Rinne no Lagrange 01 pre-air.
Story: "Madoka Kyouno is the sole member of the Jersey Club is always ready to help others out. One day, she is approached by an alien named Lan who asks her to pilot a robotic aircraft to defend mankind against an evil force."
Genre: Saving-the-World club activities.
Comments: This pre-air Ep1 looked very good.
Medaka Box - 01
Kurokami Medaka, a first year, is elected as Student Council President, and the first thing she does is to put up a suggestion box. Together with her childhood friend Zenkichi, Medaka takes on the challenges in the school that range from mundane tasks to supernatural battles.
By Gainax.
School battles.
Looking good so far. I remember the manga, it was nice at the beginning then at one point it became very boring and I dropped it. I see only 12 episodes are planned, so maybe it won't reach the point where the manga jumps the shark.
Zetman - 01
"Jin is a strange kid with an angel mark on his hand. He lives a poor but peaceful life with his grandfather, along with the other destitute and abandoned vagabonds near the river. One day, his peaceful life changes when a strange monster named "player" appears, chopping off heads and killing everyone who appears in front of it."
Superviolent superheroes.
How many people were killed in this first episode? This first ep was watchable but I'm getting the feeling this is going to get much worse. Not sure I want.
Saint Seiya Omega - 01
"The god of war and guardian of his namesake planet, Mars, was once sealed away by Seiya, but time has passed and his revival is at hand. Meanwhile, Saori Kido (Athena) is raising the boy Ko-ga, whose life Seiya saved, and he's been training every day to become a Saint in order to prepare for the coming crisis... Unaware of his destiny, when Ko-ga awakens to the power of his Cosmo hidden inside him, the curtain will rise upon the legend of a new Saint."
Armored warriors.
This looks like a remake of sorts. I was waiting for Kouga to break the mask of his trainer, but it was the bad guy who broke it this time.
I think I'll pass. I've already seem the original Saint Seiya, and several of the sequels.
Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna 01
"The series will revolve around the character Fujiko Mine."
Bored thieves.
Looking good.
I almost didn't recognize Lupin, he looked like a Sicilian boss at first. But his antics are still the same, so it was fine. I was also not sure on Fujiko, as her silhouette keeps changing model from scene to scene. I'm guessing the studio is not yet used to the characters, and that it will improve.
The action scenes were very good, like when Lupin jams a rifle with his lighter, or when Fujiko grabs a gun on the fly.
Sankarea - 01
Chihiro Furuya, who loves zombies above all else, meets a girl and asks her to help him resurrecting his dead cat.
Zombie love.
The whole episode looked like a nice twisted slice-of-life sweet story, but ended with a surreal disemboweled scene. Barf...
Not sure yet where this is going to go.
Sengoku Collection - 01
"In a timeline different from our own, the generals of the Warring States period, vie for power. But they're the same generals we know in name only: their appearance, personality, and gender are all different. One day, first Oda Nobunaga and then all the others are transported to our world. Everything is new to them - bicycles, cell phones, automatic doors. Each episode focuses on one general and how she learns to adapt to the modern world."
Parallel world samurai.
First episode was nicely bittersweet and unpretentious, I liked it.
But I didn't like the preview for the next episode, and the deal they made with the "gods" seem fishy, so I don't know if it will continue to be so nice and simple.
Acchi Kocchi (=All over the place) - 01
Acchi Kocchi follows the life of five goofy schoolmates: Io, Tsumiki, Hime, Mayoi and Sakaki.
Slice of life.
Animation is ok. Good job adapting the 4-panel manga, it's not noticeable and flows nicely.
But it was a 4-panel comics, so it'll probably go nowhere, with maybe an extra effort for the last episode.
For the fans.
Kuroko's Basketball - 01
"Once upon a time, the basketball team of Teikou Middle School rose to distinction by demolishing all competition. The regulars of this team became known as the "Generation of Miracles". After graduating from middle school, these five stars went to different high schools with top basketball teams. However, a fact few know is that there was another player of the "Generation of Miracles", the phantom sixth player. This mysterious player is now a freshman at Seirin High, a new school with a powerful, if little-known, team. Now, Tetsuya Kuroko, the sixth member of the "Generation of Miracles", and Kagami, a naturally talented player who spent most of middle school in America, are aiming to bring Seirin to the top of Japan, taking on Kuroko's old teammates one by one."
Basketball.
Sports anime. Not a bad first episode, but too weak sauce for my taste.
For the fans.
Accel World - 01
The year is 2046. Haruyuki Arita is a short fat boy in a prestigious high-tech school. He is weak and let others bully him. One day, Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a virtual reality called the Accel World.
Virtual reality.
Nice art and animation. Interesting. She got rid of his low-tech bullies, but I'm not sure she helped him. It looks like she put him in deeper doo-doo!
Nazo no Kanojo X - 01
"One day, a strange transfer student appears before Tsubaki. Urabe Mikoto is an antisocial girl, whose hobby is just sleeping during class-breaks. One day, Tsubaki goes to wake her up and accidentally tastes her drool... And gets hooked on that!"
Mysterious romance.
Yuck, the anime laid the cross-eyed style real hard. But ok, it was better later in the episode. Same for the voice actors, it took a while before they went into their role.
The manga was originally a one-shot which turned into a series later, and is still ongoing. The problem is, the manga never explored the questions the one-shot raised, and just tumbled round and round. I dropped the manga at one point when I realized it was limping around.
Should I stop watching this, now that I have seen the "good" one-shot animated? Let's see... 12 episodes planned. Maybe I'll watch a couple more to see how it goes.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san - 01
Mahiro Yasaka is chased by a monster one night, when Nyarlathotep, a formless Deity of Chaos, takes the shape of a silver-haired girl and saves him.
My Little Cthulhu Can't Be This Cute.
Very nice. But I'm not very familiar with the Lovecraft mythos, so I don't get all the puns.
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia - 01
"At the Private Seikyou Academy, there is a legend that all students have heard. 60 years ago, there was a girl who for some reason, was left behind in the old, abandoned school building to die. Teiichi Niiya one day meets a beautiful, mysterious girl named Yuuko Kanoe at the old school building and gets a surprise. She's the ghost of the girl who died 60 years ago, but does not remember her past or how she died. Teiichi becomes determined to help her remember, and together, they seek the truth behind the gruesome legend."
Ghost club.
Funny, witty and looking good first episode.
Jormungand - 01
"The series follows Koko Hekmatyar, a young arms dealer who sells weapons under HCLI, an international shipping corporation that secretly deals in the arms trade. As one of the company's unofficial weapon dealers, she secretly sells weapons in many countries while avoiding the local authorities and law enforcements as most of her work is actually illegal under international law. Traveling with her is her team of bodyguards who are mostly composed of ex-military veterans. Her latest addition to her crew is Jonah, a seemingly emotionless child soldier who is skilled in combat yet ironically hates arms dealers."
Soulless arms dealers.
I wonder why Funi didn't want to simulcast this one -- is it going to get real ugly later? Like CIA tortures or the like? Or does it have to do with that mysterious missile they launched at the beginning of the episode?
Anyway, I could stomach all the blood and death in this first episode, because I didn't care for any of the characters. It was like watching a war game.
Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids on the Slope - 01
"Summer, 1966. Kaoru Nishimi has moved to live with relatives in Kyushu. He's been an aloof honor student his whole life, but that starts changing when he meets Sentarou Kawabuchi, the school's notorious bad boy. Through him, he learns the appeal of jazz and forms his first real friendships."
Jazzing teens.
Piano-egghead versus jazz-thuggabe gives omelette band.
Interesting clash of personalities.
Let's see, the manga was published in Shogakukan's "Flowers", it's slanted towards female teens and the like.
I wonder if that in-between girl (is she supposed to represent the viewer?) is going to blush too when the other male members of the band are introduced... Is she the actual main lead, and the four guys merely sort of elements of her harem?
Tsuritama - 01
"Yuki is a high school student who's never been good at making real friends thanks to his abnormally poor communication skills. Haru is the self-styled alien who decides to teach Yuki to fish. Natsuki is an irritable born-and-raised local. Akira is the mysterious Indian who watches them all from a distance. These four meet, fish, and find big adventures on their little island."
Fishy fishing.
Art is ok. Backgrounds are kind of weird.
"Tsuritama".... fishingball, maybe? Some kind of alien naming for a fishbowl?
No previous manga, it seems.
Are those names in the ED credits Chinese? Is this based upon some Chinese story?
I don't think this a sports anime... And "fishing" means "trolling" in Japanese... And I do feel to be slightly trolled here...
Maybe I should see another episode to see where this is going.
>>35
Thank you, Sling.
Hyouka_-_01
"The story follows a boy named Houtarou who joins the club of classical literature by order of his sister, although he prefers not to get involved in anything."
Unmysterious mysteries.
A Clannad+K-on clone? I didn't like Clannad nor K-on, so I may drop this one too.
First Part was somewhat interesting, Second Part was booooring to death. I wonder if the director swapped the two parts? Doing the Second Part first, when the Voice Actors were still not used to their roles the anime, and doing the First Part second, when the VAs finally got settled into their roles? But the difference is too big... Maybe they recorded the whole 12 episodes, and -then- redid the First Part?
La storia della Arcana Famiglia - 01
"Arcana Famiglia is a self-appointed organization with mysterious powers that has protected a small Mediterranean island from pirates, foreign countries, and other threats. The only daughter of the family's "Papa," Felicita', will be married to the next head of the family in two months - and the successor will be decided in a competition that Felicita' herself will take part in."
Magical Sicilian mafia.
One girl, many pretty guys = reverse harem.
The use of tarots as magical items is interesting, but here they are just used as flashy power-ups, I'm not sure I'm going to keep an interest.
PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR YURU YURI 2
Tari Tari 01
"The story centers around five Japanese high school students who are too young to be called adults, but who no longer think of themselves as children."
Slice of angsty teens.
Nice first episode, but...
Riding a horse with a skirt and naked legs? Ouch, that is gonna hurt after a while...
Animation is nice... hey wait, it looks robotic at times. Ah yeah, they used 3DCGI.
The teacher bitch reminds me of Iroha... yeah, same studio.
I dropped Iroha after a while when it started to flounder around, hopefully this one will fare better. But I have some doubts, it looks too similar.
For the fans.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita - 01
(Mankind Has Declined)
"It has been several centuries since human population has declined. Food has become harder to find and what little sources the humans have are considered highly valuable. The most prosperous species on the Earth are "Fairies", 10 cm tall creatures with high intelligence and a great love for sweets. A nameless girl, the main character, became a UN arbitrator between the humans and the fairies and had returned to her hometown to help her grandfather. One day, the village is sent some strange products made by a company called FairyCo. Since the villagers are wary of using the products, the girl, her grandfather, and a nameless boy decide to go to the factory to find out about the mysterious products and who is behind making them."
Shotgun satire.
The story feels so disjointed, is this based on a 4-panel? Ah no, based on a light novel, apparently... I don't understand how that world works, I think I'll wait a few more episodes to see how or if things flesh up.
Muv-Luv Alternative - Total Eclipse - 01
A side story from the MuvLuv Alternative, which is a sequel to MuvLuv Unlimited, which happens in an alternate universe, where Earth is invaded by aliens.
Bipedal robots sci-fi.
Only girls? Bzzt, I'm having a bad feeling...
Or is this just promo for a game?
Then ok, maybe I shouldn't pay too much attention to logic here.
Utakoi - 01
"Uta Koi tells the "super-liberal interpretation" of the Hyakuninisshu anthology compiled during Japan's Heian period of 100 romantic poems from 100 different poets such as The Tale of Genji's Murasaki Shikibu."
Old poems.
That monotone recitation of a litany of old poems put me to sleep.
Plus, none of the characters were likeable.
For the fans.
Binbougami ga! - 01
"Pretty, busty rich girl Sakura Ichiko has been blessed with an inordinate amount of good fortune, so much so that she's actually sucking the fortune from those around her. To correct that massive imbalance, Momiji, a God of Misfortune, has come to Earth to "treat" Sakura - only Sakura isn't so willing to cooperate. As part of an ongoing effort to remedy the problem, Momiji starts living with Sakura."
Fortune wars.
Looking very good, I'm sold!
Eh, wait... No real guys? And OP only shows one more girl to be introduced... Ah, I found a couple of guys in the corner of a still frame at 02:48, for one split second... for comic relief?
Oh well, it looks like fun.
Natsuyuki Rendezvous - 01
"Hazuki falls in love at first sight with a flower shop owner named Rokka and decides to get closer to her by applying as a part-time employee. A going-away party soon brings him to her doorstep, and Hazuki is elated. But what happens when he discovers that residing in her apartment is the spirit of the man she can never forget?"
Love triangle.
Funny. But I'm not sure who is loving who? Hazuki's courtship of Rokka was not progressing, until the ghost came into his life.
Mmmmh...
Oh, I can see the ending! Cunning ghost.
Kokoro Connect - 01
"The love and teen pentagonal comedy follows the strange phenomena at the Yamahoshi Academy's Culture Club, starting with the five male and female club members switching bodies with each other."
The Body-Swap club.
Looking good.
Thanks to that overhead scene at the beginning, I'm thinking there is some external force at work here. In "Diamondia" by A.E. van Vogt, the alien collective was unable to grasp individuality. I wonder if it's the same mechanism here?
Sword Art Online - 01
With a VR helmet, players can play a game, which takes place on a floating castle called Aincrad. But the developer decides to prevents players from logging out. He tells them that if they wish to log out, they must reached the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss.
Virtual sci-fi.
Haha.
That reminds me of the Windows8's developers who decided to kill the start button.
And where were those booby-trapped VR helmets produced? No one checked them?
I'm guessing this anime is a satire of our current world, it's quite sad.
Joshiraku_-_01
The everyday life of a group of rakugoka(=jester) girls.
Puns.
Words-words-words... wordsturbation.
It reminds me of Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei -- no wonder that guy was suicidal.
For the fan.
Oda Nobuna no Yabou - 01
(The Ambition of Oda Nobuna)
"Ordinary high schooler Yoshiharu gets pulled into a time slip to the warring states period. There he meets Nobuna Oda - not Nobunaga, Nobuna. In this world, all the famous warlords of the era are female. Nobuna recruits Sagara, who she dubs "Monkey," to help her in her quest to rule the world."
Multiversal history.
Nice, very lively.
Now as Yoshiharu already messed up with the worldline he came in, it looks like he will never come back to his original worldline. And then his knowledge of history is likely going to diverge at one point, which with his big mouth will probably ends him killed. But I guess the original time slip will then conveniently put him back into his original world in the nick of time. Unless, he decides to stay?
Btw, those time-traveling "ordinary high schooler" really need to start to use solar-powered cell phone chargers.
Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai - 01
(So, I Can't Play H?)
"Ryosuke Kaga is a perverted high school boy. One day, he meets a girl standing alone in the rain. She is Lisara Restole, an elite Death Spirit[=Shinigami], who visited the human world in order to find "The Singular Man". Ryosuke makes a contract with Lisara and she sucks energy required for her activity in the human world from Ryosuke. The source of the energy is his perverted spirit."
Romance.
Production values look good.
But, a shinigami who says she doesn't know what happens to the souls of people who died? Something is really fishy here, as any living Asian could answer that. It's even in the definition of shinigami itself.
Or does it mean she is a new type of shinigami?
Instant reviews:
Campione! 01-02: destructive "gods" battles. Makes no sense.
Hagure Yuusha no Estetica 01: underwear battles. Weak plot so far.
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate 01-02: the food club needs money. Seems unfocused.
Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru 01-02: getting-married club. For the fans of dating sims.
Thank you Sling~
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! 01
(="Regardless of My Adolescent Delusions of Grandeur, I Want a Date!")
Yuuta Togashi previously suffered from chuunibyou, or "8th grade sickness," a disorder where the patient believes they have superpowers and can save the world. During his final year in middle school, he focused on studying and was cured from it. But now in his first year of high school, he finds himself involved with another chuunibyou, Rikka Takanashi.
Wanting a normal date.
A mixture of K-on designs with Hyouka's style, it feels weird for some reason. The anime also seems undecided where it's going to land.
Shin Sekai Yori - 01
"In the future Japan has become a fractured country, and small towns now exist. The rulers of this world have the cursed power of Telekinesis. When an incident occurs, 5 children come to realize the world is not as it seems, and learn the bloody history behind this world. These 5 children unite and help the world as it falls into a downward spiral of chaos. "
Horror.
Huh? Gore right from the bat? That's usually bad news, a foreboder of "incoming: no plot".
Then, it becomes a rural child's nightmare?
And why do I get the feeling it's gonna turn into yet another ultra-violent shish-kebab?
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - 01
Mizutani Shizuku is the type of person who only cares for her own grades. But when she delivers the lesson notes to Yoshida Haru, Haru becomes convinced they are friends. Haru turns out to have a very innocent personality, but who would've thought that Haru would actually confess to Shizuku? A cold-hearted girl x super troublemaker romance with a fresh new perspective.
Love story for girls.
Cute and well-directed first episode, it was so good I thought that was all there is.
Not sure where they can go from there without rehashing.
Busou Shinki - 01
"High school freshman Rihito, who just came back from abroad, started a new life in Japan with his four Busou Shinki, female action figures with weapons."
Mini warring toys.
Is this for girls or for boys? Pre-teens?
Anyway, I have a nagging feeling I already seen this whole story 'till the end. A remake?
BTOOOM! - 01
"Sakamoto Ryuuta is an unemployed 22-year-old who lives with his mother. In the real world, there may be nothing really special about him, but online, he's one of the world's top players of the combat game "BTOOOM"!
One day, he awakes in what appears to be a tropical island, though he has no memory of how or why he has come to be there. While wandering around, Ryuuta sees someone and calls out for help. The stranger responds by throwing a bomb at him! Now Ryuuta realizes both that his life is in danger and that he has somehow been trapped in a real-life version of his favorite game! Will Ryuuta be able to survive long enough to figure out how and why he ended up here?"
Survival games.
Manly romance, meaning blowing stuff up and saving the lost blonde..... MacGyver!? Ah no, MacGyver doesn't use deadly weapons. No good, Sakamoto Ryuuta!
K - 01
"Ashinaka High School is known for its unique setting: the entire campus is built on an island. Yashiro Isana, aka Shiro, is having lunch with a cat on one of the school rooftops. After his lunch break, Shiro goes on an errand for his classmate Kukuri to prepare for their upcoming school festival, only to be chased by some intimidating-looking men."
Slice of deathly life on campus in peaceful Japan.
I've no clue who is what or what's the deal here. Next episode please.
Zetsuen no Tempest - 01
"Yoshino Takigawa is visiting his friend's family grave. After getting there, he encounters Evangeline Yamato, a woman in search for his friend, Mahiro Fuwa, who left a month ago to find his family's killer without any clues to who it might be..."
Mages battles.
I like. And I like that girl who is alone on a deserted island but who seems to run the show wordwide anyway, by proxy!
Code:Breaker - 01
"Riding the bus one day, Sakura Sakurakouji looks out the window to see people being burned alive with a blue fire as a boy her age remains unharmed and stands over the people. When she goes back to the site the next day, there are no corpses or evidence of any kind of murder, just a small fire. When Sakura goes to class, she discovers the new transfer student is the same boy she saw the day before. Sakura soon learns that he is Rei Ogami, the sixth "Code: Breaker," a special type of assassin with a strange ability and a member of a secret organization that serves the government."
Super-powered battles.
So many fabulous guys in the OP, and only one Main Girl? And it seems the Main Guy is about to kill her anyway. Aaah... why is life so cheap? Looks like an old pulp fiction for pre-teens... or is this for girls? A reverse harem of sorts?
Ixion Saga DT - 01
"The anime follows Kon Hokaze, a boy who embarks on a journey from our world to an alternate world known as Mira, which is full of a mysterious energy known as Alma. After saving Princess Ecarlate from attackers, he soon finds himself in the middle of a struggle around Alma."
Swaggering swashbuckler gonna swing.
Cheap production values, but okay, fun first episode.
Magi - 01
"Aladdin is traveling a desert land with a magic flute that summons a djinn named Ugo.
The two meet Alibaba, a seemingly greedy and aloof young man who is trying to get rich, and realizes that Ugo would be a powerful ally to explore a nearby treasure-filled dungeon."
Sandy adventures.
Not bad, but it looks a bit on the childish/over-simplified side. Not sure if I want.
Those treasure-filled dungeons which suddenly appeared in the World are all shiny traps for a dark twisted nefarious evil end, right?
Girls und Panzer - 01
"In this world, the art of tank-combat is a traditional Japanese martial art for girls. Miho, a girl who just transferred into the O-rai Girls' Academy in Ibaraki Prefecture, has been ordered by the academy's student council chairperson to join the school team and compete in the national Sensha-do championships."
Tank girls school.
That reminds me of that online tank game where you get a POS tank to play with for free -- I never managed to land one hit with it and always got blasted. No fun.
Is this just a promo for some similar upcoming tank game?
Kamisama Kiss - 01-02
After her father having run away due to gambling debts, and being evicted from her apartment, Nanami meets Mikage, a strange man who is afraid of dogs. Nanami saves him and tells him her story. He gives Nanami his house as a thank you for saving him. Nanami accepts the offer, due to having nowhere else to go. Upon arriving, she finds that it is a rundown shrine. She is then greeted as the new land god of the shrine...
Youkai fantasy.
It looks like in many of those shoujo fantasies, the "perfect guy" is a magical fox with silver hair. I'm not sure I'm going to keep an interest for long...
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo - 01
(=The Pet Girl of Sakurasou)
"Sakura Dormitory is a dorm of the high school affiliated with Suimei University of the Arts, which hosts the strangest, trouble-making students. After being kicked out of the normal dorm for keeping a stray cat, Sorata Kanda moves into Sakura Dormitory. As he starts to get used to the life in the dorm, Mashiro Shiina, a world famous artist who cannot even take care of her daily life, moves in. Sorata is forced to become Mashiro's handler. The story is about their daily life as well as mental growth."
Romance.
Bright and colorful, but I can't help but wonder if this will go anywhere?
Robotics;Notes - 01
"In 2019, Kaito Yashio is a member of his school's robotics club and a fan of fighting games. His classmate Akiho is a world renowned programmer of fighting games. Together they decide to create an actual giant robot and seek help from their friends."
Building a big robotto with the school's funds.
That first ep made no sense. A girl who for years wants to build a big robot? Yeah, right. And the school agrees?
Let's see, this is based upon a scifi game/novel. "Its gameplay requires little player interaction as much of the game's duration is spent on reading the text that appears on the screen" -- doesn't seem very attractive so far.
On the plus side, the art is good, and maybe that weird alien/alternate/future/else girl who appeared near the end will liven things up a bit.
Psycho-Pass - 01
"In the near future, it is possible to instantaneously measure a person's mental state, personality, and the probability that a person will commit crimes with technology called the Dominator. Just thinking about a crime can make you guilty, and in this world there is no mercy for criminals. Detectives work in pairs--one Enforcer and one Inspector--with Enforcers delivering lethal justice, and Inspectors making sure their partners don't take things too far."
Thought killer police = bad future.
Ah, that was confusing. I was not sure when the gun was on "stun" or on "kill". And can't the user switch manually? And why was the girl not gun-trained beforehand? Is she not supposed to do her job effectively? Depressing.
Ok, let's see... The girl sits moping on her ass at the end -- it seems there's no counseling/healing technology in this world.
The guy mentioned drugs, so that's probably how they "solve" the symptoms.
The weak point is likely the gun's Criminal Index System, or rather whoever programmed that crude detection system.
I suppose the Detectives will team up with the bad Enforcers to bust up the corrupt order...?