who is already a zombie as the series starts. Add a magical girl whose clothes disappear whenever her magic falters, a gay crayfish monster, and some skilfully delivered visual gags, and we have a potential hit. ROFL.

Cardfight!! Vanguard: About teenagers playing a fantasy battle card-game. I’m not a gamer – I found it uninteresting.

Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son) : This was widely anticipated as the “quality” anime of the season – another adaptation of a Shimura Takako manga – the other being the delicate drama “Aoi Hana”.  The first episode is animated in attractive pastel colours, but crams in introductions to quite a lot of characters, as well as letting us see already its awkward subject matter – cross-dressing among junior high school students. This is a sensitively handled  character drama – not a sensational or comic anime.  My recommendation is to stick with this one, unless the subject creeps you out, or you don’t care for character-based drama. If you’re confused, take a look at the online manga scanlation, which also reveals that the animators have jumped in at around chapter 30 of a 90+ chapter manga.

Level E: Earth is infested with aliens, all here for their different reasons, and the humans are the only ones who don’t know. Our hero soon finds out as he finds a stranded alien in his room. Quite amusing, with a half-decent script. Could be worth checking another episode to see if it’s going anywhere.

Beelzebub: I imagine the creator had a bad experience with a baby! I’m unimpressed though.

Wolverine: Ultra-violent superhero stuff, with glossy animation. Uninvolving, though.

Kimi ni Todoke 2 (Reaching You 2) : Eagerly awaited by those who loved the first series of this shoujo romantic comedy. 2011 episode #0 was a recap. In ep #1, it’s chocolate-giving day, and Sawako can’t quite screw up courage to give lovingly-made chocolates to Kazehaya, who hangs about in increasing disappointment.  Give him the chocs already, girl! Worth a look.

Fractale: sci-fi anime, containing obvious homages to Miyazaki movies and Nadia Tv series. Much discussed, but sense of relief that it isn’t anything like Freezing or Onii-chan no Koto may cloud judgement.  Worth a look.

Haiyoru! Nyaruanai Remember My Love(craft-sensei) Ultra-short 4-minute per episode series, overlooked by some commentators. Supposedly about aliens and deities and an ordinary schoolboy. Ist ep. contains little besides smutty dialogue.
Several of the 2011 series are licensed on Crunchyroll, with trailers and opening episodes.

Confused by the availability of Fall season anime? So was I!
Here’s a run-down, omitting the less noteworthy titles:
Kuragehime – Funimation licence – streaming – not uk
Otome Yokai Zakuro – Crunchyroll licence
Samurai Girls – Anime Network licence – not UK
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru – no licence
Squid Girl – Crunchyroll licence
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt – Crunchyroll licence – over 18’s
Hakuouki part 2 – no licence
Fortune Arterial – Crunchyroll licence
The World God only Knows – Crunchyroll licence
Arakawa under the Bridge x Bridge (sic) – no licence
Yosuga no Sora – no licence
Psychic Detective Yakumo – no licence
Yumeiro P̢tissi̬re Professional РCrunchyroll licence Рnot UK
Bakuman – no licence
Tegami Bachi Reverse (Letter Bee Reverse) – Crunchyroll licence.
MM! – No licence
Sora no Otoshimono Forte – Crunchyroll licence
Iron Man – G4TV licence – not UK
A Certain Magical Index II – no licence
Super Robot Wars OG – Crunchyroll licence
Ore no Imouto Konnani Kawaii wake ja nai (Oreimo) – ANN (Anime News Network) licence – not UK.
Those marked as licensed are more difficult to find as downloads.
Crunchyroll is a streaming site – see earlier post. The fact that any of these titles are streamed at all is evidence of the pressure exerted on the anime market by the downloading of bittorrent fansubs.

Bakuman: Third year middle school student Mashiro Moritaka is depressed when he thinks about the likely course of his life – the idea of being a high school student, then a college student, then a salaryman, just fills him with dread. He likes to draw, and has thought about becoming a mangaka, a manga author, but his uncle was a real mangaka and never met with any financial success, so Moritaka doesn’t think it’s worth trying.   Ace student and literary prizewinner Takagi Akito finds a math notebook in which Moritaka has sketched his secret crush, pretty student Azuki Miho.  To Moritaka’s surprise, Akito sets about persuading Moritaka to form a mangaka partnership with him, with Akito writing and Moritaka drawing.  Moritaka finds himself being bounced into agreeing, and also blurting out his feelings for Miho, who equally surprisingly dreams of becoming an anime voice actress. A promising opener with adequate animation and interesting characters and script.

Yosuga no Sora: A brother and sister move from the city to their grandparents’ house in a semi-rural area. Their parents have recently died in a car crash, and the grandparents don’t appear in the story so far.  Haruka is a good-looking boy and nearly all the maidens who encounter him promptly become lovesick.  Many of them seem to recognise him, which isn’t too surprising as he was apparently in the area four years previously.  His twin sister, Sora, is frail and has difficulty relating to others.  So far so good – we have some decent animation, an interesting script and characters, and a developing harem theme.  The sting in the tail comes in the last five minutes, when we learn that Sora’s lurid fantasies weren’t just for added colour, as she makes overt incestuous advances to her brother. Then we have a bare-boobs bath scene with another character, and a masturbation scene with a third. We knew this was adapted from a ero-game, but it doesn’t seem to have been toned down at all!  One awaits the following episodes with some trepidation, to discover if this series sensitively depicts Sora’s struggle to adapt to the world and her feelings for her brother, and her jealousy about the female attention coming his way, or if it’s just a load of erotica.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt: With a title like that, absolutely no excuse for not knowing what to expect, particularly as the airing on Crunchyroll requires you to declare that you are over 18.  Not quite p..n but full of bad-taste adult humour.   “Panty” and “Stocking” are two fallen angels, directed by a priest-like character.  The character animation is in a curious non-realistic style, while the brief transformation sequence is in a quite different style

which one suspects will be a big hit with viewers.  In the battle sequences the angels remove their (ahem) lower garments and transform them into weapons…  Not my cup of tea but will probably be a huge hit as the creators have hit many fans’ tastes on a bullseye.  BTW be careful with the audio when viewing this if you don’t want parents/ neighbours/ partners to sus your dodgy viewing habits, as whereas Japanese soundtracks are almost always unintelligible to the non-fan, you can clearly hear “Panty” being repeated a lot in the opening credits of this one!

MM!: Boy tries to get help to cure his masochism. Encounters a sadistic girl and discovers that his best friend and confidant is a cross-dresser.  Shallow stuff.