Binbou Shimai Monogatari ep 01 raw
Story: "A junior high school student Yamada Kyo and an elementary school student Yamada Asu are sisters, and live alone. Their father ran away leaving gambling debt, and the mother has already died. In spite of this unhappiness, they don’t gloom but they are living brightly and happily. Kyo works as a paperboy or tutor to support the family. Asu do housekeeping jobs. There are kind people around them, such as the landlord or a novelist Saegusa, and they watch over the sisters gently. They experience a lot of troubles and hard times, but the happiest thing for them is that they are nearby." [edited from animenfo]
Genre: Heartwarming story.
Review: Ugh, the OP song sucked. ^^; Then, that title page had ugly colors. Low budget anime? The ED music is better but seems copied from the OMG OVA song.
The "we are poor but we are happy" got rubbed in too much for my taste, I started to dislike the characters. Besides, it felt fake.
Pumpkin Scissors 01 RAW
"The long war against Frost Republic scarred many places of the Empire; famine, plague, returned soldiers who became bandits… Worrying about these war damages, the Empire Army organizes the 3rd section of Information Bureau known as "Pumpkin Scissors", and assign the section the duty of recovery from the war damage."
Post-war anime.
This looks well done, I want to see this subbed.
The scripting and animation is intelligently done. Could be a winner.
Every I try to think of this show, I can't get past the fact that the logo looks like it says "D.Crap-man", and then I just giggle immaturely.
Red Garden 01 RAW
"New York, several girls who go to the same school.
Since the morning, they’ve been feeling strange; they are tired and they lost their memories of last night. Then, a classmate is found killed in the woods."
Shoujo thriller.
The thriller story is interesting so far, but most of the girls' faces are ugly: very long noses, huge red lips, strong facial features.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a gallon of milk in an anime -- altho the proportions were off.
I'm not sure yet, but I think this is gonna evolve into a vampire/werewolf story, which is not my cup of tea, so I'll probably pass.
Ghost Hunt 01 raw
"Shibuya Psychic Research is an office to study physic phenomena directed by Naru. They investigate phenomena scientifically.
Taniyama Mai, a high-school girl, is forced to work part-time at the SPR."
Realistic ghostbuster anime.
Lots of talking in dark places, I need to see this subbed before making an opinion.
The girl is a kind of female Kyon, talking to herself and looking down on people. But she lacks the cynical tone of Kyon to be credible, she sounds too subdued and weak.
Preview for next episode is a simple colored still... Oh yeah, and the OP and ED were just colored moving blobs with elevator music. Low budget anime? That would explain why the overall performance of the VAs is less that average.
On the plus side, the girl makes cute faces.
Shounen Onmyouji 01 raw
"Abeno Masahiro is the grandson of the great Onmyouji Abeno Seimei, but Masahiro is still an inexperienced apprentice. According to his talking furry sidekick Mokkun, Masahiro has the potential to become the successor of Seimei."
Historical Japan fantasy, young boy battling demons.
Looks well done, but too juvenile for my tastes.
Busou Renkin 01 raw
"In a dark alley, Muto Kazuki is stabbed to death by a monster when trying to protect a girl from being killed by the monster. The next moment, he wakes up in his bed unharmed. While at school he wonders if it was just a dream, when the monster appears again..."
High-tech weapons, fighting monsters, romance.
Production values seem to be high, and I enjoyed this first episode. Hopefully it'll continue this way, the manga was boring.
Yoake Mae yori Ruri-iro na -Crescent Love- 01 raw
"Long ago, people settled down on the Moon and established a kingdom there. However, relations with Earth are currently off since a war which was fought hundreds of years ago. There isn't any business going on between the two worlds and travelling isn't allowed. The only link allowed between the two worlds is to be found at the Mitsurugasaki Central Port City.
Today, the princess of the Moon Kingdom, Feena Fam Earthlight, is sent for a homestay on Earth. She's to stay at Tatsuya`s house, a school boy, to learn the customs of Earth."
Romance.
Game turned anime.
Chara design is pleasant, animation is decent, VAs are okay.
First part of the episode was entertaining, but the second part was weak. Hopefully it'll pick up again in the next episodes.
Marginal Prince 01 raw
"A boy named Yuuta gets enrolled in a super special secret school on an island called St. Alphonse Academy, where there’s only about five other students who are all “Marginal Princes”."
Based on a phone game.
Yaoi.
Beautiful rich males striking poses, singing wet under the rain, showing a naked shoulder... but no kissing.
The only female beside the faceless, absent mother, is Yuuta's sister who is not shown because she's behind the camera. In other words, she's the viewer, the intended audience.
Mamoru-kun ni Megami no Shukufuku wo 01 raw
"Yoshimura Mamoru is a highschool boy who was saved by Beatrice(a special miraculous power) when he was a child.
The first day at school, he meets a girl who proposes to him. Her name is Takasu Ayako. She's in the second grade, one year older than him. She's a powerful Beatrician who can even shoot down satellites. She's called "Witch Beatrice" or "Death Angel in Beatrice", but actually she has a pure heart."
Shota gag anime.
Romance between a superstrong, violent highschool girl and a babyfaced, starry-eyed little boy.
Kanon 2006 01 -overture- raw
"Yuichi Aizawa returns to this city after seven years. In his childhood, he often visited it, but something happened which caused him to block out his memories of the events of seven years ago. The day after, he meets a girl carrying a backpack with wings on it. Her name is Tsukimiya Ayu, and he begins to recall the memories he lost."
Remake of Kanon 2002.
The new animation is awesome, but I have seen the original so I know how the story is gonna develop, therefore my interest is low.
Yuichi sounds nicer than in the original, I'm not sure this is an improvement. The original mean attitude made more sense, with all those crybabies around him.
CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion 01 raw
Japan has been taken over by Britannia, it's now a colony known as Area 11. The Emperor has sent his bloodline as proxy rulers in each Area. The main character is a future(?) proxy for the Britannia empire in Area 11. One day, he witnesses an accident which leads him to a strange girl who ends up giving him mysterious powers, and he becomes the Black Prince, bent on revenge...
Mecha, war, superpowers.
Looking good so far, non-stop action.
The chara design is a pleasant mix between Godannar and Gundam SEED. They have noodle legs but it was kept within a tolerable range.
The ED music is that same overused theme that I liked in the Rozen Maiden II's OP and various other animes, but now it's starting to get on my nerves. Thankfully I didn't have to listen to it within the episode.
Sumomo mo Momo mo 01 raw
"The main character, Inuzuka Koshi, was born in a martial arts family, but he dislikes violence and wants to become a prosecutor instead. One day, Kuzuryu Momoko, a girl also born in a martial arts family, comes in to get him to make her bear the strongest child."
Comedy.
Good mindless fun.
009-1 01 raw
"Alternate future where the Cold War has continued for 140 years. The world is divided in two parts, the East Block and the West Block. Cyborg Mylene Hoffman is a secret agent working for the West block... or is she?"
Charlie's Angels with cyborgs.
The girls are pretty to look at, the action is James Bond's-like (007 became 009 after 140 years?), lots of shooting and explosions and sex scenes and betrayals... what's not to like?
So far it seems it's gonna episodic, mission after mission.
Okay, why blow up that hijacked truck within the enemy fortress? Of course the enemy would take action... This was stupid, I thought. >_<
Then, why launching that rocket at all at the end? This was unnecessary. Apparently, the bad guys are stupid too.
Yeah yeah I know, it's for the cool scenes... oh well.
Hapinesu/Happiness 01 raw
Kamisaka Haruhi is a magical girl like many others at school. She was once saved from bullies by a boy who used magic when she was a child. Kohinata Yuuma is a boy at the same school. Haruhi sees him defending a child from bullies, but he doesn't use magic. Is he the same guy from her childhood?
Heartwarming love story.
Cute.
The animation is using shortcuts and is a bit rough at times, but it isn't too jarring. I liked that the anime didn't try to fill the silences with empty chatter, allowing for the emotions of the viewer to develop.
Souten no Ken/Fist of the Blue Sky 01 raw
Kenshiro is born, even though he isn't the main character of the series.
Instead it's his uncle Kasumi Kenshiro, who does an Indiana Jones mild-mannered professor act at a women's university in 1930's Tokyo before going out to dinner with a friend. They're attacked by thugs of the Manchukuo Emperor, who looks like Spock.
Uncle Kenshiro uses Hokuto no Ken to kill the thugs with the table settings, then makes the chief's head explode. ("You are already dead" is used as a subtitle)
Then they cry tears of masculine romance.
The animation is cheap, possibly approaching Zaizen Joutarou, but not Musashi. The OP is boring and not Ai wo Torimodose. The ED is alright.
Yasuhiro "I'm Awesome" Imagawa is scripting, so it should be good. PS watch Bartender.
Kanon (2006) 01 not raw
Kyon changes his name to Yuuichi and moves to a winter town where he's met by a retarded girl. They go home (her mother has the same color hair as her, good touch) and then go out to town later. Kyon gets knocked over by an even more retarded girl named Ayu, who turns out to not only dumb but also a criminal. Canon in D plays, Kyon serves justice by making her pay for the taiyaki she stole. Next episode preview implies she steals some MORE? I guess this is one of those famous Key complete disassociations from human reasoning, like turning into a bird in Air.
I guess they made him nicer so people wouldn't think he was Kyon. It didn't work, but it's the best part about the show. Animation is perfect as expected, though video quality is worse since SS-Eclipse aren't awesome like a.f.k.
I'd review OP and ED but I already forgot them. The OP was molested with EXPLODING SNOW EFFECTS!! karaoke >:(
(Oh, and why is it that the other girl he met seemed normal? Only the ones that become his friends are retards.)
Disclaimer: I liked Kanon, though I'm not sure why. I'll probably try to keep up. Nayuki's mom isn't dumb so is probably the best character.
/The Galaxy Railways (2006) ~Junction to Eternity~ 01 raw/
Main character lives at home with his mother (Not Maetel) and a picture of his father (Not Harlock). He works for the security department of the Galaxy Railways, and saves a train in this episode. A space train. There's also a lot of very good technobabble and they use the phrase "sea of stars" in the introduction.
Production values are all high, as a side effect making the Matsumoto character designs look pretty weird.
I feel vaguely offended by the basic direction of the episode, though. It's about trains in space. That's awesome yet really dumb, so they should sort of be there and be used as background. Instead a train in space actually BREAKS and he has to go out and rescue it. It's too awesome to break! It's treated as seriously as if this was /PLANETES/.
I recommend three-episode test.
Instant Reviews
Negima!? 01 raw: remake. Bleh, it looks worse than the original, which was already awful.
Sasami Magic Girl Club Season2 01 raw: Kiddies show. More of the same.
Kujibiki Unbalance 01 raw: For kids.
Gin-iro no Olynssis 01 raw: Gundam SEED chara designs, bleh. I like the girl who flashes her sideboobs, but the anime looks bland.
Gift eternal rainbow 01 raw: Yet another DaCapo rehash!?? Argh!
Asatte no Hoko 01 raw: Summer fantasy, girl doesn't want to grow and wish to be a child again, then becomes one. Too laid-back(=boring) for my taste.
> Negima!? 01 raw: remake. Bleh, it looks worse than the original, which was already awful.
"Looks" worse? The animation's certainly better. Only problem is it's actually another season of Pani Poni Dash in disguise.
> Kujibiki Unbalance 01 raw: For kids.
Might suck, but it's otaku-bait. I can't believe you haven't read Genshiken :(
>I can't believe you haven't read Genshiken
what
Clarification: when I said Kujibiki Unbalance 01 I meant the new TV version, not the old 3-OVA version.
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3761,pxfjzw,kujibiki_unbala.html
Clarification 2:
When I said Negima!? 01 I meant the new TV version
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3814,ynwhul,negima__.html
not the new OVA
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3778,trhxoh,maho_sensei_neg.html
I know. The new OVA isn't another season of PPD, it's going to be Negima (ie fanservice).
Kuji-an is going to be dumb otaku bait, not a kids' show, whatever happens.
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 01 RAW
"End of Edo era, arrival of Westerners.
Behind the curtains of history, two existences collide: the Head of the Conqueror, and the Eternal Assassin. Will Evil triumph over Good this time?"
Samurai anime, historical settings.
Cool OP.
The chara designs remind me of Samurai Champloo.
The story is damn confusing - why is there a red star in the sky in the night? Why is white during the day? Is the super-samurai a human or a cyborg? What is the actual goal of the theatre troupe? What was that thing they were selling at the auction?
Instant Reviews
Death_Note_EP01 subbed: Bored top-of-the-class guy gets a notebook that allows him to kill people, so he gets real busy killing people. Well animated, but morbid tale which is only going to become even more morbid.
Ginga Tetsudo Monogatari ~Eien eno Bunkiten~ 01 raw: Yet another variant to the Galaxy_Railways series. The original Galaxy_Express_999 was about humans and exploration, Galaxy_Railways is about train maintenance, defending the train against attacks, boarding the train on time... For the fan.
Tenpou Ibon Ayakashi Ayashi, A Strange Ghost Story of the Tenpou Era, 01 raw: 1800s Japan is threatened by big monsters that teleport out of the ground and eat people. The main character is a young guy named Yuuki who does odd jobs and looks kind of like Musashi, master of Gun-do.
This is a terrible summary, because people are constantly talking in this show and I couldn't catch a word of it. Animation quality is superior even to Eureka Seven and FMA. Norio Wakamoto appears near the end. One-episode test succeeds, but only if it gets subbed.
Jigoku Shoujo Futagomori, 01 raw: Same as Jigoku Shoujo 01, but more so. The introduction highly spoils the first series, and there's a hint it will develop a plot sooner. For now, it's still episodic though.
Tokimeki Memorial: Only Love 01 raw: Two different shows in one.
#1: normal dating game scenes: main character meets female school idol, main character gets book off shelf for shorter girl
#2: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK: the school council (composed of men with enormous ahoges) apparently decides to haze the entire freshmen class at once so forces them all to wear cat ears, also there are some random people with afros and a black guy. Stuff happens that seems to be randomly brilliant, probably because I can't read the constant cell phone messages.
Both happen at the same time, so the main character is wearing a cat ear headband with :3 on it when he gets the book off the shelf.
A+ raw. Am afraid to watch subbed in case it makes sense.
History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi 01 raw
"Shirahama Kenichi is always being bullied by his classmates. Following the advice of a beautiful and strong girl he just met, Furinji Miu, he goes to her martial arts school. However, it's a tremendously difficult school where only the strongest martial arts masters are teaching."
Fighting anime.
Intended audience seems to be 10-12 years old boys, or younger... I'll pass if the next episode comes out to be as patronizing to the viewer as this one.
Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi 01 raw
"Near the end of the Edo period in Japan, Edo is beset by supernatural creatures called “Yoi.”
Ryuudou Yukiatsu, a former samurai, and other fighters band together to fight the threat."
Supersamurai fight the supernatural in old Japan.
Bones new series.
I'm not sure yet if to like (or hate) this series, this episode merely introduced the protagonists. So far, I'm not interested.
Katekyo Hitman REBORN! - 01 raw
"Sawada Tsunayoshi is a Japanese boy who is not good at either study or sports. An Italian hitman named Reborn is sent to remedy the situation, and to make him into the fully-fledged boss of an Italian mafia, the Vongole Family."
Comedy.
Directing is simplistic, but ep01 was entertaining.
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru 01 raw
"Mizuho is a guy who was born in a classy family. One day, he has to transfer to an all-girl's highschool to fulfill his grandfather's will. Then, he's forced to disguise as a girl."
Yuri anime in disguise.
Things happen slowly like in a shoujo/yuri anime, lots of girly stuff for events. And that "guy" blushes all the time...
DaCapo's chara designs work better in a yuri anime, methinks. Those long bodies with those thin arms and legs have not enough meat to arouse the beast in me. The occasional cleavage shots are too far in between to keep me interested in the blushful "plot".
Death Note, eps 1 and 2
A very faithful adaptation of the manga so far, with super-high production values, and very competent (if sometimes a bit overblown) directing. The incredible tension of the battle of wits from the early parts of the manga is there just as it should be.
Unless they deviate from the manga storyline, though, it won't stay this good forever. The manga kind of lost it after a while. For now, though, I'm watching and enjoying it a lot.
PS: The opening is super cheesy.
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge ep 1
A wacky wacky reverse harem show. Sadly, it's no Ouran, and overall it's pretty cheap and uneven. You could argue that this is a faithfula adaption of the cheap and uneven manga, I guess.
At least the fish-cutting scene is still funny.
Instant reviews
Yamato_Nadeshiko_Shichi_Henge_-_01 sub
"4 pretty boys are going to rent a house for free on the condition that they make the girl of the house a lady. However, the girl is gloomy and a horror movie maniac. She was rejected as ugly by the boy she confessed to when in junior high."
Shoujo gag anime.
Repetitive and cheap. May appeal to girls who like male harems.
D.Gray-man_-_02 sub
Spunky girl from ep1 preview isn't spunky at all, merely mundane.
Wimpy guy repeats everything that is said to him = lazy writing + damn annoying.
Anime still insipid after 2 eps, I'm dropping out.
Negima!? 2006 ep02 raw
Multiple moving frames + shaking handheld camera effects + bright flashing effects + high contrast effects + "I'm going mad" ambient music + disconnected dialogs = making me sick.
Artwork with its thick lines doesn't appeal to me. Dropping this.
Ghost Hunt 02 RAW
More of the same like in ep01, dark most of the time, overexaggerated acting. Plus I'm not into ghost stories. Dropping this.
Instant reviews
CODE GEASS 02 raw: Awesome++. And I love the USB keys.
La Corda D'Oro 02 raw: continuing to look good. And she makes amusing face faults now and then.
Tokimeki Memorial 02 raw: well, it's entertaining enough so far. Watchable.
jigoku shoujo ni kago 01 raw: Eeek, they really upped the horror factor compared to the first season's ep01, not my thing. I passed season 1, I'll pass this one too. :/
Hataraki Man 01 raw
"Matsukata Hiroko is a 28 year old editor. Everyone refers to Hiroko as a masculine woman for how seriously she takes her work. She smokes too much, works too much, and never has sex. However, when it's time to get a story done, she switches into "Working Man" mode where her testosterone in her blood increases, she works three times her normal speed, and all thoughts of life's necessities disappear."
Slice of single female life, shoujo.
Plusses: Nice chara designs, good animation, non-stop action.
Minuses: Girl is tsun-tsun (angry all the time), never -dere (showing a sweet side); boys are all bishounen softies with no real personality; sidekick girls are nobodies. In other words, this is a glorified story for workaholic "Christmas cakes"(women older than 24 who failed to nail a husband).
Bartender, Glass 01 raw
In the bar Edenhall is Ryou Sasakura, the "Glass of God". Some guy who hates bars is interviewing some bartenders for his hotel; they're only average bartenders, though.
He wanders into Edenhall and is overpowered by
OP is ragtime. ED is good but slightly generic, but has a pretty cool, if cheap, live-action video.
Animation budget is about the level of Genshiken maybe.
Anyway, this is clearly the best TV show ever.
Bartender ep 01 raw
"The story follows a genius bartender who won a championship in a worldwide contest in the past and decides to work for a hotel bar. In addition, the patrons who frequent the bar tell the Bartender various stories about their life."
Drinking anime.
Uh, using real pictures as background in an anime? Ultra low budget, or what? Let's see... Minimal animation? Check. Using pans instead of animating? Check. Talking about things instead of showing things? Check.
Okay, this is a cheap version of Cooking Master Boy, but using drinks instead of food. I don't like alcohol (makes me go to sleep) so I'm not the intended audience here. There is a girl but she's nothing special, and her raving ramblings about champagne don't help to make me take her seriously. As for action scenes, the only actions are drink-related. Zzzzzz...
>>111
Sounds like a nice anime.
Yeah, I'm joking.
You'll all be proved wrong when I finish subbing it tomorrow.
Galaxy Angel Ru~ne ep 1
I didn't get past the opening, it was just that disappointing. They managed to cram an hour worth of sucking just into the minute or so of animation before the opening.
Broccoli finally forgot why people like Galaxy Angel, it seems. Just like they did with DiGi Charat. What kind of idiots do they have running their company, anyway?
PS: "Galaxy Angel Ruined", haw haw haw.
>Animation quality is superior even to Eureka Seven and FMA.
I'd like some of the weed you were smoking.
PS: Thread needs more Irohanihoheto. Come on, surely one of you NEETs out there likes samurai stories with supernatural stuff thrown in!
Soukou no Strain 01-02 raw
In the distant future, Mankind is divided into two factions. They have waged a war against each other for so long that no one remembers when it first began.
Sara Viereck is a 16-year-old girl who is currently attending a space soldier academy. Her brother Ralph had been sent to the frontline to accomplish a special mission when she was 11 years old, and it's Sara’s dearest wish to be reunited with her brother. But one day, Sara’s academy is suddenly assaulted by enemy forces...
Sci-fi, army training.
The girl reminds me of Milfeulle, also the combat units are reminiscent of Galaxy Angels' units. The beginning was syrupy soapy stuff, then things turn deadly serious (and interesting!).
Kekkaishi 01 02 03 04 raw
Sumikawa Yoshimori, a 14-year-old junior high school boy, is a descendant of Kekkaishi, or exterminator of monsters. He is vying to be the heir to the family, in competition with Yumikura Tokine. Tokine is older than him, and she's his childhood friend as well as his rival Kekkaishi. To save people, and to make himself stronger, Yoshimori fights against monsters tonight, too.
Fighting ancient monsters in modern Japan anime.
Solid animation. Solid script, maybe a bit too solid, the story is quite straightforward, borderline simplistic, and surprises are few and far in between. So far, it has been a monster-of-the-week anime after the initial characters' introduction, hopefully a larger plot will develop as well.
In short: enjoyable but no masterpiece.