Yaay~ New wave of anime flooding the net~
As always, I’d likely watch the first episodes only so not gonna hijack the "currently watched anime" thread.
Here’s my 2 cents on some new stuff.
Simoun (Compliments - Doremi)
Hmm… This one I don’t get what’s going on so it’s best not to take anything I say seriously. Wished that they explained the terminology used in this anime. What I can say is, in this story, the Craftsman Nation is at war with the Imperial Nation. Following the exploits of the Imperial Nation’s air-force wing, which consists of female pilots (referred as Simula), piloting some sort of advanced aeriel battle machines called Simoun (referred by them as machines made by God, due to their manouverablility in air), they are up against the Craftman Nation’s air hoard. As their numbers slowly fall, they are in a race against time to unlock the secrets to the machine, which is also sought by their enemies.
Character wise, here everyone is born female. When they reach adulthood, they can choose to become males by going to a spring. Problem is, only females can pilot the Simoun so…females everywhere. And due to the Craftman’s attacks, the first episode serves more as an introduction to the setting of the story instead of an introduction to the players. Even the main character (I’m betting on it), was only introduced towards the end of the episode. She’d fit the stereotype bratty girl if you ask me, especially with her looks.
Action wise, the Imperial’s official battle Simoun are 2-(wo)man planes, if that’s what you call them. Powered by some sort of crystal, they use some sort of magic attacks by drawing patterns in the sky (what the…?). Not shown though, are how the patterns actually destroy the enemy (no fun…). Craftman’s planes are torpedo-like propeller powered crafts with machine guns as weapons, plain simple and effective especially when they have mass-production on their side. The main character took a single seater training Simoun out at the end of the episode… I can pretty much tell where this is heading. And I’m not impressed by the Simoun’s design too. :roll:
Download priority
On a scale of 5, with 5 being most desireable, I give it a 2. No, not even the yuri-esque kissing to start up the machine can save it from getting a better rating from me. Especially when it doesn’t look that impressive to begin with. Maybe I’ll still give ep2 a shot. If it still fails to impress, I guess it’ll remain low priority on my download list.
Ouran High School Host Club (Compliments - Lunar)
Sometimes, there are animes that come along and make you crave for more. To me, this is one of them. Haruhi is a bookworm in the ultra prestigious Ouran High (which, in other words, means it’s filled with obscenely rich people), and while looking for a silent place to study (that’s how she got in in the first place, since she doesn’t meet the above image of the school) she bumps into the Host Club and breaks a very expensive vase. From there on, she has to serve the Club to settle the debt. Sounds lame? Yes, but I beg to differ. I did read a few chapters of the manga before and found it amusing too.
The Host Club can be likened to be the male version of GROs, more of companions for a cup of tea or to have a conversation with but with a difference – You have to pay for it. Here, we have a bunch of bishounen to cater to the different tastes of their customers, from the vain, sweet talking Tamaki (also known as the King of the club), Honey who personifies shota (the male equivalent to female loli), a set of twins who play out some bl scenes, Mori who doesn’t talk much, and another guy with glasses who potrays the smart & cool side. (argh I’m soo bad with names). I find them very likeable, especially when they exaggerate the differences between their lifestyle and Haruhi’s lifestyle (Rich vs commoners, in other words, us). Instant coffee anyone? :lol:
The gags are fun and they come in abundance, definitely a big plus for it.
Download priority
5 – Definitely one that I’ll be chasing this season. Except for action fans, critical-thinking fans or those who can’t stand the tiniest bit of bl, I don’t see why anyone would stay away.
Strawberry Panic! (Compliments - SRN)
Ooo boy, another anime that has virtually no males in it. The story is about Nagisa, a girl who just transferred to St. Miatre academy. The academy is a part of 3 integrated girls-only academies on a hill. From the early on, she bumps into a mysterious girl (was it Shizuma? bah I hate remembering names) every now and then in isolated areas. Nagisa is fascinated by her beauty, and the other girl seems to enjoy making moves on her (Anyone wanna shout yuri~?). Later it is revealed that the girl is actually the star of the 3 academies… And you can smell the jealousy when they both get together, with the unwilling Nagisa unable to resist her advances.
Graphics wise, it doesn’t look as crisp as the current titles. Maybe due to the fansubbers?
Anyway, the characters look nice enough even with the low video quality.
Content wise, not much can be said yet. Just a simple introduction to the setting.
Download priority
Hmm… a 3. I’ve read 3 chapters of the manga while waiting for the download and if it’s anything to go by, the yuri level would slightly raise beyond the usual hug and kiss part, but not till it recieves a 18+ warning. That alone should tell you who the target audience is. I say, average, until I watch the next episode.
Shinigami’s Ballad (Compliments – Triad)
Sorry guys, not talking bout a spinoff of the popular anime with shinigamis in it.
Here, we have a pretty normal slice of life anime. Difference is, the lead character is a shinigami (Shame if you still don’t know what it means – The Grim Reaper’s name in japanese :wink:)... If you smell death in the air, that’s the right feel for this. Momo (the lead character), is a shinigami in white (not black, mind you). Her duty? What else, minus the spirit bashing of the above mentioned anime.
Along with her pet (vampire cat anyone? What else do you call a cat with bat wings?) and her scythe, she claims the lives of those who have “expired”. With death all around, I put my money on this being an episodic anime (It’s only 6 ep long too).
In the first ep, we have them building on the relationship of a boy and a girl. They have feelings for each other but cannot express it. Add in the asthma factor the girl has… It’s a sad end for them. And that’s where Momo comes in. Due to the girl’s unfinished busniess in the living realm, she let’s the dead speak to the living. Only when the dead is content can they leave the living world.
Comments
I don’t know. Looked like a run of the mill relationship story, with a death at the end of it.
This anime is supposed to invoke angst, but having had some harder hitting sad stories under my viewing belt, it didn’t move me much. Momo looks nice, even with her cold expression. Add a scythe to the look, and you might either be scared or be fascinated. :lol:
My verdict is… Average. Nothing special, but not dull either.
Memorable quote : “I cry for the dead because the dead cannot cry”, or something like that when teased by her cat for shedding tears for the soul she just collected.
Princess Princess (Compliments aarinfantasy & kiss-sub)
A guy goes to an elite all-boys school. Poor things, they only have guys to interact with. So the school has a bright idea and practices , as the lead says, a weird custom – having the selected bishounens dress up in frilly dresses to “raise morale” (did I just say that? *sweatdrop*). They are called himes’ (princesses, if you didn’t know), and, like any other school positions, have to carry out their duties when required. Duties include – Cheerleading, morale boosting etc (And if the OP is to be believed, they’ll have to dress for other occasions, including as nurses & maids). The lead character doesn’t know a thing about these until it’s too late – He gets voted as a candidate. So I guess, that’s where this story begins.
Comments
Oh boy (pardon the pun), looks like a guys-only anime, and I’m not referring to the audience. Is it me or is there more and more anime that play on the gender topic? I’m not calling it anything yet, as nothing definitive has been shown as where this is heading. The hime get to use their normal voices, which might be weird for some viewers who can’t accept differences between what they see and what they hear. Furthermore, currently wondering how does a guy with short hair turn up with long hair. A wig perhaps… A REALLY good wig. I say, a very wierd premise to a story, having people dress up to make up for the lack of the opposite gender. Oh well, it’s an anime so logic goes out the window. :roll: Other than that, just take it as a all-boys school life anime.
Verdict – 3. I don’t mind watching it. But I guess those who dislike bl stuff should stay away.
Today in class 5-2 (Compliments – Triad)
Slice of life anime, with a little more ecchi scenarios. Satou and his 5 friends, divided equally on gender, cope with the tribulations of growing up and reaching puberty, if I’m not wrong. That’s where the ecchi elements come in.
Comments
One episode, divided into 5 segments. Kinda like a scenario-based anime. Light-hearted. I liked the first segment of the first episode the most though compared to the others, although I wonder if chewing on something actually relieves people when their milk teeth is about to fall out. And I liked Satou’s expressions, which kinda remind me of the lead guy in Dokuro-chan. :twisted:
Verdict – 4. Might be a nice watch whenever there’s time.
A slightly older title
Rec (DL from Ayu)
A guy in working in the wrong department in an advertising agency, a girl wanting to be a seiyuu (voice actress). They meet up by chance at a movie theatre, and their relationship begins.
Being 10+ minutes long per ep (half of the normal stuff), there’s nothing much to be said.
I like the girl. She’s cute. Their relationship doesn’t look too dull either.
Seems to be one of those slice-of-life type of titles, just like Genshiken potraying the otaku life, Rec seems to potray the life of a voice actress.
I already have the full set of 9 episodes. Might be a good time filler given it’s length. :lol:
