Spring season 2011: MANTASTIC

[Nagato]

Why is the kid so confused at the word 'demon' with an abbot as a father?

[Ryu]

Probably in an "are you serious!?!?!? They're real!?!?!?" kind of way not "Demons? What are they?" Although he is a shounen protagonist so stupidity kind of comes with the job.

[Ryu]

TWGOK 2 2: wow that fight was really lame! What happened to the supersonic punch from the first episode!?I'm really disappointed with the resolution. I hope they don't cheapen out on

Spoiler:

the next karate girl arc, 'cause that fight was brutal

[Mandril]

Here's what I've seen so far this season:

Deadman Wonderland 01
I coudn't bring myself to care one bit about the main character, which is a pity because all other characters in this show appear to be as flat as a board. As far as action animes go this is OK I suppose. I quite like the wonderland-prison idea.
The main character's sidekick is an annoyingly cheerful girl with a creamy voice and a low IQ.

Steins;Gate 01-02
It's a bit too early to draw too many conclusions about this show, but so far it's relatively interesting. I like the mad scientist, but all other characters are lackluster. Including a terrible "nerd hacker that loves 2D girls" stereotype equates to punching your audience in the face. Incidentally, the main character's sidekick is an annoyingly cheerful girl with a creamy voice and a low IQ.

Hanasaku Iroha 01-03
"We didn't want to make the main character's sidekick an annoyingly cheerful girl with a creamy voice and a low IQ, so we made her the main character."
I blame K-ON. As far as the slice of life genre goes it's a decent show I suppose. Most of the side-characters are interesting and I applaud any show that features moe-girls being slapped in the face and being emotionally tortured (= episode 1&2)
As for episode 3, normally a bondage-themed episode is the worst thing that could happen to any show (apart from Bakacast) but Hanasaku Iroha handled it surprisingly well, mainly because Ohana didn't get overly emotional, angry or embarrassed. Ofcourse that brings up other problems, since it heavily implies she's a skank.

Ano Hana 01
It looks like notaminA is going to deliver this season. Yes, I know, the main character's sidekick is an annoyingly cheerful girl with a creamy voice and a low IQ. However, at the end of the first episode, she's no longer annoyingly cheerful! That's a start. Also, she's mostly ignored throughout the entire episode, as she should be!
Let's see how much further they can develop her character over the next few episodes.

Tiger & Bunny 01
This is not a show for me. All the pointless action scenes completely bored me. Furthermore, the whole superhero thing isn't really in my blood. America has its superhero culture. I've been brought up with ordinary-people comics such as Tin Tin and Spike & Suzy. That being said, I can see the appeal this show has, mostly because it's fairly original. There's no cheerful-girl sidekick, thank goodness.

C Money bla blah Soul bla blah Control bla blah Possibility (a.k.a. "C") 01
This comes from the director of Ayakashi and Mononoke, which are both pretty awesome shows. First off, making a show about finances sounds like a terrible idea to me, no matter how contemporary it is. I was really disillusioned the first five minutes of this episode, and didn't like it at all. After that, things got much better. The story is very mediocre so far, but "C" still has a great feel to it. Scenes like those in the supermarket clearly show how the director is taking his liberties, and I'm loving that. So far, this is my favorite show of the season. It might not be the best show, but it is my favorite.

[Ryu]

Here's what I've seen so far this season:


Hanasaku Iroha 01-03
As for episode 3, normally a bondage-themed episode is the worst thing that could happen to any show (apart from Bakacast) but Hanasaku Iroha handled it surprisingly well, mainly because Ohana didn't get overly emotional, angry or embarrassed. Ofcourse that brings up other problems, since it heavily implies she's a skank.

Wait what

what

Could it perhaps be that she is a rather strong willed person (as has been demonstrated by the past two episodes) and she didn't feel threatened by the creepy pathetic dude that kidnapped her?

Spoiler:

I thought the main problem was that no one reacted to the events that occurred with any sense of realism, they shoe-horned in creepy fan service for no discernible reason (isn't this primarily targeted at women?), the soundtrack was dissonant and the conclusion was so unbelievable and haphazard that it really has me second guessing what the writer is trying to achieve, and what direction this series is going to take with the addition of an unsympathetic and unnecessary character.

Even if it is presumptuous of me to call it now, but a struggling writer in a pastoral setting who receives no lasting consequences for his actions and is bizarrely encouraged by the people that he screwed over? C'mon that's gotta be an author surrogate

[Mandril]

Could it perhaps be that she is a rather strong willed person (as has been demonstrated by the past two episodes) and she didn't feel threatened by the creepy pathetic dude that kidnapped her?

Spoiler:

I thought the main problem was that no one reacted to the events that occurred with any sense of realism, they shoe-horned in creepy fan service for no discernible reason (isn't this primarily targeted at women?), the soundtrack was dissonant and the conclusion was so unbelievable and haphazard that it really has me second guessing what the writer is trying to achieve, and what direction this series is going to take with the addition of an unsympathetic and unnecessary character.

Even if it is presumptuous of me to call it now, but a struggling writer in a pastoral setting who receives no lasting consequences for his actions and is bizarrely encouraged by the people that he screwed over? C'mon that's gotta be an author surrogate

I hadn't thought of it like that before, but I can't say I'm fully convinced.

Spoiler:

They've clearly shown her independence, her sexual nature is mere conjecture on my part. It's not simply freudian though. What I took from the past two episodes was that Ohana's mother was a very flirtatious person who couldn't possibly have been a purely good parent to her daughter. Episode 1 was about showcasing Ohana's newfound taste for adventure - which to me indicated that she was still very much so an adolescent, still exploring and developing her character as well as her relationships. In episode 2 she pondered about becoming like her mother ("I've thought about rebelling", "Maybe I should be like mom and start flirting with boys") - I reasoned that it'd only be natural if her mother had some negative influence on her.

Regardless, how can you make her repeat several times throughout the episode "I'm not relying on other people" only to selflessly comply and even assist when she's being tied up in bondage gear? If the argument is that she didn't feel threatened, it's unrealistic. I'm a fairly pathetic dude and I've had a lot of experience with kidnapping young girls and putting them in bondage gear. Not one of them was so kind to assist. That line of reasoning does support your author surrogate theory though (after all, he wouldn't regard himself as threatening) and if you're correct then it's all downhill from here.

edit: I do want to clarify what I said in my original post: "A bondage themed episode...Hanasaku Iroha handled it surprisingly well" I didn't mean this was a good episode. What I meant to say is: For a bondage episode it was a good episode, which is rather like saying it's a neatly polished turd.

[Ryu]

Ah. A misunderstanding on my part, my apologies.

[Mandril]

Man, I only just noticed a second season of Kaiji is airing. I can't believe I missed that.
Either way, that's great news. I can't wait to watch it

[Ryu]

C 2: Jesus christ the 3D was so unnecessary and awful. Still, I enjoyed the episode, I just hope that it sees better use in the future. Also, at the moment I am a little wary of

Spoiler:

The asset, Msyu at the moment she just appears to be someone powerful who is more than just a little pissed at being paired up with a newbie with a strong competitive spirit, and a good writer would allow that relationship to develop over time, him gradually grasping at the mechanics of the financial district and gaining her trust. But, and this is a huge ass but, it would be all to easy to drop in the caveat (but she secretly likes him) and ding ding ding el-generico tsundere, my enjoyment sinks like the Dow back in 2008.

Anohana 2: Man this hits all the nostalgia buttons so hard it hurts.

Spoiler:

Kickin back playing some pokemon with some old friends, trading stickers, etc.

It's just so "90's kid." I found that Menma would have have been extremely grating had she been given more screen time (especially with the fanservice in this episode ), thankfully the focus seems to be on the MC and him rediscovering old friendships.

Spoiler:

And that his stoic friend from the past is now a creep *SNIFF*

[Ryu]

T&B 4: They needed another episode for this, or, to take a page out of Star Driver's book have around 90% of the screentime focus on meaningful interaction between the central character. I really felt they were going somewhere at the beginning, but the end just felt forced. Also, it seems that the fire dude is

Spoiler:

batman

Iroha 4: Well we're back on track, kind of. Nothing awful happens this episode, at least. The heron is now the best

[Nagato]

Iroha 4? You mean the third episode. That was some other show last week. But yes, that bird is the boss.

[Ryu]

Blue Exorcist 2: What I really like about this series is that it has a fairly understated urban setting that is made strange and alien in a way that reminds me of Silent Hill.

Spoiler:

So too bad that we're going to bizarro highschool for the rest of the show like every other god damn shounen series!

[Ryu]

Gintama 205: I love this show, god damn. From sparking anpan into the manager's face to that baseball dude's horrendous luck it has been awesome.

TWGOK 2 3: Keima does not give a damn. Also new character and a cliffhanger ending!?

Fireball 3: Dusty capes effect robots apparently.

[Ryu]

Deadman 2: I swear to god that this part wasn't as drawn out in the manga. Also doing

Spoiler:

a crazy death maze

as a montage really doesn't do it justice unless you do something fancy like the character has completely snapped and its all fragmented like a post-modern stream of consciousness thing (something they could have done considering Ganta was obviously breaking down at the start. Another thing, what's with the nice soft fade-to-white flashbacks? Give me something that cuts in and throttles me like the [albeit censored] gore of the show. If you're revisiting something recent and painful, it tends to hit like lightning!) The censorship is really rubbing me the wrong way too, I mean, is 4kids doing it or something? That said, I liked the end.

Word to the wise don't watch the OP or the ED, they seem to have some really bad spoilers.

I'm gonna have to revisit the manga cause I can't remember much of it, and appear to be suffering from Rose Tinted Glasses Syndrome.

C 3: nearly had a great episode, but the apparently the writer couldn't manage his ADD and focus on the protagonist of this one!

Edit: Also, Japan, find some god damn female English speaking voice actors because that part had the worst delivery I have seen since Tommy Wiseau, and even he can manage to change the tone of his voice!

[Kagami]

I'm starting to think AnoHana would be better as a feature length film. This kind of pacing, despite the lovely art and story, is starting to drive me up the wall. That said, this is my favourite series of the season, next comes Steins Gate. Just 'cos it has a random story and the voice acting is really working for me.

[Ryu]

AnoHana 5: Man I really dislike Minko, I mean sure she's a little more sympathetic after this episode but her gimmick is not all that entertaining. Also why did they

Spoiler:

immediately trust the writer dude's judgement?

A bit of weird characterisation. EDIT: Being waay too lenient tbh, someone else put it better than I:

I just don't understand what happened to this show. Why abandon potentially interesting characters like Ohana's mother for overdone run-of-the-mill characters and generic storylines? I'm starting to think the first two episodes were just a totally different show that looked the same and aired in the same timeslot. The only interesting character introduced since Ohana got to the the inn is the Grey Heron.

Gintama 207: Not as good as the previous episodes, but the ending was pretty sweet.

[Ryu]

Blue Exorcist 3: Damn the principle is fabulous.

Spoiler:

Thank God they aren't gonna spend this entire series trying to reconcile the death of their father between them. Also, this looks like it's going to be a shounen version of Supernatural (or as Stilts said: Fullmetal Alchemist-esque again), if that means anything to anybody.

Tiger and bunny 5: Tiger has the worst luck and hoLY TABOOLI MID SEASON UPGRADES!?

[Ryu]

Finding Menma 3&4: Well um, uh, looks like we still might have some issues to iron out! Still, definitely liking this, and Menma is a lot more endearing than *shudder* Nessa.

Fireball 4: That poor maid!

[Ryu]

TWGOK 2 4: wow that giant tub of lard ghost was really creepy. It's kind of a shame that the episode missed its mark with the constant HAQUA, not attacking the damn thing from above when you can fly and a lack of Keima's visualisations. Plus a really creepy ending card. What a shame.

[Ryu]

T&B 6: God damn Tiger and Bunny, this episode was fantastic!

Spoiler:

The banter, Tiger's pranks biting him in the arse, ~Nathan~, and a new set of foes (I'm thinking the NEXT is a vigilante unrelated to Ouroboros)! Marvelous! Although, I don't think that's the first time someone's died in Tiger's arms

[Ryu]

Hanasaku 6: Things went better than expected! Although, is it just me or is Ohana getting stupider with each passing episode?

Spoiler:

Thank god this didn't turn into a beachwear episode! I don't really agree with wearing an apron over those kimonos but I suppose they were preventing it from getting damaged, due to it being Madam Manager's (she's pretty awesome this time around). A potential love triangle is apparently forming [Head chef is incredulous] and maybe tomorrow things will look a little brighter for the inn.

Also, The Heron is conspiring with the rival inn!

Gintama 207: Glasses are a person's soul!

Never ask the Odd jobs crew to attend a stake out Jesus Christ!

[Ryu]

Blue exorciszzzzzzz 4: NOOO NOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOO! NOT NESSA AGAIN!

I have a high tolerance for shounen BS but Jesus Christ that was awful. It was like filler but it's part of the main storyline and ****!

I am giving it one more episode to redeem itself!

[Ryu]

WOO TIME TO CATCH UP

Gintama 208: Holy **** that episode **** owned!

IMPOSSIBLE! SHES SHOOTING LASER BEAMS FROM HER EYES

Out-f****ing-standing!

TWGOK 2 5&6: I think this "normal girl" arc has been the most engaging so far after being pretty underwhelmed with "martial arts" girl's resolution.

also



Hanasaku Iroha 7: Tomoe is owns, she should try to get fired more often!

Tiger and Bunny 7: Man that is one doofy looking mask, though the twitchy movements are excellent. I think that the CG really comes into its own this episode, and a brief return of Good Luck mode with an INAZUMA KIIICK

C 6: Uh something happened this episode? I'm starting to think Mikuni's using what's been going down to

Spoiler:

absorb other companies into his conglomerate

It probably doesn't help that I watched Gintama (SOTS) right after this.

[Ryu]

Anohana 5&6: Yeah, this show is pretty damn good. It gets a little dark in 5, but there is some nice character development as a result of this, as well as Yadomi being a champ, Menma being pretty endearing (although she should tone down a certain thing she's been doing), and plenty of Poppo being uh. Poppo.

I think this is my #2 show of the season at the moment because it hasn't really done anything offensive in my mind and it
keeps getting better.

ALSO THERE'S A SUPER SECRET CAMEO BY A CERTAIN GRUMPY GIRL that made me smile.

[Ryu]

C 7: PffffFAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA. Welp this show just went full creeptard, what else can I say?

[Ryu]

Blue exorcist 5: Hey this is a lot better than last episode at least! Also probably the first shounen I've seen where the punk rival is actually a really pissed off genius instead of a brooding little twerp. Other than that it's a standard "setting up the rival" episode but still pretty entertaining. It probably seems better after watching C though so YMMV

[Ryu]

Tiger & Bunny 8: Yeah Tiger, you're pretty good. Probably should've been done before this whole Ouroboros thing (along with next episode) because cramming it into every episode will get tiring (although this episode wasn't too bad in this regard).

[Ryu]

Hanasaku 8: Seems like we're back-er on track with some conflict! Although something was really dumb about this episode and that is Ohana could have shot Ko a text saying what was up the whole time avoiding this near miss BS that is being set up between the two.

[Ryu]

Gintama 208: Tachiki Fumihiko sings, they snipe at other anime including Haruhi, there's a movie preview that may or may not be real followed by outrageous infighting, there's a question from the fans and we visit Mr Gintoki's classroom. All 'recap' episodes should be like this.

Also looks like there's some serious stuff going next time.

[Ryu]

Blue Exorcist 6: Man I found out something really dumb today and that is: THERE'S ONLY 24 CHAPTERS OF THIS OUT. Really? Did they really need to shoot this out so fast? Anyway, this episode was filler but I couldn't really tell because it was actually kind of funny and entertaining. Yukio scheming and shounen cooking battles ahoy.