Anime-Source's Spring 2012 Season Preview!

In the blogosphere, it's more of a mid-season review. But whatever - go check it out!
Includes my impression for Acchi Kocchi, Hyouka, Jormungand, Natsuiro Kiseki, Shining Bread, Nyaruko, Upotte, Medaka Box, and Kore wa Zombie 2.

Anime-Source.com Season Preview (First Impressions)

The staff of Anime-Source.com (me included) has written up a Preview Guide for this season again. My input is essentially the same as my January Summary/First Impressions, but go check out the other writers's input too.

(Click image to go to article)

Many thanks to Himitsu, eisenmeteor, Crawen, AJtheFourth and Chikage_Shampoo.

January Summary/First Impressions Part 3 (Mouretsu Pirates, Rinne no Lagrange, Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai!, Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Nisemonogatari)

Mouretsu Pirates

3 Episodes

I'm not sure about this one. We're supposed to see our cute main lead commandeer the pirate ship Bentenmaru, but we have yet to even see the said ship. Hell, we haven't seen most of the crew yet, unless "most of the crew" are all the supporting characters that has already appeared. Hell, we don't even know what "pirating" actually means in this universe. Hell, we haven't even seen the main character taking any initiation towards anything. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that Mouretsu Pirates is getting off a really slow start.

Unless this space opera is all about the exploration of this space pirates concept, I'll have to wait for the first real conflict to arrive before I make further judgements. Not that I've not been entertained so far; the animation is good, the characters are cute, but there's nothing as of yet that I would consider really interesting or funny. Let's see what they've got after they're done with the opening act.

Outlook: Neutral

Rinne no Lagrange

3 episodes

I'm surprised that Xebec, of all studios, could produce one of my favourite titles this season. And decent animaion, on top of that. Perhaps it's the help from Production I.G that made things works out so well.

I might be a little bias, but most of fun comes from the main three characters, especially protagonist Madoka herself. I've always had a soft spot for energetic, genki girls, and I feel that Madoka's energy is what brings the anime to life. Her VA, Ishihara Kaori, is a newbie seiyuu, but she already fits her role as Madoka exceedingly well. Lan (Laffinty, Fin E Ld Si), our other star, has the charm alike Yuki Nagato. The moments where she breaks her icy exterior and shows her very human emotions, despite not being one, makes her very likable. We haven't seen much of Muginami, but she's voiced by Kayano Ai, so there.

For the plot itself, it's yet another "teen becomes a mech pilot in a twist of fate" setup, but at least it's not an angsty male lead. I'm no fan of mecha anime nor I have any idea where this will lead to, but I'm fairly sure the lead characters would be quite enough to make this worthwhile.

Outlook: Positive

Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai!

3 Episodes

If you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're afraid that this would venture into the forbidden territory. Some might say, hey, technically they're not blood related right? Well... That's not the issue.

When I first checked out the manga before the start of the season, Papakiki was nothing like the harem the anime suggests. I'll say it's a bit closer to Usagi drop; a older guy taking care of much younger relatives, how they go from strangers to kins (and possible something more?), a lot of emphasis on family values, duties as a guardian, growth of the kids and cohabiting problems. There's a lot of love, but not the romance kind (yet). I think I'd prefer it that way. It's much more unique in the industry, and it'll stop people from thinking that it's yet another harem anime, only one that features an age gap.

Unfortunately, the anime seems to have different ideas. The first two episodes leaves an impression that the various girls simply appears in the protagonist's life out of nowhere, a scenario much like a stereotypical harem show. The fact that the anime highlighted the various attributes, like school beauty and tsundere, places the female characters into bishoujo archetypes and made things worse.

While I have little doubt about the Yuuta x Sora pairing in the end, I think selling the title with that kind of image is a pretty bad decision, judging by the number of people who dropped it already. I haven't read much into the manga yet, but I do hope that they dive deep into the family theme for now. Besides, they couldn't conclude a romance angle if they tried; the manga isn't even complete yet, and I doubt that they want the anime go ahead and stray from the mangaka's direction.

Outlook: Neutral

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

3 episodes

Senki Zesshou Symphogear is a poor man's MSLN. But other than the two big name seiyuus that voices the main characters of the series, Nana Mizuki and Aoi Yuuki, there is little I could give praise for.

Symphogear is like a combination of Macross and the Mahou Shoujo genre. But unlike Macross which based its success on the blend of kick-ass action scenes and awesome songs, Symphogear had the characters does the job of both. It didn't seem like it, but it turn out to be a pretty awful concept. It looks really silly to see the characters singing while getting hit and tossed around at the same time. It's like talking non-stop to a guy who's constantly punching for face. It just isn't going to work.

There's also a sharp dip in the production quality after the first episode. The action scene still does its job fine, and there some pretty cool CG and backgrounds, but some of the simplest scenes looks hilariously bad.

I still get chills whenever Nana Mizuki's character enters the battle with an awesome song, until I saw her singing and attempting to perform complicated maneuvers at the same time. It looks incredibly tiring and even I, the audience, feels breathless for her. Aoi Yuuki's singing hasn't been very impressive so far. Her "rage mode" seems to have potential for interesting developments in the future, but that itself isn't going to keep me watching this.

Outlook: Bad.

Nisemonogatari

January Summary/First Impressions Part 2 (Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou, Inu X Boku SS, Kill Me Baby)

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

3 Episodes

Sunrise on a highschool comedy?...

Well I'm not sure what to expect from this, but Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou certainly didn't echo anything I'll expect from the studio that created Gundam and Code Geass. As it turns out, this anime is surprisingly funny for something that mainly feature guys. It's full of silly, comical and perverted jokes of these teenage boys, but best of all, a lot of their situations and jokes is something I can relate to (opps). It's quite special in that the series sells on the humor in realistic and probably everyday moments, unlike many titles of similar genre, e.g. the other Nichijou last year. It's a pity that most of the girls in the series will never be properly introduced, from the looks of it, which would make this a sausage fest all the way. This isn't really the kind of stuff I would put into my watch list, but since it's pretty entertaining so far, I'll keep it on for now.

Outlook: Positive

Inu X Boku SS

3 Episodes

I immediately got hooked onto the manga after a quick glance; the story isn't the most original, but the unique characters is what makes it so interesting. It has a well planned and deeply engaging story to tell, and it continuously moves on with the story without any point of lull in between, which I appreciates. A lot of stories like to insert slice-of-life or comedic chapters in between the arcs for the sake of character development, but sometimes it's better without that distraction.

Unlike Kill Me Baby and a lot of titles I could name, Inu X Boku translates stupendously well into anime format, which is pretty rare. Ririchiyo's character works out so much better in animation, and the format also gave characters like Sorinozuka so much more "life". The story's going to get so much better from here on, and I can't wait to see how they'll handle the climaxes. Good job, David productions.

Outlook: Extremely Positive!

Kill Me Baby

2 Episodes

Ironically, the series I look forward to the most turned out to be the biggest disappointment in this season. I loved the manga, long before the anime series is announced. It boasts quick, silly, quirky humor and links the jokes in a chapter together really well. In fact, I can't really name another gag comedy 4-koma that does this better.

The anime screwed up everything that is awesome about the manga. Firstly, the comedic timing is all but lost. Comedic timing means everything in a comedy series to me, and I've barely managed a chuckle for the first two episodes. Secondly, Sonya's VA is downright terrible, and she's supposed to be the more experienced of the two. Lastly, the production values is crap. The BGM is either missing or plain weird. I've been in denial about how bad the opening theme is but... (sigh). Let's just pretend this anime never happened.

Outlook: Negative

January Summary/First Impressions Part 1 (AnoNatsu, Another, Brave 10)

Ano Natsu de Matteru

3 Episodes

AnoNatsu has left a surprisingly good impression at the end of the third episode. Now, I'm not familiar with any of the Onegai series people kept connecting this anime with, but on first glance, AnoNatsu appears to be build on a generic setup and runs on a very formulaic development. What surprises me is that the story has consistently develop in ways I didn't quite expect. I'd have thought it'll be easy to predict the general outline of the story, but no. What I got in the end is an anime with a very familiar setting and popular character styles, but runs on a very fresh (and very welcome) story style that marks a refreshingly stark contrast with your average common anime series. This might sound like overly high praise for just three episodes, but I always appreciates it when stories avoids the cliché traps in the opportune moments. The plot itself still leave much to be desired, but AnoNatsu has already worked out half the formula for a success.

Outlook: Very Positive

Another

3 Episodes

Despite being a horror series, I failed to be even mildly thrilled by anything they've tried for the first three episodes. If anything can be considered scary, it would be the BGM; and unfortunately, only the BGM. I understand that the anime is still at the phase where it has to build up the suspense and setting and stuff, but it has never really gave the audience anything to be scared of. I'm pretty sure that if you turned off the BGMs, all you'll get is simply a pretty boring high school story with a hint of mystery.

In any case, Mei is way too cute to be the subject of my horror; and it's ironic that I'm enjoying this more as a regular high school anime instead of something that's supposed to freak me out. Being adapted into a unfamiliar style and its fantastic animation quality is keeping me interested, but I'm not sure that would carry me very far.

Outlook: Mildly Positive

Brave 10

3 Episodes

I'm not normally into samurai series like these, but this feels like a more shounen version of yet-another-sengoku-anime, without too much anthropomorphism, exaggeration or gar. TMS studio is also something I've never heard of, so I'm quite interested to check this out...

ahh... fine. I'm watching this for Satou Rina. Damn.

But ideally, I was hoping for another Samurai Champloo or Seirei no Moribito. Well, from what I've seen from the first three episodes, I'm sure Brave 10 would never get anywhere close. We have a fairly generic plot of the main character meeting and fighting the various "braves", but at least the action's pretty good so far. Nothing's amazing, but the anime has done well to avoid clichés despite having rather shallow characters. It's unfortunate that Satou Rina's character, Isanami, is portrayed as your regular female lead that falls in love with the male lead for practically no reason.

Anyway, they should fire the sound guy. Too many times the voice work is barely comprehensible compared to the overwhelming sound effects, and I can't seem to find a appropriate volume I can set to watch the show.

Outlook: Fairly Good

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)

Winter 2011/2012 Pre-Season Impressions

Damn Rinne no Lagrange had an early release before I could complete this, but heck; let's get this over with.

Despite the comparatively low number of series produced this season, quite a number of series caught my eye; and while I don't really have the time to give a first impression on all of those titles, I might end up following many of them, depending on the reviews from fellow bloggers.

November Roundup

The Good

I'm about to go Takanashi on Mini-Ika.

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.

Friend zoned. I feel you, Sato.

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

I thought Vespas of that size are meant for little girls!

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.

What do you know about making Okonomiyaki?

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.

And what do you know about poetry in motion? (this scene is fucking epic)

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

I forgot what he said here, but it's likely along the lines of MUHAHAHAHAHA

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.

I can't believe he wore the fucking bikini.

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

Couldn't be more obvious what kind of character they're trying to paint Inori as.

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)

So.. plans for Fall 2011 anime season

Well... now that all the blogs I actually cared about has released their season previews, it's time to review and redo my plans for this season...

August Roundup

No episodics for this season, because of the lack on continuity due to the hiatus...

Fall 2011 Anime Pre-Season Outlook

Because of the number of series that would turn out to be a surprise hit, and the number of potential series that end up sucking, this preview is really a little more than a quick and very superficial outlook of the upcoming series. I put this statement up front because people tend to take previews a little too seriously, and more than often the conclusion at the end of the season doesn't match.

Phew, this would be my first "preview" that isn't late.

The order of the series follows Neregate's chart, which is what I use for reference. There are many more charts out there you can use, follow the usual sources. The pics are from MAL cuz I'm a lazy bastard.

Anime Source: Summer 2011 Anime Preview Guide

 

Some of my A-S mates and I wrote this article a week ago. It's may be not much of a preview now that we're already in the latter half of the season but well... we've always done it this way. Comments in this post are purely mine, but you can (should) check out the rest of it in the main article.

How every Winter 2010 shows I watch becomes shiiiitttttt

Two season ago, it was Otome Youkai Zakuro and Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru. That was 50% of the shows I was following that season. And these two shows isn't that bad, it's just that they got off a great start but didn't manage to carry on the momentum all the way to the end.

Last season, it was every damn show I watched. They got off a great start and had generally positive reviews over the span of the season, on the blogosphere and amongst the Japanese audience as well. To me, endings makes a lot of difference in the overall experience of the show, but somehow none of these show delivered what I wanted.

Ranked from bad to worst are:

5. Fractale

Two of the main characters are in the pic. What do you mean you can only see one?

Okay, unlike many people out there, I don't think Fractale is a total crap. But it's no doubt a disappointment and definitely doesn't deliver what it has promised, or what it could have achieved with the story settings. Too many questions had been left unanswered until the last episode, too much needless drama at the end, and the twists at the end feels like it's being pulled out of Yamakan's ass at the last moment. The writing wasn't there, too many pointless stuff happens and any build-up towards the finale didn't work with all these distractions. The animation could have been a LOT better to, seeing how much Yamakan gambled with this project. I wanted to see a Last Exile.  I got a Allison & Lillia.




4. Kore wa Zombie desu ka?

Best thing in the ending.

I'll touch my heart and say that despite the pretty awesome first episode, I'm expecting this series to suck anyway, because of the people involved (read: DEEN). When I first got into the show, I liked the way they do things, like giving a dead guy magical girl powers, and making a chainsaw their primary weapon. That was fun in being random. But they went overboard with it, to the point where things doesn't even make sense anymore. Their attempt at serious storytelling is a joke. Anti-demonic music out of nowhere? And how did Eu suddenly decide that it's ok to kill off the bad guy in the end after all? And, well, I love epilogue episodes like ep12, but it turns out to be a pain to sit through. The 15 minute of concert stuff was beyond randomness... it was bullshit. And the ability to drain Eu's magical powers become a giant plot hole if you think about it.




3. Infinite Stratos

Getting in touch with inner Ichika.

Everything was going alright until they're done with the character introductions and started getting an actual plot at ep10. Ichika suddenly becames retarded and reduced himself way below a typical harem lead stereotype. The dialogue was so bad I feel like I'm watching a high-school orientation skit. Ichika's dream sequence and Gundam-styled nekkid talk was so hilariously bad, I feel that they weren't trying anymore. With the amount of CG and suit designs they had, the fight was nowhere was awesome as it could have been. And where did that rogue IS come from? Was Tabane behind everything after all? I could hire my niece to write something better. I expected it to be the next Macross Frontier, but all I got is a good harem.




2. Yumekui Merry

CHECK OUT MY HAX TRUMPET SKILLZ

I ranted in the recent post so I won't be explaining it here. But when I got the feeling that the other series are going down south, I expected this to be the most enjoyable show this season. I was wrong.




1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Homerun traveled one and a half month into the future, bringing the last two episodes with her.

Well, it wasn't the show that sucked, it was the viewing experience. What's more, I can only blame mother nature to put a one-month break right before the (supposedly) epic ending of the greatest show for a long long time. I'm not even anticipating the last two episode airing this Thursday anymore, I'm just dreading that I might forget critical parts of the show.

An overview of Winter 2011 (and rankings)

A summary of what I've came to watch, what I've dropped and what I might catch in the near future.

The Keepers

1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (5 episodes)
It's the most searched and most discussed topic on the blogosphere for  a while now so I do not think I have to discuss this much further, so I will just say this: Puella Magi Madoka Magica totally changed the way one would look at the Magical Girl genre that includes big names like Nanoha, PreCure, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor, etc because beyond its cute and fluffy appearance and designs, there is the very real element of death, trauma and tragedy affecting the main characters, that was non-existent in this genre until now. Combined with great writing and story direction, you can tell they weren't kidding then they said this anime would be a breakthrough.

Outlook: Awesome!

2. Fractale (4 episodes)
Despite Yamakan's ramblings, Fractale is a pretty decent piece of work. I do not know why everyone keeps talking about the adventure that did not happen, but I think they are making headway now that all the main cast is gathered... well except Nessa, but I guess her exact location is not an issue.

I must admit Nessa's the core reason I came to really enjoy Fractale, because her unlimited energy and cheerful character with a mysterious tinge makes her extremely likable. Besides Nessa's overwhelming cuteness, the other thing that really draws me in is the setting the story of Fractale is set in. It is not the most original and it might feel too Ghibli for it's own good, but I am waiting to see how the Fractale system allows the series as a whole to stand out.
Outlook: Fantastic!

3. Infinite Stratos (5 episodes)
From the looks of it, I guess I was wrong after all (and everyone else is right). It does seems like it would turn out to be a pretty mindless harem. But that doesn't mean I cannot enjoy the anime, I just need to adjust my expectations a little. The little rooftop lunch thing in episode five was pretty cliche, but I cannot wipe away the stupid smile on my face, which usually only happens with stuff like K-ON. I do not quite appreciate how fast they tried to squeeze in the last two supporting characters into the story, and how they seem to dumb down Rin's presence (RAGE!!), but if it's done to push forward the story I think its better to at least inject the series with more substance than carry on with more of the character relationship development. While I think that the core of the story will have to be the relationship among the key figures of the battle (Macross Frontier) rather than a chimerical battle (Strike Witches? Gundam?), I do not think many will appreciate it unless it has the kind of potential Macross Frontier has.

Outlook: Very Good

4. Kore wa Zombie desu ka? (4 episodes)
The series is pushing the boundaries of being random and extreme, using absurd combos that you do not people dared to use: A magical girl that is actually a guy? And a zombie at the same time? That uses chainsaw as its main weapon? A ninja that is also a vampire? A flying whale wearing a school uniform? It's like a harem version of Cromatie High School, plus fighting scenes.

But what makes Kore wa Zombie desu ka really shines beyond its comedic elements... is the unexpected touching scenes in episode four. Eu's own back story changes the way you look at this series, but not in a bad way; you will see it more than just a comedy action series. I may be expecting a lot, but I am hoping that the series might outshine something like Seto no Hanayome.
Outlook: Very Good

5. Yumekui Merry (5 episodes)
Yumekui Merry never did impress me as much as it did for others, because putting it bluntly, I just do not see much beyond a girl from another dimension fighting fantasy monsters. The animation in the dream world does make it pretty unique, but not enough to make it stand out. Still, it was watchable enough and I hoped the story would take a more drastic turn to spice things up a little... Luckily for me, the latest episode (5) did just that. With the revealment of a difficult truth for Merry and the critical injury of Yumeji, it looks like we will see a lot progress in the storyline and character development of Merry for the coming episodes.

Outlook: It feels like things are getting a lot more interesting.






Dropped

6. GOSICK (2 episodes)
The main selling point (and only one for me) of the series is Victorica and not detective work that is going on in the story. And the show seems to want to keep it that way. I find it hard to follow the series when a seemingly simple plot can only be solved chibi girl who would otherwise only make snide remarks. It would have been more realistic if she is been drugged by APTX 4869, which might have explained why would such a young girl possesses the kind of knowledge needed to solve "complex" crimes. Despite some of the good stuff I heard about the series, I cannot see how GOSICK would sell without the Victorica moe and I should not consider giving it another chance... though pics like that above makes a lot of room for consideration =P

Another chance?: If any other part of the series besides Victorica receives enough praises and can convince me that it's worth it.

7. FREEZING (2 episodes)
I am sure a lot would like an all-girl shounen-style action series with plenty of fanservice, but aside from the crappy animation, the show has plenty of issues. First, the show suffers from the Queen's Blade disease; the clothing around the important parts always gets ripped off for no good reason, and the girls never seems to mind. Second, by following closely to the manga (which should deserve some praise), the series is battle after battle and that leaves little room for any story; which is also a problem for the manga. Thirdly, the story suffers from the typical shouen symdrome where the main character never loses. She just need to be wounded thoroughly and angry enough to hax her power level to 9001. There is a few other issues (i.e. the male lead is a pussy) but I will not go there...

Another chance?: If the characters actually develops more (which I don't think would).

8. Dragon Crisis (4 episodes)
I don't care how good Kugimiya Rie is supposed to be voicing underdeveloped flat-chested tsundere lolis, but Rose is the main reason why the series is as irritating as hell. And it's largely due to her limited vocabulary and devotion to main character Ryuji. Eriko and Hocchan allowed me to last as far as the 4th episode but even they could not soothe the pain in my ears that is Rose.

Another chance?: Only if the heterochromia girl becomes interesting enough, Eriko become irresistible or I become desperate for more Hocchan.

9. Onii-chan wa something something (half episode)
It did not occur to me that watching an incest comedy could be so... disturbing until the first minute of the first episode of this series. The manga was ok; but when it translates into the anime medium, I just cannot ignore the incest sexual innuendo that was implied so strongly throughout the series. I cannot ignore that fact that they are pretty much real siblings even if in fact they are not blood-related; they've been knowing and treating each other like so since young whether or not they actually share the same blood now doesn't really comes into question. Though I must say I am not giving this a fair review because I am not giving it a fair chance; it's just something that I just cannot find interesting.

Another chance?: Only if I'm stuck in a nuclear bunker for a week and this is the only form of entertainment I've got.




What I might catch in the near future

#1. Level E
Due to the sore lacking of females in this series I've never thought of giving this a chance, until psgels hailed it as the best show this season. It wasn't just him (or her), but a couple of bloggers at Random Curiosity also thought so. I wasn't ready for a character like Prince but... who knows? Maybe one day...

#2. Hourou Musuko
I've already expected it from the preview, but the super light colors used in the show stopped me from even seeing the first episode. Look at the picture up there; I've darken half the image, doesn't that make it a lot livelier? Sure, it might lose the feel of the show but cannot help but me bothered by their style of animation.