Fall Anime 2011: Gundam Age (Not Quite Gundam)

Posted by Neko Kyou in Thoughts on November 23rd, 2011

I started watching Gundam AGE knowing full well that it’s going to be much more “cartoonish” compared to Gundam SEED, Unicorn and 00. But I was not all that much prepared for what felt like a serious, more life-sized version of SD Gundam.

So the designs so far hasn’t shown anything that great, with the exception of the UE Mobile Suits, which I thought was pretty cool. The first episode of AGE is pretty much the standard fare of most major Gundam series.

Sunrise has gone a bit nuts with the story mechanics by pulling out the ridiculous AGE system. While Gundam has never exactly been “logical”, it has always been somewhat theoretically possible. But now it has gone more towards the pretty much impossible evolution theory as Gurren Lagann, Vandread and Eureka 7.

The AGE system will not only take enemy data to create new equipments, it will do so within seconds. Plus, it will give the new equipment a name to boot!

What’s really interesting about Gundam AGE is how no one still have any clue who the enemy is, even after 14 years of fighting against them. At some point it would seem like the enemy mobile suits are automated without any pilot, but at the same time, it has also taken actions to suggests that there is someone in the cockpit.

Maybe they’re trying to appeal to the younger kids with its new design while at the same time giving old fans some kicks by bringing back the the weird deformity, weird angles and (at times) a story progression that doesn’t really make any sense – like how everyone seems to be fine with sending a little boy out to fight an enemy the army can’t handle without much resistance.

Since we know that Gundam AGE will span across 3 generations, it would be fun to see who Flit, the current main character, will end up with to produce the next generation pilot! ^^;

I actually do look forward to more Gundam AGE to see where Sunrise will take this. The direction AGE is taking is definitely something that we haven’t really seen before in the past and I feel that if we just let loose a little Gundam AGE might actually end up to be really good. Fingers crossed!

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Fall Anime 2011: Working’!!

Posted by Neko Kyou in Thoughts on November 15th, 2011

Working!! was one of the more enjoyable anime from last year, and fortunately the second season showing this season is following the same formula.The biggest difference between Working’!! (2nd season) with the first season is the color palette used.

Working is a light comedy taking place mostly in the family restaurant Wagnaria. Each member of the cast has a whacky personality, such as the main character’s obsession with anything small and cute (including his tiny senior), an air head waitress who carries around a katana (freaking out all the customers) and a cook with the most innocent looking face, but with the most evil thoughts (my favourite character!).

The second half of the first episode was rather disappointing and had me worried that the new season won’t be able to live up to its predecessor. Fortunately, it picked itself right up from the 2nd episodes onwards so for that I’m really glad!

If you’ve never watched Working before, I suggest you go back and start from the first season before starting on the new season. Even though it’s a light hearted comedy that can be easily picked up, you won’t be able to appreciate the finer, subtler running jokes without knowing it’s history.

I still think the first season’s OP was one of the best from last year and the animation sequence still heavily reminds me of Azumanga Daioh.

You can see the resemblance below:

Working!! OP

 

Azumanga Daioh OP

 

Working’!!’s OP – Coolish Walk, while is still catchy, is nowhere near the level of “Someone Else”.

 

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Fall Anime 2011: Ben-To

Posted by Neko Kyou in Thoughts on November 5th, 2011

Grudge over food can be a scary thing, and this season’s Ben-To captured that almost perfectly!

I’ve not really had the chance to start watching most of the new series this season besides Bakuman season 2, so Ben-To was an excellent and hilarious start bwahahaha!

A bunch of high school students camping at the local mart, waiting for the store staff to put on the half price stickers on the leftover bento. .

That’s when the fun starts – a battle royale suddenly erupts to decide who gets the heavily discounted packed meals!

It’s quite literally a battle anime and the battlefield is in the bento sections in the various supermarkets around town. It’s not only just between high school students, there is even an adult, dubbed as “the Boar” takes part in the race for the half priced bentos.

While the idea itself may sound absurd, it’s definitely interesting and funny. It isn’t purely just battles and fan service shots, the characters that has shown up so far are a pretty interesting bunch themselves.

There is even one female character whose face has not been shown to the viewer, only her “assets”.

Definitely a thumbs up from me. Ben-To is highly recommended watch this season!

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Fall ’08

Posted by Neko Kyou in Thoughts on November 12th, 2008

This was supposed to be a first impression of all the Fall season series I’ve watched, but since it’s been delayed for nearly 3 weeks, I’ve decided not to include series which I’ve dropped.

Gundam 00

Gundam 00 Season 2

It’s definitely looking a lot better than the first season, although I can’t help but feel that the scriptwriters are getting influenced by Code Geass and is going to turn the 2nd season into a trainwreck. They screwed up Tieria in a somewhat good way and it looks like every other character is about to get screwed over one way or another.

Clannad After Story

Clannad After Story

There’s not enough dango here! But other than that, Clannad is still looking good. A must watch for all Clannad fans!

To Aru Majutsu no Index

To Aru Majutsu no Index

The first episode was hilarious but the rest that followed was more serious. One of the better shows this season, but the pacing is kinda slow. After 6 episodes, it seems like everything is going to get “reset” with Touma losing his memories.

Kannagi

Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens

While the animation quality is lacking, this is one of the most fun show to watch this season. But I find myself wondering this a lot, why is an almighty goddess acting so much like a naive little girl who is totally clueless to the world around her? Then again, it’s her eccentric behaviour that makes it so much fun. Crazy Shrine Maiden is an excellent title for Kannagi.

Kyou no Go no Ni

Kyou no Go no Ni

Honestly, the first episode didn’t do much for me. The art design and animation is only sub-par and the storyline is a complete waste of time. But after a few more episodes I begin to find myself to really enjoy it. It has become a great and enjoyable way to complete waste your time. It’s not up to Lucky Star’s standard, but if you enjoyed Minami-ke, definitely give this a try.

Kemeko DX

Kemeko DX

Normally I would say this is trash. This time, however, I would say… Kemeko FTW!

Rosario + Vampire Capu2

Rosario + Vampire Capu2

The fanservice continues from where the first season left off, and those who read the manga would again say that the anime ruined the series. I don’t read the manga and I felt that the first season was much better in comparison to Capu2.

Toradora

Toradora

$(!)(@$&!! Not another Kugimiya Rie tsundere shana-louis-nagi anime. Taiga is like a mini-Louis!

I like Zero no Tsukaima, but having yet another similar love comedy tsundere Kugimiya Rie character just makes me feel like I’m watching the same thing again. Otherwise, Toradora is a pretty decent series.

Overall

A pretty good season lineup. Maybe it’s because I’ve been so busy the last few months that I haven’t really had the chance to enjoy the previous season’s offerings, but I’m quite satisfied with what the Fall season have to offer.

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So many anime, so little time…

Posted by Neko Kyou in Rants, Updates on October 18th, 2007

ShanaWith so many new anime starting this season, there’s bound to be plenty of new series I’m starting to watch. Now I’m up to a point where I could no longer count the number of anime that I’m currently watching on both my hands. That’s right, I’m watching more than 10 different anime series right now and there are still some that I’ve been wanting to pick up but haven’t had the chance to do so yet.

Because of that, I’ve decided that I would no longer blog on the episodes review for all of them. The initial list of anime I’m watching right now but would no longer blog about would be:

  • Shugo Chara (This feels like a cross between Sailormoon and Care Bears. I’m only watching this for fun)
  • Goshuushou-sama Nomiya-kun (The fanservice anime of the season. Also watching this for fun only)
  • ef- a tale of memories (Looks promising, but the first episode got me so confused, I’m still trying to make sense of it)
  • Night Wizard the Animation (Looks promising, but I haven’t even decided if I want to continue watching this)
  • Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (It’s basically rinse and repeat anyway)

The list will probably grow longer. I will probably stop blogging about either Da Capo II or Clannad as well.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop talking about them altogether. I might still pop it in whenever there are any episodes worth mentioning about.

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