Monthly Archives: July 2011

Usagi Drop – Episode 1

By | July 7, 2011 at 6:46 pm | No Comments

I don’t mean to always blog shows in the noitamina slots, but really, they are usually some of the best looking shows at the start of the season. That plus some other shows that just weren’t very interesting looking plus a lot of hype for quite a while lead me to blog this show.  I really honestly don’t know what to expect.  I’ve read the synopses but that’s about it.  I’m assuming it’s going to be about this guy getting used to raising a kid, though even that is kind of broad.  I guess I’ll find out…

Nobody wants to take care of poor Rin

Nobody wants to take care of poor Rin

I guess it’s hard to say whether this episode really presents a true flavor of what this series is going to be like.  I mean, I think it kind of sets the tone and introduces the characters, but Daikichi just started taking car of Rin, which is going to be the heart of the show, so in that respect, we haven’t really seen anything yet.

Daikichi and Rin seem to be somewhat similar in personality, which is probably partly why they were drawn to each other.  I’m sure that taking care of Rin is going to be a bit harder than Daikichi anticipated, but at least he was good enough to take up the task in the first place, unlike all the other relatives who didn’t want to be bothered with the grandfather’s illegitimate child that they hadn’t known about before.

In any case, just the atmosphere for the first episode gives me optimism for this series going forward.  I just seems like it’s in the grain of a well written part-serious, part-humorous drama.

Madoka Magica – Episodes 4 – 6

By | July 6, 2011 at 12:16 pm | 3 comments

A new magical girl, Sakura, arrives in town to replace Mami, while at the same time Sayaka decides to become a magical girl in exchange for healing her disabled friend.  While Sayaka’s first battle goes OK, she is clearly outclassed by Sakura, who had no qualms about fighting her over Grief Seeds.  Homura asks Sakura to hold off on fighting until she can think of a peaceful solution but soon another confrontation takes place, and one of the secrets of being a magical girl are revealed…

The two newest Magical Girls in Town

The two newest Magical Girls in Town

It’s becoming pretty clear that things aren’t all that they seem.  Sakura, who appears to have been a Magical Girl for a while, had no clue that her soul was contained not within her body but within her Soul Gem, and she wasn’t particularly happy with it either.  It’s clear that, despite the straightforwardness of the initial deal (any wish in exchange for becoming a magical girl), Kyubey isn’t telling the whole story to potential magical girls when he asks them to become one.  And if he didn’t say anything about this, what else might he not be saying? His nonchalant attitude toward not revealing the whole truth, and his annoyance at the girls’ reactions when he does is also rather disturbing.

Sayaka has become quite hostile since becoming a magical girl, though I can’t particularly blame her in Sakura’s case, since she clearly is fine with witches killing people just to increase her own power.  However, now that some things have been revealed to her, I wonder if she’ll be a little less gung-ho about it.  It’s obvious that Homura knew the nature of the Soul Gem, which makes one wonder what else she might know. She doesn’t seem particularly keen on sharing, though, at least for the moment. She seems mostly intent on Madoka not becoming a magical girl, which appears to be becoming a wiser and wiser choice, despite Kyubey’s increasing pressure for her to become one whenever Madoka feels helpless.

There was a lot about regretting becoming a magical girl in episode 5.  I’m wondering if Sayaka will start regretting that decision soon the more she learns what it actually means. Also, I’m wondering if Homura’s wish had something to do with being all knowing.  She knew Kyubey was going after Madoka. She knows people’s names even though she just met them. She seems to be very knowledgeable about all the subjects at school She seems to know an awful lot about the nature of the magical girls, and what not. She clearly doesn’t know the future, since she was as shocked by Mami’s death as anyone else, but she seems to “know” more than you would otherwise expect.

Anime Expo Licensing Roundup: ef, Kimi ni Todoke get picked up

By | July 5, 2011 at 3:00 pm | No Comments

I didn’t follow AX day by day, mainly thanks to being out of town over the weekend, but I did want to review things that had gotten licensed.

The headline news for me as the announcement by Sentai Filmworks (aka ADV reincarnated) to license both ef series. Those had been hanging out there for a while, and I was really doubting whether they would ever be licensed, but Sentai decided to pick them up. ef – a tale of memories was a 12 episode series that aired in 2007, while it’s followup, ef – a tale of melodies, was a 12 episode series that aired in 2008.  You can read my blogging of both of my series here. Sentai Filmworks also licensed Loups-Garous, a 2010 movie, and Ro-Kyu-Bu, which started airing in Japan on July 1st.

The other semi-interesting licensing announcement for me was NIS America licensing Kimi ni Todoke, though it appears to only be the first season so far.  Kimi ni Todoke was a 25 episode series that aired in the Fall of 2009 and Winter of 2010.  NIS America also licensed the series Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera, which is a 12 episode series that just completed airing in Japan.

In other announcements:

  • Bandai Entertainment licensed Sacred Seven, which started airing July 2nd, and will stream it on Hulu and Crunchyroll
  • Viz licensed the Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva movie released in 2009 and the Bleach: Fade to Black – Kimi no Na o Yobu movie, released in 2008
  • Aniplex USA licensed Madoka Magica, a 12 episode series that aired earlier this year, and Blue Exorcist, a 24 episode series currently airing in Japan.
  • Funimation licensed Deadman Wonderland, a 12 episode series that just concluded airing in Japan; Steins;Gate, a 24 episode series currently airing in Japan; Baka and Test 2, which will start airing in Japan July 7th; B Gata H Kei, a 12 episode series that aired in 2010; and Asobi ni Ikuyo, another 12 episode series that aired in 2010.

Madoka Magica – Episodes 1 – 3

By | July 5, 2011 at 11:32 am | 4 comments

This is the first of three new series from the winter and spring seasons I decided to go back and watch after the fact.  The reason I picked this one was largely from all the hype I read about it on twitter.  And, heck, it’s currently the #13 anime listed on MAL, so I thought I would give it a shot.  Despite my love for some other Magical Girl shows (see: Cardcaptor Sakura), my experience with other shows of that type have been less than stellar. I’m also skeptical of the loliness of some of the characters in the show art.  However, I’ll give this show a chance.

Not the Dream Job they Imagined

Not the Dream Job they Imagined

This series is certainly starting a lot darker than I was imagining it.  Most Magical Girl series seem pretty pretty cheerful. Sure, they face dangers and all, but you usually don’t see one of the magical girl buddies getting her head literally bitten off.  This series is also different in that, usually the magical girl will become the magical girl in the first episode, and then go off and do their magical girl thing.  In this case, it is almost like the series is about Madoka’s (and Sayaka’s) trips toward becoming magical girls (or not).

Both girls were hesitant about becoming magical girls to begin with since neither could really think of a wish to risk their lives over, and I would have to think that just became more of the case after the death of not just a magical girl, but their tutor Mami, happened right in front of them.  Homura’s attitude also seems to be from more than just not wanting rivals, though I suppose that could just be her personality.  We still haven’t found out what she wished for when becoming a magical girl yet, though.

Kimi ni Todoke 2 – Episodes 10 – 12 [END]

By | July 4, 2011 at 11:33 am | No Comments

So we finally get to the end. Kazehaya confesses just before the culture parade, and then they pretty much make it well known to everyone at the afterparty as well as the next day at school, with a lot of people being surprised at the match.  Some girls are jealous, but Kurumi actually heads them off, saying there is nothing they can do that will make Kazehaya see them in a better light. And the end, basically.

For the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Finally!

For the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Finally!

Really most of these final 3 episodes had to do with the pair starting off their relationship, since Kazehaya confessed in episode 10, and then had to deal with everyone being like “really!?.”  I do have to say that Kurumi made herself out to be a much better character in the second season, as she accepted defeat quite gracefully for the most part, even holding other jealous girls back from going after Sawako.  I’m sure it will take a while for her to get over Kazehaya since she’s been pining after him for such a long time, and, as she said, it will probably be easier now that the contest is over.

Overall, while I think this season had some pretty sweet moments, especially from the midpoint on, It was really frustrating to begin with, thinking the two were together, only for them to get distant, then confused, then think that the other had rejected them, and all of that.  It would have been nice if episode 10 or 11 was about where the second season had started and they went from there, kind of like how a series like His and Her Circumstances was more about the actual relationship unfolding than the trouble of getting into it in the first place.  I’ll have total nerdrage if they do a third season and we have to go through all of this yet again.

Actually, I think if they do a third season, on top of watching Kazehaya and Sawako’s relationship progress, it would be nice to see Ryo and Yoshida get together and to have Yano find someone too. Maybe even see Kurumi find someone new.  This series ended in a pretty good spot so I can see them leaving it as it is, but I was just saying if they wanted to continue it, that’s what they could do.

Overall, I guess it wasn’t bad. Like I said, I kind of felt like a lot of what happened was redundant with the first season, which annoyed me, but taking that away, this was a pretty good season and series overall.

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