First Impression: Gin no Saji: Silver Spoon

The only reason I'm excited as fuck for this show is because it's produced by A-1 Pictures. I hope this show can somewhat compensate for what is lacking in Servant x Service. On top of that, this is the only show that is featured in noitaminA for this season. That should be a good sign, isn't it?

My first impression was Moyashimon. That's what this show reminds me of during the first few seconds what with the agriculture theme going on. However, it is in my opinion, more enjoyable. Or maybe I'm just biased as fuck because it's my favorite studio that is producing it XD

err... yeah, don't asked about the fanart. I just thought Hachiken looks cute as a trap

Anyhoo, it's about Hachiken who enrolled to a agriculture school just because it's a boarding school and doesn't want to go home. The other students have either ambition that has something to do with agriculture or simply taking over their family business. He has zero knowledge on agriculture and expected to ace the normal subject. I LOL'd when he called the others dumb but when they started to talk about science, he was left eon's behind.

Seemingly Hachiken has trouble adapting to farm life especially when he has problem eating an egg when he found out that it comes from the anus (technically it's called cloaca). However, it seems like the farm life suits him best. He has four team members that are pretty helpful too.

I love the comedic part and the plot is definitely something that most of us aren't familiar with, unless of course if you are into agriculture. I think it's fresh and appreciate the fact that they weren't pretentious about it. It showed how hard the farmers/agriculture people work for us to get all the food on our table.

Thank you A-1 Pictures for fulfilling my expectation for this show. I enjoy it a lot and this one is going to stay in my must watch list.

Episode: 11
Aired: Summer 2013
Producers: A-1 Pictures

arts & animation 8/10
story 9/10
characters 8/10
sound 8/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 8.6/10

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First Impression: Arata Kangatari

I pay no heed to this show until I reread my preview for Spring. How could I forget the important fact that this show might have a boy pretending to be a girl? Lets just hope that this one will go horribly right. After all, isn't this the only show that is featured in noitaminA this season?

(c) pixiv id 1169389

But oh dear.  This is such an average show, I dunno where to begin. Yes, there is a boy who was forced to pretend as a girl to be the princess but that lasted for less than 5 minutes.

There are two Arata. One from the other world, and the other from Japan. The former was chosen to be the succeeding princess but was framed as the princess murderer instead by the Twelve Shinsho who planned to take over the ruling of that place. The latter Arata on the other hand is pathetic as fuck. He's often being bullied and has no friends. Somehow, due to the forest magical shit thingy, they switched place.

I'm more intrigued to see how the former Arata cope with living in Japan than the emo-whining Avatar that travel to that magical world.

The animation was below average for an anime that is featured in noitaminA. The plot was kinda meh too. I dunno how the hell did this show get chosen =\

Having said that, the Twelve Shinsho are actually quite hawt LOL

Episode: 12
Aired: Spring 2013
Producers: Satelight

arts & animation 5/10
story 5/10
characters 5/10
sound 5/10
enjoyment 4/10
overall 4.8/10

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First Impression: Natsuyuki Rendezvous

For some reason I totally forgot about noitaminA shows this season. I can't say that it doesn't has an impact since I did notice people talking about this show a lot on twitter. If I didn't check my preview before I write this first impression post, I would have not noticed that this was featured in the supposedly prestigious list of anime that are featured in noutaminA slot.

Natsuyuki Rendezvous is about this guy Hazuki Natsuyuki who has a crush on a lady who is the owner of a flower shop. That crush turns to love and when opportunity presented itself, he applied to work part time there. He then met the deceased husband Atsushi Shimao, who basically is a ghost, and totally has no respect for the dead even though he's trying to score with Rokka. This show is going to be about acceptance of fate, challenging oneself for the sake of love, and learning to let go when it's time to do so.

Just for the record, I am a fan of Atsushi Shimao. I see a lot of myself in him. At the same time, I am Hazuki who is crushing on his co-worker.

I have no complain about the art, animation, overall sound and other details. I freaking love the OP and ED. It managed to move me the first time I heard it and that's great. Quality anime is full of quality after all.

Watching Natsuyuki Rendezvous is like watching my life gets animated. It wasn't funny or fun at all.  I mean, Rokka and Natsuyuki even work together. That is just too much of a coincidence.

Given my condition at the moment, I have my own reason for delaying with the first impression. I am struggling with my own emotions and feelings towards my crush too so watching this just reminds me a lot about my repressed feelings towards him that it sort of hurts... and as I have feared, I was left with the feelings of bitterness at the end of the episode.

Which mean that this show truly deserved the noitaminA slot, if it can moves me like that. Having said that, I still hate having this feeling though. Just goes to show how fucking vulnerable I really am actually.

If only people bother to see through my facade.

Episodes: 11
Aired: Summer 2012
Genres: Drama, Romance, Supernatural, Josei

arts & animation 9/10
story 8/10
characters 8/10
sound 9/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 8.6/10

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First Impression: Moyashimon Returns

Moyashimon is one of the few anime that I keep wishing for a second season and for once my wish is granted.

But somewhat I feel like the first episode fall short of my expectation.

Or maybe I just have a bad that and that influenced my enjoyment for the show.

Moyashimon Returns still featured the cast from the first season. Sawaki can still see all the microbes and everyone knew about this except Oikawa. The only difference now are the fact that they all identify Yuuki Kei as female (which somewhat pissed me off) and they forget that Oikawa is a neat freak. 

They still take time to explain to us how certain fermentation works and so on which failed to catch my interest at all.

It is a good thing then that they decided to stick with all the characters from the previous seasons because they were the one who made Moyashimon so enjoyable for me, especially the interaction between Sawaki and Yuuki.

this is hot 

A short first impression for this one. Deal with it.

Episodes: 11
Aired: Summer 2012
Genres: Comedy, School, Supernatural

arts & animation 6/10
story 7/10
characters 7/10
sound 7/10
enjoyment 7/10
overall 6.8/10

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First Impression: Sakamichi no Apollon

Kids on the Slope is another anime that is featuring in noitaminA for Spring 2012, besides Tsuritama. It is a show that was setup in the year 1966 which is refreshing given that you won't see female students wearing mini skirts to school, and there are no fancy school uniforms. It is all back to basic.

Lets take a walk into the past, ladies and gentlewomen.

(c) pixiv id 3299945

Since I have watched Tsuritama, I can't help but noticed the similarities between the two shows of noitaminA this season. They both deal with the protagonist having trouble adjusting to new school even though both are used to transferring from one school to the other, both has issues with panic attack and then making new friends through something that they have in common. In this show's case, it is music. Specifically jazz music.

But it doesn't necessarily means that it is a bad thing though because the way these two executed their story are very different indeed. While everything is bizarre in Tsuritama, it is quite the opposite for Sakamichi no Apollon. There is restrain and subtlety involved as they delved deeper in the bond that they are creating for these characters. It is more heart-felt in a way.

There is obviously connection made between Kaoru Nishimi and Sentarou Kawabuchi. You can already tell that much by their first encounter. It was too obvious to not notice the chemistry between these two. Sure, Nishimi went all red whenever Ritsuko said something cute but it wasn't her that cure him from having seizures/panic attack. Like he said, what kind of magic is that?

It's BL magic of course!

Nishimi keeps transferring school because his dad is a Marine officer and isn't around much so he has to stay with his relatives from time to time. He sorta looks up to his father and adores him. He plays the piano to fill in the emptiness in his heart whenever he missed his dad. His mom left them both which kinda affected Nishimi a little, if not much and the absent of his father doesn't help much either.

Kawabuchi is the class delinquent. Everyone is afraid of him except Ritsuko who knows him since they were children. He isn't bad, he is just misunderstood by his peers and the people around him. For example, just look at the way he treated Nishimi. He might be rough but that is just his style. He is good with drums and I have a weakness for the person behind the drums. I mean, I fell for Ritsu, didn't I? Just like Nishimi, I too was very impressed with the way he plays the drum. I can't wait to see him and Nishimi start playing jazz together.

I have to say that I am loving the old style art and animation which of course fits perfectly with this show. I have never heard of Tezuka Production before but I have to give credits to them for making everything about this show so good from the arts, animation to the seiyuu and most importantly the story itself. Kudos to Shinichiro Watanabe for the excellent directing as well. Those angles and camera shots during Kawabuchi's fight and Kawabuchi playing the drums... well, suffice to say that it made me fapped. Then again, this is to be expected. He is the same director that directed Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo after all... and those are masterpieces.

I who usually don't give a shit about the OP and ED, is certainly giving a shit now, especially with that ED. For some reason it touches my heart and believe it or not, I shed tears the first time I listened to it. For a foreign song that I don't know the meaning of the words are to do just that... brilliant indeed.

noitaminA has certainly made up for what they were lacking for the past couple of seasons. I couldn't be more grateful and this show is definitely getting my approval. I don't care how fucking busy I am, I will make sure that I won't be missing these two shows from noitaminA.

art & animation 10/10
story 10/10
characters 10/10
sound 10/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 10/10

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First Impression: Tsuritama

Surely by now you would have known that I am a fan of A-1Pictures. They didn't come out with any anime last season so I was really looking forward to watching two of their anime this season and Tsuritama is definitely one of it, especially so since it is featured in noitaminA and Tomokazu Sugita is one of the seiyuu. But then I started notice people's reactions to the show and though it doesn't dampened my excitement, it sure does rings some warning bells in my brain, just so that I won't be disappointed at the end of this episode.

Having said that, I can understand why people are whining about this show, especially you boys: it is featuring the story of four boys. If they were girls, I am sure the reactions would be different indeed.


Well, thank goodness that I didn't let others' opinions influenced me because I ended up enjoying every second of Tsuritama and dare I say it that my faith in noitaminA has been restored!

It is a show that I can't figure out how it will end after watching the first episode which is always a good thing. Predictability can be so cliche and I am not that good at dealing with cliche shit. Tsuritama starts with a tale of dragon with five heads that darkened an island with horrors and such until a goddess appeared one day from a purple sky. The dragon then fell in love with the goddess and before I knew it, there's Haru, one of the boys, who claimed himself to be an alien. He certainly has abilities of controlling people using his water pistol and communicating with fish. It looks like he was searching for something until he found Yuki, whose grandmother is quite hawt to be honest, and has some panic issue. He wants to be normal but has problem dealing with attentions. He transferred to the city by the sea because his grandmother got a new job there. The two of them are Natsuki's classmate. Natsuki is the prince of fishing - oh did I forget to mention that this show has a lot to do with fish and sea? - and has quite a cold persona, which is his charm in my opinion ♥

The first time they met, they were brought together by Haru who brainwashed them to go fishing with him. Yuki seeming has found something in fishing that might help him with his panic attack - and friends too - something that he always wanted.

But they are being watched by Akira, some sort of a prince who is always with a goose, and surrounded by bodyguards. It is still not clear who he is and what his deal is but the episode definitely got me interested in finding out more about everything.

I think Ryota Ohsaka does a really good job at voicing Yuki, given the fact that he is a novice. Yuki is not a one dimensional character and if he can carry his character well, I'm sure he has a bright future as seiyuu right in front of him. Needless to say, given the 1 minute introduction, was enough to makes me giddy of Akira simply because of Tomokazu Sugita. Haru's voice is rather annoying but I think it fits perfectly with the kind of character that he is which says a lot of his seiyuu, Miyu Irino. Kouki Uchiyama deep and serious voice makes me fall for Natsuki so yeah needless to say, I am a fan of all four :D

Everything about Tsuritama is vibrant and bizarre, starting with the character all the way to the animation and arts, which I must say, is something that I love to see in many other A-1 Pictures. It gives the feelings of watching a mix anime between SHAFT and Toei animation. Speaking of which, Tsuritama is directed by Kenji Nakamura, the same genius who directed Mononoke and C. Knowing this just makes my expectation for this show grows exponentially. It is rather careless of me, I know, because this could end up to be another Fractale but hey as long as I'm entertained, I won't complain much.

Yes, I know that I am biased as fuck. Aren't you?

Which mean I love the OP and ED too, especially the ED ^____^

Like I've said, it looks like I am most likely gonna spend my Spring watching A-1 Pictures anime and nothing else.

art & animation 10/10
story 9/10
characters 9/10
sound 10/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 9.6/10

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First Impression: Guilty Crown

I wasn't too impress with UN-GO so here I am hoping that Guilty Crown could make up for what is lacking in that other noitaminA series.

(c) Redjuice

Ouma Shu is a socially awkward student who is currently living in a quasi-independent Japan. He is not happy with what has Japan turned into after the Apocalypse Virus weakened the country to the point that it has to be dependent on other countries, even after all these years. One day he met with Inori, an Egoist singer who is also deemed as a terrorist since she is a member of the Funeral Parlor. Inori was badly hurt and the "authority" found her and took her into custody in front of Shu. This just pressured Shu to do something. Shit can't go down like this forever y'all!

Inori left Funell, her pet robot there. Inside of it is Void Genome that Inori stole. She must give it to Gai at all cost. This presents the perfect opportunity for Shu to retaliate and redeem himself. Gai is actually so fucking hot and so fucking badass, I think I'm gonna die just watching him being so fucking awesome. He fucking kills people with a smile plastered on his face. Oh shit I think I just came LMAO

whats not to fap?
(c) Redjuice

The authority is willing to go to any length to get it back including mass genocide in pretext that they are "infected". Sounds familiar doesn't it? Well, that's what happened when you let the most powerful country (read US of A) "help" you. You are in fact selling your soul to the devil. I am just most thankful to Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad for not turning to IMF when the world economy collapsed in 1998. He knew what would happened if we did just that. Instead he tied our currency to MYR3.80 and that save our butt and thus let us continue to be independent. That is why he is my hero.

Anyhoo, back to the show. I am not crazy about "putting your hand inside of someone's chest to obtain absolute power whatevershit". It lacks originality (Code Geass/Dantalian no Shouka anyone?) and even though the Guilty Crown looks bad ass, in the hand of Shu, it is just... blurgh. Why does a coward good for nothing character always gets the girl and the cool gadgets? I never realized that it actually pissed me off until I watched this show. Maybe I'm just getting sick of the same platform being used over and over again. I mean, why can't Gai gets the Guilty Crown? Why does Shu, someone who doesn't know the fuck about anything gets it and given the opportunity to be a hero? Does it supposed to represent hope for the losers? Well, here's a bad news: in real life, you will remain a loser if you believe this shit.

Having said that, Production I.G. does not disappoint me this time around. Besides Gai, the stunning arts nd animation are definitely one of the strong reasons why I'm liking this show despite the infuriating story line and shallow protagonists (both Inori and Shu). The other good reasons are the songs. It was beautifully sang and even though I'm not a fan of Inori the wench, I have to admit, her singing is captivating.



Did I enjoy this more than UN-GO? Though the story sort of something that I've seen too many time before, it was beautifully done and thus credits go to Production I.G for the brilliant execution. Here I am hoping that they develop the story nicely so this one could turn out great otherwise it would be another flop.

Conclusion: There is nothing about the story that excites me but my b0nar for the animation wins the inner battle. I'm not losing my faith on noitaminA just yet and that is indeed a good news.

art & animation 10/10
story 7/10
characters 7/10
sound 9/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 8.4/10

p/s: for the best review of Guilty Crown, click here.

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First Impression: UN-GO

UN-GO is one of the two shows that are featured in noitaminA so naturally everyone is looking forward to it, including yours truly. I usually ended up watching only one show between the two and I wonder if UN-GO will be the lucky one this season. As you can see, I have a high expectation for this show.


UN-GO is a story of mystery, of solving cases. There are several key players but the main one shoud be Yuuki Shinjurou, a detective, and his trap assistant that can transform into a horny bitch called Inga who has power to convince people to answer one question (asked by her). Together they will solve cases and other mysteries but Kaishou Rinroku and his daughter Rie in the end will get the name.

I thought the setting of the story is pretty ordinary considering that this show is featured in noitaminA. It doesn't exactly ball grabbing good since I can already tell who the murderer is even before Inga appeared. It was too obvious. That in itself makes this show kinda falls short for me. In that case, how can this show falls under the mystery genre? The good news however is the fact that I love the combination of Yuuki and Inga and if I'm being honest, I am actually is extremely jealous of Inga. I wanna give Yuuki a french kiss too. LOL

Considering that UN-GO is a mystery/police kinda show, it lacks the action. The way the show brought us along for the ride to solve the mystery is nothing spectacular: less talk and more action, please. Oh, and since it's a mystery, it would have been awesome if you added some suspense and drama in it too. I'm just saying...

*snaps fingers* I guess the mysteries lies at the beginning of the episode where Yuuki was claimed to be dead and met Inga the first time. This show probably wants us to figure that out instead of the murder that took place. Hmm, quite clever.

UN-GO is produced by Bones. I'm not crazy with the studio's works. Having said that, I did enjoy No. 6, Sword of the Stranger and Star Driver to name a few. The character designs in UN-GO look far too skinny (not CLAMP style though) and some of them kinda look exactly the same. To put it in a much simpler word: boring except perhaps for Inga but she shouldn't count because she can fucking transformed! Bones also failed to evoke any emotion out of me. There is no sense of drama what so ever. I'm not just saying about the BGM but by the depiction of scenes as well. It was meh and monotonous from start to finish.

For a noitaminA series, this one kinda fail. It does not leave us with proper WOW impression and personally I feel like it is forgettable at best. The least Bones could do is to excite us with whats to come in episode 2 but nope... not even that.

My expectation though has not been crushed to the ground, it was not met.

arts & animation 7/10
story 6/10
characters 6/10
sound 5/10
enjoyment 6/10
overall 6/10

ps: I'm loving that ED though!



pss: What does UN-GO even mean? Did I miss something?

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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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First Impression: Ano Hana

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai or better known as Ano Hana is the other anime that is featured in noitaminA time slot for Spring 2011. This is also one of the anime I most look forward to because it is produced by A-1 Pictures studio. The other one is Blue Exorcist. This is the second anime from A-1 Pictures that made it to the noitaminA slot after their first attempt with Fractale.


In term of the story, it kinda reminds me of Fractale which in a way is not good at all. We all know how over-ambitious Fractale was in term of how deep it was trying to achieve. Thankfully, Ano Hana do not take place in another system/era/dimension but here on earth so it will rule out that over-ambitious shit. This one is much simpler and it won't need much over-the-top explanation with stuff that will only confused us further.

To put it in a less complicated way, Ano Hana is about a dead girl named Menma who haunts Jinta's life during this one summer (they did not specified when). Menma was one of the Super Peace Busters members from Jinta childhood. There are four other members, Popo, Anaru, Yukiatsu and Tsuruko. On one unfortunate day, Menma dead (possibly drowning) and Jinta basically took it the hardest as their group drifted apart. His grades plummeted and he didn't even go to school anymore. He is pretty much an anti-social nowadays. Maybe it is worth noting that (a) everyone in the group kinda can tell that Jinta likes Menma. Anaru and Yukiatsu were jealous so it was obvious that there were love-triangle going on. (b) Menma has a wish an in order to grant her wish, these six friends have to be together again. (c) It also has to do with Jinta's remorse of not being able to apologize to Menma. I can see how this will progress into one great drama if it's done right.

Needless to say, the arts and animation is fucking marvelous. Once again A-1 Pictures has exceeded my expectation. I just love their love for details. If you are familiar with their works before you know exactly what I mean. The background and character designs are flawless.

The background music that accompany certain scenes are appropriate and liven up the mood for that said scene. The OP sounds good but it will need time to get the feel of it. But I really want to talk about the ED. When I first heard it I thought "wait a minute, why does this song sounds so familiar?" so I searched my anime song library and found that the same song Secret Base ~ Kimi ga Kureta Mono ~ was once used by other anime. That anime is Kyou no Go no Ni. I remembered because I have always like the song.



Though I am not familiar with the cast (except for Haruka Tomatsu, whom I know from Kannagi), I think they all are great at what they do. I can still hear Yukiatsu's mumbling Menma's name at the end of the episode. I guess it is fair to say that I am immediately attracted to him even when I saw him for the first time as an envious child.

Well, what can I say. Ano Hana tore at my heart. In fact I am still teary eyed as I write this post. It just hit so close to home I guess. I have friends like that in my childhood that I met every weekend or during school holidays. We were gang ho about everything and pretty much conquered the hill near my grandma's house. It consists of larger group with age varying from 9 to 12 years old. We pretended that we were cops or sometimes the robbers, we built cardboard houses, we had our own leader, just like Super Peace Busters. Life was blissful back then since we knew not where our paths will lead us. But then, one of us was killed by wild dogs when he went up the hill by himself and since then the hill was off limits to us and thus we drifted apart. Ano Hana made me missed the good times that we shared on that hill playing without worries. It also makes me want to meet those old friend of mine who I know not where they are anymore since my grandma moved away and so did most of them. Even the hill is long gone now.

Whether it's because noitaminA, or A-1 Pictures, or the story, or the similar experience, I can honestly say that this is the best debut I have ever seen in a very long time. The story might be simple but it is still so engaging. The premise is solid and most important of all it delivers real emotions which possibly is the selling point of Ano Hana. It reaches out and touches my heart. To say that I am mightily impressed is an understatement.

This show is fucking brilliant.

no, she wasn't giving him a blowjob. This is not Asterotte's Toy

art & animation 10/10
story 10/10
characters 10/10
sound 10/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 10/10

p/s: this is the longest first impression post I have ever wrote ^__^

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Fractale

I have high hopes for Fractale but with each passing episodes, I feel the hopes dwindling to nothingness. The only reason I watched from week to week was because of Sunda but they fucking killed him in the last episodes.

Everyone, meet the late Sunda and Enri Granitz

The story itself was what made this show lacking. It evolved around Phryne, Clain and Nessa and it shouldn't be so. Phryne and Nessa are the key to reboot the Fractale system. If Phryne didn't ran away and be a jackass about it, people won't have to die unnecessarily. Though she is (literally) a slut it is still no excuse for her to be so fickle about every damn thing. If she agreed from the very beginning to be the key and didn't change her mind every god damn 4 seconds, then the Temple will not declare wars on Lost Millenium (they are the one who are against the Fractale System - but not really). Sunda and Dias wouldn't have died.

As you can see, I'm very pissed right now and rightfully so. I am filled with rage when Clain ended up having a happily ever after ending with Phryne (with Nessa's personality). Damn these kids.

I can't believe I said some really nice things about her in my first impression post. 10 episodes later I have nothing but hate for her.

Characters wise, they are not lacking in term of personalities (except for the plain Clain). The character designs also helped built each characters' personalities while the voice actors compliment those characters, giving them souls. Thanks to her splendid performance as Nessa, I think I am a fan of Kana Hanazawa now. Credits for Yu Kobayashi as well for her job well done as Clain though I still wonder why didn't they pick a guy for the job.

The OP/ED, BGM and sound effects for this show is highly commendable. Both the OP and ED are sang by Hitomi Azuma. There are three songs featured in the single CD titled Harinezumi but I never heard the other one. Like I said, towards the end of the show, the OP grew on me and I can even sing along to it. Having said that, my favorite remains with the ED despite the poor Engrish pronunciation.


If there is one thing that blow me away regarding this show, it's the art and animation of the whole thing. I mentioned this several time during in episodic reviews. A-1 Pictures is really good at delivering these sort of stuff. Some of the scenes looks like they came from a beautiful painting, and the camera angle for certain scenes really stood out. Kudos to the animation production team. It was splendid.

But sadly, for a show that is featured in noitaminA, it certainly didn't live up to expectation. I am not entirely sure whose fault is it but if the story didn't evolved around Phryne, it could have ended up as a fabulous show. This show pretended to be deep when it's not. Yamakan totally lost the plot. I rage at how conceded it turned out to be.

arts & animation 10/10
story 7/10
characters 9/10
sound 8/10
enjoyment 6/10
overall 7/10

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First Impression: Hourou Musuko

I got the impression that Wandering Son pleases a lot of people. My initial thoughts were off the mark if what they saidy is true. I am stoke to see what AIC did to make this show exciting with that kind of story line.

(c) KL

The episode didn't grab my attention until they introduced themselves to the class. It was interesting I think because I learned a lot from that brief introduction. I take back what I said earlier about this show. The characters are definitely intriguing with their own layers of secret to keep us glued to our seat. I was still clueless even half way through the episode. I can't decide whether Suichi is a boy dressed as a girl or a girl dressed as a boy.

This show presents more than just entertainment. It got me thinking of the social ways of this generation. Cross-dressing seems common. I mean, no one was actually bothered when Chizuru came wearing a boy uniform and Takatsuki even wants to wear one herself. Then Shuichi went out after school wearing a girl's uniform. I'm just too confused. And if I'm not mistaken, the lady who brought Takatsuki the boy uniform is actually a man. You see what I mean? Traps every where. Through this show I see that the world is more acceptance towards women who cross-dressing as men but when it is the other way around, people started to call them names. This happens in my community and around the world. Why are we so biased? Aren't we are all the same? I can understand why Shuichi is awkward, shy and a pansy. He's under a lot of distressed because he can't actually be himself without getting judged. This kinda made me appreciate shows like Kuragehime and applauded Kuranosuke for being true to himself.

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The end of the episode made me smile. Suichi having a wet dream is priceless. Despite wanting to be a girl, this reminds him that he's still a boy. A very healthy boy at that :3

Hourou Musuko gotta be the best animated show of the season. Everything is in motions: the trees, people, cars, etc. I can see the effort that was put into making this show and I appreciate that. I want to convey my highest gratitude to the team for making me enjoy this show so much because of the little details. Even though initially it was kinda hard to differentiate one character from the other except from physical thing like the hair color or megane, I have grown accustomed to it be the end of the episode.

I am a fan of the J-Rock OP. I am kinda grateful about the choice of song actually. We've had enough dance/moe OP to last till Armageddon. Same goes for the ED. I feel like it has been a while since I am served with something this consistent. This show reminds me the feeling of watching earlier shows in the 90's. Quality shit this is. I love it. I might not know any of the seiyuu but kudos to them for doing a good job. I see the personality of each characters shine through because of their voices.

This is awesome. I feel strangely fulfilled.

Arts & Animations 10/10
Story 8/10
Characters 8/10
Sound 9/10
Enjoyment 10/10
Overall 9/10

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First Impression: Kuragehime

I can tell from the synopsis and promotional poster that Kuragehime will be different. I like different. They usually promised new experiences. Let see how this show will turn out for me.

This show focuses on Tsukimi, a rather average looking girl who is fascinated by jellyfish. She dreams to be a princess but just from outlook appearance you know she doesn't have it, what's with her bushy eyebrows, freckled face, big megane, ugly sweater and hideous ponytail. This dream was actually stem from earlier on during her childhood when her mom told her about jellyfish's tentacles that looks like a lace from a princess gown. Whatever right?

I must not be paying attention much about the places in Japan. I know that Kyoto is the historical site while Akihabara is the haven for otaku but other than that, I absolutely have no idea what they represents. I learned from this episode that Shibuya is actually kinda like where upper class society is. Or at least that they have better sense in fashion than Tsukimi.

If you think Tsukimi is not attractive, wait till you see her housemates. They are downright fugly. They called themselves Nunz. So befitting of the virgin state of living. Oh but among them, there is a mangaka who does BL manga. If I am not interested before, I sure am now ^^

And what makes me even more interested is the fact that Tsukimi met a cross dresser. He looks way hotter than any of the females in this show and happened to crash in Tsukimi's room. Of course Tsukimi doesn't know that he is actually a guy so just think what will happen when a nun suddenly woke up with a guy besides her bed. Oh boy and he looks so delicious!


Btw, what is a hipster?

I really love both the OP and the ED just from the fact that they are from Chatmonchy and Sambomaster respectively. These two names are familiar to me thanks to Bleach and Gintama and I love all their songs. This is no exception. However, I dunno any of the seiyuu, or rather I have never give a damn about them before but Mitsuki Saiga definitely caught my intention now.

I think the character designs fit perfectly with the character's personality but it is kind of degrading and slightly discriminating for a real life tard. I mean, its like they are saying that otakus are usually fugly. That is so far from the truth. I know some of the most good looking tards in my life.

I have no complain for the overall art and animation. Brains Base has delivered the goods. I think they have reached my expectation for the show. For entertainment value, it is pretty high in my book. I mean, now I wish the rest of the episodes are out so I can watch them all today. In other words, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

story 8/10
art & animation 8/10
character 8/10
sound 9/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 8.5/10

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Honey and Clover II

I was first introduced with this anime when it was shown on Astro channel 25 but unfortunately I was not able to follow the series.

I bought the DVD last week (both season 1 and 2) and once I started I could not stop. Nevermind if I have to be awake at 4am in the morning as long as I finish it. It was addicted and with every chapter I fall in love more and more with the characters. This is the first anime that I do not have any antipathy towards at least one of the character. Imagine that!

I can assure you that even viewers outside the target demographic attest to its greatness, pointing out its heartfelt storytelling and unique visual style. It was supposed to be just good enough for sophisticated female viewers—and it ended up being good enough for everyone. Funnier than most comedies and more touching than most dramas (even the live-action ones), Honey and Clover has emerged as one of the best anime I had ever watched, and I've watched plenty.

The story begins right in the middle of things—Takemoto in his second year of college, Mayama nearing graduation, and Morita stuck in seventh-year hell. Then Hagu-chan came into the picture. She simply joins the cast, and the drama-go-round begins. There is no epic quest to fulfill, no convoluted conspiracy to unlock, no childhood friend to win over—it's just a bunch of college kids figuring out what to do with their lives, and it is fascinating. Every character gets a moment in the spotlight, with story arcs transiting flawlessly between each other. Even Takemoto, who spends most of the series as a neutral observer, closes things out with an inspiring personal triumph. The mood of the show switches effortlessly from madcap comedy to utter heartbreak and everything in between, yet nothing feels out of place. Within a single episode, a game of Art School Twister takes humor to new heights, and yet minutes later, Takemoto muses upon the meaning of friendship.

Honey and Clover succeeds because of its characters' complex personalities. Morita emerges as a quick fan favorite with his bizarre antics and affinity for money, but to focus on him is to miss out on the intricate relationships between everyone else. I can see myself dating him in real life. My heart reach out for Takemoto as well in his struggle to wins Hagu-chan love. In particular, Ayumi's unrequited attachment to Mayama is sure to arouse plenty of indignation about the portrayal of women in Japanese entertainment. But maybe that anger is because Ayumi openly reveals everything we hate about themselves: weakness, insecurity, and the tendency to do really stupid things in the name of love. She is the most human character in a cast of incredibly human characters.

If Honey and Clover has any faults, it's that you want it to keep going after it's over. It ends just like it begins—right in the middle of things, with so much more yet to be experienced. Without realizing it, you've become part of that circle of friends: you've shared their heartbreaks and triumphs, walked alongside them as they poured out their feelings, and watched each one of them learn a little bit more about themselves. Whether in school or not, who hasn't asked themselves at some point: "What do I want to do? Who do I want to be?" Honey and Clover may not have the answers, but it's all about trying to find them.

The other thing I realize when I had finished this anime is this: people do drifted apart as we get older...

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