This post reviews: Red Data Girl, Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge, Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince, Devil Survivor 2 the Animation, and Karneval.

Right now, it seems as though there will be a total of three parts for the First Week Impressions posts.  If you don’t see a certain anime in this post, it will probably be reviewed in a post that follows this.

Watching:

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation

Although the first episode of Devil Survivor 2 did not leave me terribly impressed, there were plenty of positives in the first episode alone to warrant keeping the anime as well as hints that it should pick up rather quickly.  The most notable positive from this episode would be that it isn’t afraid to thrust the characters immediately into these bizarre fights and thrilling or suspenseful scenes.  It’s an anime that isn’t going to shy away from action which indicates that there should be plenty of action and excitement in this anime.  The story and set-up, at least at this juncture, is surprisingly dumb given what we’ve seen, especially with this death clips app controlling life/death/summoning and a super-secret organization overarching the whole monster battle system.  The main characters are borderline boring right now (except for the sidekick, he’s boring) but it should pick up once the story does and, if not, there should be interesting characters joining the extended cast soon.  The art is respectable and the animation splendid although the subway battles were a bit too dark to really appreciate the character and monster movements.  As for the setting, it seems to be another rehash of Tokyo getting invaded by whatever and having teens fight back.  Nothing terribly impressive there but the monster battle system might prove to be a strength depending on how it integrates with the story or the individual characters.  So while not the best show of this young season, it’s definitely one worth keeping given its positives and its potential.

Undecided:

Red Data Girl

The first episode of Red Data Girl proved to be both surprising and impressive, showcasing a rather remarkable setting, one that intertwines a rustic rural landscape with Shinto magic in a modern Japan.  Not only that but how the setting affects the characters, specifically Izumiko with her divine hair, sheltered upbringing and spontaneous magic, I am honestly intrigued.  The visuals in this anime are spectacular and remarkable, too.  The characters and backgrounds were beautiful throughout the episode but the most impressive illustrations were during the underwater scene where the computer lab flooded and submerged our heroine.  That scene alone really changed my opinion on the anime for the better.  However, as you can see I’m still undecided on it which brings me to the other aspects of the anime.  The whole guardianship with Miyuki’s character, certain to evolve into a romance over time, is all I need for me to drop this anime.  I absolutely hate the set-up with his character and the direction the story is going.  I am willing to give the anime a chance to correct itself out of this spiral, but this type of romance story is one I cannot stand.  The other issues I have with the series beyond the story are that the remainder of the cast failed to make much of an impression on me.  Hopefully some more interesting characters show up soon because there needs to be something this asinine story about forcing a young boy to be the guardian of a young girl.  I’ll give Red Data Girl a chance to improve with its second episode but, given its plot thus far, don’t be surprised if this anime gets dropped next week.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge leaves me feeling conflicted.  The first episode proved to be fun and entertaining, especially when the two main characters Kiri and Iwai were involved in generating the humor and laughs.  The ordeal with Iwai being ‘cursed’ and the ‘Killing Goods’ being weapons for a death game sound intriguing and I’m curious to see how they will be used.  The only other characters that were featured in this episode, the two ‘murderers’ have the potential to be interesting too, depending on who they’re used since they’re both still mysterious at this point (except one is a student at Kiri’s school or something?).  As for the rest of the anime… meh.  I’ve never really been fond of survival or death games before, so depending on how Crime Edge manages this aspect will prove vital to whether I keep it or not.  You already know the romance angle will be played strongly throughout the anime between Kiri and Iwai and that’s something I’m not looking forward, too.  These types of forced romances are always the worst kind of stories and that alone would be an excellent reason for dropping this anime.  Also, considering that this will be a death game anime, you figure the remainder of the cast will be gimmicky players with specific weapons, so there isn’t too much hope for genuine interactions between the characters unless the two other girls watching over Iwai join their side.  The action might be the best part of the plot but I’m not sure how a battle between a pair of scissors and a syringe will work out.  Well, I suppose in the next episode, I’ll find out how that battle ends up, as well as whether I’ll want to keep Crime Edge or not.

Dropped:

Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince

You know you’re dealing with an abysmal anime when the best thing that I can recall from the first episode is that I only watched it for 9 minutes.  And even then, I still regret lasting that long.  Majestic Prince isn’t so much of an anime than it is a lengthy list of problems.  For starters, the characters aren’t so much as humans as they are wandering one-dimensional personality traits.  The klutzy girl is always klutzy in everything that she does, the stupid protagonist is stupid in everything he does and the other three reacted not as a person would but how their one flawed personality trait defined they would.  I don’t even recall the characters thinking or showing emotion once during my experience with Majestic Prince.  And speaking of flawed, there is art and animation in Majestic Prince.  The CG animated space battles was passable at best, you can’t be terrible impressed with 3D models flying through open and empty space.  Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the art.  The stylization or appearance of the characters in Majestic Prince is a balanced combination of lazy and ugly.  None of the characters show any discernible detail or effort besides the wacky faces that popped up whenever someone attempted something humorous.  It’s something I’m not used to and something I don’t plan on getting used to either.  I didn’t make it far enough into the episode to understand or appreciate the plot but it seems like a bunch of losers are going to save the galaxy for no practical or gratifying reason.  I mean, I could understand it better if they were the best fighters in the school or something, but this is the equivalent in stupidity of asking a bunch of 4-year-olds try to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner (except that would be more entertaining than Majestic Prince).  Oh, I suppose there is one other positive that I can comment on from this first episode: that I won’t be watching this anime anymore.

Karneval

It’s amazing how much of an impact one character can have on an anime and, unfortunately for Karneval, the protagonist here absolutely ruins the anime for me.  Nai is way too needy and dependent as a character, never thinking for himself or even about himself and always going on and on about his boyfriend, Karoku.  Even during the fight and subsequent escape, he never showed interest or really any appropriate reactions to the events going on.  I could understand if he were drugged or sedated somehow but it seems that he was too busy thinking about Karoku and where he went.  The rest of the cast, however, proved fine, especially Gareki who really carried this episode once he began setting off the bombs.  The action in this anime does seem a bit variable with the fight in the mansion being lame but the one on the train enjoyable, possibly because the one in the mansion was just bombs going off twice and the train scene featured an actual fight.  As for the plot, I left the episode without a clue on what was going on besides Circus being a super-secret organization and Nai is searching for Karoku because he never ceased to mention that whenever he could.  I’m not really certain who or what the other characters are doing yet but I suppose that it will be revealed eventually.  The art and animation in this anime is gorgeous, especially in terms of its detail and character design.  I’d love to continue watching the anime based on its aesthetics alone since it is pleasing to the eye, but it just isn’t my type of anime.  After watching the first episode, I already hate the helpless, absentminded and emotionless protagonist Nai and the story never really hooked me with its factions and groups waging a magical war against each other.  It might be worth checking out if you can get beyond the protagonist, but for now, I’m done with Karneval.

This post reviews: Hataraku Maou-sama!, Photo Kano, Yahari Ore Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru, and Aku no Hana.

Watching:

Hataraku Maou-sama!

Hataraku Maou-sama! is a charming anime thanks to its genuine comedy and pleasant cast of characters.  While the first episode focused primarily on setting up the story with Sadao meeting Emi in modern Tokyo, Maou-sama provided tremendous insight into its sense of humor and its presentation, working in a number of amusing jokes regularly throughout the episode.  In addition to that, we also witnessed the transformation of Sadao and his underling, Ashiya, from world-conquering demons to underemployed foreigners.  It really introduced the series well and gave us a baseline to go from, already showing us development in the characters that’s both meaningful and hilarious.  The story will only progress from here and it will likely show Sadao and Emi compete with each other in this new realm but instead of awesome super-powers and magic, they’ll be competing as ordinary humans.  The results are sure to be hilarious and I wouldn’t be surprised if some romance blossoms between these two fated rivals.  Given that the physical setting is Tokyo, I’m not entirely impressed, but I do enjoy the fantasy undertones throughout and the fact that the characters are all from another world and one that’s modeled after an RPG video game.  The art and animation were above-standard and pleasing to watch thought nothing noteworthy occurred in this episode.  I’m already excited about the next episode of Maou-sama and I hope that every episode from here on out can reproduce the same level of quality and amount of comedy that made the first episode so enjoyable.

Undecided:

Nothing here which means the other three are…

Dropped:

Photo Kano

Hey, did you know you’re watching an incredibly dry and derivative harem anime?  Let me remind, again, you that I am childhood friends with the smartest, most popular and athletic girl at our school?  And that I’m buddy-buddy with the busty tomboy on the Softball team?  And like every girl at school because of my camera?  Oh, and how could I forget that this is generic every-school in Japan?  And that super wacky club I joined, the one with those crazy characters and that one otaku girl, why, everyone does that in Japan, right?  Yeah, you can totally self-insert yourself into this miserable excuse of fan wank, especially if you’re one of those camera otaku who loves to take those slightly ecchi pictures of girls without their permission.  Oh, what’s that?  The girls in this anime want you to take their pictures and that they don’t mind if you’re spying on them from afar?  Wonderful!  It’s like this anime was written by the hopes and dreams of every lonely otaku with a camera who dreamed about taking upskirt of every girl in school.  Yeah, that’s probably the only type of demographic that could possibly watch and appreciate this mess of an anime.  And if the entirely unoriginal story, characters and setting weren’t enough of a reason, the art is clearly substandard and the animation nonexistent.  Hell, even the fanservice in this anime is awkward with all those spine-breaking poses everyone is doing.  Really, there is no reason to continue watching Photo Kano unless you’re the kinda guy who wishes they could photograph every girl in school in a variety of outfits doing supposedly sexy poses without getting arrested and thrown in jail.  Yeah, that’s it.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru (Oregairu)

Pretty much take the Photo Kano review, place it here, remove “perverted camera otaku” and replace with “typical anti-social loser” and you’ve got my impressions of Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.  It’s pretty much got the same set-up you see in every harem anime with guy meeting girls, guy being forced into new club, typical Japanese high school, and every other cliché that’s necessary for these type of anime so that the otaku that depend on them never have to face change in their lives.  Like, even if there were an ounce of originality in this anime, would the audience that this is intended for throw up their arms and riot?  I really wonder why there is no innovation or imagination in this genre that feels like the same anime on repeat.  And is it supposed to be funny that the premise here is “this isn’t going to be a romcom” and then it goes head-first into stereotypical romcom jokes and relationship development?  Newsflash, it isn’t.  Not only that, but the characters are incredibly shallow and the dialogue throughout the episode was monotonous and predictable.  Not only that, but it is incredibly boring for the entire first episode to be the main two to three characters conversing the whole time.  The art is fine yet unimpressive, but the animation was completely absent since it was just people sitting and talking in an empty classroom for 20 minutes.  I am stunned that I am saying this but somehow Photo Kano was better than Oregairu.  However, unlike Photo Kano, I may revisit this anime since it has the right properties to be an effective sleep aid should I ever develop insomnia and need a way to quickly fall asleep each night.

Aku no Hana

Since the visuals are the most defining, most noteworthy and most conversed subject of Aku no Hana, let’s start there first.  I must admit, I was skeptical about the animation style from the screenshots I saw but I am impressed with the level of animation and kinetics throughout the entire episode.  The sheer amount of movement is remarkable, especially with all the insignificant and wasted motions, like shifting one’s eyes or acting goofy in public.  I really enjoyed that aspect of this episode, especially since the animation was constant and consistent throughout.  Even with a few scenes of recycled animation, I found this to be the single best aspect of this anime.  However, the other aspect of the visuals, that of the art, is a disaster.  I realize there is an exchange between art and animation and that the one must be sacrificed for the other, but the characters are just way too plain to look at.  There is no detail in their appearance.  It’s lackluster.  It’s boring.  I realize that there was a compromise to accommodate for the level of the animation, but this is unpleasant.  What it did was pass a certain threshold of art quality for me, placing it somewhere below the baseline of what I consider acceptable for an anime.  If they wanted the story to be portrayed as realistic, why not just film it as a live-action TV show?  In fact, if it were a live-action show, I think I’d definitely keep it.  If it were a live-action show, I’d have no gripe about the low-quality art and I would be able to appreciate the artistic merit of the story more so.  But no, the character art is too worrisome for me, something that I just can’t appreciate for an story of this caliber.  I’m in love with the animation and kinetics in Aku no Hana but the art is just way too simple and dull.  And when the anime transitions into dialogue-heavy scenes where the animation is nil, I know I won’t be happy with the appearance of this anime.  I’m really conflicted on this issue, both simultaneously loving and hating different aspects of the concept at the same time.  If only the art quality were better, then I might be talking about this anime in the Watching section instead.

Alright, as for the rest of the anime, I can’t say I’m terribly fascinated.  The protagonist here is just another high school loser who’s horny for the most beautiful girl in school.  I know the story will pick-up quickly now that Kasuga found Saeki’s gym clothes in the classroom, but I was never thrilled with the idea of a romance/drama where blackmail is the dominant concept.  It may or may not be interesting but it doesn’t seem like the kinda story I enjoy or appreciate.  And given the way the first episode was directed, I really have to wonder how slow and meaningless the rest of the anime will be.  This first episode felt unnecessary given how little development occurred, and you really have to question the message the producers were trying to send with this first episode.  I know that they’re trying to be artsy and emblematic but this was just bad.

This post reviews: Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san, Shingeki no Kyojin, Zettai Bouei Leviathan, Suisei no Gargantia, and Yuyushiki.

Watching:

Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

What Muromi-san lacks for in depth, complexity and characterization, it makes up for with its adorable cast of characters, its charming comedy and a handful of scenes with wonderful animation.  Perhaps the most notable aspect of this anime is its art and character designs.  To me, it seems like the anime plays tribute to an older or atypical style of animation which really helps emphasize the characters and helps out with the comedy, too.  The anime is cast with bright, vivid colors in a warm light giving the show an inviting and enhancing atmosphere that really appeals to one’s eyes.  It helps compliment the energy and exhilaration on screen too, especially when Muromi-san is present and acting as enthusiastic as she does.  The humor in this episode was rather simple but effective and is sure to develop when more mermaids join the cast and can allow the style of humor to expand beyond crazy girl meets lethargic boy.  There isn’t much value in terms of story and characters and, although that usually is a negative for me, it makes sense given that Muromi-san is a 12-minute comedy anime that doesn’t need a story or intricate characters.  Every episode of Muromi-san is supposed to be fun and enjoyable without needed to cater to any type of story or theme or whatever.  And as long as you’re having fun and enjoy watching Muromi-san, there’s no reason to stop.  It’s an easy choice to pick up for this season.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

There are six major categories for which I use to understand, evaluate and appreciate anime.  They are art, characters, entertainment, setting, sound and story.  All an anime needs for me to like it, or even love it, is to excel at just a few of those categories and even my favorites don’t measure well in all six.  So when an anime comes along that surpasses a majority of anime in all six categories, what does it say about that anime?  Well, after one episodes, it’s a bit too early to hail it as the best anime of the season, but it certainly speaks well for what to expect from this anime for the next 24 weeks.  What I enjoy most about Shingeki no Kyojin is its setting and how it is communicated to us.  Rather than waste some precious time for a narrator to tell us about this world, it shows us various details spread neatly throughout the episode and embeds it within the dialogue.  Not only that but the setting of Titan is uniquely distinctive and its threats and modes of warfare are both remarkable and thrilling.  The art and animation is nothing short of spectacular too, and the use of lighting and shading is phenomenal.  I won’t get too much into the characters or story since both are in their infancy but both show promise, especially with how unnerving and expressive the siege on the city was portrayed.  And though I was expecting the anime to be entirely serious, there were a few bits of genuine comedy tossed around in this first episode that made me smile.  I was expecting the entertainment to be solely through the battles and action sequences but there seems to be some well-timed comedy throughout, too.  Really, this is easily the most impressive anime of this new season and one I adamantly recommend to anyone and everyone who has yet to watch the first episode.

Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet)

Gargantia is a fascinating, sensational, and passionate anime that is easily one of my favorites of this Spring anime season.  What enchants me the most about this magnificent anime is how it is written, not merely the dialogue alone but how the story is presented, how it is staged and how well the episode flowed from start to finish.  Not only did the episode flow in a logical manner, helping exhibit the situation, introduce our protagonist and the remainder of the cast, and detail how our hero learned about the setting through a lengthy hostage scene while communicating back and forth with his only friend, a mecha named Chamber, but the dialogue was expressive and meaningful (and even reaching to levels of hilariousness).  The world of Gargantia is also fantastically animated, full of motion and liveliness as seen through the space combat and chase scene.  Additionally, the anime is brilliantly colored too, featuring a bright and energetic color scheme that really differentiates the characters from the metallic setting and from Red who’s a bit monochrome in his battle suit.  As for the cast and story of Gargantia, there isn’t much to say at this point since we’ve just finished our introductions but each has the potential to be the best this season has to offer.  The cast features some enjoyable characters with strong, independent personalities.  On the other hand, the story seems a little ambiguous and ambivalent right now but I am dying to see how Red explores and merges with this new world and how it joins up with the space warfare from the first half of the episode.  Who knows, Gargantia might end up being my favorite anime of the season, especially if every episode from here on out is at this level or somehow improves.  This is yet another anime I vehemently recommend as I am sure everyone who watches it will not be disappointed.

Undecided:

Yuyushiki

Yuyushiki is a tale of two halves.  The first half of the first episode featured mundane comedy masking a tedious slice-of-life set-up where three girls wandered around their first day of highschool aimlessly.  It was incredibly boring.  The second half, when the girls got to the Data Processing Club and goofed around on the internet, was brilliant in its entertainment value, proving to be amusing and enticing almost instantly.  Really, it’s like I watched two different anime in the span of one episode of Yuyushiki with one being really, really bad and the other one being legitimately good.  As you can guess, I’m at a crossroads with this anime since I was certain I wanted to drop it after 12 minutes and certain I want to keep it if future episodes are just the girls surfing the internet for 20 minutes at a time.  I can see myself going through peaks and valleys with this anime depending on the skit and the jokes but if it’s still hilarious every so often, it’ll be a keeper.  I’m not terribly impressed or thrilled with the characters, especially since Yuzuko and Yukari appear to have the same personality and play the same role in the comedy (both are the boke or funny man) and Yui is a tepid tsukkomi (straight man).  It isn’t great like most other comedies that I enjoy but it’s functional if less than ideal.  There really aren’t any significant portions of animation to note after this first episode and the art style isn’t my favorite but it still is cute.  Depending on how the comedy performs in the next episode (really, it depends on how much time they spend in the computer lab), I’ll be deciding on keeping or dropping this anime.

Dropped:

Zettai Bouei Leviathan

While there were some positives from the first episode of Leviathan, it wasn’t enough to overcome the tremendous feeling of bored that overwhelmed me while watching its debut episode.  There was absolutely nothing in this episode that lit a fire underneath me or beckoned me to keep watching.  The story isn’t much of a story with three girls becoming friends and saving the world from an invasion of bugs or something (if this is wrong, sorry, I stopped paying attention somewhere before the bar fight).  And although the characters are incredibly cute and endearing, there really isn’t much in the way of personality or role in the story to keep me interested in their adventures or character growth.  I always have a soft spot for fantasy settings such as this and it seems like all the characters are human-shaped dragons or fairies.  It makes me wonder why these three magical girls were given the names Leviathan, Bahamut and Jormungand when those are some of the most storied and fabled dragons of the world’s folklore.  Maybe the parents of these girls knew that they’d save the world when they were in their teens?  Who knows.  The art and animation seemed to be a bit below-average which probably reflects the below-average budge this anime has and the fact that the voice casting for this anime is all A-list talent.  And while the anime features highly talented seiyuu voicing its characters, the dialogue is unfortunately simple and, at times, even shameful which made the episode feel awkward and sluggish more often than not.  I found it a pretty easy decision to drop this anime after the first episode but I do regret not being able to see these cute dragon girls for the remainder of the season, so hopefully someone out there will post dozens of screenshots every episode for all of us to enjoy.

This week: why I’m not buying the ‘death’ scene in Kakumeiki Valvrave and what leads me to believe so, some recommendations for Yamane on how to properly use a syringe in Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge, questioning the geographies, organizations and structures of cities in Shingeki no Kyojin, Suisei no Gargantia, and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S, and some additional thoughts on the setting in anime.

Best episode of the week: Shingeki no Kyojin

Anime trending up this week: Hataraku Maou-sama!

Anime trending down this week: Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 14)

Considering that the team tournament and individual tournaments are only a day apart, you really have to question how fatigue, both mental and physical, will play a role for competitors who play in both.  Consider players like Chihaya and Megumu who both play in several games on the day of the team competitions versus Shinobu who gets to relax all day and prepare for the individual matches the following day.  You really have to think players who aren’t in the team competition are at a significant advantage, especially since we see fatigue setting in for the cast of Chihayafuru after 3 or 4 or 5 matches compared to the distinct possibility of playing 10 matches in the span of 30 or so hours.  With this substantial handicap placed against Chihaya and Megumu, I don’t predict that they’ll go very far or perform very well when the individual tournament begins, but it will be nonetheless be interesting to see how they perform regardless of fatigue or other factors.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 2)

Someone needs to take Yamane’s ‘death syringe’ away from her until she learns some proper syringe and needle etiquette.  For starters, I hope she switches out her needles after every poke in order to reduce the risk of blood-borne pathogens, like hepatitis or HIV, from infecting her friends or introducing bacteria to sterile sites and causing cellulitis or sepsis.  Not only that but changing the needle out after every injection will prevent the tip from deforming, which certainly isn’t pleasant.  And what’s with her injecting people in the neck and forearm?  That certainly isn’t safe or the preferred method of injecting someone.  Considering the needle she’s using, at least go for the deltoid muscle.  Like, you really have to wonder if anyone taught her how to handle the Killing Goods that she inherited or if she just picked them up and began injecting everyone with everything she could find.  And another thing, how exactly is she getting ahold of these medications?  Not necessarily concerned about the financing which is probably astronomical for a mere teenager but how does she hold the licensing to purchase these drugs, especially the sleeping on that she administered to Iwai and Kiri?  But whatever, it’s just dumb fun and mindless action, and trying to answer these questions usually means killing the fun and action itself, so let’s not go there, especially since those two are the best aspects of this anime so far.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 2)

Yellow and blue seem to be dominating colors for Devil Survivor 2, present as saturating overtones throughout the entire episode.  Really, if you go back and just scan through the episode, you’ll notice how much of a presence yellow, and to a lesser extent blue, has in Devil Survivor 2.  Thinking back to the other Atlus anime that aired last year, Persona 4, that one also had a very powerful presence of yellow throughout it, too.  In fact, it is almost overwhelming at times the amount of color that Persona 4 and Devil Survivor 2 uses in some situations.  From here, the question becomes, what significance do the colors yellow and blue play in Devil Survivor 2 or why use these colors to this extent in the first place?  There doesn’t seem to be any clues or any hints as to why yellow and blue play a predominate role in Devil Survivor 2, but it should be interesting to find out if the subject is ever explained or explored.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 2)

Okay, be honest, did anyone else try to make ‘Black Pepper Fries’ after watching Maou-sama?  I’m not sure if there’s a secret recipe at MgRonald with a dozen or so ‘secret spices’ or if they’re pretty much normal French fries with black pepper sprinkled all over them, but I tried this myself soon after finishing the first and during the second episode of Maou-sama.  Rather than ransack my spice rack and experiment with whatever I had, I sprinkled some coarse black pepper over a full-serving of fries and at them alongside my viewing of the second episode.  I must say that eating my version of Black Pepper Fries was a delicious treat while watching this delightful anime and I’m considering making this a habit for at least the next few episodes (or until they come out with a new type of French fries to serve at MgRonald).  If you’re curious yourself, I highly recommend trying it yourself, especially since it’s relevantly simple to prepare for something so yummy.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride (Episode 2)

You really have to feel bad for the forgotten characters of Hyakka Ryouran: Matabei, Hanzou and Kanetsugu.  Not only are these characters destined to be in the background of every fight, mainly because the series hates them and won’t let them become Master Samurai, but they’re destined to be in the background of every episode, too.  Every time there is an event or story going on in the anime, it revolves around Yukimura or Sen or Muneakira or Juubei or someone other than the three forgotten characters.  Instead, they’re stuck doing support jobs like helping these main characters with the least amount of screentime possible.  And when the situation arises that a new Master Samurai must be crowned, a silly monkey suddenly appears, gets an entire episode to itself (!!) and serendipitously becomes a Master Samurai for no justifiable reason.  Yeah, after helping out with everything for an entire season, the series just passes Matabei and Hanzou over and gives everything to a new character that never put in any work or effort.  Yeah, so much for being a bodyguard and friend to both Yukimura and Sen for all these years.  And let’s not forget Kanetsugu, the best character of this series; she deserves a power-up and an episode to herself, too.  Well, based on the preview for episode 3, we might just get that with a Kanetsugu-themed episode coming up next.  Hopefully the series doesn’t find a new way to screw us out of something good.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 1)

Quite a bit happened in the first episode of Valvrave, but one scene sticks out in particular for me as being the most significant and meaningful.  When we saw Shouko run from her group to help a pedestrian stuck in a car, we witnessed her death when an energy beam landed right beside her and blasted the whole area into nothing more than a silent, smoldering crater.  Yeah, so we can close the book on her character now, right?  Well, that’s where I want to say that Valvrave is wrong and that it only appears that Shouko is dead.  Sure, we saw the whole explosion and whatnot, but there are enough details present to suggest that she’s still alive and will make a return to Valvrave.  The first point is that we never saw her body.  It could be that the energy beam that killed her also vaporized her body but not finding a body after a death scene is always a flag that they might return later.  Another point specific to that scene is that the energy beam landed next to her, not on top of her.  This might be significant in that someone else (the passenger in the car) may have shielded her and protected her as her body was flung from the site of the explosion.  Furthermore, we know that Shouko is an important character to our protagonist, Haruto, so it makes sense to bring her back for whatever reason later on in the series.  Those three points alone are generally enough for most shows to have a character to reappear after a ‘fake death scene’, but Valvrave introduced one more concept that reinforces my idea that Shouko will return and that is the whole system of losing one’s humanity.

As we saw with Haruto at the end of the first episode, people who operate Valvrave reject their human life and become some sort of superhuman vampire-thingy that can survive what would surely kill any normal human being.  And seeing that the Valvrave mobile suit was underneath the school the whole time, what’s not to say that Shouko was a test subject and lost her humanity like Haruto?  Given how we only learned of this concept after Shouko’s ‘death’, I believe that she had gone through the same process once before and that we never thought that she could survive a blast through such a means since we never knew such a means existed until after the ending credits rolled.  Not only that but having Shouko survive through such a means plays well with the other three points listed previously.  Given that and everything else that we saw in this first episode, I have a strong reason to believe that Shouko is not dead in Valvrave and that we’ll be seeing her at some grandiose and magnificent time near the end of the first season, probably killing superhuman Haruto because she’s a villain or something and then having us wait 3 months between the two seasons of Valvrave.  Remember, you heard it here first!

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 2)

Having such a densely populated area located on the outer-most region of the walls is a terrible idea.  Even if this area were the slums or a township of disadvantaged or impoverished people, it doesn’t make sense for a settlement of such a size to be located near such immediate danger, even if the titans were unable to invade for over a century.  Not only that, but it doesn’t make sense for a village of such wealth (considering the appearance and structure of the buildings) to be located in such an area.  It’s not like being located on the edge of the walled empire provides an advantage to trade or resources or agriculture or anything.  I could understand if it were a military outpost to keep a watch for the titans and to maintain a milita, but it looks more like an urban city than a citadel.  And after taking a quick look at the population geography of the nation of humans, it doesn’t seem that there are really any densely populated areas around this specific hamlet, instead with most of the people choosing to live within the center-most walls and concentrating around that area.  So as to why the humans choose to build such a compressed and urban settlement right next to the least defensible area in the empire is beyond me.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 2)

Considering that the surface of the Earth is covered entirely with water and that mankind lives atop floating flotillas, you can’t help but wonder where the source of fuel comes from that power these seafaring vessels.  I’d like to assume that these ships are powered by some sort of renewable energy source, like solar power, because that would make sense given the extreme lack of resources that these humans face, but the structure and shape and just the general feel of these ships screams out to me that they utilize some type of fossil fuel like oil or coal or something.  Then again, you don’t see smoke billowing out of these ships and you already know that coal or oil or natural gas are probably impossible to harvest now, so it’s probably not anything analogous to what we use now.  But still, seeing these retrofitted steel behemoths and roaming the oceans, you can’t help but wonder what sort of dated fuel source they’re using, even if it’s something like solar power or wind power or something like that.  Either way, I’m curious to see more about the technology of Gargantia, how it impacts the lives of its crew and its citizens and how the people live sailing around the globe in this nomadic lifestyle.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 1)

Who exactly thought that Academy City would be a good idea?  Okay, first things first, how does a city with over 1.8 million students, 80% of the total population, support itself considering how overburdened the adult workforce must be.  Not only do these students need to be kept in schools and academies of various sizes and structures, each having their own staff and faculty, but then you have to employ all the various shops and groceries and other commercial businesses in the city, not to mention government, police, healthcare, transportation and utilities, with the remaining population.  I don’t think Academy City could support any form of industry within its borders, including light industry.  Unless there is a massive population of commuters living in the suburbs not included in that population statistic, I don’t see how Academy City functions.  Furthermore, who’d send their kids to school there considering how dangerous and targeted the city is?  I’m not sure how far away the rest of civilization is but I’d worry about sending my 12 or 13 year-old kid there for the next decade of their life.  You have all these punks and hooligans causing trouble every single day, various organizations trying to take over or destroy the city and immature brats running around with ESP powers that could pose danger to anyone that looks at them the wrong way.  Now it makes sense why they have to enlist students as an ancillary police force.  And what happens when you graduate?  Do you get booted out of the city or are you forced to find a job there?  Are there places of higher education within Academy City, like universities or specialized schools or places for job training?  Just how strict is Academy City on its population policy so that it maintains a student population of 80% of the total city?  Oh, and one other major issue is that of taxation and how exactly the city is funded.  Considering how wealthy, clean and structured the city is, I assume that every one of the 1.8 million students are paying out their asses in board, tuition and taxes to stay at these private schools in Academy City.  You have to assume that the net flow in wealth coming into the city is well into the tens of billions based on the USD.  Really, the society of Academy City is intriguing to me, trying to understand how such a city is structured and how it functions.

As you can tell by the last three subjects on the last three anime, I have an undying fascination with the setting of anime with a particular interest in the geography of cites, especially in those that are similar or wildly different than the real world.  Unfortunately for me, these questions are hardly ever examined and, less frequently, answered.  But then again, maybe that’s the reason why I enjoy thinking about these subjects so often and why I look for the solutions on my own.  Either way, I always find myself enchanted with the various settings of all the anime I watch and I hope these questions and thoughts provoke or inspire you to think critically about the diversity of settings in all the anime you watch.

This week: thinking ahead on how the weather could be used as a means of conflict in Suisei no Gargantia, weighing in on two fascinating story mechanics in Kakumeiki Valvrave, the fantastic use of voices in Chihayafuru 2, and examining the personalities of Emi in Hataraku Maou-sama! and Misaka in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S.

Best episode of the week: Shingeki no Kyojin

Anime trending up this week: Kakumeiki Valvrave

Anime trending down this week: Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 15)

Sound is essential to every anime.  Whether it’s in relation to the music, the voice acting, the ambiance or whatever, sound is a vital aspect to every anime.  In Chihayafuru however, the voices of the various karuta readers shows an even greater capacity in how the use of sound plays an imperative role in this anime.  As we already know per the rules of karuta, once the first sound of the poem begins, the players are free to swing their arms and aim their fingertips to the corresponding card.  With the rules of karuta structured like this, we find a great deal of significance placed on the readers in every match, often times amplified when Chihaya or another player pounces at the first syllable.  However, in this finals match, we’re treated to Yamashiro Kyouko, a grade 7 certified reader, which is pretty much the very best of the best.  For her character, not only does she need to be a talented voice actress but also one that understands and enunciates as a professional karuta reader does.  Not only that, but to have the impact that her character has and for her voice to have that imposing yet impassioning effect, she needs to be better than all the other karuta readers before her.  With this in mind, we can find a new form of appreciation in the karuta reader and in Kyouko’s voice.  In addition to that, it’s worth noting that the other karuta readers deserve recognition too, since each has had to learn the system and rhythm and pronunciation to be karuta readers in this anime, even the ones that turned out to be ‘bad’ readers since they had to learn how to do it properly and how they would flub it up.  Hopefully now, with the sudden appearance of Yamashiro Kyouko, there is a newfound appreciation of karuta readers and how the use of character voices plays a fundamental role in Chihayafuru.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 3)

Let’s face it; we knew the fights in Crime Edge were going to be bad.  When the deadly weapons that the characters use to ‘kill’ each other are a pair of scissors, a syringe and a sledgehammer (I notice a pattern…), you figure that the fights are going to be a disappointing if not dismal.  And yes, this is before you factor in Kiri’s superhuman speed that materialized out of nowhere, like even the story wasn’t aware it was going to happen and wasn’t sure where the episode was going with it.  But the worst part about the fight in the third episode of Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge is how the opponent, the Sledgehammer of Crushing Disintegration, never had his character explained.  In fact, during the fight, he never spoke a single word.  Now I realize that people love to complain about how things aren’t realistic when characters say their names and explain their motives during fights, but there are a couple of reasons why we see it so often in stories like these.  First, this isn’t real life, this is an anime, so let your logic run loose and forgotten while you enjoy (or try to enjoy) this show.  Second, it’s an effective method of storytelling despite being clichéd and corny in nature.  Yeah, people don’t tell each other their secret plans and all that in real life but it’s the one chance the character had to elaborate on himself, explain why he appeared now and why this fight is necessary and to help relate his situation back to Kiri’s own as an Author.  Really, the decision to leave this first real opponent in the dark is a poor decision on Crime Edge, especially since there was amble room to explain what happens to an Author without an Instead and what the Author’s wish was that could tie back into the pain and obsession the Authors must endure.  But no, instead, we have a missed opportunity here for Crime Edge.  Without a doubt, this is the principal reason on why I found this fight to be a severe disappointment.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 3)

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone has pointy, elf-like ears in Devil Survivor 2?  At first, I thought it was just Makoto who had tipped ears like that, but in the third episode, you also see it’s prominent in Keita’s appearance as well.  After scanning back through the episode, there are instances where you see it in others too, like Daichi and Io.  So do these characters have legitimately pointy-ears or is there something else going on that’s causing it to only appear so?  Well, given its inconsistency with other characters, and the fact that doesn’t appear to be another race of humanoids in Devil Survivor 2, I figure that this is an impression or effect that I have with this particular character design or art style.  The way the ears are drawn here just seem to be pulled upward or inward, in a fashion that leaves them looking pointier than other, rounder anime ears.  Looking back at some of the summons, especially Lilim who has genuine pointy ears, it becomes clearer that this is merely an effect of the character designs or art style on certain humans.  So yeah, there doesn’t seem to be any significance on the shape of the ears in Devil Survivor 2 besides being slightly different than what we see as the norm in other anime.

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W (Episode 3)

Why are there even fights in Nyaruko-san?  Unlike most other fighting anime, Nyaruko-san doesn’t have an emphasis on fights or even have a system that configures and organizes power levels, fighting styles, strengths and weaknesses or anything to that nature.  It’s just, ‘there’s gonna be a fight, let’s power up and win’.  It’s not like the characters train or anything to become stronger or better.  It’s not like the enemies are stronger and that there is some challenge or reward in these fights.  They’re just plot devices used to end these story arcs.  Really, Nyaruko-san would be significantly better without these fights and if they just replaced them with jokes.  And yes, I realize that the majority of these fights are comprised of comedic material and that they’re used in a way to set-up for other jokes, but this time could be managed better to include more jokes or better jokes that relate to the story arc and the characters.  To be, the fights in Nyaruko-san are always unsatisfying and disappointing and I hope that the series begins to steer away from them and use its time better, especially if it can include more comedy.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 3)

In the first three episodes, Emi has come across as a tsundere bitch who hates everyone and everything.  You’d think as a Hero of the human race, she would be a kinder, gentler soul with empathy and compassion etched firmly in her heart.  In reality… she’s exactly that: Emi is actually a thoughtful, caring, and kindhearted girl to everyone that isn’t Sadao or his underlings.  Pretty much every time we’ve seen Emi thus far is when she’s around her mortal enemy, Sadao, and so she reacts in a way that’s vicious, intense and hateful.  However, when she’s around other humans, the people that she herself is trying to protect and save, she shows her truer self which is one of a caring and benevolent nature.  Although you figure she exploded in front of Chiho out of pure jealousy, you could also see it as her concern of a human falling in love with Sadao, only to be stolen away, tortured and murdered by the Demon Lord himself.  Because of the way Maou-sama is directed and given the way the story has progressed, we never really see much of Emi by herself or when she’s around other humans and not pre-occupied with Sadao.  Given what we’ve learned about her character in the past and how she acts around humans in our world, we can ascertain that Emi is actually a compassionate and loving girl who just happens to be passionate or extreme in her feelings toward the world’s greatest enemy.  She really is a sweet person and I hope that we see more of this side of her soon.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride (Episode 3)

Sorry Kanetsugu but your competition of finding the #1 maid at the dojo is doomed for failure right from the very start.  There can’t be anyone who’s more maid than Hanzou because her character is always a maid.  Sure, right now, everyone is working as a maid in the maid café but these are only costumes worn by the girls to provide a better experience for their customers.  None of these girls are actually maids, they’re only pretending to be.  That is except for Hanzou who’s genuinely a maid and a samurai.  So by trying to hold a competition among the girls to find the #1 is completely asinine when you already have a character who is full-time maid in this series.  And when the plot device that is the maid café dries up eventually, Hanzou will be the only who’s still being a maid in this series since that’s what her character and her costume dictates.  After all that, do you really have to question who the #1 maid is in Hyakka Ryouran?  I think not.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 2)

I can’t figure out which is more intriguing in Valvrave thus far, the whole death/survival/vampirism mechanics going on that allow Haruto to live or the enchanted, supernatural powers that energize and operate the aptly named mecha, Valvrave.  Although both components are inevitably linked to each other, the two are being used to very different degrees in the anime and have fundamentally different roles in the story at this point.  To me, the whole aspect of Haruto’s bite-and-control-someone-else mechanics are more interesting since it can have a wide variety of applications in the story while also being unique in nature.  I’m curious to see how the anime employs this fascinating concept further, especially since I can see it being used for dumb, goofy stuff that Sunrise always likes to do with its stories.  The Valvrave system is the less interesting aspect to me simply because we always find these mobile suits powered with special mechanics that make them the strongest in the series.  Although I am interesting in discovering the source of the light, the operating system that requires the pilot to reject their humanity and the superpowered God-mode, I just find this to be the same old story as we see in any generic mecha anime.  Hopefully there’ll be something there that makes the mobile armor in Valvrave interesting but I can’t say that it captivates me like the life-and-death mechanics going on with Haruto’s character right now.

And yeah, I’m delighted to learn that Shouko is still alive after everyone was crying and complaining about her ‘death’ in the first episode.  Sure, it didn’t surprise me as much because I predicted it would happen after the events of the first episode, but I’m happy either way that she’s back in the series again after a brief absence.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 3)

Given how crazy and fanatical some anime fans are, I seriously wonder if more potatoes will be consumed in Japan, solely because of Sasha’s character and her love of potatoes.  If you remember last week, I tried making my own black pepper fries after watching Hataraku Maou-sama!, and now I’m in the mood for some baked potatoes after watching this episode of Attack on Titan.  I can’t help but wonder if other anime fans around Japan are craving potatoes too, now that we have an endearing, delightful character who loves them and loves eating them.  I guess we should keep our eyes focused on the streets of Akihabara first to see if otaku and anime fans alike are developing a taste for potatoes, especially if any place starts some promotional or Attack on Titan-themed entrees where potatoes are the prominent feature.  And yeah, you can tell I’m really hungry at the time I wrote this piece.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 3)

Although the first three episodes of Gargantia have been relatively turbulent, the weather and the seas have been calm and clear.  Every episode thus far has shown brilliant blue skies above and a peaceful aquamarine ocean below for our heroes to travel on and travel through.  But how long will this tranquil excursion last provided that we know how forceful and terrifying the weather can be?  And seeing as that everyone in Gargantia lives atop this seafaring flotilla and knowing that Red’s mecha is built for space warfare and is not necessarily tailored to Earth, you figure that at some time in the future, stormy waters await our protagonists.  I believe that in some episode soon, a hurricane or a tropical storm of some sort will encroach upon this civilization that lives aboard these floating vessels and in these maritime cities.  And when this happens, I believe the humans will be faced with some extraordinary but remarkable challenges.  I’m not sure how the stormy weather will affect Red’s mecha or Chamber’s performance, but the combination of wind and rain will certainly play some role.  As for the cities themselves, you have to think that any powerful hurricane has the chance to capsize or sink these cities, especially depending on the size of the waves or the speed of the gusts.  If that were to happen, try to imagine how that would impact all the characters and how it would change the composition of their fragile civilization.  I’m already interested to see how these characters will perform against this vengeful and violent form nature rather than continuing stories against other humans or an alien species, especially since there seems to be an environmental message embedded in the story of Gargantia.  If it turns out to be true and there is some human versus nature sequence in Gargantia where the weather plays a vital role in the story, you know I’ll be excited and overjoyed.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 2)

How do you define Misaka’s personality in Railgun?  In Index, it’s easy to define Misaka’s personality since she is the standard tsundere archetype, especially around Touma.  But in Railgun, the character dynamics are altered and her relationships are predominately with Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten.  Not only that but Misaka’s role in Railgun is unlike that of her role in Index with her being both the protagonist and hero here in Railgun.  As a result, Misaka acts differently between the two anime if only slightly.  But given this change, it’s nearly impossible to define her as a tsundere in Railgun since Touma plays a minimal role here and we hardly ever see her switch back and forth between the tsuntsun and deredere.  So how do you define Misaka in Railgun?  I’m perplexed by this issue and curious to see what others thing but the more I think about it, I suppose that Misaka fits the hero archetype in Railgun better than anything else.  Although she does match well with a number of different archetypes, she doesn’t fit one perfectly like she did in Index.  In fact, she’s a bit more plain and ordinary in Railgun compared to Index too, but Misaka is featured better as a character in Railgun and is able to do more as a character, too.  So just what exactly is Misaka in Railgun?  Maybe after another 24 episodes, I’ll have a better idea.

This week: the theme of forgiveness and tolerance in Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride, questioning the utilization of steampunk technologies in Shingeki no Kyojin, those awkward color filters in Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge, and beginning to understand and appreciate Emi’s character in Hataraku Maou-sama!

Best episode of the week: Shingeki no Kyojin

Anime trending up this week: Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

Anime trending down this week: Chihayafuru 2

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 4)

For whatever reason, color filters exist in Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge.  Though there appears to be no rhyme or reason why these oversaturating and often baffling filters appear, it seems as if they’re meant to denote a significant or dramatic scene.  That’d be an interesting choice of effect should the scenes that employ these filters be actually significant (or extrapolate to why these are more significant than other scenes) or dramatic.  Instead, these overwhelming colors consume our focus away from the scene in more of a distracting manner than anything empowering.  Not only that but the colors lack intensity and excitement and there doesn’t appear to be any sort of system that denotes what the colors represent, though that’s really the least of our concerns at this point in regards to the anime.  So without any clear indication to what these filters mean and a shaky execution of how they’re used, I can only hope that Crime Edge moves away from this regretful choice in art style and move away from something abstract and toward something tangible to help enhance the anime’s experience.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 4)

Although there are important characters dotted all across Japan, the constant cuts back to HQ and the other JPs departments significantly undermines the plot and action in Devil Survivor 2.  While it’s fine to flip back and forth to show people in different areas doing different things, it only makes sense when they are directly involved in the scene at hand, as it is when the anime switched between Hibiki and Nitta.  The same can’t be said when the anime alternates between the characters in Tokyo, the Kyoto branch of JPs, and the other members of the sizable cast of Devil Survivor 2.  The end result of jumping back and forth between these sites and these characters is an unfocused episode that seems easily distracted and impulsive.  Sure, the characters play an important role in each episode, but the anime doesn’t need to transition between these sites every couple seconds.  Although I don’t mind seeing Makoto a dozen times each episode, her role could effectively be replaced by her barking orders through a cell phone (although, I have to admit, I’d probably complain about this would be lazy animation).  We don’t need reaction shots of all these characters after every single development nor do we need to hear them speak some psychobabble about their computers being hacked or how close they are to being killed because things are suddenly theatrical.  No, what’d help Devil Survivor 2 from here on out would be to focus on the matters at hand, especially during action sequences and battles and save for the cuts back and forth between different sites and different characters for segments that require these characters to converse with each other.  Devil Survivor 2 should strive to have more seamless and uninterrupted episodes, ones that focus its concentration and attention to the characters and matters at hand and stop being so easily sidetracked and preoccupied with characters who aren’t there and aren’t affecting the story.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 4)

The fourth episode of Hataraku Maou-sama! played a fundamental role in solidifying Emi’s character and showing us reasons on why she’s so emotional and so conflicted at her current predicament.  After spending some more time with her character and exposing her backstory in a meaningful manner, we’ve earned some insight into what makes her character so complex, so compelling and so interesting in Maou-sama!  Really, Emi has the strongest personality and the boldest persona in Maou-sama!, but the reasoning behind her character seemed weak and lacking before this episode, especially since she was so intently focused on killing Sadao despite relying on him in this world.  But with the fourth episode spending some quality time on Emi’s past, one which shows her tragically removed from her father due to an escalating war and the eventual death of her father due to the demon armies, you can honestly begin to understand Emi’s motives and appreciate her character better.  In addition to that, you can merge this backstory with what we know of her character from these past three episodes to comprehend the conflicted and anguished profile we see before us.  And while Emi’s story isn’t the most glamorous or stimulating or expressive, it works well for the story and characters of Maou-sama!, especially when you consider that Emi was already the best character in this show.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride (Episode 4)

Considering that Hyakka Ryouran is a mindless action, ecchi harem anime that spends more time on boobs and panties rather than actual characterization or anything intelligent, it might be surprising to note that this episode successfully incorporated and expressed themes of forgiveness and tolerance in this episode.  Yeah, the episode had a message embedded within it that explored how Juubei’s forgiveness of Gisen and her tolerance toward her manipulation saved her life from certain death and helped Gisen gain acceptance in the dojo.  Yeah, the anime actually had something meaningful and expressive in it which is surprising since there were about a half-dozen pairs of naked breasts in this episode and a nude guy to go with it, too.  Then again, it’s not like this episode focused on this theme intently and developed it into a moral or the entire point of this episode.  Rather, the whole message of forgiveness and tolerance was woven neatly into the immediate story about Gisen informing the girls about Samurai Brides and trying to manipulate them against each other while she benefited from the controlled chaos.  But still, it’s rather impressive to see Hyakka Ryouran have something intelligent and meaningful in it, especially since I thought the anime was a source of purposeless entertainment where my brain could check-out for half an hour.  No, the fourth episode of this season won’t change how I watch this anime or how I appreciate it, but it does show that this anime has some merit behind it and some intelligence backing it up.  It still isn’t the reason to watch this anime nor is it a reason that makes this anime any better… it just means that Hyakka Ryouran has some positive messages in it, which means it’s somewhat more than just T&A for the better part of half-an-hour.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 3)

There’s what’s realistic in an anime, and then there’s suspension of disbelief… and then there’s Valvrave the Liberator, which is in a league of its own right now.  After the third episode of Kakumeiki Valvrave, you really have to wonder if all this hilarious, nonsensical bullshit is supposed to mean anything or if it’s camp-style fun taken way too far in a Sunrise-esque mecha anime.  Like, Valvrave has already gone past the point-of-no-return in terms of its silliness and its implausible actions.  No matter what it does from this point forward, it’ll always be labeled as a series that went too far.  Whether that’s a bad thing or not has yet to be judged, but so far, it’s worked in Valvrave’s favor for unintended (or maybe purposeful) hilarity.  To say that L-Elf’s absolutely perfect planning and escape, even though he had no clue where Haruto would be, when he’d be able to make his escape, how he’d find, carry, set-up and detonate all his explosive within that 15 minute time-frame from when he’d escape and be found, that the ship would be at the exact location and encounter the exact issue that’d render the collision as an earthquake… I mean, this thing goes on forever and this is only one episode.  You could do the same thing for episodes 1 and 2 as well and probably make one for episode 4 and 5 and all the rest if you really wanted to.  The point here is that Valvrave has a certain bizarre charm about it when it comes to being unrealistic and preposterous… but that’s what makes it enjoyable and amusing as a series.  Whether this is good or bad in the long run has yet to be determined, especially with fans evaluating it from differing perspectives and coming to opposing and often conflicting conclusions.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 4)

The steampunk technology in Attack on Titan is quite unique and exhilarating, watching characters fly around with swords drawn that have controls for pressure-controlled hooks and cables that suspend them and launch them through the air.  However, you have to wonder if this is the best use of such a technology in regards to fighting the titans.  For example, what do the soldiers do when there are no trees or walls around for which to attack a giant?  Well, considering that the hooks from the pressurized cables are strong enough to pierce the brick/stone façade of the massive walls, you figure that they can easily pierce the flesh of the titans.  Well then, why don’t they just launch those cables at the titans and use them to pull them down, targeting the legs of these monsters from a couple angles to trip and disable them?  Or better yet, why not just invent guns that use the hooks as a projectile if they’re so effective?  The military technology in Shingeki no Kyojin is rather remarkable but its use and effectiveness really has to be questioned at this point, especially since we keep hearing how the Recon teams are easily decimated when facing even a single titan.  Maybe there’s something else going on that we don’t know about yet, but you figure that there’s gotta be better ways than flying around in only a few select settings and hitting them in the back of neck with swords.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 4)

Since the beginning of the anime, we’ve been in the dark about Red’s character, but the fourth episode of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet offered us some clues about Red that help us understand his character a little better.  What we’ve seen of Red paints him as a traditional overzealous, self-assured, and straightforward soldier who has a set line of thinking and always responds in the manner that best suits him, his army and the entirety of mankind.  His steadfastness in this manner has shown him come into conflict and even begin to question his teachings, especially after meeting various members of the cast and getting to grow friendly with the bold and endearing Amy.  Couple this with the fact that we saw a flashback of him visiting a younger version of himself in some sterile, all-white lab with stasis chambers, and you have to really consider the fact that Red might be a cloned soldier to fight the Hideauze.  After evaluating his appearance and how long he’s been in military combat, how his straightforward way of ‘military thinking’ is almost programmed into his brain to be the best, most-economical fighter, the fact that there’s a younger version of himself somewhere in the universe, and the fact that he is forging an ocarina without knowing what it is or why its significant, seem to indicate that he is a clone or something incredibly similar.  Right now, I’m leaning toward the idea that the humans create clones, even from candidates who are sick and “would otherwise be disposed of”, to fight against the alien races as disposable soldiers.  These clones are designed in a way to be the ideal soldiers, not only in their training but also how they understand and evaluate everything around them.  In regards to the wind instrument that Red is carving, I’m not sure if memories are retained or transferred between the original and the copy, but it does seem like Red remembers his former self having one and wanting to make one too while stranded on Earth.  As for any other details or hints or clues in these past few episodes, I believe that they point toward Red being a clone, though I think it might be best to wait and see how this plays out in the next few episodes.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 3)

One of the best aspects about Railgun is how this side-story provides an alternative perspective on certain events in Index and how the two series compare and contrast with each other.  Consider the story of all the Misaka Sisters who we were introduced to in the first season of Index.  While it seemed like the story was sufficient in that series, we’re able to go back and reexamine the Misaka Sisters again with this new perspective from Railgun.  With this, we’ll be able to learn more about the Sisters and be able to connect it with the events that happened later in Index.  And although this merely appears to be supplemental material to the story in Index, it appears as though there is its own story here for Misaka in Railgun that was never acknowledged (or possibly even through of) when Index documented its story.  It does make me happy to see a story be retold like this through another source and from another angle, almost like two people recalling a single event but from very different backgrounds and who saw very different things.  It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out, especially with how it connects to the Index story, almost as if this is a prequel to those events.

This week: why the beach episode of Suisei no Gargantia is entirely appropriate and meaningful, what we can infer about the settings in Hataraku Maou-sama! and how they will dictate the story from here onward, why I have been impressed with how Devil Survivor 2 handles its extensive cast, and the main reason why we return to Kakumeiki Valvrave every week.

Best episode of the week: Shingeki no Kyojin

Anime trending up this week: Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride

Anime trending down this week: To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 17)

The finals match against Fujisaki offers the cast of Chihayafuru the opportunity to play against themselves… or at least a doppelganger version of themselves with some minor quirks and differences.  Across from Taichi is someone who seems to be equally as smart but differs in their karuta rank (Class A versus Class B) and openness of their sexuality (obsessive versus reserved for Chihaya).  Nishida’s opponent is also heavy-set and playing with a heavy heart after his brother was removed from the line-up of the finals match.  Tsukuba’s partner is eerily similar to Tsukaba in that they’re both annoying and forgettable and Tsutomu met his opponent, Makoto, when he was scouting Fujisaki, so the two share some knowledge of each other though they seem to be the least parallel among the others.  And of course, Chihaya is matched up against Rion, who like Chihaya is somewhat of a prodigy in karuta though her love for the game is only observable when her grandmother is reciting the poetry.  So with this current set-up, it’s as if we’re looking into a bizarre mirror of Mizusawa when we’re watching them play against Fujisaki.  How this will measure or impact the characters has yet to be seen but, given how similar they are to our familiar cast except for certain specific differences, you figure some type of character development will occur for each player before the final card is claimed.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 5)

I am aware that a majority of school-setting anime have a discernible lack of adults in them, but Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge has been completely devoid of all parents and teachers save for Kashiko’s mother who runs the local beauty parlor.  Hell, in this episode where the schools go out for a camping trip, there weren’t any teachers around, only high school kids who were helping out.  Sure, we’ve seen a handful of other adults in the series but none of them belong in the authoritative role that would otherwise be there to support our cast of characters.  This exclusion of trustworthy adults leaves Kiri and Iwai without anyone to turn to in these dire or zany situations.  Just think about how a parent or a teacher could help Kiri or Iwai, even if it was something minimal.  The fact that there are zero parents and teachers up to this point is somewhat significant in how it fits into the whole ‘death game’ model that Crime Edge seems to enjoy.  With the inclusion of helpful parents and teachers, there would be obstacles and barriers that would otherwise complicate scenes or make them more practical.  And of course, who’d want that in an anime like Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge?

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 5)

The cast of Devil Survivor 2 continues to expand and expand with every passing episode and has ballooned to roughly 14 distinctive characters in the span of 5 episodes.  It’s no easy task to introduce so many distinctive characters while executing a story, several extensive battles, and a couple of infodumps that explain the setting and the mechanics.  Rather, I’m actually very impressed and pleased with how Devil Survivor 2 has presented its cast and how its characters fit together with each other.  Why do I feel this way?  Well, for starters, I actually know virtually all of the characters at this point whereas in virtually every other anime this season, I can’t name even half their cast.  Another point is that each has had some significant screentime where I’ve begun to establish a foundation for each character, and I have a general idea of their personalities, too.  The same can’t be said for most anime in regards to their cast.  And each passing episode of Devil Survivor 2 has had meaningful development on its cast, so seeing the various characters of this swelled up cast progress on their own is nothing short of fascinating.  I couldn’t be happier with how Devil Survivor 2 has introduced its cast in these introductory episodes but how it handles them from here out and in regards to the story is still up in the air.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 5)

With the first story arc of Hataraku Maou-sama! eseentially over, I have come to the realization that the two settings that constitute Maou-sama! will serve entirely opposite purposes in this anime moving forward.  Pretty much everything that comes from Earth will be related to the comedy or romance and anything that transpires from the fantasy realm will be related to the story or comedy for either Sadao or Emi.  We can infer this from Maou-sama! given that characters (and thusly, their problems) can travel back and forth between the two realms, thereby linking any events from the fantasy world with Sadao and Emi who are still on Earth.  This means that while the world progresses and the wars wage on, Sadao and Emi can be interrupted at any time for whatever purpose.  As for the events on Earth, not much can happen here that will impact these two characters besides more love-triangle mechanics and comedy.  It is extremely unlikely that a storyline will originate on Earth since we’ve already seen that it doesn’t have any considerable source of magic, that everyone here is already underpowered and that humans have no reason to target Sadao or Emi who are both financially-struggling young adults.  Should something stem from an event or person on Earth, they’ll likely have some assistance and motives that connect it back to the fantasy realm that Sadao and Emi are originally from.  So with that in mind, we can guesstimate how events and storylines will play out merely from the setting from which they occur.  Of course, with new characters being instituted in last episode, things may change slightly but this rule should be the norm from here on out in Maou-sama!

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride (Episode 5)

The ‘beach episode’ is often regarded as one of the worst types of episode there are in anime; a non-essential, unnecessary episode filled with bikini-clad fanservice and recycled comedy that does little more than destroy brain cells.  But when it comes to a series that just doesn’t care what it does, it turns out that the beach episode is easily the best episode. Easily.  Hyakka  Ryouran knows its strengths and knows what its audience wants and it delivered with an episode heavy in both fanservice and comedy.  No, there wasn’t any of that nonexistent plot, lackluster character development or annoy harem antics going on in this episode.  Instead, it was just straight up fun and entertainment in the form of a series of amusing jokes at each character’s expense.  The end result is probably the best episode of this entire sequel (or even possibly series) of Hyakka Ryouran, though there is hope that it will retain this charm for future episodes to come.  Let’s hope the plot of this anime is forgotten and the series just churns out episode after episode like this one.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 4)

The real reason you keep watching Valvrave every week is to see how it will top itself from last week.  After four episodes of absolute absurdity and ridiculousness, Valvrave has quickly become one of the most exciting and entertaining anime of the season and it increases with every inexplicable and silly twist that it pulls out.  Not only that but there have been so many details and motifs embedded in the anime, there’s a sense of purpose to this reckless and ludicrous chaos.  The anime is certainly heading in a direction (which one exactly is yet to be seen) but it makes the journey there worthwhile with every twist and turn imaginable (with several unimaginable ones, too).  Even if it ends up with something messy or nauseating or something completely incoherent, at least the voyage that is the story of Valvrave will have served its purpose as being electrifying, amusing and unquestionably satisfying.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 5)

Alright guys, I know you like your system of steampunk cables and that flying around the forests and cities makes you look cool and all, but… it’s about time we reevaluate your strategies and come up with something that, you know, actually works against these titans.  I mean, when you’re completely ineffective and lose an entire unit in the matter of a few minutes (part of it was their fault for not knowing here the hell their enemy was), you’ve got to step back, look at the situation and say, ‘We’ve got to do something about this.’  Think about all that time that was wasted training these soldiers only for them to end up being the hor d’oeuvers for the invading titans.  All that time and effort and resources… wasted.  And it’s mainly derived from an ineffective and complex method of cables and swords that is extremely difficult to master and even harder to execute in practice.  What’s more is I can’t help but notice is that everyone is using this method, too.  You know, we heard that the methods of cannons worked for a bit, even if it was able to immobilize them for a bit, so why not have a unit of gunners work to immobilize a titan and then have a spiffy sword-cables guy go in and finish him off?  Or maybe do something with fire?  Fire is always effective.  The point here is that mankind relies too heavily on this ineffective method of slaying giants and that you figure, within 5 years of the titans invading the outer wall and causing chaos and turmoil for humanity, that there’d be some better way of taking out these titans than what we currently see.  Maybe as the anime progresses, we’ll see some advancements in military technology that will replace this method of cables and swords and replace it with something much more successful.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 5)

I’m actually rather surprised at the amount of criticism and backlash that’s been levied against the fifth episode of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet.  Whereas people have berated the episode for being nothing more than pointless fanservice layers on a superfluous and expendable narrative, I found the episode to be entirely appropriate for Gargantia, especially with its current placement in the series.  Really, isn’t this what Gargantia is supposed to be?  Consider the series thus far from Ledo’s perspective: he’s spent his entire life in the military, fighting against a freak alien race, and always thinks and evaluates everything in a strictly economic and effective manner.  Chamber informs him that, following the battle he participated in during the opening scenes of the first episode, that he would be given a chance to vacation which Ledo contemplated the purpose of.  With him crashed and stranded on Gargantia, he’s had to quickly adjust to a completely different lifestyle where he tries to find his purpose on Gargantia.  Furthermore, his own steadfast and failsafe philosophy is being challenged too, by Bevel, who asks him what he would do with his life once the war is over.  Not only that but Bevel is a chronically ill child who, according to Ledo, has no value and would otherwise be disposed of back in space.  What this has done is place Ledo in a very upsetting and perplexed situation, one in which he begins to question the foundations and teaching of his entire life.  And now, with the fifth episode of Gargantia, Amy and the girls decide to introduce Ledo to ‘fun and relaxation’.  Yes, the whole point of this beach episode was to place Ledo in another distressing situation, one in which he was searching for a purpose in his presence here but quickly escalated into a time of enjoyment and pleasure.  It just so happened that this episode turned out to be a bit sexy and wacky with the bikini-clad girls sunbathing and the regrettable crossdressers chase, but each of those points were there to heighten or enhance the amusement and entertainment of the audience.  In fact, the use of fanservice and comedy in this episode was likely a method of conveying the fun that Ledo was supposed to feel to the audience.  Hell, look at the two missions that Ledo and Amy were sent on: get steak sauce for the barbecue and turn on some sprinklers.  Like, the whole point of this episode was to show Ledo how to have fun and the anime wanted to have fun with the audience.  Now I completely understand that many anime fans don’t care to see underage girls prance around in skimpy swimsuits or see banal crossdressers acting flamboyant over a cute guy’s ass, but I feel that the intent and message of the episode was communicated to the audience effectively.  This episode is entirely appropriate for Gargantia and one of the best at forcing Ledo to question his past as a soldier in the military.  To say that this episode was a mistake or a disaster is to ignore what Gargantia is about.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 4)

Really?  Did we get an entire episode of Railgun where nothing happened?  Like, some anime can pull that off with either comedy or general slice-of-life storylines, but nothing significant or worthwhile happened to Misaka the entire episode.  From start to finish, nothing literally happened.  I don’t mind that we saw the maturity of a Misaka Imouto clone and that Misaka came across one in the very final scene, but the rest of the episode was an absolute waste.  I don’t often contemplate dropping an anime after I begin it but these first four episodes of Railgun are really tempting me.

This week: thoughts on the lack of an education system in Suisei no Gargantia and how it impacts its society, making the best character in Railgun even better, the surprisingly intelligent and effective humor in Shingeki no Kyojin, and my fascination with the audiences in Chihayafuru 2.

Best episode of the week: Chihayafuru 2

Anime trending up this week: To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S

Anime trending down this week: Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai 2

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 18)

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Chihayafuru, more amazing than even the karuta players themselves, is the audience members that observe and commentate over the matches.  For the finals match occurring in these recent episodes, this role has largely been reserved to Kanade, among others, who is sitting out with an injured, swollen finger.  What I find absolutely astonishing about these audience members is that they are able to watch all five concurrent matches simultaneously and provide commentary for each.  What’s more, their commentary is always accurate, appropriate and insightful.  And whenever something significant or special happens to one of the players, such as after their internal monologue about how they need to correct themselves, they are right there to back up that moment with some worthwhile claim or commentary.  So while all these characters are subjected to sitting in the back of the playing hall, these characters are all eagle-eyed spectators who create roles for themselves in the anime despite being coaches, benchwarmers or other fans of the game.  What these characters are able to do, to watch, understand and commentate on 5 individual matches occurring at the same time, is nothing short of remarkable in Chihayafuru.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 6)

Given the frequent reminder that Iwai’s hair is virtually indestructible, appearing to be susceptible to only a select variety of the Killing Goods, you’d figure that Iwai would learn to use her hair to her advantage.  That is, you’d hope that Iwai would learn to use her hair as an insurmountable shield or barrier during all these attempted murders.  Then again, from what we’ve seen in the story, it only appears to work against blades that try to cut, trim or shear the hair, but you figure that it would expand to other forms of attack given its role and purpose in the story.  Now, I’m not saying that the characters should test this theory out and try to fire bullets at her hair or burn it with fire or acid, but you figure that Iwai’s hair would defend against even those forms of assault.  So given the nature and indestructability of Iwai’s hair, you would think that someone would devise a plan to train Iwai in how to use her hair to ward off attacks and attackers to increase her survival.  And if any of the characters were intelligent enough to implement such a crazy and cunning strategy, who knows, maybe one day Iwai will be able to repay Kiri back for everything when she uses her hair to block a bullet or blade to save his life.  Then again, you figure Kiri would want something else from Iwai given his infatuation with her, but I’m sure saving his life is fine with him, too.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 6)

Given the duration of their extended stay and their acquired knowledge of urban Japan’s elaborate and perplexing society and structure, you can’t help but wonder why Sadao and Emi haven’t landed better jobs yet.  There are a number of factors present that would suggest the two could and would find better work, too.  From what we’ve seen in their decorative pasts, both characters are intelligent, charismatic and dynamic, skills that they could put to much better use than managing a fast-food restaurant and dealing with angry/stupid people on the phone all day.  Not only that but the two characters have both shown a desire to move up in this world, though Sadao is narrow-minded in his approach and could reconsider for something more along his goal of world domination.  And while it’s true that neither has any education, training or work experience, you could consider a host of jobs that Sadao and Emi would potentially qualify for if they just sought employment in those fields.  For example, Sadao would definitely earn more money working in the construction or manufacturing industries provided he demonstrated his competence, diligence and industriousness, not to mention that either would be better suited for his theme of world domination.  As for Emi, a career in modeling doesn’t seem outrageous given her appearance and charisma, though advertising herself like that would make her an easier target for assassins or something.  If not, Emi would also be aptly suited for construction or manufacturing too, among other occupations, considering her history as the Hero of an entire world.  But enough about trying to pigeonhole jobs to these characters based on the limited information we’ve been given, the point of this review was to highlight the fact that they’ve been living in Japan for several months now and have yet to find better employment than what they originally secured.  After learning, adapting and assimilating to Japanese culture, you’d think that Sadao, Emi and all the other characters from Ente Isla would be readjusting their position and moving up in the world.  Oh, and they have magic too, so why not use that a couple of times and fabricate a degree or some cash cards or something?

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 5)

Every time you see A-Drei, you see H-Neun.  And every time you see H-Neun, you see Q-Vier.  Oh, and you also see X-Eins, too.  Like, any time you see one of these characters, you see the other three, too.  All four of those characters are always together… always together, whether they’re waltzing around a school during a mission, saluting their supreme leader or sitting around the longue watching highschoolers sing about how much better their lives are than their friends and families who are living under an oppressive military occupation.  It’s as if they’re all joint at the hip with each other, creating some awkward circumstances of a quartet of dudes walking in a square facing outward (and don’t even ask how they’d go to the bathroom, let alone sit in a chair).  But whenever you see those four characters, you only really see one: A-Drei.  Pretty much what I’m getting at is that these 4 characters are pretty much one personality at this point, which is dominated by A-Drei who has a personal vendetta against L-Elf.  The other three characters, though proficient soldiers and spies, have done little to establish their character in this series and are effectively just another piece of A-Drei’s character.  Sure, every time you see A-Drei, you see three other characters but, at the same time, you only see A-Drei since he’s the only one of the four that matters.  It’s kinda awkward at this point but all that needs to happen for these other characters to establish themselves is to break away from the group and have the anime spend some time on them individually.  But until then, I’m going to think of this quartet as some chimeric beast with four heads where only one matters, almost like a Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy boss.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 6)

Despite Attack on Titan constantly dealing with fear, torment and death, the series has some surprisingly good, intelligent humor embedded throughout.  Furthermore, the comedy is spread nicely throughout, even incorporating it into more serious or dramatic scenes.  And the types of comedy presented in Attack on Titan are incredibly diverse too, ranging from the wacky, nonconformist characters, to the visual sight gags (I am positive some of those Titan designs are done on purpose for this season), to the clever one-liners.  What’s more, is that the constant feeling of dread and danger throughout has a further enhancement of the comedy since it feels less predictable than when comparing it to straight-up comedy or slice-of-life anime.  For example, if this were a comedy, you might expect to see a silly Titan run down a narrow thoroughfare and not be as surprised.  In Attack on Titan, however, when you see the little girl point back and ask her mommy what’s going on, you figure it’s going to be some heinous, bloodthirsty monster ready to pounce on the crowd and devour the girl or her mother.  Nope, instead it’s some silly Titan speeding down the road without a care in the world.  It is moments like these where the humor in Attack on Titan is most effective and further enhances the entertainment aspect of this anime.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 6)

Even though Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is debatably the best school anime of this season, with Ledo being the mysterious transfer student who can’t quite fit in at his new high school which is the sandbox that Gargantia represents, there is a surprising lack of generalized and specialized knowledge among the seafarers of this floating flotilla.  But then again, given the structure and functionality of this ocean-crawling society, is an education system really necessary?

The issue was originally highlighted when Ledo questioned Chamber on why all the children were running around and playing on the deck when they should be diligently studying in a military academy.  The fact that there is no education or training system in place on Gargantia (except for maybe a system of apprenticeship) means that this human society is largely uneducated and unskilled.  For example, there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of industry or manufacturing on Gargantia.  Instead, virtually everything obtained and used in this anime, from the skimpy bikinis the girls wear to the giant, underwater robots to the metal used to repair the ships, comes from whatever source the people are able to successfully salvage.  Ah, but this brings up a good counterargument to which one would address that an education system would be unnecessary on Gargantia.  Why would the people need to study and train when virtually every occupation on this ship is selling goods, providing services, and the trio of fishing, farming, and salvage.  There really isn’t any capacity for people to work in any industry on Gargantia given its unique situation nor is there a need for people to study and research the world given what’s going on.  Suppose that if the people were somehow educated enough to develop an electrical system to harness the energy of tiny, electric ocean bugs, these people wouldn’t have the resources or equipment to create such devices.

The fact of the matter is that an education system is largely unnecessary in Gargantia and that society is surviving and functional as it currently is.  The problem, however, is that this lifestyle is unsustainable and that they’ll eventually run into issues of scarcity, especially if there are issues with salvaging goods and materials.  But again, at that point, would an education system really be appropriate to addressing the problem that stems from a lack of resources?  Really, the topic is entirely debatable, but my stance on the issue is, even though it is somewhat surprising to see an advanced society exist without any form of an education or training system in place, it makes sense given the unique setting that is Gargantia.  Of course, it is worth noting that this argument is based off my own observations of this anime and that there is no industry/manufacturing on Gargantia, unless we want to believe that there are factories onboard creating nylon and spandex for revealing swimwear and others creating microchips for the variety of aquatic robots among other products.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 5)

Misaka Imouto has always been the best character in the Index/Railgun franchise and now they’ve made her better.  Not only was Misaka Imouto 9982 clever, amusing and enjoyable as a character but her story, from conception to extinction, was very expressive and endearing, something that I greatly appreciate in an anime.  Watching her go from an indistinguishable and featureless clone, incubating in a status tube in some research facility, to whatever range of emotions she left before being crushed to death, was a character story that came across as disturbing, depressing but also entirely satisfying.  You can’t help but feel some compassion and empathy for the young girl, who makes a genuine friend with her original, before fulfilling her purpose and dying in a dubious experiment.  The whole story felt complete and appropriate, forcing Misaka to change and act in regards to the experiment, and with the added bonus of comedy that helped make Misaka Imouto 9982 both hilarious and engaging.  It is a shame to see such an enjoyable character meet such a premature demise, but hopefully we’ll see some other clones appear to help fulfill her void and continue to expand on the curious role that is Misaka Imouto.

Last week: appreciating the dramatic visuals of Chihayafuru 2, the use of bright, dazzling colors in Suisei no Gargantia, the divergence of Chiho’s life in Hataraku Maou-sama!, and the sudden emotions and expressiveness of Mikasa in Shingeki no Kyojin.

As always, since we’ve reached the halfway point of this season, the order of the shows will now reverse, now starting with Railgun 2 and finishing with Chihayafuru 2.

Best episode of the week: Shingeki no Kyojin

Anime trending up this week: Chihayafuru 2

Anime trending down this week: Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 6)

Although you wouldn’t expect an anime to present and debate various issues in the field of medical ethics, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S does a fine job of raising the question with the role of Misaka’s DNA and the purpose of the clones in this Sisters story arc.  The part in particular I found fascinating is when Shinobu found Misaka sitting silently on a street bench and the two began discussing the Sisters Project.  What surprised me about Misaka’s character is how she seems to be more intent on getting revenge against the researchers who lied to her and used her DNA for cloning purposes rather than ending the project and saving the 10,000 clones of her that are schedule to die.  Of course, she’d love to stop the project herself if she could, it’s just surprising to see that her mind starts off with that subject first rather than saving the clones of her that are specimens in this experiment.  Of course Railgun doesn’t go much further or explore the topic of medical ethics in greater detail, but it does provide some discourse for the topics relevant to the story, presents it in a way that’s easy to understand and does it in a way that doesn’t force the audience to feel one way or another.  It’s rather distinctive and fascinating to see an anime present something in this field without making the issue one-sided or having the villains be cartoonishly evil.  It’s actually rather respectable how the series presents a subject of a stimulating nature like this, and I certainly hope to see more ethical questions as this Sisters arc continues.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 7)

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is an anime of colors; bright, vivid and happy colors.  That is until this episode which ditched the otherwise sunny mood of the previous episodes and featured a number of serious and intense scenes between the characters and their potential alien threat.  As a result, the change in the atmosphere shifted the anime from its cheerful, easygoing self to one that was somber and serious. And of course, the dazzling colors were affected too, being dampened and darkened to reflect this change.  I’ve always found the use of colors in Suisei no Gargantia to be expressive and demonstrative of the mood and the general feel of the characters, presenting Gargantia and its cast as simplistic and relaxed compared to Ledo and Chamber who exist merely to defeat the Hideauze.  In fact, that’s why I believe Ledo’s and Chamber’s color schemes are so neutral and plain compared to the vivid and colorful cast.  However, with the Hideauze being located on Earth and Ledo seeking to restart his mission of eradicating this threat, the series lost some of its intensity and brightness and turned to something darker and something much more serious.  As the series continues to progress toward its climax between Ledo and the alien invaders, it shouldn’t be surprising to see the dazzling colors fade away, especially if there’s more conflict and emotion between the characters to reflect his mood.  That’s not to say that the brilliant display of colors and the visual appeal of the series will be lost as we reach the second half of the series but that the feeling of this series has gone from sunny to cloudy, possibly approaching stormy, and that Gargantia has seen its colors change accordingly, becoming muted and nowhere near as vivid or vibrant.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 7)

Mikasa has always been a quiet, stoic character, choosing to remain calm and collected rather than showing her emotions like every other character in Attack on Titan.  However, the seventh episode of Titan showed a dramatic change in her personality and how she responded to various stimuli.  In fact, it can all be traced back to the moment she learned Armin that Eren was a delicious appetizer for some random Titan.  Ever since that moment, Mikasa has showed a range of emotions on her face, contrasting greatly with her previous self and becoming more like the other characters of the cast who express their emotions so well.  The whole episode is really demonstrative and expressive of Mikasa’s character and how much Eren and her family means to her.  Not only that but she responded to emotion from others as well, something that wasn’t necessarily evident in previous episode.  Still, this might be a momentary hiatus of her character as she vents and unleashes all her emotions as once, only to return to her resigned and peaceful self thereafter, but I’d love to see this Mikasa endure for the remainder of the series, especially with how effective and rousing her emotions were in this episode.  Not to say that I didn’t like the old Mikasa who was always stoic and emotionless but that this is an improvement on her character, be finally validating her emotions and actions in an appropriate and satisfying manner.

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. 2 (Episode 7)

Waiting this long to have Sena finally appear and have a part in an episode is criminal.  Criminal, I tell ya!  At least she’s still as hyper and horny and excited as ever, so that’s still fine.  That and it took forever for something to happen to Kuroneko too, although you figured it was only a matter of time in this sequel.  Still, you really have to wonder about the direction of the series when the content thus far has effectively removed the two best characters of the series for so long.  Well, at least now it seems that OreImo 2 is on the right track, so let’s hope it stays this way from here on out.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 6)

Seeing as Module 77 is floating around aimlessly in space (or so it appears), you have to wonder why Dorssia or the ARUS are having trouble with it.  Think about it for a second and the solution seems really simple for either side.  Imagine Dorssia attacks Module 77, much like it did in this episode, and baits the Valvraves away from the ship to fend off its attackers… why not then have another ship approach Module 77 and hold it hostage?  It’s not like Module 77 has any way to defend itself, especially if the Valvraves are pulled away to fight somewhere away from their home base.  Hell, it shouldn’t be this hard for the most powerful force in the universe to fight a highschool with giant robots.  Of course, we can’t have imagination or creativity on the part of the antagonists in this series because it would otherwise end the series at episode 6, well before the entertainment and value of the series is delivered.  As for the ARUS, the nation that has pledged to protect Module 77 from JIOR, why not have them steer Module 77 toward their territory?  After all, with Module 77 floating around in space, it shouldn’t be too hard for a few ships to steer it toward the ARUS’s Dyson sphere or Earth or wherever.  It’s not like the kids will be able to do much about it, especially since they wouldn’t want to start a war with the ARUS while already needing to fend off Dorssia’s frequent assaults and occupation of JIOR.  Not only that but I’m sure there are other methods for either side to turn the war in their favor and to force Module 77 and the Valvraves to cooperate with their side.  You figure something will happen that will eventually break this stalemate, though you have to figure it’ll be Dorssia given that they’re the aggressor in this current situation.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 7)

Consider the challenges and difficulties in everyone’s lives.  Whether it is attempting to conquer two realms, trying to slay the world’s greatest evil, or finding the simplest route between two dimensions while conserving as much magic as possible, everyone faces some unique burden that makes their life stressful, strenuous or, at the very least, problematic.  Oh, and then you have Chiho, who goes to school, has a part-time job and an obvious crush on the cute guy at work.  To say her life is simple would be wrong to ignore all that she’s going through as a budding teenager, but, by shifting perspective and comparing her to everyone else in Hataraku Maou-sama!… yeah, her life is simple in light of all those zany characters.  And really, the contrast between her and the rest of the cast is rather quite stark.  Not only does she not have to worry about finding her way back home, or at least not through crossing dimensions with unfathomable amounts of magic, but she doesn’t have to worry about fighting or fending off mysterious assassins, so long as she still is friends with Sadao and Emi.  Oh, and unlike the characters that migrated here from Ente Isla, she never had to look for a home or find a job to survive.  What’s more, since she’s receiving a formal education by going to school, she’ll have access to more jobs that are easier and earn better pay in the future.  And in addition to that, she probably has plenty of friends in Japan too, so she doesn’t need to rely on a tight circle of otherworlders from Ente Isla.  It is rather amusing to see how different her life is when compared to the rest of the cast in Maou-sama!, especially since she is one of the main characters of the series and spends most of her time with Sadao or Emi.  Of course, because of that, you figure she’ll be tied up in some of their crazy situations as the series goes on, possibly even making the trip to Ente Isla in the near future.  But even so, Chiho is easily the most fortunate of this anime by leading the easiest and simplest life in Hataraku Maou-sama!

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 7)

Finally, some humility!  After virtually the entire first half of the series flipping between too heavy and melodramatic, Devil Survivor 2 introduced some lighthearted entertainment, fun and fanservice in the seventh episode to show that it doesn’t take itself as seriously as it once did.  Although this episode did dabble in questions of saving mankind, what defines a human or humanity, and all that jazz, this episode also played around a bit with the required physicals and the cast just having some downtime together without any of the Septentriones around to bother anyone.  Not only that but it helped expand some of the newer, better characters too, like Otome, Joe and Airi.  Perhaps the series needed to wait until three of its better characters showed up but it’s finally capitalizing on its cast by having them differentiate parts of the series to make it more fun, endearing and definitely more enjoyable.  Although we shouldn’t expect this transition from serious to fun for much longer, especially with the next impending attacks, it does provide some hope for more lighthearted fun and entertainment in the future, especially with the climax still a few episodes away.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 7)

Given the budgeted time and bulky story that is Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge, I can’t help but wonder how Kiri and Iwai spend their time when they’re not preventing the next attempted murderer from obtaining their wish.  Although each episode focuses intently on developing the Killing Goods and the few central characters of the series, quite a bit of time has passed since Kiri and Iwai met on that fateful day.  And though we know that Kiri gives Iwai those daily haircuts at no charge, the rest of the time has been omitted.  We can assume that the two lead characters see each other during this time given their proximity to each other in the series and the need for Kiri to be present, with Crime Edge, to give Iwai her necessary haircuts.  But do they go out together as a couple?  Do they stay indoors, in the mansion, and play Uno all day?  I’m really quite curious about the extent and reality of their relationship outside these various killing sprees by the other characters and how their relationship has evolved in the eyes of their friends or the public in general.  I suppose that with the limited number of episodes and the extensive story that is Crime Edge, we won’t be treated to any episodes that explore this subject adequately, but there have been plenty of hints in the previous episodes to suggest one solution or another.  Still, with one of the most pivotal and interesting aspects of the anime being the relationship between Kiri and Iwai, I wish there was some more dedicated material to the subject rather than another episode of “criminal-of-the-week-with-murder-weapon-that-is-something-stupid-that’s-gonna-lose-to-Kiri”.  Fortunately for me, it seems that this formula is about to end, at least with the anime approaching the climax in the upcoming weeks.

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 19)

Just about every aspect of Chihayafuru is outstanding and I could go on and on about virtually any subjective or objective trait of this anime.  This week, I want to highlight the its excellence in how it arranges and presents its visuals, particularly the shots where several characters are positioned together in relation to a moment or scene.  Like the main image of this review, a scene showing the anxiety of the audience moments before the final card is claimed, these shots are rather quite frequent and always remarkable.  What makes each of these shots visually appealing is how everything is arranged, with the characters placed as such with various contrasting colors and enhancing filter, and how you’re able to witness the character’s expressions while simultaneously seeing what causes them to have these emotions.  It communicates the scene effectively and expresses the emotions, or in this case, the passion suitably.  Even if you already felt the anxiety, this shot reinforced that feeling for the audience by echoing it with the spectators.  And though this is just one example, there are many other shots like this where you have the characters staged in such a fashion that really emphasizes the mood or the moment.  It’s really quite fascinating to see these shots in anime as they are saved for only the most dramatic or shocking of moments.  And when given the opportunity here, Chihayafuru makes the most of it with how well it presents these images, aesthetically and demonstratively.

Last week: the re-sensitization to death in Kakumeiki Valvrave, the complexities of saying ‘farewell’ in Suisei no Gargantia, individual versus team karuta matches in Chihayafuru 2 and a thrilling, informative look inside the police department in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S.

Best episode of the week: Shingeki no Kyojin

Anime trending up this week: Chihayafuru 2

Anime trending down this week: Devil Survivor 2 the Animation

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 7)

*Academy City Police Headquarters, Criminal Investigation Division*

“Hey, Steve.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“A couple fires broke out at research labs again last night.”

“Really?  Again?  How many is that now?”

“Uh… that’s a total of 12 in the past 3 nights now.”

“Geez, sounds like we’ve got a serial arsonist on the loose now, targeting just these research labs.  I wonder what they’re after…”

“Shall we head out to the sites to begin the investigation?”

“Nah, I have a better idea.  You know that Judgment whatchamacallit.”

“You mean those middle-schoolers who are paid minimum-wage and who go around the city thinking they’re, like, ancillary police staff but just glorified hall monitors?”

“Yeah, those kids.  Let’s have them take care of this investigation for us.  Why not?”

“Wait, what?  I thought they were only there to discipline delinquents and punks and whatnot.  Now you want them solving crimes?”

“Since when have they been doing just that?  Maybe in the first episode or two, but since then they’ve always involved themselves in these major crimes one way or another.”

“What about Anti-Skill?”

“What about them?”

“Why not have them take over this investigation?  Hell, they’re pretty much the only active police force in this city.”

“Yeah, but they’re here for, like, hostage situations and terrorists attacking and that sorta junk.  You never see them pushing paperwork, performing investigations or hell, when was the last time you saw them in court?  Plus they always have Judgment around with them to help for whatever reason.  You figure a SWAT team would need kids around for help?  Puh-leeze.”

“So, you mean you want to have some unqualified, ill-equipped kids go around the city, investigating some serial arsonist who’s caused hundreds of millions of dollars [convert to yen if you wanna get serious about it… as you can tell, I’m not] in damage, probably putting them up against some armed, deranged criminal, quite possibly an esper with the capability of killing these kids within seconds?  What are you thinking?”

“Well, honestly, those kids pretty much do all the work for us in the city.  Since when have you seen the police do anything in Academy City?”

*momentary silence*

“Exactly.  Let’s just drop a line with those kids over at Judgment, let them squeal with excitement, and in a few days, the arsons will stop and the case will be over.”

“Okay… well what about the triple homicide from yesterday, what…”

“Judgment.”

“And about how the Roman Catholic Church is sending their army to…”

“Judgment.”

“And…”

“Judgement.”

“So… what do we do here at the Police Headquarters here in Academy City?”

“See that fridge over there?” says Steve, pointing aimlessly toward the break room, “Why doncha grab us both a beer, sit back, and let these kids handle all this shit for us?”

And that’s my impression of how Judgment has the jurisdiction and power it does in Railgun.  The End.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 8)

Farewells aboard Gargantia are probably about as frequent as there are non-fanservicey episodes of this anime; not at all that common.  The reason why there aren’t more farewells in this setting is because ships don’t want or need to secede from Gargantia, mainly because there are more services and opportunities for the individuals that join with these other ships and that there’s safety in numbers, especially for a fleet as large as Gargantia.  As a result, Gargantia typically only sees growth in its community and an expansion of its fleet, joining new ships into its network and integrating them into this flourishing society. Given the structure of this setting and how these communities form, people aren’t free to move whenever they want, simply because there is no land, no other cities and no jobs to drive them elsewhere.  Not only that but given the system of contracts and political regulations, it’s not easy to earn independence, especially if there are forces opposed to those breaking away.  And what if you don’t own the ship, how would you even begin departing from Gargantia if you have no control over the ship in the first place?  However, that’s not to say that there are arguments or disputes or other events that cause ships to break away from Gargantia, as we saw with this episode.  However, you’d have to imagine that these encounters are quite rare and that for the people affected by these changes, the departure is quite an exceptional and stressful experience.  Since people don’t usually part from each other, they simply aren’t experienced at handling these departures.  There’s no reason why Amy, Saaya and Melty didn’t expect that they’d grow old together as best friends for their entire lives.  So how do you say goodbye, possibly forever, with no other forms of communication once their ships are below the horizon?  It’s gotta be real tough for these girls to say ‘sayonara’ to each other, much more than what we’re used to as an audience.  I wish the episode had emphasized this more when Amy and Melty were talking to each other, making the departure harder on the two characters than what we saw, but the scene came across as satisfactory for what we should expect.  Still, I thought that the two seeing each other for the last time (or so it seems) would be something more emotional and sentimental than what we received.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 8)

So, is Attack on Titan a mecha anime now?  Not quite but it’s getting there with the eighth episode of Shingeki no Kyojin, with it being revealed that Eren was inside the Titan, supposedly piloting it like how we imagine mecha pilots control their robots.  Still, there are plenty of differences between this monster and the humanoid robots of mecha anime and other differences in structure, enemies, fighting and setting that keep the two distinguishable from each other… but you can’t help but think of this as somewhat similar to a mecha anime given how Eren harnessed the titan for himself and saved the day with his spontaneous heroics.  Maybe as the series goes on and the mechanism is explained, then maybe it will evolve into some derivative of a mecha anime at that point.  But for now, Attack on Titan is still that incredible steampunk/fantasy-action hybrid that we’ve come to love and appreciate.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 7)

Have you been desensitized to death in Valvrave yet?  Well, after seven spectacularly eventful episodes (and even then, that’s still being meager to what’s transpired), you probably are like Inuzuka, witnessing a bloody and lifeless Haruto and thinking, “Oh boy, not this again!” But when the twisted, grisly corpse of Sakurai floats by, you can’t help but feel similar to Inuzuka who quickly turned from nonchalant to ghastly in two seconds flat.  Just seeing her gruesome body there, floating aimlessly among the wreckage of the war field, really emphasizes death again in this series, one in which we’ve seen Haruto survive twenty or so bullets, stab wounds and other assaults that would surely kill any non-vampire human and Shouko miraculously surviving a giant laser blast.  Having Sakurai’s death here, the first ‘authentic’ death of the series, does well to refocus the audience into its bearing and magnitude.  Before, death was just another typical event in the daily lives of these high-schoolers, nothing too strange or exciting, especially after seeing Inuzuka’s reaction to Haruto’s latest “death”.  But now, death has some meaning to it, some weight to it now and it begins to lose that sensitization that we felt once before.  Of course, when it comes to Haruto and any of the other Valvrave pilots, we will still continue to be desensitized to their deaths and whatnot, but now we have to reevaluate how to feel about the remainder of the cast, those unfortunate folks who don’t get to reset once their life counter hits zero.  It just goes to show how impactful and influential Sakurai’s death really is for Valvrave.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 8)

It’s rather amusing to see Emi, who’s only lived in Japan for a couple of months, to be the supposed expert of Earth to Ente Isla residents when chaperoning Suzuno around Tokyo.  Of course, when assessing the situations of these characters, it makes the most sense for Emi to be in this position, having lived on Earth longer than any other Ente Isla human, actually knows the people and culture of Ente Isla, and she is an intelligent, caring and typically tolerant person, too.  Still, it’s humorous to see people go to her for information about Earth when she herself is still a stranger in this strange land.  Emi herself is no expert at Japan by any means, especially since she still is preoccupied with a stressful, minimum-wage job that dictates her schedule and is stalking an eccentric guy who works at the fast-food chain the next neighborhood over, but she’s the best available option for any travelers who are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Ente Isla, looking for something nice and quiet in Japan.  I suppose as the series goes on and Emi becomes more accustomed to Japan, she might be able to help better situate travelers from between the two realms, especially if she can coordinate and secure proper housing and employment for Ente Isla residents before making the trip through space-time.  You also have to wonder if Emi’s influence will also affect Ente Isla too, in that her presence and expertise in Japan will translate to changes in the culture or customs in Ente Isla, such as bringing over food and festivities that Emi might particularly like (although I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what Chiho does whenever she makes the expected trip to Ente Isla in the near future).  The point here is that while it is hilarious to see Emi guide people around Japan as the resident expert from Ente Isla, she really is the only one suitable for such a position given how everyone else has zero experience compared to her couple months of experience.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 8)

You know, up until the point when the sky began dissolving into that black nothingness known as the Void, I began to think that the deaths in this anime were absolute.  That these characters were gone.  That they were actually dead.  But no, with something as outrageous and bizarre as the sky itself disappearing, you know that the ending will need to be something so outlandish, so extraordinary that Hibiki will need to recreate the world or something and thus, bring back all his friends that died during these battles with the Septentriones.  Like, for a moment, I was kinda happy to see an anime that wasn’t afraid to kill its most enjoyable and amusing characters, but with this twist in the plot, you figure that with something so irreversible as the existence of the entire world fading, that death is just a minor obstacle in what the eventual end of Devil Survivor 2 the Animation will be.  I can’t say I’m terribly surprised by this turn of events but I’m still disappointed all the same.  The one good thing to look forward to is that we’ll eventually get to see the return of Otome and Joe at some point, so maybe I should be thankful I’m getting that rather than nothing to look forward to for the finale.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 8)

Okay, seriously, who has a play going on during the middle of a formal dinner party?  Like, there aren’t any chairs or tables for them to sit down and enjoy the show, people probably have their view blocked if they’re trying to watch in the back, and what about all the people who still wanna walk around and converse with each other?  I wonder if the crew working on Dansai Burni no Crime Edge were trying to think of fancy, formal events and came up with “dinner party” and “play” and decided to synergize them together to create a new paradigm that defines fanciness and formality and ‘really serious important adult stuff’.  Too bad it sucked.

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 20)

Although it feels as though we’ve been in the team tournaments for the entire season of Chihayafuru 2 (not really, only since episode 3 onward!)… wait, has it really been that long?  Yeah, it seems we’ve been focusing on pretty much just these team style matches for the entire second season of Chihayafuru, something that has been both outstanding and gratifying but also quite stubborn and tiring.  While the entire story arc was undoubtedly fascinating and intriguing, the constant wear and tear of watching team match and team match really gets to you, especially after 17 episodes worth of it.  That’s not to say I don’t still enjoy these karuta matches but I markedly prefer the individual matches more than the team ones.  And it was the same with the first season of Chihayafuru, when I enjoyed the series watching the team matches but fell in love with it during the individual tournament matches in the second half.  The main reason for my difference in enjoyment is that these matches focus on a character on their own than compared to the team matches when it focuses on several characters.  Here, in the individual matches, there isn’t anyone else to help them out should they have an issue they can’t overcome; it’s just them alone and their challenge across from them.  Furthermore, the opponents of the individual matches were much more interesting and were developed to a greater degree than any of the previous team match opponents.  And on top of that, the matches have a different style, a different flow and a different feel to them that make them feel quicker, more concise and easily, easily more dramatic.  So with that, I am looking forward to the individual tournament for the remainder of the second season of Chihayafuru… but the only problem between this season and the last is that there are hardly any episodes left in this season.  The only thing that this singles to me is at this tournament will be cut shorter than the one last year and that this season of Chihayafuru, according to my opinion, spent way too much time on the team tournament than on the individual matches.  Then again, I should probably reserve my criticisms for the series until after everything has emerged, but still, with so few episodes left, I think I can get away with being a little preemptive on this irritating issue.

A long, long time ago, back when you actually probably cared about these episodes: why Yeti is the best character in Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san (and why the series should be about her instead), changing the perspectives of how we view the characters in Shingeki no Kyojin, how the evolution of Hataraku Maou-sama! holds up thus far, and why the sheer awkwardness of Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge is actually a good thing.

Best episode of the week: Suisei no Gargantia

Anime trending up this week: Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

Anime trending down this week: Hataraku Maou-sama!

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 8)

I could write something here, but you probably won’t read it with all these pictures of Frenda around, so I’ll just leave this here while I still have your attention: Frenda is awesome and should be featured prominently in every episode.  Thanks for your time.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 9)

Featured extensively in the backdrop of this anime, never fully becoming a focal point of the story or the action, the ninth episode of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet finally delivered on probably the most tantalizing and tormenting tease of the season.  Think I’m talking about the Hideauze and the origin of their species and the war?  Nah.  Or may even hints that explain the setting and connect Ledo to the Galactic Alliance to the Hideauze and everything back to Earth?  Nope.  What I’m referencing is much, much more important… at least to me.  For you see, I’ve been waiting for Mayta to actually do something in this series since I ever started browsing over the character designs for this series before it even began its broadcast some two months ago.  It probably isn’t surprising to learn that a spiky, short blue-haired tomboy(-ish) character would be my favorite form this cast, but Mayta was a fixture of the background for far too long.  Just now, just in this episode, we finally were able to see her partake in an active role albeit a small one on Pinion’s deadly salvage excursion.  Nevertheless, the series finally delivered on this imperative and vital aspect, a detail I have been somewhat agonizing over since the very start.  With that out of the way, maybe I can begin to enjoy the story again, especially since it finally seems to have returned again, after half-a-dozen episodes of establishing the characters, the setting, and the fanservice the conflict that Ledo faces on Gargantia.  Not saying that I didn’t enjoy the detailing, the build-up and the whole dilemma of the anime, just that we’re finally getting some answers, the ones that we’ve been waiting for after 8 episodes, so now it feels like Gargantia is back on track and ready to begin again.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 9)

The big reveal in the ninth episode of Shingeki no Kyojin, perhaps not as big as Eren controlling the competent titan and using it to save his human comrades, is that the transformation from human to titan is granted through the injection of a drug into a human’s body.  And the process to which they become a titan themselves, is performed by a conscious decision by that subject, rather than say something outside their control like a full moon or being bitten by a vampire.  Not only that but what governs this transformation is something as simple as biting one’s thumb.  The fact that the trigger for this fantastic reaction is something that these humans can implement and control is quite fascinating; it really shifts the story and setting into a direction most hadn’t considered yet with humans being able to become titans under a few special circumstances.  And after watching Eren’s transformation for the first time, you have to wonder, who else among these humans has also been injected with this drug and can turn into a titan, too?  You have to figure that Eren’s flashback, the one with his father showing a syringe in his face, that there are others out there who received these injections too and thus, can turn into titans themselves.  Hell, Eren’s father might even be one of the special few who have the ability to turn into these titans.  The same for Eren’s fellow cadets.  Even the higher-ups in the government and military might be potential candidates for human-to-titan transformers.  The point is, with Eren’s transformation into a titan to save the life of him and his two remaining friends, it raises the immediate question of what other characters are capable of this transformation, too.  And of course, the follow up question to that is, what are they doing with their human-to-titan transformation powers.  Are they using it to lay siege on the human stronghold?  Or perhaps they’re using it for something more, something way beyond the walls, on the other side of the horizon, where the humans can’t see or fathom…

Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san (Episode 9)

Just as the show was beginning to lose its moxie and its charm began to wear, we finally saw the return of the best character in the series, Yeti, who single-handedly saves the series from falling freely.  Yeti fits a specific role in Muromi-san that really augments the comedy, compliments the characters and just makes every episode so much damn better than all the others.  What Yeti does is she’s able to be the calm, steady, level-headed character that allows all the other irrational characters to go crazy, act silly and make us laugh.  How this differentiates Takurou’s character is that Yeti actually goes along with Muromi and the others in their silly adventures and actually participates in these zany activities.  Takurou, on the other hand, refuses to participate, creating conflict between the characters and always acting screaming and yelling whenever the littlest thing happens.  His role fits that mundane, standard form of comedy that you always see main characters in; it’s that normal person reacting extremely to every little odd thing that occurs to them.  Yeti, however, takes that tsukkomi (straight man) role but goes along with the jokes and even allows for jokes to be redirected to her.  There isn’t much conflict between her character and the others (and if there is, is usually is ignored) which then allows the comedy or oddities to continue rather than halting, like with Takurou.  As a result, Yeti fits that ideal role in a wacky comedy series like Muromi-san, the one that just makes everything better.  And because of this, Yeti is, by far, the best character in Muromi-san.  Also, she’s the cutest character in the anime, too (but that’s just overkill at this point).

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 8)

Considering that Module 77 is still apparently drifting aimlessly within the void of space, frequently assaulted by Dorssia on multiple fronts, you can’t help but consider that our heroes are contending against this evil empire without any supply lines to support itself.  While that doesn’t seem to be a problem for things like food and clothing, considering that all the markets, shops and convenience stores are still ably supplied for a student population somewhere near a thousand, the question falls on how the Valvraves are supplied on weaponry, maintenance material and machinery, and fuel.  Right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of an issue between battles, but you do see the Valvrave units sustain damage which would need to be repaired and maintained between battles.  The only one with any knowledge and ability to do this would be Takumi-sensei, but it seems like he’s been rather clueless about these units until recently, and even then, he probably wouldn’t know all the know-how in figuring out how to restore these machines to satisfactory levels between battles.  Additionally, you’d figure it’d be more than a one-man job to fix these mechs, and it doesn’t seem like anyone else (except maybe Yuusuke) would be able to assist.  Similarly, the whole Valvrave center, situated conveniently under the school, was pictured to be more of a research center than an arsenal.  Besides the hanger and the weapons presently on the Valvraves, it doesn’t seem like there would be a considerable amount of ammunition and fuel in Module 77, especially since these units were still experimental and being researched rather than any military base or similar.  It really begs the question of how sustainable is Module 77 on its own right now without any capacity to resupply itself during this ongoing war with Dorssia.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the situation was brought up eventually in the series, to a more significant degree than was mentioned previously, but the answer here is rather simple and obvious, with the ARUS securing a supply-line to Module 77 after the Valvraves push back Dorssia for the nth time.  Still, it’d make me happy to see something as essential as this be featured in the series.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 9)

The evolution of Hataraku Maou-sama! as a series has been rather fascinating, following a path similar to many light novels but still retaining its charm and intelligence despite doing so.  As many light-novel adaptions go, the series starts off with an exciting or amusing idea, does pretty well until the first arc is finished.  Then after that, lightning strikes the series, it loses its focus and resolve and its identity and becomes nothing but circular storylines and filler episodes that go nowhere else but down.  And while the same can be argued for Maou-sama! which has clearly slipped since the first arc climaxed in episode 5, I still find this series to retain that charm and style that made the first half so enjoyable.  It’s true that the story and characters have stagnated in this second part, but the series hasn’t forgotten that comedic style and character dynamic that made it entertaining and enjoyable from the first half.  Not only that but the characters have even featured some growth since the end of the first arc too, most notably with Chiho admitting to her feelings over Maou, which certainly is promising for her character.  It doesn’t necessarily help that the cast has ballooned with the addition of several new characters, essentially shifting Shirou and the main storyline to the background, but each new character has fit into a role of their own, though some have been more valuable than others.  In that sense, the series has evolved rather nicely when compared to other adaptations of light-novels, but it still falls victim to that stereotypical ‘light-novel decline’ where everything begins to slip at the conclusion of the first arc.  Hopefully the series will revitalize itself and return to the plot that we were promised in the first few episodes, but until then, the series is still enjoyable thanks to it being able to retain that charm and comedy and dynamic which made the first part of Maou-sama! such a blast.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 9)

Devil Survivor 2 has really been an anime of two-halves, hasn’t it?  Remember the Septentriones of the first half of the series, those incredible, destructive and frightening monsters that took several characters and a handful of episodes to kill?  Now, the Septentriones just kinda appear, a couple characters do something special, and it’s gone without a fuss in a few minutes.  What about the death clips that seemed to actually carry some weight and significance in the first half, now just used for the characters to voice their empty complaints again, ones that fall on deaf ears.  Not only that but the first half of Devil Survivor 2 felt more like a video game with more of a focus on developing the summons, powering them up and using their special powers to combat the bosses with varying levels of results.  Now, it’s like Yamato has taken the controller from us, is using his cheats, and beating everything for us in the matter of seconds without much in the way of effort to be spent or satisfaction to be earned.  At some point, Devil Survivor 2 shifted from one paradigm to the next, from one focus to another.  The anime now feels entirely different than it did before, going from an anime that felt like it had something or was going somewhere to something rushed and empty.  Part of this transition is related to the story being explained, the characters being explored and fact that we already know who’s going to win each fights (so why bother showing them struggle each time?).  The other is that the series is compressed into a meager 12 episodes and its evident that way too many ideas and details were chopped in order to fit this final budget.  Had this series been allowed more time (and more money) to develop each facet of the series to an adequate degree, the series would have easily fared better than how it currently stands.  Rather than reaching these final episodes and feeling rushed and empty, a longer Devil Survivor would have been able to progress much more smoothly and appropriately than the current series that we have now.  It is rather unfortunate, isn’t it?

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 9)

It’s always fun to watch an anime that’s awkward but Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge is almost too awkward at times.  It’s not just the irrational characters, the wonky story, those awful color filters and the amusingly-bad animation because they all play a major role in the awkwardness of the series, but rather, it’s that strange beauty of how all these awkward bits fit together to make the series an unintentional riot.  I don’t often find myself laughing at any non-comedy anime but every fight scene with the scissors and those just absolutely regrettable color filters provokes a laughter as awkward as the anime itself.  To continue off that note, the characters themselves are downright bizarre at times, especially with the semi-sex scene following the murder at the play of the dinner party of the secret organization out to kill Iwai.  Oh, and have I mentioned the plot yet when trying to document all this awkwardness?  It’s perhaps the worst offender of the list but it just works so perfectly with everything else.  In fact, that’s the charm of Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge… just that awful gracelessness and embarrassment that you feel when watching it.  No, it was never going to be the best show of the year or even a great show this season, but Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge is still amusing and enjoyable, but only if you can manage to derive your enjoyment from just the sheer amount of awkwardness from this anime.

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 21)

I don’t often find myself disappointed by anything in Chihayafuru 2, but that wasn’t the case after episode twenty-one.  Watching Arata’s parents in the crowd, watching their son participate in the karuta tournament, really irked me knowing that they were there to watch their son lose.  Moreover, they were wanting their son to lose the tournament over something as petty as him wanting to go to college where he wants.  I’ve always been a strong supporter of allowing kids to go where they want for school and to study what they want when they get there, so seeing Arata’s parents cheer against him based solely on his own life and career plans leaves me feeling disheartened by these two adult characters.  Sure, it was played for a quick joke in the series, but to what expense?  From now on, I’ll forever remember these characters as the two who want their son to go to a local school because they enjoy fat wallets or are too narrow-minded to consider the long-term benefits of sending him to a university in Tokyo.  I wouldn’t have minded it if the joke was altered slightly so that the parents were merely advising him toward the local community college versus school in Tokyo, but to see them actively cheering when he lost a card in a match is a bit much for me.  Hopefully there’ll be some redemption later on, such as if Arata loses to Shinobu in the finals match and, when comforting Arata, they allow him to go to Tokyo, but something like that is so cliché I already feel nauseous just writing about it.  Still, I’d prefer that over knowing that Arata’s parents were basking in his defeat, knowing that they’d be restricting their son’s choice in school, and possibly, his life goals.

Last week: why minimal amounts of fanservice is strange in Hataraku Maou-sama!, why no character development is the best character development in Suisei no Gargantia, the exceptional development and use of its enormous cast in Kakumeiki Valvrave, and considering the time, expenses and logistics of Frenda’s attacks in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S.

Best episode of the week: Chihayafuru 2

Anime trending up this week: Suisei no Gargnatia

Anime trending down this week: Hataraku Maou-sama!!

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 9)

After watching the past few episodes of Railgun and watching Misaka battle against Frenda and ITEM, I can’t help but wonder how much of that flammable tape Frenda put down.  Like, how many miles of tape did she put throughout that facility?  And yes, it will be miles considering that through those long corridors, you’d often see 7 or 8 different lines of tape covering the floor and walls and ceilings.  Yeah, think about that for a moment.  If there were 7 or 8 lines of tape going down one hallway, you’d figure Frenda would have to walk up and down that hallway at least 4 times to get the tape down.  Hell, that’s forgetting to mention all the branches that were factored in, too.  And how much time did it take to plan all this, design the tape grid and figure out where the branches and breakpoints should be?  Not only that, how much time did it take Frenda to do all this?  It only seems like she had a day or a night or so to take care of all this, so I’m guessing she put in a dozen hours to prepare the whole plant for Misaka.  And just how did she get access to all those places anyway?  Not just asking how she got into the various secret rooms and passageways, but how did she get on the ceiling and the walls and pillars and stuff?  Hell, probably the best question to ask after considering all this is how much did it cost Frenda?  I’m sure that tape isn’t cheap and, considering she used probably a few hundred rolls of it, I’m guessing it was pretty pricey for her to implement.  And that’s even discounting all those bomb-dolls that she laid out in the facility.  I’m sure those things are expensive, too.  But you know, now it makes sense why Frenda was so obsessed with killing Misaka herself and earning a majority of the pay… because she really needs it!  So yeah, factor in the time, the money, the difficulty and the logistics of Frenda’s preparations (and that’s not even mentioning the execution of her plan, too!) and it becomes increasingly clear why Frenda is such an excellent and capable assassin.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 10)

Often times, I compliment an anime for how it develops its characters and cast depending on their interactions and the events that befall them.  And while that’s true for Gargantia with Ledo, a character who has seen a phenomenal amount of growth and maturity of his own, I find the best development of any character has actually had zero development thus far.  When examining Chamber and his role in the story, the fact that he has not developed or matured is pivotal to Gargantia and really stands to contrast and measure Ledo as the lead.  What makes Chamber such a fascinating role is that he serves as the starting point for Ledo, a reference for us to see how much Ledo has changed since he arrived on Earth.  Because Chamber remains a product of the Galactic Alliance, he still follows all the military protocols and procedures that Ledo would’ve had he remained in space.  Chamber also has an incredibly mechanical personality, one that perfectly fits his role as a constant reminder of what the Galactic Alliance wants Ledo to do.  And that mechanical personality does well in how Chamber reacts to these situations that Ledo reacts to, assessing the situations in a logical, bellicose manner per the rationale of the Galactic Alliance in relation to their war against the Hideauze.  The fact that Chamber hasn’t grown at all throughout the anime is a testament to his role as Ledo’s life and purpose with the Galactic Alliance.  Not only does Chamber serve as a measuring stick in which to measure the progress and maturity of Ledo but Chamber constantly provides arguments and retorts that the old Ledo would use to counter the new Ledo.  His character is one of the most magnificent in Gargantia and deserves praise for how he is used in the series.  Even though Chamber has seen minimal growth of his own throughout Gargantia, he still continues to play a fundamental role in the anime and further enhances Ledo’s character and Ledo’s story.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 10)

Clouds in anime are usually an afterthought; just another miscellaneous component in the background, out of the focus and out of the minds of the audience.  But for Attack on Titan, the clouds are often gorgeous visuals that complement the anime.  And no, this isn’t just the clouds in the sky, which are beautiful and detailed in their own right, but the clouds of steam that are associated with the various titans that bedevil mankind.  In this episode, with the clouds of steam acting as a smokescreen for Eren, Mikasa and Armin, the artwork and animation of the clouds become a focal point of the episode and came to the forefront of our attention.  What makes the clouds so remarkable in Titan as compared to other anime is how much more thorough, vibrant and colorful they are.  Clouds in other anime are often a collection of various shades of white and amorphous without much in the way to draw or grab the attention of the audience.  And unless it’s a storm or raining, clouds are almost never have personality or color.  Here, however, the clouds feature a multitude of shades and lighting and are structured in a manner to give them more of a heavy or built-up appearance.  Furthermore, the clouds are associated with the fearsome titans, so it helps to give them this appearance when being associated with the most frightening and terrifying aspect of this anime.  Hell, maybe that’s the reason why the clouds are so damn elegant in Titan is because that they have some meaning and purpose to them than just details in the background?  That and with the clouds being the background for virtually half this episode, I suppose it makes sense that they put their effort into drawing these clouds as detailed as possible, because wispy white clouds wouldn’t have that same effect, now would they?

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 9)

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Valvrave the Liberator is the tremendous amount of character development we experience for its expansive cast and how each character has evolved into their roles in the story.  Consider characters like Saki, Inuzuka, and Yamada from the first couple episodes to where they are now.  Each began as nothing more than a background character and, if they were lucky, they’d have a couple of lines in an episode.  Now, each has become influential characters in their own capacity who now have the ability to command the anime whenever they’re on the screen.  And I’m not just talking about the Valvrave pilots or the other lead characters, like Shouko and L-Elf either.  Even characters like Nanami, Marie and even Sakurai have seen dramatic progress in their characters which has allowed them to fill specific roles in this anime.  The fact that we’ve seen so many characters going from the nondescript, non-significant role of everyday student to an actual effective character is one of the greatest strengths of Valvrave.  We’ve been able to watch characters who have nothing special about them all grow into their new roles as a result of the events of the series and through the actions of the other characters.  Valvrave has done well in managing its gigantic cast of characters, not only in dividing up the screentime to appropriately manage the story and the characters but in how its uses these characters in the series.  One can only hope that as the series begins its second half soon that this trajectory remains true for the remainder of the cast who have yet to really shine in Kakumeiki Valvrave.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 10)

Shows with mild amounts of fanservice, which I consider Hataraku Maou-sama! to belong to, are certainly strange, aren’t they?  In Hatarauk Maou-sama!, you have the standard assortment of girls in bikinis and breast jokes, which is fairly standard in today’s anime environment, material that is so ubiquitous and omnipresent in anime today that you’d wonder if it’s a religious children’s show without it.  And while that’s expected in just about every anime these days, Maou-sama! takes a step above zero and has added in minor fanservice elements, such as the occasional bra shot, panty shot and jiggling, bouncy breasts.  There’s just enough of it and it’s just frequent enough that one would consider Maou-sama! to be slightly ecchi or somewhat fanservicey.  My question is, why?  Why this minimal amount?  These fanservice elements are hardly necessary in Maou-sama!  We can tell that Chiho has larger breasts than Emi just by looking at them.  They don’t need to move for us to notice, ‘Wow, I just realized that her boobs are bigger than her boobs!’.  And the occasional shots of underwear haven’t really proven instrumental or even important to the characters or the story?  So why even have it?  Of course, the on the other hand, why not have more of it?  If Maou-sama! is going to have some elements of fanservice in it, why not add in a considerable amount so that it feels satisfying or gratifying to the audience.  Why not have a dozen pantyshots?  Why not have Chiho’s breasts bounce a couple times each episode?  Why not put it up to a level where people would respond to it being an ecchi anime and enjoy the fanservice more?  Really, at this miniscule level of fanservice, I don’t understand what the point is.  If it’s this little, why even have it in the first place?  And if you do have, why not make it more frequent so that it’s somewhat enjoyable instead of just the slightest bit awkward.  It’s just strange at this current level.  It doesn’t really satisfy either fan camp, being those who don’t want any fanservice and those who enjoy it and want more from their anime.  So considering the use of fanservice in Hataraku Maou-sama!, that occasional breasts physics and those rare panties, you really have to wonder what’s the point.  That is why I always find anime like this one, one with a minimal amount of fanservice, to be strange.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation (Episode 10)

So how does Nitta surviving change Yamato’s plans?  Because considering that Yamato had a plan for these seven days, for how to attack and survive the Septentriones and create his new world in the aftermath of defeating Polaris.  And according to his plans, Nitta was supposed to sacrifice herself and be out of the picture for these final days.  But instead, because of Hibiki’s heroics, Nitta is still around.  How does Nitta being alive affect Yamato’s plans?  Certainly having one of the most powerful and most capable summoners around helps but Nitta is also one of the many characters that are against his plans for creating a new world order.  In fact, does Nitta being alive complicate his plans for overcoming the possible resistance from facing Hibiki following the defeat of Polaris?  Does having Nitta around change the game enough so that he can’t overcome Hibiki on the final day?  It’ll be interesting to see what Nitta is able to do from here on out considering that she was expected to die from Yamato’s original plan.  You figure that after the events of this episode, in which Hibiki saved Nitta from Yamato’s shrewd plans, Nitta will play some pivotal role later in the story.  Whether she’s the one who defeats Polaris or Yamato or even Hibiki still remains to be seen.  However, at this point, you can expect big things from Nitta now that she survived her sacrifice.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 10)

Although Iwai’s hair never fails to grow day after day, her character growth has been stunted by always being around Kiri.  Just about every time we see Iwai, she’s with Kiri and they’re doing something together.  And while that might be expected from an anime who’s protagonist is Kiri, we were treated to some moments of Iwai alone and on her own for virtually the first time this entire series.  In the few scenes we had with Iwai, we were able to see her character unfold and expand beyond the binds of being together with Kiri.  Of particular note is how Iwai behaved around Emily and what they were able to do together.  Seeing Iwai take command of the situation and take care of Emily, spending time with her until her parents returned to her, really shows a side of Iwai that we would be unable to see from when she’s together with Kiri.  I definitely wish we had more time of Iwai alone for her to develop her own character and own personality away from all the crazy events of the series, but with only 13 episodes total and quite a mess of a story to wade through, perhaps it’s best that we didn’t have any of this fluff, especially if it has little to no importance in the story in the end.  Still, it was nice to see Iwai on her own for once and I hope we see more of it in these final episodes.

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 22)

I’ve always enjoyed the ranking system in karuta.  It’s like in those shounen fighters where different characters have different power levels and it’s arranged in a logical system where you can identify who’s stronger than the others.  It’s the same in Chihayafuru with the characters allotted to one of four classes, being logically termed A through D.  But like in those shounen fighting anime, you always have those few characters who break the system and go beyond the top ranking in whatever silly system they have.  That, too, is the same in Chihayafuru with Shinobu, the Queen, literally decimating and dominating every A Class match she faces.  Really, there should be another class that’s just for Shinobu.  Calling her the Queen is a start, but there should really be an S Class for Shinobu given how dominant she is.  I suppose she has been classified as Super A Class, but that still puts her in the same group as everyone that she beats by 20 or so cards.  It’s not really fair for her to be placed in this group where she’s clearly superior to just about everyone.  Then again, being called the Queen is pretty spectacular, and you don’t really see people acknowledge her Super A Class rank like you see with other characters, so maybe there’s some more weight in the title ‘Queen’ than I’m making there out to be.  Still, I don’t think anyone would have a problem if they created an S Class just for Shinobu and put her in there with maybe Arata and Suo (who became King after only 3 years of playing karuta).

This week: rants against the esper level system in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S, why I hate student governments in anime with Kakumeiki Valvrave, setting up Rion for much more in Chihayafuru 2, and the stereotypical sad backstory for lolis in Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge.

Best episode of the week: Yuyushiki

Anime trending up this week: Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. 2

Anime trending down this week: Kakumeiki Valvrave

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 10)

To me, the whole esper ranking and classification system is odd and incorrect.  First off, the ranking scale is based on how powerful and how useful their abilities are.  I can understand that, but what type of criteria is used to evaluate it?  I’m sure if you ask around, you’d see that people have different opinions on what makes an esper strong and what makes their abilities useful.  Take Kuroko’s Teleport for example.  With a little bit of creativity, she could literally be the most powerful character in all of Academy City.  So why is she stuck at being a Level 4, especially since her abilities are some of the most practical in everyday life and in battle, and not among the elite in Level 5?  And why does the series treat this classification system as scientific fact?  Is there a device or instrument out there that’s calibrated from Level 0 to Level 5 that accurately measures a person’s ESP-ness?  The method employed by Academy City, the System Scan, is certainly questionable as a way to assign levels, especially after missing people like Touma.  And what scientific measures are they using to determine their powers?  What exactly do they think they’re measuring and how do they have scientists that work off this system to enhance their powers?  Like, how is it theoretical that Accelerator can be the only Level 6 with his abilities?  How do they know there’s room for improvement or that Misaka’s Electromaster can’t become Level 6 on her own?  Hell, just look at what Misaka can do with her ability, including hacking into intricate computer systems, cling to and run on walls, sense spatial movements through electromagnetic disturbances, and the ability to control anything metallic, just to name a few.  Really, the whole idea of this scientific esper ranking system is just wrong, especially with how people treat is as an understood fact.  To me, the level system for espers is opinion rather than fact.  And as a result, it should be treated as an opinion and that people should reconsider the esper abilities on their actual strength and usefulness rather than being assigned a number based on some suspect scientific instructions.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 11)

Just how many other fleets and other societies are there roaming the oceans in the world of Garganita?  It has been established that there are numerous other societies of seafarers out there who connect their ships, like Gargantia, but it has never really been states how many there are out there or how those societies differ from each other.  All we know about the other fleets of ships is that there are pirates out there that like to exploit the weaker ones and that everyone gets their power from those lightning bugs, so they need to sail the world in order to power their vessels.  So how exactly does this cult society appear randomly?  After sailing around for decades, wouldn’t you figure that these ships would have established communication with each other?  It’s not like these ships just materialized and these people appeared out of nowhere, except in the form of the story of Gargantia.  Just how do Pinion and the others not know about this flotilla and their crazy cult ways?  Sure, it works in the form of story to surprise us, but realistically, this shouldn’t surprise anyone that’s lived for more than a couple months on Earth.  And what about the people who live on the land, what are their societies like?  Because as we saw from the maps, there are chains of islands out there that would be the peaks of mountain ranges today.  There are a number of dubious details missing here in Gargantia about the world, the various human societies and how they interact with each other.  Then again, the story of the anime has been squarely isolated on Garganita throughout, so it is somewhat forgivable considering a social studies lesson in the middle of this anime wouldn’t really be necessary for the story to advance (but then again, neither were the fanservice episodes).

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 11)

So the plan is to place the giant boulder in the hole in the wall to block the titans from entering?  That seems alright, because then that’d block the sole access point for the titans and it would allow for the humans to retake the city and the land they once lost.  But, consider this for a moment, what will prevent the titans from pushing the boulder out in the first place and retaking the city?  Now, this is considering that the titans aren’t coordinated to form a unit of its strongest members to push the boulder out of the hole in the wall, but you have to figure that after some time, the titans will dislodge the boulder from its resting spot and gain access to the city again.  And of course, this is considering that the strength of these titans are comparable to Eren’s titan and that a handful of them, pushing the boulder together, would be enough to free the boulder from its position.  Unless there’s another part to this plan, I think that this idea is doomed to failure.

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. 2 (Episode 11)

How awesome is it to see Kyousuke live on his own?  Not only that, but think about his situation, too: he doesn’t have to pay rent, he doesn’t have to pay bills, he probably doesn’t have to pay for food (unless he’s going to eat out every night) and all this while still going to high school.  Not to mention, he’s got cute girls visiting him in his apartment, but then again, that’s kinda always been the case and not really a result of living on his own.  But think about it for a moment, and you have to admit that Kyousuke is pretty damn lucky to be in this situation.  Hell, if I were provided the opportunity when I was in high school, I know I would’ve thrown myself at the chance.  Living on your own is tremendous and I always enjoy seeing these stories unfold in anime.  Seeing it here in Ore no Imouto 2 is fantastic, and I’m hoping to see this story arc last until the end of this second season (because that would be a great way to end this sequel).

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 10)

There are few things that I hate worse than student governments in anime.  Although it does play a semi-serious role in Valvrave the Liberator, student governments are always pretend institutions that kids pay way too much attention to and value way much more than they should.  What legitimate power do they have?  How do they keep people in check?  They’re always just a silly role to give shitty work that administrators and teachers don’t want to students who are eager to suck up to anyone in any form of authority.  Yet, in anime, they’re always depicted as these revered, prestigious, elegant students who the student body, en masse, treats objectively better than their individual peers.  Honestly, who gives a shit about this kinda stuff?  Actually, how do you give a shit about this stuff?  At least in Valvrave, the new student government is an actual de facto government for the space module, but without any sorts of laws, enforcements or system of justice, how will everything work?  In real life, it wouldn’t, but at least for the characters of Valvrave, the anime won’t spend too much time on the impossibility of this issue and thankfully, return back the story at hand.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 11)

What amuses me the most about Hataraku Maou-sama! is how the Ente Isla immigrants have struggled to make new acquaintances with humans after quickly befriending Chiho and Rika.  Really, you figure that Sadao, with his new compassionate and sociable personality would have made other friends besides Chiho or that Emi, with her gracious and amiable nature, would have won over more than just Rika.  I understand that their missions aren’t here to make friends, but you would’ve expected them to expand their social networks a bit after living in Japan for several months.  What I mean to say is, that it’s still surprising that the only human who’s caught up in the messes that seep through from Ente Isla is Chiho.  Why aren’t there other humans, such as Chiho’s friends or other coworkers, who befriend Sadao or Emi and get caught up in these misadventures, too?  It might balloon the cast out a bit much for a show like this, but it would nevertheless be interesting to add a few new humans to the mix to alter the dynamic of the series a bit and refocus it to amusing events on Earth rather than various plot points crossing dimensions.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 11)

Every backstory to every loli is a depressing one.  Either they’re like Emily and they’re impoverished with no hopes of an enjoyable life or they have family members die (Yamane) or they have some mysterious disease (Iwai fits that) or something that makes us sad to see a little girl go through such hardships.  It’s like every loli is required to have some form of a sad story or depressing past, just to make us feel bad for them or something.  It’s like, without it, the creators fear they won’t appeal to us.  They create these stories so that we feel ambivalent or conflicted toward them in that they deserve some forgiveness for whatever mistakes or errors they make.  It’s actually quite amusing to see all the various stories these characters go through, especially since these sob stories often have no real weight on the actual storyline besides giving us a moment to think, ‘oh, that poor loli, I feel so bad for her now.’  Honestly, I would have rather seen a story about how Emily became the assassin she is today, going through rigorous trials and experiments to be the seasoned killer that she is.  To be fair, not only would that have helped expand her character than eating a sandwich, but it might have drawn more of an authentic emotional attachment to her character by showing that she loves her Papa despite going through such hardships.  Now that would be something meaningful and worthwhile to help elevate Emily from just another ‘villain-of-the-week’ to a ‘decisive antagonist’.

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 23)

Given the frequency of Rion’s character during the high school tournaments, you can’t help but wonder if they’re setting up Rion’s character for a larger role later on in the series.  Of course, with the second season of Chihayafuru ending shortly, we won’t be seeing Rion again for quite some time, but the way the series has treated her character and how she’s played against Chihaya and Taichi (and the fact that she still will still be in school next year), you have to figure that there’s some grand plan involving Rion later on in Chihayafuru.  On top of that, with her facing against Taichi in the B Class finals, you figure that she’ll be in A Class next year and ready to get revenge against Chihaya, Taichi and Mizusawa’s karuta team.  I certainly hope there is more planned for Rion following this high school tournament, especially since she could really develop into another rival for Chihaya, one that looks up to her to compete against her, unlike Shinobu or Arata.

Last week: the various contrasts and distinctions between Index and Railgun in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S, why Shingeki no Kyojin has stagnated and stalled recently, how the minor characters have flourished since the transitions in Suisei no Gargantia, and a rant about the powers of the moon in Hataraku Maou-sama!

Best episode of the week: Suisei no Gargantia

Anime trending up this week: Chihayafuru 2

Anime trending down this week: Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S (Episode 11)

The eleventh episode of Railgun features a scene where the spin-off and the original overlap.  That is to say, we were able to revisit those first couple of minutes of To Aru Majutsu no Index where Touma meets Misaka again, but only from the perspective of Misaka in Railgun. I always love and appreciate scenes like these where you witness the same event over again but from a new perspective or that you’re given new information.  And for that, I applaud Railgun for redoing the scene again, just 5 years later and with much better art and animation.  The one problem I have with this scene is how stark of a contrast this is from the rest of Railgun.  Since the scene was lifted directly from Index, it features and older, more cautious and less developed version of Misaka as compared with what we see in Railgun.  The fact of the matter is, we’re inserting an older version of Misaka here after watching her mature and evolve as a character over the remainder of Index and the entirety of Railgun.  What contrasts this old Misaka and with what we saw from the first 10 episodes of Railgun is that her powers are much more limited, her tsundere personality was much more pronounced and her dialogue was very flavorless.  In regards to her powers, we’ve seen Misaka hack into ultra-complex computer networks as what was required of the story, but here, it’s much more controlled and tame to the point where she’s unable to select what cans she wants from a vending machine.  You can tell that as Index and Railgun progressed, Misaka’s power began to develop and progress more as was required of her and the story at those points.  Misaka’s tsundere personality was also highlighted in this scene which contrasts deeply with the current storyline in Railgun.  In the previous ten episodes, Misaka always appeared to be calm, cool, and confident, but here, she quickly flips between her tolerable ‘dere’ side and got angry for virtually no reason twice here with Touma.  As for the dialogue of this scene, it seems like Misaka’s character was dumbed down a bit compared to what we see in Railgun.  I suppose this was done on purpose because Misaka’s character was new to Index at the time and it wouldn’t make sense to have her have this heavy of a backstory at this point in Index.  As a result, using the same scene from Index again in Railgun was a nice touch to show where the two franchises intersect but it does show how much Railgun has grown as compared with the infacy of Index.  To put it lightly, it really highlights the weaknesses of Index and how the writing and the characters have improved significantly since then.

Also, it’s worth mentioning the significant contrast in fanservice between Index and Railgun.  The one thing that they did manage to change from Index to Railgun was eliminating the shot of Misaka’s shorts and the pantyshot thereafter with Misaka Imouto’s striped panties.  Railgun has always been an anime without any real ecchi aspects whereas Index featured countless shots of panties, naked girls and other fanservice meant to delight the audience.  Really, it’s a shame they went to such a degree to eliminate such a scene (where Touma realizes it’s Misaka Imouto by seeing her shimapan versus the shorts) while keeping everything else unchanged and out-of-date.  Althought it might have upset the fans that they changed some of the dialogue and whatnot, it would have drastically improved Misaka’s character and kept it consistent with everything else we saw in Railgun.  So while I did enjoy seeing this scene again, transplanted from Index into Railgun, it could have and should have been better.

Suisei no Gargantia (Episode 12)

One aspect that I adore about Gargantia is how splitting up its cast has allowed minor characters to flourish.  Whereas characters like Melty, Pinion and Mayta were rarely used or even utilized in the first half of Gargantia, each has seen a phenomenal amount of growth and development now that their ships have parted from Gargantia.  For Melty, she was able to establish her independence as a character and it allowed her to show how she’s different from her two friends, Amy and Saaya.  In the first half, Melty was always together with Amy and Saaya and they always functioned as a ‘group’ rather than three individual characters.  Melty was never really becoming her own character until recently and her new role showed her contrast with Pinion and the others about the treasure hunting and leaving the Gargantia fleet.  As for Pinion, his character was always secondary to Bellows in terms of treasure hunting.  Whenever Pinion was around, it seemed his character was mainly used to conflict with Bellows or for comedy or something.  However, after splitting off from Gargantia, we finally began to realize what Pinion was all about and why he had the motives and desires that lead him to depart from Gargantia.  Like Melty, it helped establish his independence, but it also began to show he was an authentic character with a purpose and motivation rather than some silly guy who was ‘evil’ or in over his head.  And even though Mayta still has a minor role in the series, acting as a subordient to Pinion in the treasure hunting operation and becoming a gunner for the forgotten technologies, her role prior to the departure was just standing in the background and saying 2 lines.  Now, Mayta actually has lines, makes appearances and helps out with the story events.  It really shows how a background character can actually become a “someone” when the opportunity presents itself.  With so many characters left on Gargantia, it makes sense that these characters were able to grow in their absence and push the series in a different direction than before.  By using its cast in this way, and by showing their development as a result of this transition, not to mention how they impacted the direction and progression of the story, is one of my favorite aspects of Gargantia.  It is somewhat sad to know that when they do go back to Gargantia, their roles will be reduced again, but at least we were able to see them grow and mature which is more than we can say for other characters who are slotted in roles like these.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Episode 12)

The Defense of Trost is definitely a momentous and distinguishing point in Attack on Titan but, considering that we’ve been in this scenario for over half a dozen episodes now, it does feel like the anime has stagnated a bit and lost the momentum from earlier in the series and even at the beginning of this story arc.  These past three episodes especially highlight how the action and pacing have slowed and that the energy and fear that previously drove the series have been replaced with monologues and expositions.  Furthermore, we’ve already seen some of these scenes before where people are struggling with their gears or their guilt or their fear or how they witness the death of their friends, so it really hasn’t shown anything new despite it being novel experiences for most of these characters.  I do expect the series to pick up its pacing again when the Defense of Trost arc finishes and it can’t come too soon for someone who’s growing impatient like I am.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Episode 11)

L-Elf has always been that calm, cool, emotionless super-soldier, though we’ve seen him show a range of emotions since ditching the cold-hearted military of Drossia and joining the ranks of JIOR’s teenagers.  Still, L-Elf has yet to really show the emotion of ‘surprise’ or ‘shock’.  Perhaps this is in part due to his ability to see into the future with his uncanny ability to predict events.  Or perhaps the reason here is because L-Elf has seen so much violence and carnage that death, destruction and loss are as normal as waking up and eating food.  Whatever the reason, seeing L-Elf mildly surprised about Shouko’s cooking is about as close as we’ve seen to the most common emotion of everyone else in Valvrave.  I wouldn’t be surprised myself to see if L-Elf does seem surprised before the anime takes a break for the summer, but I’m really curious as to what could surprise him given how he seems to be reading directly from the script and knows exactly what’s about to happen even before the most astute observers from the audience can even consider what’s going to happen.

Hataraku Maou-sama! (Episode 12)

So Sariel, the archangel, has is power augmented by the moon.  Okay, that’s fair.  After all, the moon is a celestial body that’s significant to a number of religions, societies and the history of mankind.  And I’m fine with the idea that if Sariel gets closer to the moon that his power increases even further.  Sure, maybe it’s like a magnet to the moon’s light or some type of power sink and can absorb the power better when he’s closer to the moon than not.  But seriously… GETTING CLOSER TO MOON DOESN’T MEAN FLYING UP IN THE SKY!  The moon is a staggering 384,400 kilometers (238,900 miles) from the Earth.  Having Sariel fly like 10-20 meters up in the air and exclaim how his power is getting enhanced is bullshit.  What’s the difference between where he was before and where he was now?  An astounding 0.000000026% increase.  Yeah.  Just look at all those zeros.  Just look at it.  That’s be like me saying “I’m super close to Tokyo” after taking a step to the west.  Or not even… to cover the same distance that allowed Sariel to power up from the moon would only take 20 centimeters for me.  Sure, it’s true that I’m closer to Tokyo like Sariel is closer to the moon, but it shouldn’t make any difference in how it enhance his powers.  So, yeah, I call bullshit on Sariel (for both his powers and the fact that he’s a terrible character).

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Episode 12)

I’ve finally reached the point where I just don’t care anymore about Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge.  Often times, I do reach a low point in an anime where I begin to care less about the characters or the story, but at the very least I’ll continue to pay attention to the dialogue and the actions on the screen, hoping it’ll entertain me or make me laugh.  But for Crime Edge, it’s fallen so far, I don’t even really bother to read the subs now.  The story and the characters in the anime have been, to put it nicely, a disaster and, with one episode remaining, it seems like the anime will be unable to wrap up everything and deliver an ending that the beginning and middle of the anime promised.  I mean, what’s the point anymore knowing that there’ll be some unsatisfying resolution that’s untrue to the original manga?  Although, to be fair, it isn’t so much of the anime’s time schedule being a problem as it is being that the story was incredibly mundane and that the characters were all uninteresting.  Still, it’s few and far between that I’ve reached this level of boredom and disinterest with an anime, so at least I’ll remember Crime Edge for something.

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 24)

I’ve always found the pacing of the matches in Chihayafuru to be incredibly awkward yet appropriate given its presentation and style.  What I mean by the awkward pacing is that, during a match, the time between the reading of two cards can take up to 12 minutes while the 6 cards that follow take 12 seconds.  As a result, the matches can either drag on forever or occur too quickly, never really reaching that sweet spot in the middle that feels both dramatic and exciting.  Still, this difference in pacing does fit Chihayafuru well, especially with how it showcases how all the characters are thinking between cards and how, as a result of their thinking or planning, they’re able to take advantage of the match within the span of 6 cards or so.  However, I believe I’d prefer Chihayafuru to have a more consistent pacing throughout its matches without having to sacrifice the thinking or the swings in momentum.  One way that this could work is to have these sections of thinking be spread over a few cards, so that way there are no extended durations of downtime during the episode, as we frequently see in these finals matches.  Instead, by spreading the internal monologues over 2 or 3 cards, the pacing wouldn’t be sacrificed and we’d still have action sequences when the cards are read and the players swing.  Furthermore, I believe it’d be somewhat more realistic to have the players be thinking while playing the game and having to be constantly interrupted from their thoughts to play the game rather than to sit there on the mat and think for a 10 minutes like they currently do.  Nevertheless, I do enjoy how the matches are carried out in Chihayafuru, though I would prefer them to have a more consistent pacing and evenly distributed action.

Since I never posted a final review for the Spring 2013 anime season, I figured now would be better than later.  And while it’s not as late as some other season reviews, this one is a tad late.  Nevertheless, it’s always worthwhile to take a moment and look back at how the anime of Spring 2013 performed.

Before we begin, the ranking of anime below was completed at the end of June after a majority of the shows were completed.  I did complete an evaluation of these shows at the time but never created a final review.  It’s also worth noting that some of the shows that continued into Summer 2013 may have different grades in that review based on how they performed in their latter half.  These are only the reviews from April-June for 2013.

Every anime receives a numerical score (between 10-5 as well as a D [delayed/dropped]) and is placed in position according to how they rank against each other from top to bottom, helping differentiate position among anime receiving the same score.  Each anime is paired with its own review which provides my overall thoughts and evaluation on the anime in addition to explaining my reasoning behind the score and ranking.  Any questions or discussion are welcome and encouraged in the comment section.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) – 9

Favorite Character: Sasha Blouse

Review – The thrill and exhalation of Shingeki no Kyojin is what earns it the top spot for Spring 2013.  The raw emotion, the wholesome terror and the magnificently animated and choreographed fights were the driving forces behind this striking and powerful anime.  Beyond that, the setting is what stood out to me the most.  The world they live in, their culture, their technologies and how humans coexist with the titans quickly became my favorite aspects of this anime.  The cast of characters were a curious bunch, highlighting some of the diversity in the world and having good chemistry with each other.  I don’t think I care much for the story since I’m not sure exactly what’s going on but that’s really the least of my worries.  The biggest concern is if the anime will continue to keep up the fighting art and animation or if it will wane in the second half of the series.  Most of the series has been gorgeous and I appreciate the rough, defined art style, but I am concerned that the quality might drop eventually.  Other than that, it’s easily the top anime of the season for me.

Chihayafuru 2 – 9

Favorite Character: Shinobu Wakamiya

Review – Although the score of Chihayafuru 2 did dip toward the end of this sequel, I still find this intense and expressive series to be one of the best of the year.  What caused the drop from a 10 to a 9 was partially due to some fatigue with the series and how it’s charm diminished during the individuals tournament… largely because we already knew these characters and the matches became a bit too predictable.  To me, I always loved meeting new characters, learning their style, understanding their contrast to Chihaya and the others and discovering their love for karuta.  Secondly, I love how unpredictable the matches were in the first 40 episodes with there being an equal chance of the protagonists winning or losing.  With those points virtually removed in this latter half of the sequel, I began to lose my passion for the series.  So while it still is on perfectly fine in every category, from art to sound to story to entertainment to characters, I found these episodes to be the least attractive thus far and a step below the original.  However, I have high hopes that a third season would bounce back and maybe be the best that the franchise has to offer.

Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet) – 9

Favorite Character: Mayta

Review – Gargantia is another one of those anime that match my taste better than others.  Considering that the strengths of the series were its setting and the development of its lead characters, I think it’d be absurd if I didn’t fall in love with this anime.  Still, there were some faults with the series, particularly in the middle when it decided that girls in bikinis was more interesting than Ledo growing up, but it wasn’t as grievous or botched like some people made it out to be.  Otherwise, I found the story to be intriguing and motivating, especially in relation to Ledo’s character.  I absolutely loved the setting, how it depicted its numerous societies and how they heavily influenced Ledo’s character.  The character designs were a real strength in terms of the art and the animation was often excellent but it was subpar or merely adequate at times.  Nevertheless, I was thoroughly impressed and satisfied with Gargantia which justifies its lofty score of a nine out of ten.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Valvrave the Liberator) – 9

Favorite Character: Akira Renbokouji

Review – The unpredictability, sheer absurdity and ridiculousness of Valvrave is what made Valvrave such an engaging, electrifying and entertaining anime to watch.  Its use of parodies, twists, surprises and reveals helped catapult the series to the upper echelon of anime for Spring 2013 and I’m thrilled to learn the second half will be airing shortly in Autumn 2013.  Hopefully by then they can fix some of the minor issues, particularly with Haruto being rather lame and boring for a male lead (which for an anime is saying a lot).  If Haruto weren’t such a whiny puppet, Valvrave would likely have ranked higher among the anime this season but his character is the main fault I have with Valvrave.  The fights have been a bit underwhelming too, though that’s largely given to making sure the heroes always win with whatever deus-ex-machina they need that was relevant to the current episode.  That pattern of fighting has always bored me and trends seriously close to the absolutely dreadful Shounen Fight Syndrome that I detest.  The character designs were attractive, especially for the under-utilized female cast, and I always enjoy a good space setting (there aren’t enough of those in anime anymore).  I found myself genuinely happy with this first season of Valvrave and am excited to see how the series does when it returns in October.

Yuyushiki – 8

Favorite Character: Yui Ichii

Review – Enchanting, endearing and delightful, Yuyushiki is a charismatic and enticing anime that will please your eyes with its cutesy art style, warm your heart with its characters, and make you laugh with its random style of humor.  Yuyushiki triumphed with its calming set-up where the girls were in class, at their club or just hanging out and trying to make each other smile with their silly jokes, odd behaviors or commentary on whatever they found on the internet.  The surprisingly appropriate level of immaturity for these highschool girls was never overboard or unrealistic and helped the audience connect with the characters and their awkward but happy lives.  It also helps that the themes of this anime were carefree and cheerful and that the art was soft and pleasant.  It never really had any issues besides some jokes just missing me completely but that’s true for every comedy.  However, unlike most comedies, I was smiling throughout due to Yuyushiki being one of the most charming and enjoyable anime of the year.  If anyone is interested in a simple, lighthearted comedy, I’d strongly recommend Yuyushiki.

Hataraku Maou-sama! – 8

Favorite Character: Rika Suzuki

Review – Hataraku Maou-sama is an anime that had its ups and its downs.  Fortunately for us, it featured more ups than downs with its rather appealing and innovative take on the now popular Hero/Demon King (Yuusha/Maou) setting.  Of particular note for this anime was how well its humor and personality fit when the characters switched from their fantasy realm, Ente Isla, to modern-day, urban Japan.  What really impressed me to start was the comedy and, as that waned over time, I found myself enjoying the series because I had grown attached to the characters and enjoyed their company and growth together.  There weren’t a whole lot in the way of negatives for this series but its charm began to lose its luster toward the end when its comedy took a back seat to light novel plots.  Really, that final story arc did more damage than good for this series.  I also would’ve enjoyed seeing a segment where Chiho visits Ente Isla but maybe that can be saved for another day.  In fact, I hope to see it continue again someday since it turned out to be one of the most delightful and enjoyable anime of Spring 2013.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride – 7

Favorite Character: Kanetsugu Naoe

Review – The best kind of ecchi/fighting anime are the ones without plots or ones that don’t take their plot seriously.  It seems Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls learned its lesson with this sequel, Samurai Bride, since the anime introduced its plot in the first episode, then forgot about it for a good half of the series.  And if the sequel stayed that way, I’d be tempted to raise Samurai Bride up even higher.  What made this sequel significantly better than the original is that it wanted to have fun and fanservice be its primary focus whereas the first one took itself too seriously with such a ridiculous plot and even more ridiculous amount of fanservice.  The franchise took a step in the right direction with this move while increasing the wacky antics of the cast and their world.  As always, the art style is fashionable and memorable with its emphasis on traditional Japanese art but blended with modern moe character designs for a refined and stylish fusion.  The comedy seemed to be better throughout this series but that is probably due to Naoe being given more screentime which coincided with the anime wanting to be more fun and fanservice than serious and empty.  Overall, it’s still not a remarkable franchise or a great anime, but it is dumb fun and I was sufficiently entertained.  If there’s anyone out there who likes harems, swords, boobs and ink, then Samurai Bride is worth checking out.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S – 7

Favorite Character: Frenda Seivelun

Review – I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Railgun/Index franchise, not because I don’t enjoy the shows, but because I never really feel hooked or all that engaged.  Unlike the other anime above it where I experience a list of emotions and enjoy the experience, I feel like watching Railgun is watching Railgun and nothing more.  However, this first half of the sequel to the spin-off of Index had some of the best episodes in this franchise and arguably the best that Railgun has offered.  The battles between Misaka and Frenda were actually clever and entertaining, something rare for me for in a Railgun/Index anime.  And with the anime heading to the Sisters Arc next, I’m thrilled to see it through Misaka’s perspective knowing what happened from Touma’s when it was shown in Index S1.  Otherwise, not a whole lot to comment on other than that the anime is trending up for me which bodes well for it heading into its second half next season.

Devil Survivor 2 The Animation – 7

Favorite Character: Airi Ban

Review – Devil Survivor 2 really tore me in half.  On one hand, the anime had a phenomenal cast of characters and an intriguing setting, two things that are hallmarks of my favorite anime.  On the other hand, this is one of the worst trainwrecks of a story I have ever witnessed and am just shocked at how awkward this anime was from what I heard of the original game.  I can see why so many fans of the franchise were appalled with this anime considering its story alone, and it makes me want to pick up the game for myself to see what’s missing.  Hell, the game would have the same characters and setting, so it’s almost guaranteed to be better than this anime.  But still, the anime was my introduction to these characters, these battles and the scenario, so I did find positive there.  But still, the whole story, the plot progressions, the events and everything was just… bad.  Besides that, the only other points worth noting are that the art was substandard but the music was marvelous (one of the best this season, actually).  Like I said, I was torn on this anime but it feels like a 7 considering how much I enjoyed the positives coupled with how much I despised the negatives.

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. (S2) – 7

Favorite Character: Sena Akagi

Review – OreImo is like two anime to me with one being one that I like and another being one that I hate.  OreImo S2 does have some intelligence, insightful and hilarious episodes.  In fact, I think I laughed out loud more with this anime than with any other this season.  And considering that comedy is my favorite genre of anime, that would predict a good score for OreImo S2.  But… the relationships, especially with Kirino, are really the bane of the franchise for me and the aspect I hate most about this anime.  Without it, if it were just an outsider brother observing otaku culture, watching anime and dipping into eroge or whatever, then this would be a significantly better franchise.  But no, like many anime, the “romance” feels wrong, feels forced and feels like an anchor holding this anime down.  I wonder how much more I’d like this anime if all those aspects were removed and we were left with genuinely good comedy and otaku references.  I think it would be an 8, maybe even a low/borderline 9.  But no, OreImo S2 is about the same as S1, scoring a medium 7, though I’d argue that I enjoyed this more than S1 (but only marginally).

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W – 6

Favorite Character: Cthune

Review – Although Nyaruko-san is labeled as a comedy, it’s really not that funny to me.  When watching episodes of Nyaruko-san W, I never really recall myself laughing or smiling or really enjoying myself.  And more often than not, I’d just be bored from start to finish.  There were times when the humor was just banal and devoid of any amusement that left me jaded, especially during the relentless anime/otaku parodies that often felt forced or uninspired.  There were only a handful of characters that I liked but none that I loved.  And characters like Nyaruko and Mahiro got more irritating as the series progressed.  Really, I think I’m done at this point as the whole Lovecraftian theme in this anime is not played well.  Nyaruko-san is really just another normal, stereotypical anime that just mentions Lovecraft rather than utilize it or make it anything significant.  Had this been about magic or other aliens or anything, then I probably would’ve passed on this series long ago.  Well, after this one, it seems like I’ll be done with it now.

Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san – 5

Favorite Character: Yeti

Review – Like the anime mentioned above, Muromi-san was another anime I felt was never funny and never really enjoyed.  However, unlike Nyaruko-san W, Muromi-san made me feel irritated, a feeling worse than boredom, and had no redeeming qualities outside of Yeti.  The anime did feature some amazing animation but I couldn’t get passed the content of the anime which pissed me off more than not.  It was just agonizing to get through an episode, which thankfully were only 13 minutes each.  The main source of their frustration derives from the cast of characters more than anything else, with literally everyone (besides Yeti) pissing me off at one point or another.  Obviously there were some worse offenders out there than others, but if there aren’t characters I can enjoy, I’m not going to enjoy an anime no matter how good it is elsewhere.  That being said, there are no real qualms with the retro art style, the music or the setting, so we’ll end on that as a high note for Muromi-san.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge – 5

Favorite Character: Nigi Ubusato

Review – Crime Edge is an abysmal, unpleasant and laughable anime.  Just about everything about it was stupid, from its nonsensical stories to its silly scenario (the Killing Goods, the Insteads, the Murderer’s Game) to its clichéd cast of characters to its unfortunate fanservice and beyond.  There were characters and plot points that were just bizarre and confusing with several that were never resolved.  I realize the manga that it’s based off of is continuing, but it could’ve worked on that rather than showcasing “assassins of the week” for no reason that had no real impact on the plot toward the end.  The art, animation, and fights were all forgettable, thankfully.  There really wasn’t anyone in the cast that I enjoyed though that was a minor concern with trying to rationalize or understand the plot or content of the anime.  Really, I can’t say anything good about this anime because there wasn’t anything good in it.  In fact, I think I can safely say I regret watching Crime Edge.

Achievements of Spring 2013:

Best Art: Shingeki no Kyojin

Best Characters: Kakumeiki Valvrave

Best Entertainment: Yuyushiki

Best Setting: Suisei no Gargantia

Best Sound: Chihayafuru 2

Best Story: Suisei no Gargantia

Best OP: Shingeki no Kyojin

Both the song and the animation are spectacular in Shingeki no Kyojin’s OP.  As soon as I first watched it, I knew it would be my favorite, it’s just that good and that powerful.  Devil Survivor 2 and Muromi-san also has great openings.

Best ED: Devil Survivor 2 the Animation

The way the song builds up with the flashing realities (normal world/destroyed world) is enough for it to be my favorite of the season.  But the climax of the song as it pans through all the characters in their normal lives is hands-down one of the best EDs I have seen. Valvrave, Gargantia and Titan all deserve some recognition for their solid EDs, too.

Biggest Surprise: Yuyushiki

Yuyushiki didn’t seem all that impressive before the season started and had a lackluster first half of episode 1 but really came on strong thereafter.  In a season with no strong comedies, this slice-of-life anime made me smile through its charm and chemistry.

Biggest Disappointment: Suisei no Gargantia

Gargantia earns the distinction for being the biggest disappointment, not because of its content or performance but because I hyped myself up too much for this anime.  While it still places third for the season and will be among the top for this year, I was thinking this could be the best anime all year.  It’s up there but there are already several that have passed it with two more seasons to go.  Not really a disappointment like others but one that frustrated me the most because of how much I cared for it.

Best Finale: Kakumeiki Valvrave

The strengths of Valrvave were highlighted in this finale with so much unpredictability, twists, and plot reveals that you would kill to start the second half once the finale ended.  Not only that but the action, dynamic and fighting were at their best in this episode, too.

Most Hated Character: Oarfish (Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san)

As you probably noticed, I’m trying to finish up all the Season Reviews I missed in 2012 and 2013 before I finish my Final Review for 2013 and start my preview for 2014.  I hope to have all these out soon though I can’t make promises, especially considering that this post is 6 months late already.