April 19, 2004
Comments on New Shows, Part 2
Here's some more comments on the new anime season.
Sensei no Ojikan - This is quite a cute little show. It reminds me a lot of Azumanga Daioh in the pacing. It's about a 27 year old teacher who still looks like a little girl. It's pretty funny and the nosebleed in one scene was one of the best ever. This one doesn't seem to have a lot of substance, but it is quite fun to watch. So I'll probably watch at least a few more episodes.
Midori no Hibi - I wrote about this show back when I first found out about it. Sawamura Seiji is a 17 year old high school student who is terrible at romance. One morning he wakes up to find that his right hand is gone and in its place is a girl. It seems she has had a crush on him since childhood and somehow ended up there. Despite the absurd premise the show is actually quite cute and very funny (and not at all what I expected). It's definitely one to check out.
Bakuretsu Tenshi - A new action show from Gonzo. It's the year 2050 and the story follows four females as they fight crime in future Tokyo. On yeah, and their cook, who is hired in the first episode and ends up getting caught up in their lives. This show is pretty fun. So far I think it's just going to end up being one of those fun action shows where I get to see lots of things go boom, but with Gonzo one never can tell.
So there are another three. Still some shows to comment on, but I'll leave that for next time. Oh yes, and the images are thanks to anime-source.com, a really nice site with lots of reviews and a nice forum. Click on the pictures above to get to their pages there.
April 16, 2004
RIP Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Anime News Network reports that Mitsuteru Yokoyama died today in a housefire. He is best known for Tetsujin 28 go (aka Gigantor) and Giant Robo.
April 15, 2004
J-List Interview
Wired has an interview with the founder of J-List. Pretty cool. I've been a fan of his regular mailings because he always has something interesting to tell about japanese culture and language.
Shoujo On the Rise
Anime Blog Muyo! has a post about some comments made at AnimeBoston about shoujo. It seems that it is the fastest growing genre in the North American anime market. I know that I've been noticing this too. Just check out the titles that TokyoPOP has been releasing, as well as how much shows like Fruits Basket are liked. Also at AnimeBoston, ADV announced that it has the rights to Princess Tutu. Hopefully it will sell well (I think it will) as it is one of my favorite shows.
Comments on New Shows, Part 1
I've watched a bunch of the shows that just started recently and so here are some of my thoughts on them so far. Note this is all based on only seeing one or two episodes, so I'll try and update if anything changes greatly.
Monster - Based on manga by Naoki Urasawa, this show is about a doctor who gets fights back against hospital politics, and ends up paying the price for it. I've only seen one episode, so some of my information on the show is from the link above. It sounds like the show definitely has a twist or two, some of which is hinted at in the first episode. I'll keep watching this one at least for a few more episodes. Also, the show gets bonus points by having David Sylvian do the end theme.
Tenjou Tenge - I admit it, I like fighting anime. And as Jasc says at the beginning of his review: "An awesome opening, great characters, fights that don't put me to sleep, and boobies? I'm sold!" This show is just fun. It's like Ikkitousen, but it doesn't suck. Two delinquents who love to fight show up at Toudou Gakuen, a school for martial arts training and a fighter's paradise. The school seems to have some dark secret to do with the fighters there, but it's only been hinted at so far. This show is also based on a manga that has 10 volumes out so far, so there should be quite a bit of story for them to work with. And Maya Natsume's transformation scene in the first episode is a classic.
Aishiteruze Baby - So far this is my favorite show of the season. This was one of those shows that I knew nothing of before watching it and it completely overwhelmed me. Based on a manga by Yoko Makai, the show is the story of Kippei, a teenage boy who cares only about girls (and they all seem to love him). One day his 5 year old cousin Yuzuyu shows up, having been left by her mother. At that point it becomes his job to take care of Yuzuyu. The show is very well done, and I found the first episode very moving. This is one I can't wait to watch more of.
That's it for this post, next up I'll take a look at Midori no Hibi, Hi no Tori, Kyou Kara Maou, and Kono Minikukumo Utsukushii Sekai (Gainax's new show).
April 06, 2004
April 02, 2004
Yay Harem Shows!
Okay, I'll admit it, I do tend to enjoy harem shows a bit, and Yumeria is the latest one I've been watching. Based on a a PS2 game (that never came out in the US), this show follows the adventures of Mikuri Tomokazu. From AnimeNfo.com:
One day 16 year old Mikuri Tomokazu has a strange dream. In the non-existing world he sees, a young girl is fighting against enemies. In the dream world, Tomikazu possesses a strange power and endows them to the girl, who then repels her enemies.
Tomokazu is astonished by the dream world, his strange power and then again the mysterious girl, who wages war. But on top of all that, when he wakes up, he finds the girl from the just seen dream next to him! All of a sudden the weird girl named Mone, Tomokazu's older Cousin Nanase and his uninvitedly coming classmate Mizuki begin the fight of the dream world right there!!
I've only seen the first four episodes of this show, but it is kinda fun, and supposedly gets more of a storyline as things go on. It is a bit heavy on the fanservice at times, but almost seems to make fun of that fact at the same time. Overall, this show falls into my "enjoyable, but little substance" category. If you need a break from the serious stuff (in my case it was Full Moon wo Sagashite, episode 42 killed me) check it out.