This only make sense because I'm only able to catch up with these titles in the past couple of days. (Sorry)
Showing posts with label Working. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working. Show all posts
December and Fall '11 Roundup
This only make sense because I'm only able to catch up with these titles in the past couple of days. (Sorry)
AniBlogger Choice Anime Awards: My Top 12 Favourites of 2011
 |
| Unrelated pic... needs to be longer. |
November Roundup
The Good
Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
I guess it's a good thing that I pick back up this series. I hated how literally they translate the manga into the anime, unlike the more elaborate Working, but I guess I just got numb to it. Perhaps this is the best way to animate the extremely simple comedy of Ika Musume.
The ~de geso thing always irks me, but it's funny that Kanemoto Hisako's almost naturally saying it by now. Again, this might just be me getting used to that, but whatever; Ika-Musume is good, almost mindless fun, and that's that. And it's damn awesome that they brought back more mini Ika-chan. The one in episode 5 seems to be an anime original, and if that's true, kudos to them, and keep 'em coming.
Working'!!
Opposite of Ika-Musume, it turns out that Working translates very well from manga to anime. I've talked about the problem with the comedic timing of the show, and in the recent episodes they seemed to have made it work by blending multiple jokes together. Their new love for extended pauses helps as well. I mentioned this before, but the repeated jokes are used to setup towards a different one, so don't fault them for that, although it's much less obvious in the manga. On the downside, Taneshima's over-the-top actions is still pretty irritating.
The next err... "storyline" might just be my favourite one so far, so look forward to the next episode.
Carnival Phantasm
I'm not sure if this one counts, but I really just want to put this pic here.
This parody OVA is fucking awesome.
The Above Average
Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam
To be honest, I'm quite disappointed in Fam's character. Unlike Gizelle and Millia, it feels like her character never really grew at all since the first episode. Her personality drives the story and vice versa, but her development is lacking. This is quite unlike the first LE where the characters are the primary focus, and a lot of that show had us emphasize with how the characters would react in the chaos of the world. This season feels more like the characters being dragged along with the events of the world, and they are simply adapting to it.
Maybe Gonzo really isn't up to par anymore. The recent episodes lulled and hints of Shangri-la, a terrible series they created years ago that tried too hard to mimic the first LE. The last few episodes pretty much only talks about the progress of their heist and the movements within the Ades government. The plot seems to move along and forgot about the character development.
However, Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing is still my favourite series this season. Reasons being that the show never really lost the sense of adventure the first LE brought, and while the world in the story isn't quite as elaborate as I hoped it would be, it still gave you a good feel of how vast it is. And I don't have to remind you that the animation quality is superb.
It looks like things are going to get a lot more exciting from here onwards. The Ades war on refugees is escalating, and Giselle's insecurity/stress/doubt might take a toll on their teamwork. This should be fun to watch.
Tamayura ~Hitotose~
It's hard to "think" about an anime you're supposed to "feel", but I'll try. Tamayura seems to be a step back from Sato Junichi's Aria, because it's lack in the "other element". Slice-of-life series often needs to be paired with a secondary genre for it to work, and Tamayura being very pure slice-of-life... seems to have some problems. But I still enjoy it a lot as compared to the OVA, as the little ways that Potte grew as a character makes the show lovely. I admit that there are always snooze periods in every episode, but the series has succeeds in the overall feel that makes it a SoL genre. And I'm surprised that I really liked those shots that Potte or the other photographers in the story took; even though those moments didn't really take place in the anime at all.
Ben-To
I've dropped this and picked it back up twice. While the series has been incredibly unique and well-presented for how absurd the storyline is, I can't seem to find myself caring about the show. It is entertaining and mildly amusing, but it doesn't make me want to catch the next episode. For all I know, they'll be fighting for another special lunch box with another special fighting style that's uniquely trained in some way. It's like a sports anime for me, a genre which I don't watch.
The problem is, though, I simply have too much free time now and there really isn't enough (good) shows for me. So Ben-To would help me kill time... and make me extremely hungry.
The Below Average
Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
Shana 3, much like Horizon, seems to be filled with jargon I couldn't grasp or care about. I know that it might not be a problem if you followed up after the second season (or the novel), but I didn't like it enough to rewatch that (I never rewatch anime series anyway). The story so far has been incredibly slow. They've spent the last 4 or 5 episodes merely setting up the stage for the epic battle that we got a glimpse of in the first few minutes of episode 1, but how long do you plan to entertain me with people simply moving around the world and preparing for the war? Most of them are new characters we barely knew about too. On the bright side, we're spared the Shana tsundere crap and Yoshida stopped looking like she got dumped every two hours.
Boku ha Tomodachi wa Sukunai
It pisses me off to see Kodaka not helping Yukimura get a clue about Yozora's bullshit.
It pisses me off to see Rika and her sick fetishes.
It pisses me off to see Yozora.
It wasn't as bad as before, but the animation quality has taken quite a dip since the first episode.
At least there's still Sena. She's supposed to be bitch #2, but I can't help but like her.
The Bad
Guilty Crown
I'm still waiting (or hoping) for the good part to start. Maybe I'm in denial, but a part of me refuses to believe that Hiroyuki Yoshino (of Code Geass, Mai-HiME, Gundam SEED and Macross Frontier) could pen something like this. I'll like to think that they wrote this with an epic plot twist or ending in mind, and they're just doing whatever they want before they got there. "Epic" as in Madoka-level epic, enough for them to not care about what's really going on in the final product.
I get the feeling I'll be disappointed in the end anyway. They've reached new heights on not giving a shit about what the audience thinks. I haven't seen anything so bad since Tayutama. And the characters are way too bland and inconsistent to make a plot twist work, much less an ending.
I wish I picked another show to blog. Damn you Guilty Crown, for making me feel guilty if I dropped this.
Others
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon (On-Hold at episode 4)
Mawaru Penguindrum (On-Hold at episode 8)
Mashiro-Iro Symphony (Dropped at episode 3)
 |
| I'm about to go Takanashi on Mini-Ika. |
I guess it's a good thing that I pick back up this series. I hated how literally they translate the manga into the anime, unlike the more elaborate Working, but I guess I just got numb to it. Perhaps this is the best way to animate the extremely simple comedy of Ika Musume.
The ~de geso thing always irks me, but it's funny that Kanemoto Hisako's almost naturally saying it by now. Again, this might just be me getting used to that, but whatever; Ika-Musume is good, almost mindless fun, and that's that. And it's damn awesome that they brought back more mini Ika-chan. The one in episode 5 seems to be an anime original, and if that's true, kudos to them, and keep 'em coming.
 |
| Friend zoned. I feel you, Sato. |
Opposite of Ika-Musume, it turns out that Working translates very well from manga to anime. I've talked about the problem with the comedic timing of the show, and in the recent episodes they seemed to have made it work by blending multiple jokes together. Their new love for extended pauses helps as well. I mentioned this before, but the repeated jokes are used to setup towards a different one, so don't fault them for that, although it's much less obvious in the manga. On the downside, Taneshima's over-the-top actions is still pretty irritating.
The next err... "storyline" might just be my favourite one so far, so look forward to the next episode.
Carnival Phantasm
I'm not sure if this one counts, but I really just want to put this pic here.
This parody OVA is fucking awesome.
The Above Average
 |
| I thought Vespas of that size are meant for little girls! |
To be honest, I'm quite disappointed in Fam's character. Unlike Gizelle and Millia, it feels like her character never really grew at all since the first episode. Her personality drives the story and vice versa, but her development is lacking. This is quite unlike the first LE where the characters are the primary focus, and a lot of that show had us emphasize with how the characters would react in the chaos of the world. This season feels more like the characters being dragged along with the events of the world, and they are simply adapting to it.
Maybe Gonzo really isn't up to par anymore. The recent episodes lulled and hints of Shangri-la, a terrible series they created years ago that tried too hard to mimic the first LE. The last few episodes pretty much only talks about the progress of their heist and the movements within the Ades government. The plot seems to move along and forgot about the character development.
However, Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing is still my favourite series this season. Reasons being that the show never really lost the sense of adventure the first LE brought, and while the world in the story isn't quite as elaborate as I hoped it would be, it still gave you a good feel of how vast it is. And I don't have to remind you that the animation quality is superb.
It looks like things are going to get a lot more exciting from here onwards. The Ades war on refugees is escalating, and Giselle's insecurity/stress/doubt might take a toll on their teamwork. This should be fun to watch.
 |
| What do you know about making Okonomiyaki? |
It's hard to "think" about an anime you're supposed to "feel", but I'll try. Tamayura seems to be a step back from Sato Junichi's Aria, because it's lack in the "other element". Slice-of-life series often needs to be paired with a secondary genre for it to work, and Tamayura being very pure slice-of-life... seems to have some problems. But I still enjoy it a lot as compared to the OVA, as the little ways that Potte grew as a character makes the show lovely. I admit that there are always snooze periods in every episode, but the series has succeeds in the overall feel that makes it a SoL genre. And I'm surprised that I really liked those shots that Potte or the other photographers in the story took; even though those moments didn't really take place in the anime at all.
 |
| And what do you know about poetry in motion? (this scene is fucking epic) |
I've dropped this and picked it back up twice. While the series has been incredibly unique and well-presented for how absurd the storyline is, I can't seem to find myself caring about the show. It is entertaining and mildly amusing, but it doesn't make me want to catch the next episode. For all I know, they'll be fighting for another special lunch box with another special fighting style that's uniquely trained in some way. It's like a sports anime for me, a genre which I don't watch.
The problem is, though, I simply have too much free time now and there really isn't enough (good) shows for me. So Ben-To would help me kill time... and make me extremely hungry.
The Below Average
 |
| I forgot what he said here, but it's likely along the lines of MUHAHAHAHAHA |
Shana 3, much like Horizon, seems to be filled with jargon I couldn't grasp or care about. I know that it might not be a problem if you followed up after the second season (or the novel), but I didn't like it enough to rewatch that (I never rewatch anime series anyway). The story so far has been incredibly slow. They've spent the last 4 or 5 episodes merely setting up the stage for the epic battle that we got a glimpse of in the first few minutes of episode 1, but how long do you plan to entertain me with people simply moving around the world and preparing for the war? Most of them are new characters we barely knew about too. On the bright side, we're spared the Shana tsundere crap and Yoshida stopped looking like she got dumped every two hours.
 |
| I can't believe he wore the fucking bikini. |
It pisses me off to see Kodaka not helping Yukimura get a clue about Yozora's bullshit.
It pisses me off to see Rika and her sick fetishes.
It pisses me off to see Yozora.
It wasn't as bad as before, but the animation quality has taken quite a dip since the first episode.
At least there's still Sena. She's supposed to be bitch #2, but I can't help but like her.
The Bad
 |
| Couldn't be more obvious what kind of character they're trying to paint Inori as. |
I'm still waiting (or hoping) for the good part to start. Maybe I'm in denial, but a part of me refuses to believe that Hiroyuki Yoshino (of Code Geass, Mai-HiME, Gundam SEED and Macross Frontier) could pen something like this. I'll like to think that they wrote this with an epic plot twist or ending in mind, and they're just doing whatever they want before they got there. "Epic" as in Madoka-level epic, enough for them to not care about what's really going on in the final product.
I get the feeling I'll be disappointed in the end anyway. They've reached new heights on not giving a shit about what the audience thinks. I haven't seen anything so bad since Tayutama. And the characters are way too bland and inconsistent to make a plot twist work, much less an ending.
I wish I picked another show to blog. Damn you Guilty Crown, for making me feel guilty if I dropped this.
Others
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon (On-Hold at episode 4)
Mawaru Penguindrum (On-Hold at episode 8)
Mashiro-Iro Symphony (Dropped at episode 3)
Anime-Source.com First Impressions (and my early october roundup)
The first impressions I've co-written at Anime-Source.com is out! Thanks to fellow writers Himitsu, Chikage_Shampoo, eisenmeteor and AJtheFourth from Altair & Vega. Disclaimer: Most of my contributions are rehashed opinions I've written on this blog, and probably aren't too useful for well-informed readers of the blogosphere. Still, go check it out.
This Season Sucks (Quick first impressions on everything. Almost. Half, actually)
No intro. Lets just start with the first impressions.
Is it better for WORKING'!! to be cute or funny?
When I wrote the review for the preview episode a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that the second season might be losing the original appeal of the show. And with the second season, I guess I had confirmed my fears.
WORKING'!! Ep1 - I have a bad feeling...
Labels:
Working
The reason I didn't like the second season of Hidamari Sketch as much as the first is that... following the success of the first season, they started pouring the money into the production quality of the show, but at the same time, failed to recognize and focus on the original appeal of the story.
And after watching the first episode of this Working'!!... I can't shake the feeling that the show is heading down the same way.
Why do I say that? Well, when compared to the first season, we can immediately recognize the huge improvements in the animation. There also seems to be a lot more focus on the moé aspects of the characters, and being a re-introduction episodes after all, they're careful let each characters garner a fair amount of spotlight. It all feels very... deliberate.
The downside is that all these deliberation made the show much, much slower than before. I know they probably doesn't have a horde of material to use, but it moved so slowly from one joke to the next, that it has unfortunately added a fair bit of sleepiness into the show.
I hope this is just an unavoidable effect of an (re)introduction episode.
Anyway, it's really nice to see my favourite casts again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)