Onegai Senpai – 04

Not much to say really besides the continuation of what makes Ano Natsu really good. You could say that this episode was a bit of a down-time with nothing resolved between Kaito and Ichika though the next episode is what I would reckon, the real beginning of the premise of the series.

Touma?!?!?!

Kuroko!?!?!?!?!?!?! Oh god I never knew ToumaXKuroko doujins exist  but I guess Otakus would pair anyone with anything. I’m kinda grossed out of the thought that Kuroko might like someone other than Onee-sama. Or the fact that someone made a fanfic about it.

Is it the face of someone seeing her crush having a date with someone else or having shit like HOTD in the movies?

Onegai Sensei – Midnight Tutorial.

 

Nisemonogatari – 03

Nisemonogatari – 03

That awkward moment when you realized that Araragi was never in any danger.

I guess you could say third time’s the charm. Nisemonogatari’s third episode was almost perfect (the only flaw would be the abrupt ending) and there are many reasons to it being so.

1)      Senjougahara Fascination

Sometimes I really forget why I like Senjougahara. Yeah sure she’s witty, has a sharp toungue, and teases Araragi to no end, but I remember there’s more to it. This episode reminded me why. Somewhere between all this awesome twistedness lies a somewhat lovable character who you actually se developed. From that mysterious woman in episode 1, to the sly vixen who had a thing with Araragi, to her finally showing her feelings and now. She fucking smiled and- and BLUSHED! No way would this have happened in Bakemonogatari.

2)      That Awesome Moment

With in lieau to the Fascination movement, Bakemonogatari always manages to knack quite an awesome moment in its arcs. Whether it was the first flirty heavy dialogue between Senjougahara in Araragi in episode 3, the confession scene in episode 5 (the episode which coined the term Senjougahara Fascination), or the date episode, it always made up greatly for the somewhat long exposition ( kinda like a payoff). This episode had one too ( albeit not as big as the three I mentioned from Bakemonogatari) which is Araragi breaking those damn handcuffs. He might complain about his sisters but he still loves them. Then Senjougahara goes on saying that she’s not afraid of him even if he is a vampire. And then Araragi says, “that’s why I love you.” This couple is PERFECT for each other.

3)      SHAFT

NO this series would not be possible without SHAFT. I cannot imagine its long dialogues without the multitude scene switches SHAFT uses. Plus I wouldn’t like this series as much if it wasn’t for its artistry. Sure stuff like Utena and Penguindrum have meaning to every single art details they make, but SHAFT’s weirdness and uselessness in its art is. . . the reason why I love it in the first place. IT doesn’t hurt that it looks nice too. Besides they have their color scheme and gradients to a T (when the villain appeared this episode, everything was just black and red).

Also I would like to comment on how some people have compared Yuno with the likes of Senjougahara. Nah the resemblance is too far away. Senjougahara is not a stalker for one. She isn’t mentally unstable. Her actions have a lot more meaning (Yuno is really mentally unstable to the point where she even erases her memory). While Yuno is also a great character which Mirai Nikki worked hard on flourishing, she just shouldn’t be compared to the almighty Senjougahara!

Onegai Senpai – 03

That awkward moment when your crush asks you who you like

Remember when I said this series has a great balance between romance and comedy. Scratch that! This series has A PERFECT BALANCE between those two. I don’t know how the hell this series pulls off switching from romance to comedy in a snap, but I wish they would keep doing it til the end.

If I may, I will compare this again to the all mighty Toradora. That series started off really fast on both romance and comedy sides then slowed down for more character development. They showed Taiga’s unrequited love in a snap which really stated the potential of the series. Afterwards (about episode 3) things went off in a slow pace, mostly concentrating on building up the characters and their interactions towards one another. Minori from the first episode became a more dynamic character if compared to the Minori in the middle of the series. Heck Ami was a total bitch from where she started but somehow she became everyone’s favourite character towards the middle. Taiga and Ryuuji’s friendship slowly became something else as the episodes progressed. Nothing was rushed but everything was building up to what I would call “The best High School Romance Anime” I have ever watched.

Now how does this relate to Ano Natsu? This series pulled of what Toradora couldn’t. Ano Natsu’s story flows like water, changing the mood from scene to scene resulting to all six characters being more and more developed. Toradora either concentrated on its comedy or its romance and drama. Ano Natsu concentrates on BOTH at the same time.

Still though, Ano Natsu is miles off from Toradora. I don’t see Kaito and Ichika’s relationship to be as heavy, interesting and well develop as Ryuuji and Taiga’s. I don’t see any of the characters being legendary even though they’re well developed. I don’t think I’ll ever see a dramatic change in character in Ano Natsu like what Minori did in Toradora. Heck if anything the characters in Ano Natsu remind me of the side characters in Toradora. You know. . . the classmates (though admittedly even they were well developed. GOD HOW AWESOME IS TORADORA).

Of course Lemon is the exception.

I’m sorry if you were too distracted in reading my fanboyism on Toradora.

Onegai Senpai – 02

Onegai.

Rather than talking about how exactly alike this series is to Onegai Teacher, I would like to point out another series which has the same vibe.

Toradora.

It has that perfect balance of romance and comedy, it plays off each other yet at the same time also never loses sight of it. Toradora started this way too, if anyone remembers. It was pretty hilarious yet pretty serious too when it comes to its romance. This episode was a bit like that with the main cast going to his house for the video meeting. They all eventually got drunk (thanks to Lemon) and that taste of juiciness in the last tidbits of this show just perfectly ends the episode. Whatever Kaito was about to say and Ichika stopping it was really intriguing. There’s also some sort off love triangle between the other characters ( with the except of Lemon of course) so Ano Natsu de Matteru. . . BRING IT!

Kimi no Iru Machi – A Town Where You Rage

So I decided to tackle this very controversial manga and I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO SAY ABOUT IT.

Kimi no Iru Machi started out as a well executed romance manga. It uses ton of cliches and has unneeded fanservice yet things always sorta balance out. In just a few chapters, the series has already manage to establish a very hard love triangle between Yuzuki, Kirishima and Nanami. Kirishima pretty much stated in the beginning that he liked Nanami but obviously, the newly moved in housemate Yuzuki would heat things up. Yuzuki then confessed to Kirishima, who in turn confessed to Nanami. Things were really hitting off well between Kirishima and Nanami until Nanami finally realized that Kirishima placed Yuzuki’s need on top of his feelings for Nanami. This in turn finally made Kirishima confess to Yuzuki.

A classic manga love story right? This ran for 50+ chapters, making you go haywire on what’s going to happen on their relationship. While it was obvious that Yuzuki was the more important character of the two female leads, I couldn’t help but root for Nanami. But I don’t (didn’t) hate Yuzuki so I was also well off with her being with Kirishima. There wasn’t enough rage or noise which kept me wondering why this series was so controversial, enough for most people calling it “A Town Where You Rage”.

Alas, things started going haywire. Yuzuki turned Kirishima down and only 6 months later when she was going back to Tokyo did she agree on a long-distance relationship. Eventually ( after a long class trip to Tokyo) did Kirishima realize that hings weren’t going well. Yuzuki stopped texting him and all he got was a letter stating that she has a boyfriend already. And you know what happens next. . .

A CITY WHERE SHE LIVES!

Kirishima now started living and studying in Tokyo. He became friends with softball tomboy Asuka and Motorbiker Kazama. Shit got serious when Kirishima realizes that Yuzuki’s boyfriend is well. . . none other than Kazama. T oadd insult to injury, Kazama has a sickness and will die in a year.

Having hope that he might still survive, Kazama takes on a life-or death surgery. Undortunately for him, he died. Also then did Yuzuki finally decide to cut everything off with Kirishima.

Heartless or not, I was already feeling a sense of draggingness to this show. . . until Asuka becomes Kirishima’s girlfriend. I really thought things hitted off well here. He finally found someone faithful. he finally found someone who understands him perfectly. Heck he went to a love hotel and Asuka still forgave him. Also things felt a lot more natural with her and Kirishima. I was so happy of the turn of events in the manga which made me feel that, not everything has to go according to plan. It doesn’t have to end with Yuzuki and Kirishima together. I felt the daringness of the writer. . .

until. . .

What the hell was I thinking? This manga loves cliches and will never stray away from it. I knew that eventually Kirishima and Asuka would split. I knew that Eba will never be forgotten. but-but-but why do I feel so heartbroken?

Oh wait I have a lot of reasons why. Asuka was turned down in the worst way possible. Kirishima never got the ultimate “you will never get away with this”. I don’t think his friends getting angry at him was enough. SRSLY!

Now Kirishima and Yuzuki just feels hollow. Even with awesome characters like Shiori and Rin still around, it’s not enough to salvage this series. their continuing freely with the story, even adding a new girl to the mix ( which I am totally not liking). It feels so unnatural; so forced; so repetitive. I’m sick of this crap.

There’s no denying though that reading this is a rollercoaster of emotions. It has plenty of heartwarming scenes followed by many RAGEQUITS. Besides the new chapters (or practically anything after Yuzuki and Kirishima got together), Kimi no Iru Machi was consistently entertaining. It has its characters down to the needle and you get a plot that would make you whirl with it(again all this praise comes before THAT INCIDENT).

It’s a GREAT read. It never felt like a dating dame (umm hello Good Ending), and it always displayed genuine character emotions and interactions.

Well that’s it for now.

Another – 02

Photobomb

I think it’s safe to say that Another is the best new/not a sequel series this season. It has the right atmosphere and the BGM (something that can make or break suspense horror thrillers) just amplifies it further. If I did have a complaint though, it would be that those doll transition shots are totally not needed.

The first half of this episode was a bit weak but it certainly got a lot more creepy as it went.

1) When Sakakibara went into the library when he saw Mei, why didn’t the guys he was talking with follow suit (it was as if they were avoiding it- assuming they don’t see Misaki).

2) Why is it so important to know if Sakakibara never lived in the area or not?

3) What are they hiding from Sakakibara and why?

4) What’s the importance of those dolls (now that Sakakibara finally went to the store)?

5) What’s in Misaki’s left eye?

Nisemonogatari – 02

Reverse-Hachikuji GET

Besides the fact that Kanbaru got caught in the act of being more of a fujoshi than a lesbian and that Nadeko was trying to be more sexy for Araragi, this episode was more of all-talk again. Again it does feel a bit disjointed but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Plus the plot hasn’t started yet and these two episodes might just have served as an introduction of sorts. Anyway the plot seems to be revolving around the Fire Sisters trying to prove that the supernatural happenings in school aren’t real though I’m quite curious why Araragi calls them fakers. Well the title of the show is “NISEMONO”-gatari.

Or . . . that I didn’t see Gahara-sama.

Karen OP has really lush animation and the theme of bees really pops out.

ED was good but Kimi Shiranai Monogatari will never be beaten.

Area no Kishi – 02

So two birds in one stone?

Terrible pun/comment aside, I think everyone knows where Are no Kishi is going now. Just when you thought Kakeru might have had an injury or something, the only reason he was scared to use his left was that he was so strong he bent another player’s knees with a ball.

Wether you didn’t read the manga or not, you definitely know WHO’S gonna die *spoiler alerts are for fags*. The thing with plots like these though, it needs to be executed properly. Area no Kishi’s execution is sorta awkward and poor, but it does better than anything I’ve read so far in the manga so. . . fingers crossed that you’ll bawl your eyes out next episode.

Also, I guess this is the bro-version of Cross Game. . . but Cross Game did it WAY better imho. Still too early to tell.

Winter Season Anime

There’s not much meat in this season’s Anime selection but there’s enough to be satisfied with. So with that here’s my season impressions to the ones that I’ll probably continue watching. . .

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Teni Puri II

Prince of Tennis comes back with a bang. . .  well not really since its probably the exact same thing since the last time I’ve watched it. . . but since it IS the exact same thing (age stopped mattering in Teni Puri for a long time) you can still get that feeling of “FFF-YEAH” with Echizen and crew’s swag. Prince of Tennis is in my Top 30 anime of all time (I still wonder why) and while this sequel won’t probably follow suit at all, it’s still a nice watch.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

“It’s so bad, it’s good!”. That’s what I got in Symphogear’s premier episode. Everything about it seems like a rip-off of Macross and the story is terribad . . . but you can’t just stop watching. It’s entertaining at the very least.

Area no Kishi

GIANT KILLING was a really good anime and this new soccer animu seems to follow suit. There’s some real angst within the characters and while some parts are utterly cliché, there’s just something in me that expects that this adaptation of the long-running manga will give us something nice.

Nisemonogatari

The first episode fucking starts with a 6-minute Senjougahra Fascination scene and it just screams “I’M BACK BITCHES”. In all honesty, the first episode WASN’T perfect but it did bring me back to why I love Bakemonogatari so much. It still had the best premier than anything that aired this winter.

Mouretsu Pirates

Only in anime will you ever see high school girls as pirates. Unlike Symphogear, Mouretsu Pirates actually has a unique storyline and a solid script. I’m quite excited to meet the massive cast this series has (as the OP suggests) and the fact that it’s 26 episodes makes me think of the potential it can give.

Aquarion EVOL

I’ve never watched Aquarion before, but the premier of this sequel is so LOL that I now want to watch the original badly. Apparently this takes place 12,000 years after the first Aquarion, so maybe I don’t need much knowledge. What got me LOL’ing though is the gattai scenes. Throughout the two-episode premier, it seemed that the male character is getting a boner talking to the chick he met at the movies but now do I only realize that it meant that he wanted to do “gattai” with her. I just kept laughing when Aquarion was built. Everyone was making orgasmic sounds. It also has really good music, especially the scene where they used “FLYING LOVE ATTACK”.

Ano Natsu de Matteru

Cliche as hell premise, but the execution is perfect that I’m strangely excited for this series. It’s from the director of Honey & Clover II, Toradora, Railgun, and the most recent Anohana (all in which it comfortably in my top 30), so I expect something special in this series (or just at least tug my heartstrings). The writer is from the Onegai series and everyone is mentioning how this is just Onegai Classmate so I need to watch Teacher and Twins immediately to see how exactly the same both are.

Another

The second best premier this season, Another just hits all the right notes in what makes a suspense/thriller/horror anime good. They already got the feeling down of everyone hiding something from the main character in this premier (something BLOOD-C failed to do even after it ended), and I’m just curious on what exactly happened 26 years ago with Misaki Mei dying and her appearing now. Also it seems as if there is a curse running around with everyone having a condition.

Also, Sa-ka-ki-ba-ra kun.

Daily Lives of High School Boys

I seriously laughed my guts off this episode. Fuck you Kimi to Boku, this is how anime about high school boys should be done. Everything about it seems to be mocking anime clichés, especially the last part with how deep words usually have no meaning at all. All I have to say is that this is sheer genius comedy; it might be even better than Nichijou!

Inu X Boku SS

MARLEY AND ME THE ANIME- nah just kidding. I really don’t know what to make of this anime. It seems like a bunch of ideas mixed together. The main character is Alice from Memouchou while her servant is a stalker Bishie (new fetish). It feels like this series is a slice of life when it could be some other genre. It’s still a good premier though but I’m not completely sold.

Anime Oscars I (Year End Review)

Best Male Character: Okabe Rintarou (won the award after swearing to a street vendor)

Best Female Charcter: Homura Akemi (won the award after admitting she’s lesbian to Madoka-sama)

Best Villain: Kyuubey (won the award after eating himself)

Most disappointing Anime: BLOOD-C (won the award when the “main cast” formally introduced themselves. I felt like CLAMP spat on me.)

Anime to exceed expectations: Nichijou (won the award after making me laugh for 26 weeks)

Top 20:

20. To Aru Majutsu no Index II: (Shit first half/godly second half.)

19. Denpa Onna to Sishun Otoko: (Emotional Uplift)

18. Kamisama Dolls: (Everyone is a touch insane)

17. Ben-to: (Made me hungry)

16. Ao no Exorcist: (those anime original episodes bogged it down a bit)

15. Horou Musuko: (Gender Sensitivity Award of the year)

14. Level E: (First three episodes had me cracking NONSTOP)

13. Dantalian no Shoka: (Really nice episodic series.)

12. STAR DRIVER: (KIRABOSHI!)

11. UN-GO: (Wittiest mysteries I’ve ever seen.)

10. Hanasaku Iroha: (When its good, its amazing. When its bad, lol.)

9. Fate/Zero: (Damn you cliffhanger. Now I have to wait 4 months for the next episode.)

8. Usagi Drop: (Sweetest family-oriented anime I’ve ever seen. Made me want to become a dad.)

7. Moshidora: (Still have goosebumps remembering that certain scene in Episode 9 *gambare*)

6. Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season: (Development wasn’t slower as a snail this time around.)

5. Mawaru Penguindrum: (Symbolisms galore.)

4. Anohana: (Menma ;____;)

3.  Nichijou: (The most ballsiest and mundane comedy series I’ve ever watched)

2. Steins;Gate: (VN adaptation done right. Best cast of characters, best story, great plot twist, a unique take on time travelling. . . it really is quite the anime.)

1. Madoka Magica: (Far far ahead as my no. 1. Let’s just say that the Deconstruction of the Mahou Shoujo genre ultimately triumph.)

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2011 was one of the better years for anime. 2-cour is back, so are original adaptations. Let’s just hope something even comes close to Nisemonogatari this year (even Madoka is nowhere close to the likes of Bakemonogatari) so I can call it a great year too.

Cheers!