First Impression: Sket Dance

At first, the only reason I was remotely interested with Sket Dance is because Keiichiro Kawaguchi is directing it, the same director that did Zettai Karen Children which I am a fan of. I still have my doubt though. Then I learned about the cast. The crossover makes a lot of sense all of a sudden.

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They hire Tomokazu Sugita as one of the main seiyuu. That's decided it for me. I'm gonna watch this shit (If it wasn't for my outrageous working scheduled, I would have done the Sugita Quest like Glo does his Rie Quest. That's how big of a fan I am). Did you see how I choose my anime now? =3

Academy Activity Support Club or Sket-dan for short is just like Gintoki's Yorozuya. In fact Sket Dance is more or less Gintama in modern days. There are Himeko, Kagura double, Switch as Gintoki double and Bossun who supposedly to be the leader. They do odd stuff in that little club of theirs, solving mysteries and so on.

There are still few characters that haven't been introduced yet so that adds to the reason why I need to continue watching Sket Dance.

fappable character like this one
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Though the jokes were a tad slapstick at time, they were able to make me chuckled. Mind you, it's not out right laugh out loud kind of thing. I have a feeling if this show is done by a much more experience production studio, it could turn out so much better. Or maybe I'm just being harsh towards Tatsunoko Productions for not hiring a strong capable writer than can do randomness like that of Gintama. I said this because it falls a little flat for me and it is kinda cliche.

The animation is nothing to boast about but I should give credits when it is due. They took it up a notch when it comes to the fighting and there are some slick moves going on. If only the effort is continuous throughout the episode. Then again it is all comes down to the budget. Having said that, the casts are pretty impressive and I am glad that they spend their money hiring the right people for the characters. Sugita is awesome as always.

Well, this show doesn't blew me away but for obvious reason I am going to keep watching this.

arts & animation 7/10
story 7/10
characters 8/10
sound 8/10
enjoyment 7/10
overall 7/10

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First Impression: [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

As far as I know, a lot of people (read: anime nerds) really look forward to this show. I know I am simply because this one is featured in the noitaminA time slot. That's how big noitaminA influences is on my preference. I mean, I completed Fractale, didn't I?

The start of the show is definitely attention grabbing. I was sitting at the edge of my sit for the first two minutes because I simply don't have a fucking clue what to expect. I purposely didn't read the synopsis or any spoilers so to be honest I was kind of lost at first before the plot slowly sinking in.

huh?

This is a show about money and have everything to do with money. Those with money triumph, those who are not... well either they get defeated and then jumped off in front of the train or simply be a loser for the rest of his mortgaged life. Players (usually those who in dire needs of money) are chose at random and is offered as an entrepreneur at "The Financial District". All they have to do in exchange is giving them their future (which pretty much spells out their life in fine prints if they bothered to read the contract that is). When they want to withdraw money, they have to travel to another dimension where somewhat magical creatures will be their weapon against their opponent. Win the game and you get the money. Otherwise your life is shortened.

It is just like the title suggested really. You exchange your future/life/soul for the money which mean you are letting go the ability to have control over the possibility of your future/life/soul (I am totally making this shit up). You're pretty much fucked up unless you are smart and win them back.

Kimimaro Yoga is the protagonist who is very diligent, working two jobs to get honest money. This also means, he is the right candidate to be the for the next entrepreneur. Masakaki could possibly be the most interesting character in this show. He reminded me of Johnny Depp because of his wacky personality. You can tell that he's cunning and will stab you in the back if given the chance. He managed to convince Kimimaro and thus that poor kid fall into the hands of the greedy.

the characters

Though the story is engaging, I still feel like it is lacking something. It is in the middle of the episode that I realized that I was expecting something that blow my mind away in term of it's art and animation. Maybe I am just too used of the idea that noitaminA anime will usually brings something different to the table. Err... actually it does. Kinda but not really.They still provide visual fest with vibrant colors (when in the Financial District), interesting camera angles and massive use of 3D effects. I was just being too picky because that isn't really my thing (the 3D). However at times, the characters look so fucking rigid it was as if they are saving on frames. Also the character designs are just too average. Maybe the production studio aimed to win the heart of the audiences through the story/plot instead of brilliant arts and animation.

Fortunately for them, it works or at least it managed to keep us on our toes and made us curious. Curiosity is good because that means we will tune in for the next episode. Having said that, I'm not entirely convinced yet.

arts & animation 7/10
story 8/10
characters 8/10
sound 7/10
enjoyment 8/10
overall 8/10

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