The fall season, so far
Torawhat?
So here’s what I’ve seen so far, and what I’m thinking.
Casshern SINS.
I was going to bust out the live action flick but I looked at the runtime — almost 2 ½ hours — and remembered it’s long and boring. The visual techniques used in it are good for novelty, but the novelty wears off quick. The first episode of the remake of the remake of the anime, however, is pretty neat.
What did I like? The action was great, the atmosphere of the futuristic sci-fi wasteland is just plain cool, and of course it’s made by Madhouse so it looks great.
Potential problems? The director is mostly known for DBZ, and the futuristic timeline puts our hero firmly in the amnesia seat, and I fucking hate anime-nesia.
Clannad After Story.
Sigh.
What did I like? Animation was good, the humor was in place, the story was a light-hearted introduction built around a very transparent “get all the characters back together” device. Baseball. It looked gross on my TV at SD size.
Potential problems? SPORTS. I felt a little gypped that I watched 22 minutes of baseball.
Kurogane No Linebarrel/Linebarrels of Iron.
After BLASSREITER and Tower of Druaga, I thought Gonzo deserved more of a chance than the average anime blogger gives them. Yeah, BLASSREITER still had a bit of that “we’re for adults, get it?” feel, and it fit well in Gonzo’s business plan: “I have 40 bucks and a computer, let’s relive the 90s!” But it was pretty cool, and some of us would actually like to see more 90s-style anime. Crunchyroll and Gonzo are at it again with this mech series in which a bullied kid gets the power to pilot a mech and hang out with bitches.
What did I like? I was mostly interested in the next episode preview, which hinted at Kouichi’s potential to become a real bastard and use his newfound power for revenge, even if he calls it “justice.” The CG mechs were less overtly “computery” than BLASSREITER’s amalgams, but not quite as neat as Burst Angel’s 3D cartoon look. I see Goro Taniguchi’s name as “creative producer” in the credits, so it pleases me to know that not only did he not quit, he may be lending his powers of insanity to this production. Some of the voice talent is good, including Yuuichi Nakamura, Mamiko Noto as soft-spoken Emi (Raptor scale +1), and the Fruity Menace himself, Jun Fukuyama.
Potential problems? The truckloads of clichés we were delivered in the opening episode really filled up my warehouse of give-a-shit. It’s where Taniguchi and the director (Masamitsu Hidaka of… Pokémon fame…) go from here that will prove make-or-break. Gonzo’s normally interesting and appealing character and mecha designs were nowhere to be seen; I really didn’t enjoy looking at these characters at all. Oh yeah, the big twist of the first episode? Spoil this: Lead character’s already dead. Holy shit, it’s revolutionary! Also, more anime-nesia. Fuck.
Toradora!
Speaking of Shana, I had no intent to watch the newest installment of Rie Kugumiya, Wrathful Loli. But JC Staff, for all their faults, know how to make a series look pretty good, and I’ve already heard quite a few good things going around.
What did I like? Any romance series whose synopsis can start with anything other than “A normal high school boy…” has taken a decent first step. I liked Ryuuichi right off the bat, with his angry eyes and misunderstood personality (Cool & Spicy PLUS). Taiga is already as charming and fun on the whole as Shana was at her most cute. Animation is great, and oddly sometimes it actually resembles one of Gonzo’s better moments.
Potential problems? You can see where the plot is going already — as the two leads help each other with their separate rabu problems, inevitably a romance will start between them. They will of course never touch, never kiss, walk around embarrassed all the time, and possibly be involved in the occasional Nude Misunderstanding. And it will probably just plain suck.
Anybody else watched these? Have anything to add? I can’t wait to try Tytania and Shikabane Hime, provided they get some subtitles.
- otou-san out!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:19 am
The critics agree!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I find an amnesia-like ability on my own part helps with the amnesia thing: if one can enjoy the endless reworking of similar tropes within one long-running franchise (which shall remain nameless) then it’s relatively easy to accept the same plot devices being recycled. Then again, I probably haven’t watched anime for long enough to truly tell.
Casshern’s atmosphere was enthralling, but the first episode seemed to me to run more or less on atmosphere alone. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it might be an issue if it continues too long. Still, if the main worry is not anything inherent in the first episode but rather a prospective problem with future episodes then the show can’t be going far wrong.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:25 am
I think the fact that we watch anime at all means we’re willing to accept a certain level of shortcuts, cheap symbolism, and shopworn clichés, but it really does get tiring sometimes.
As for Casshern’s atmosphere, I can get a lot of mileage out of atmosphere alone. Not 12-24 episodes, but at least it’s something more than the average new action series has.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
You actually liked the mech in Burst Angel? That goofy looking thing was an eyesore in an otherwise attractive series.
I want see Casshern at some point. The trailer I saw looked mighty cool.
October 7th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Maybe I was too harsh on Kurogane. Wait, no I wasn’t everything about the show SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED.
October 7th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Jason - I’m not saying I liked it per se, but that the rendering style was better than the usual holy-shit-that’s-3D look. Sort of like Stand Alone Complex or even Soul Eater, with the cartoony shading and outlines.
The Casshern movie is ok, but it took me a minute to get through without falling asleep. There are long periods of boredom and it’s 2.5 hours total.
Omisyth - I am only giving it a chance because I didn’t give one to BLASSREITER and it turned out to be good.
October 7th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Casshern: After watching it I remembered that the last Madhouse show I watched was Kaiba, which is about an amnesiac with an invincible body and superpowers up the wazoo who wakes up in a dystopian future where everyone is out to get him.
Toradora!: I also hope with all my heart that whatever romance they cook up doesn’t venture into Awkwardness Holy Land. In fact, I could see the series keeping Ryuu and Taiga as mere friends, but I’m sure all the bastards who’ve already read the manga are lining up right now to shoot down my dreams.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Funny observation, but at least they managed to do something pretty nice with amnesia there. Of course, that’s what the whole thing was about. I actually saw shades of Kaiba in the animation, a little simplified compared to the style of art they’d use for, say, Death Note or a Satoshi Kon series.
Toradora (and Kannagi as well) sums up one of the things I love about the start of a new season. I have shit expectations for just about everything, so I can’t help but be impressed at least once or twice.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Agreed on Casshern, I enjoyed the raw nature of entire setting, especially how the hero starts ripping apart the robots with his bare hands with them screaming for their lives(?) I’m into Clannad just for Kyou as usual, while ToraDora! is subject to another 2 episodes at least before I decide.
October 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
“I fucking hate anime-nesia.”
Wow. You’ve pointed out something that I kind of dislike too, but it never really hit me till know.
No way? Director of DBZ? *groooooooaaaaaannnnnn*
October 11th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I’m not too sure about Shikabane Hime yet, I think I’ll have to watch a few more eps.
I like the dark tone, undead is usually always a WIN with me, but not so sure this time round.
Nothing so far has really made me go WOW.
Toradora, so far I’m enjoying it. They’ve kept it pretty close to the manga.
I won’t mind a cliche relationship if they can manage not to descend into awkardness, but since this does have a high potential for that we’ll see.
Episode 2 was pretty good, I particularly enjoyed the rooftop scene and the music they played along with it was just awesome. Very funny!