Aiming for the [Summer 2011] Koshien anime

[blkmage]

Yeah, the other thing about Sacred Seven was that it seemed like Sunrise is on some sort of superhero schtick. It could just be my reaction to the protagonist's scarf though.

Natsume 3 is Natsume, ahgaghaghagah so good.

Kamisama Dolls' first episode seemed really bland. The characters are not particularly interesting and I didn't really like the way the events unfolded. If problems persist, I might bow out and check out the manga instead to see how that goes.

Yuruyuri was surprisingly amusing and I think I'll see how it turns out. None of the girls seems to have any irritating lack of social skills (see: A Channel).

-

And premieres for the rest of the season are as follows:

All times in JST (GMT+9)

FRIDAY July 8
0045 - Usagi Drop (Fuji TV)
0145 - No. 6 (Fuji TV)
0125 - The IDOLM@STER (TBS)
0140 - Blood-C (MBS)
0155 - Mayochiki! (TBS)
0215 - Baka to Test to Shokanjuu Ni! (TV Tokyo)

SATURDAY July 9
0105 - Itsuka Tenma to Kuro Usagi (Teletama)
0830 - Nekogami Yaoyorozu (AT-X)

SUNDAY July 10
0100 - R-15 (tvk)

MONDAY July 11
0100 - Manyuu Kenchou (tvk)

SATURDAY July 16
0123 - Dantalion no Shoka (TV Tokyo)

[blkmage]

Looks like CR has announced Usagi Drop and Nekogami Yaoyorozu.

Important note about English Nico Nico streaming: it's the opposite of Crunchyroll, in that everyone has free access for a week immediately after an episode's broadcast, but after that, you'll need to be a premium member to access archived episodes.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

So I finally got around to watching the first episode of Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, which I have kind of mixed feelings on. I like that they are doing it in France, which is a very nice touch, but the art of the whole thing felt pretty bland to me and I didn't really like it. Another problem I had is that I kept on comparing it to Kure-nai, especially in the relationship between the two main characters, and they certainly do not have the chemistry Shinkuro and Murasaki have. I was pretty excited for this one, but I think that's kind of fallen lower. I'll still watch it since it's short and a pretty foreign(har har) idea to most anime, but this is no longer a show I'm excited about. The music was pretty nice, though.

It was kind of hilarious to have them say they were talking in French when they were speaking Japanese, though.

[TWWK]

I thought I'd use the summer to catch up on past series, but...the season is really intriguing me. I enjoyed Kamisama Dolls, which had a jilted tone/format and familiar yet unique character designs, as well as Kamisama no Memo-chou, which looks like it could become very interesting. I didn't expect to like either of these.

Usagi Drop and No. 6 are the two series I'm most eager to see this season. I'm also interested in seeing what Morita-san wo Mukuchi is going to be like.

[blkmage]

More words.

Both Morita-san and Nyanpire are short five minute chunks. I did not like Morita-san because it's basically a few minutes of her being socially awkward. Nyanpire has the advantage of being about cute cats doing cute things and I eagerly await the day The One Eyed Dragon Masamunya appears.

Mayo Chiki is typical light novel dreck and Twin Angel is just bad.

Usagi Drop is going to be one of my favourite things this season, guaranteed. Rin is awesome. Daikichi is awesome. Single dad manga are awesome. The production is awesome. It's the same kind of watercoloury art that's similar to stuff like Honey and Clover or Hourou Musuko. I'd bet that it's the Kimi ni Todoke guys who are working on this show. Anyway, this is going to be one of the best shows and it's one that I'll be telling everyone to watch.

[MightiMidget]

I took my placement test today after having only two days to prepare, came home and finally started on the Summer season:

Blood-C ep. 1: Well, um. Okay. The little pincher-statue thing was spiffy, but the story, characters and pretty much everything left much to be desired. And it was kind of boring. I sense this being something for my Bleach mood, but with more gore and less likable characters.

Ikoku Meiro no Croiséen ep. 1: This, I have little clue what to think of. I adored the charater designs, and Claude and Yune were extremely enjoyable. However, at the same time I'm not used to something quite so...non-conflicty. I'm hoping that I grow to love it, since I really want to.

Kamisama no Memochou ep. 1: I started this and couldn't remember what it was about for the life of me. After starting it, going "say wha...?", looking up a synopsis, rewatching first five minutes before continuing on...I believe I fell in love with this. We'll see how it progresses. The different characters were extremely fun.

Looking forward to No. 6, and surprisingly, Sacred Seven--probably just because it's something I can watch on Hulu.

Has FUNImation licensed anything yet? Also, what is the deal with the niconico thing? I watched Blood-C on there, and read blkmage's blurps on it...but...what is it? Just like an Englished-Japanese-Crunchyroll?

[blkmage]

The original Nico Nico Douga is a Japanese video sharing site. The defining feature of Nico Nico Douga is its overlaid scrolling comments. A huge part of Nico Nico Douga is that it's where most Japanese user-created content is found. Vocaloid songs, Touhou remixes, iM@S videos, anime MADs and memes, you name it; if there's ever a funny or neat Japanese video you've watched on Youtube, 99% of the time, it came from Nico Nico Douga. It's a huge part of the Japanese otaku scene on the Internet, as much as 2ch or pixiv.

Nico Nico Douga also happens to stream some anime for Japan and I suspect this is a large reason why it's able to start to stream subtitled anime for the international crowd.

[MightiMidget]

Ahha! Okay. Thank you for the explanation, blkmage!

[Atria35]

Bunny Drop- This is fabulous. Did they skim/skip some scenes that I was familiar with? Yes. Did they add on and elaborate others? Yes. Did they do it well? Let's just say that I am filled with warm fuzzies and teary eyes. I got these from the manga, and the anime did it, too. I loved the watercolor look in the first five minutes. It got dropped into regular coloring after that, but I was okay with that.

Fabulous anime. I'm just so thrilled! ^.^

[Falx]

...

Dunny Drop. That's an amazing accident.

[blkmage]

No. 6 was alright. It looks like things'll go down next episode.

I'm ready to call Mawaru Penguindrum the best thing this season. Much like Star Driver, this is the work of one of the creative forces behind Utena, with Ikuhara Kunihiko (director: Utena, Sailor Moon) in the director's seat after 14 years of absence. He's been evasive about what Mawaru Penguindrum is actually about and his statements about the show basically boil down to 'well, penguins are in it'. And after watching it, I can verify that this is true.

[Falx]

I don't know what to make of it.

On the one hand it's interesting, on the other I'm ready to drop it as well.

I can't remember when something had me this indecisive.

[MightiMidget]

Mawaru Penguindrum (as I am mentally referring to as "the penguin thing" or "the thing with penguins") had me staring at it blankly for the first 15 minutes. The last four I started cracking up, decided I loved it already, and then the last two had me going:

[spoiler]Wait...is this going to be an incest story?[/spoiler]

And I want this picture as a high def wallpaper in my screensize 'cause it's awesome:



EDIT: Sacred Seven ep. 1 -- First half I was going, "Wow, this looks kind of dumb and boring..." second half I chilled out and I think I really enjoyed it, but not sure. The first episode doesn't have enough substance to make a judgment on, like MasterDias mentioned.

The butler feels like a Sebastian spoof....particularly because the hairstyle is the same...

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I actually thought the first episode of Sacred Seven was pretty cool, and it was awesome that not only is Megumi Nakajima playing the lead female, I actually picked that out. I wish even more that I'd jumped on Tiger and Bunny before.

As for Mawaru Penguindrum:

[blkmage]

Somewhere along the line, I noticed I was watching every show, so I figured I might as well.

Here is a quick test to see whether you will enjoy The iDOLM@STER: are you currently obsessed with iM@S? Do you already own the game on 360/PSP/DS? Do you own all of the DLC? Do you go on Nico Nico Douga and watch all the latest iM@S videos? Are you Berserk mangaka Miura Kentaro? If yes, then watch. If no, then do not.

BakaTest 2 is more BakaTest and Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi is bad.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I actually thought the first episode of Sacred Seven was pretty cool, and it was awesome that not only is Megumi Nakajima playing the lead female, I actually picked that out. I wish even more that I'd jumped on Tiger and Bunny before.

As for Mawaru Penguindrum:

Yeah, Penguindrum definitely made the biggest impression on me of the new stuff I've seen, and, actually, that first episode made the biggest impression on me of any first episode I've seen in a while.

[R86]

OK, here are the ones I've watched the first episode of so far (or whatever I could stand of the first episode).

Kamisama no Memochou
At first I was thinking this would be what I had hoped SKET Dance would be like. I watched the whole episode and liked it, except for [spoiler]the moment near the end where the older girl tried to force the younger girl to take a bath.[/spoiler]That was, to say the least, a disappointment for me. I will wait to see what others say before picking up this series again.

Sacred Seven
I expected this one to be right up my alley, but I can tell the[spoiler]stone face that ends every sentence with "oni"[/spoiler]is going to be a deal-breaker for me. Also, like many of you, I couldn't decide whether I was watching a super-powers show, a maids/butlers show, a mecha show, or what. I realize these may not be good reasons to drop a show, but I can't help it, I sometimes like bad shows and dislike good shows, and this one may fall into the latter category. Like Kamisama no Memochou, I will await further developments before picking up this series again.

I have yet to watch Usagi Drop, No. 6, and Mawari Penguindrum, so I expect things to get better from here.

[MasterDias]

Ok, let's see...

Kamisama Dolls: Eh, it's alright I guess. I don't particularly have strong feelings either way.

Blood-C: This seems to be getting mixed reviews. I thought it was decent actually. The battle at the end was pretty awesome (as expected of Production I.G) and I'm somewhat interested in what the plot is, so I'll stick around for a bit.
It's a very CLAMPish show though. I suspect CLAMP fans are going to like this a heck of a lot better than Blood: The Last Vampire/Blood+ fans.

Mawaru Penguindrum: Now this was pretty awesome. Information was scarce beforehand so I didn't know what to expect, but it's just so interesting and strange and well-executed. I think I'm pretty much sold from the first episode and am looking forward to seeing what happens.

Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi: Well...this was...er...sort of the perfect example of why Zexcs isn't a very good studio. The pacing was fairly poor, but what I found the most obnoxious was the (completely anime-original) forced/awkward fanservice they shoehorned in constantly. Man, I'm glad they didn't pull this stunt with the LotLH adaptation...

Usagi Drop: Well, I can see why people really like this. I'm curious if this will do as well for noitaminA as AnoHana did.

No. 6: Not bad. The setting has potential at least. I generally like sci-fi/dystopian stories quite a bit, but I'm having trouble mustering up enthusiasm if this is going to lay the BL subtext on thick.

Sacred Seven, Episode 2: Okay, now this was much better. The pacing slowed down and it revealed more information about the characters and what's going on. There was at least one bit that really needed to be mentioned in Episode 1 as it was otherwise pretty random.
[spoiler]Huh? They met each other as kids.[/spoiler]

They should have done what Kamisama no Memo-chou did and have a long first episode.
Also, lol at the end. I think Hellbrick is my favorite character.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I really really enjoyed the first episode of No. 6, and the preview for the second makes it look like , as blkmage said, stuff is about to go down. I totally got the vibe of a dystopian children's novel called The Giver while I was watching it, though I think it may get a bit more boisterous than that.

As far as the BL worries, someone on CR who has read the manga made a comment essentially saying that this needn't be a worry for anyone.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Final summer impressions!

No. 6 had a pretty sweet first episode, and I'm more excited now that I've seen an episode of it. I didn't quite get a The Giver vibe out of it, but good first episode for sure.

Usagi Drop was really, really good. I think I'm the only person here watching it that has not read any of the manga, but I thought that first episode was excellent. Can't wait for more of this.

Natsume 3 is better than I remember Natsume 1 and 2 being, which is to say really fantastic.

Kamisama Dolls was pretty disappointingly bland, but I'll probably stay with it because I really want to like it. Hoping it's better by episode 2.

And after watching the second episode of Ikoku no Meiro Croisée, I don't know why I didn't like the first episode. Definitely keeping this.

[MightiMidget]

No. 6 started off slow, yes, but I enjoyed it all the same. This is what I've been looking forward to the most of everything and I am desperately hoping it does not disappoint, but the future looks bleak so the story looks good. Bwuaha...

Kamisama Dolls was okay, I guess. I like Hat's description of "disappointingly bland." But I will also stick with it since it looks like it could gain potential at some point. Eventually. Maybe.

Haven't had time to watch Usagi Drop yet though... (I woke up early specifically so I could finally watch those two. *whistle*)

[R86]

I think I'm the only person here watching it that has not read any of the [Usagi Drop] manga, but I thought that first episode was excellent. Can't wait for more of this.

I also have not read the manga, and although I thought the first two episodes were brilliantly done, I was going to put it on hold as just not being my kind of thing. Until, that is, a colleague of mine at my school's anime club e-mailed the listserv to tell us all that[spoiler]it eventually skips forward about ten years[/spoiler]... which is something I for some reason LOVE when they do that. So I will stick with it.

As for No. 6, in the second episode I was at first put off by[spoiler]a 16-year-old boy being so bluntly propositioned for sex by a girl of similar age[/spoiler]but in the end this is basically the kind of show I like too. As for the BL allegations, I would say the same thing I say about so many other shows that have at least two male characters: anyone who wants to find it there will find it there, and those like me who don't, will have no trouble reading it otherwise. If anything, I'd say that I so far find it easier to make that mental adjustment for No. 6 than for Oofuri or GetBackers,for example.

[Mouse2010]

Finally got around to watching the first episode of Usagi Drop. Ahhh, very touching. (No, I haven't read the manga either.) Other than that, I'm waiting for Dantalian to begin airing on Crunchyroll, because I thought that looked interesting.

[blkmage]

You can watch Dantalian (and a lot of the CR shows, actually) right now on niconico.

[Atria35]

Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives 1- Any anime that makes me think that I've accidentally put on a hentai on the first episode gets dropped, no exceptions. That. Was. Terible. And they had to prolongue it?! Not even going there.

Kamisama Dolls 1-2- I haven't been watching any action shows, so I think I've been craving a bit. And this does it without being Asura Cryin', which gives it mucho bonus points.

No. 6 1-2- Does it have BL subtext? Yes. Is it actually BL? No. And... I like Rat.
(b ^.^)b
I'm wondering how they can pull off this story in 11 or 12 eps, though.

[blkmage]

Oh yeah, the last bunch of shows.

Nekogami Yaoyorozu was okay, I guess. Not quite as hilarious as GA yet, but it could do well.

R-15 had a pretty terrible premise, but I felt like it could have somehow been interesting, but no, it was pretty terrible. It's unfortunate, because there is a guy who is really good at math and a girl who is really good at the clarinet.

Dantalian no Shoka was actually kind of boring. Like, idk, shooting a lion in the face should be more interesting than that. The only thing it still has going for it are Ono D's and Miyukichi's voices.

So, it turns out I've watched the first episode for every single show this season except Blade and that boob ninja anime. I was almost considered watching it because, seriously, this is an actual screenshot:



but I remembered that I've already watched several shows that were pretty bad and decided to examine my life instead.

[MasterDias]

I disagree somewhat on Dantalian no Shoka. I found it interesting, although the pacing was clearly fast. And the soundtrack was pretty good. I'm not entirely convinced it will completely hold up if it's an episodic "book-of-the-week" deal, but it all sort of depends on if they capitalize on the premise successfully and make the characters engaging enough.
And, it didn't leave me scratching my head...which is more than I can say for Asura Cryin', also by the same author.

I'm wondering how they can pull off this story in 11 or 12 eps, though.

That's actually a big concern of mine. Condensing nine novels into eleven episodes has to be a bad idea.

[MightiMidget]

I really enjoyed Dantalian...granted, I've been looking forward to it for rather a while. I liked both the characters, even if it was like:

[spoiler]Oh. I'm now somehow connected to some secret library of infinite knowledge? okay. whatever. let's get breakfast.[/spoiler]

[Falx]

My thoughts on Ikoku Meiro:

Episode 01: This is trying too hard to be ARIA.

Episode 02: This is trying too hard to be ARIA.

Episode 03: This is coming surprisingly close to being like ARIA.

Honestly I'm not sure what element the first two episodes were lacking, but it seems to have found it. If they can keep this up this will be a fantastic slice-of-life anime.

[MightiMidget]

Kamisama Dolls ep. 2 -- this is booooooring. I might ditch it soon.

Sacred Seven [ep. 2] on the other hand...might not be jaw-droppingly good, but it's quite fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. =) This is something I am going to enjoy.

No. 6 ep. 2 -- So far, this has not disappointed me. I <3 dystopia (whether in form of utopia or not), and this is making me seriously giddy. Hopefully this won't totally bomb in only 11 episodes, but thus far I'm happy with it.

Also, on note of the BL. Yes, you can read into it being there...but I think you can with a lot-most anime as well. . . good to know that won't be an issue though, just in case.

Bunny Drop ep. 1 was adorable. Atria's endorsements strike again! Haha. =) Looking forward to following this one quite a bit!