Review Kaiba

There will always be giant robots

In the distant future it is possible to download someone's memories into a chip and then either alter then or transfer them to another body. In this future a man with no memories awakes. The two things notable about him are a giant hole where his heart should be and a locket with the blurred picture of a girl that he can not remember.

Sometimes you just can't explain the scene

For a long time I thought that Kaiba was one of those artsy shows that only snobs like. After actually watching it I found that this show is actually interesting. The most obvious thing about the show is the art style which hard to describe but is rather unique to say the least. However if you consider yourself a fan of animation as a art this is a show you simply have to watch.

Strangely animated ice cream at that

However as a conventional show I found the plot to rather impenetrable. A lot of this has to do with the fact that at least for the first few episodes the protagonist has all the charisma and motivation of a lobotomized slug. However by the midpoint of the show the plot actually starts to pick up and the characters start to develop in earnest.

Overall I found Kaiba to an interesting science fiction show although if I know if you think this show to be too artsy for your I will totally understand.

Rating The silver broom (Maho Shougo Tai) for being a rather interesting show that's strongest point is it's constant phantasmagoria.

Review Nichijou

Dog is there for you

This is the story of the everyday life of three high school girls, Mio, Yuko and Mai. This is also the story of the everyday life of Nano the robot with a clock screw on her back, the child professor she takes care of and Sakamoto the talking cat. There are also some other characters that show up from time to time and it's their daily life as well, no matter how strange it is.

Obligatory shoe joke

To put it simply  Nichijou is a collection of show comedy skits (most of three minutes in length although a few are longer) stacked end to end until it is the length of a regular television show. Although the show is suposedly about daily life the can easily do something absurd (like deer wrestling) or break the laws of physics just because the show feels like it for a sketch.

Like I said not only school girls in this show

Quality in comedy is something that is almost impossible to judge but I found that in the case of Nichijou the comedy changes gears enough that even if the comedy is a bit hit or miss at times there should be some nice solid hits most of the time for most people.

Be careful not to rust

Overall I consider Nichijou I decent time waster of a comedy anime show

Rating the bronze Mesousa (Pani poni Dash) for being a decent slice of life show where anything can happen. 

Review Lord Vanadis and Marksman

Eleonora wants you

As a nobleman in the country of Brune Tigre followed his sovereign when it waged war on the country of Zhcted. Although he fought valiantly, his side was defeated and he was captured. He did manage to impress his captor, the powerful war maiden Eleonora, to the point that he managed to convince her to help him save his homeland. This is the beginning of their adventures together.

The question just had to be asked

Vanadis and lord Marksman is a twelve episode television show based off of a series of light novels. This show is set in fantasy world meaning that the show promises several sword fights, court intrigues but unfortunately no elves.Actually it is different from traditional western fantasy in that most of the main cast is supernaturally proficient in fighting.
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This show has a heavy helping of the fan-service. However the female characters of the show (namely the Vanadis) are all strong willed and self directed so I have a hard time calling this show sexist despite the fact that they run around in pretty much their underwear. The show is also has a fairly decent plot that doesn't get bogged down and also one that manages to end at a good stopping point.

Overall I found Vanadis and Lord Marksman to be a short and fun fantasy action show

Rating the bronze Mini Maya (Tenjo Tenge) for being a fun to watch action show with a decent amount of fan service.

Fall 2015 season overview part three Warzones are a battlefield

Such a Shiro title and no Fate Stay Night anime to talk about. However things are looking up with three shows that are at least decent although none of them look like they are show of the year material unless they somehow change in the middle but sometimes you just need a cat girl or giant robot more than some introspection on the nature of being.

Asterisk war

A guy named Ayato is looking to see what happened with his sister and goes to a special battle school to find out about her. Magical battles will ensue.

This show feels like it is a somewhat generic light novel adaptation but I would give this show the benefit of the doubt.

Utawarerumono

In the middle of a snowy field a girl named Kuon finds a strange man with no name but eventually calls him Haku.

I was a a fan of the original Utawarerumono  anime show and I am hopeful for this show as well. It doesn't have big signs of being the Romance of the three kingdoms with cat girls and replacement for Arslan but I will give it time.

Comet Lucifer

One day a boy named Sougo fell down a hole and found a strange girl in a crystal and gets involved in some struggle.

This show reminds me of  the mecha shows made by bones (even though this show is made by 8-bit studio) and seems well animated enough even if the doesn't entirely make sense in the first episode. I may continue to watch.

Fall 2015 season overview part 2 There will be blood

Now that I have gotten the chance to watch some more shows I am slightly catching up on the pile of new shows of this season. However with just one exception I haven't seen any good shows yet. I think part of the problem with that short shows have been half of the shows I have seen this season yet few if any of them are created with the promise of being just tolerable. Hopefully this season will be better in the end.

Kagewani

In the world there are monsters that haunt the corners of the world and Sousuke Banba is a scientist who wants the find the truth behind them.

This is a short show and one thing I remember is that short shows do a poor job with horror. The cheap looking animation style is the final nail in the coffin. Dropped.

Lovely Muuko san

Muuko is a lively little dog who lives in the mountains with his owner, a single man who makes glassware for a living.

This show is a short comedy about a dog who talks but acts like almost every dog you know. It's not high art but I believe that this show will be enjoyable to the right audience.

Young Black Jack

In the 1960's there is a young medical student named Hazama Kuro with remarkable talent and a patched body. This show is the beginning of his legend.

Black Jack was one of the more famous works of the foundational manga artist Osamu Tezuka. I am not sure how faithful this show is but I can say that it;s style has been updated to look nice and the show still feels relevant. I will continue to watch this one.

Fall 2015 season overview part 1 Failure of a knight

Hello everyone it's this time of year again when the various anime studios ply us anime fans with a new batch of wares and anime bloggers like me step on a couple of metaphorical land mines of shows so you won't have to watch them yourselves, hopefully. I would have liked to have put this article out earlier but lack on an internet connection has stymied me. Now hopefully I can prevent you from watching Lance and Masques if you haven't seen it yet.

Lance n Masques

Yotaro is a member of the last knightly order in the world, the world knights. One day while wondering the land he save a girl named Makio from falling and becomes her hero.

This looks like a really generic sort of action harem show, except for the fact that all of the characters look like they are twelve years old at most. It's not a show I will be following.

Hackadoll

In the future advanced programs called Hackadolls which are supposed to help people find the information they need. Except for three Hackadolls where are kind of defective and sent to help this one lady.

This is a short show running just under eight minutes. Although that is enough for some clever comedy however this show is lacking in that department. I suggest looking elsewhere.

Chivarly of a Failed knight

Ikki is a magic knight who is known as a failure due to his lack of magic talent. By chance he is the new roommate of princess Stella Vermillion.

This show feels like it is pretty much the same as many other light novel adaptations that take place of the many magic combat schools that litter light novel adaptations. I don't want to trash the genre but I have a strong feeling that this is not the next Fate Zero in the making.

Review Kuroko's Basketball (Season 1)

Don't anger the manager

Teiko Middle school had a truly amazing basketball team with five legendary members known as the generation of miracles. Rumor has it that there was a phantom sixth member of the team. At the opening day two notable people join the Seirin basketball team, a tall and athletic man named Kagami and another man with no presence called Kuroko.

The ending animation are a constant source of entertainment

Kuroko's basketball is a very straightforward shonen sports show, and there is nothing wrong about that. In fact the most unusual thing about this show for it's genre is the main character and how he is reserved to the point of almost feeling emotionless instead of being the hotblooded stereotype. However he does have one of those in his partner Kagami. 

obligatory ass shot

This show has a reputation for being fujoshi bait. If you are someone who likes pairing off the characters go ahead and this is a great show for you. However if that isn't how you roll this show is still a great, action packed sports action show that knows how to hit all the beats so to speak. 

In short Kuroko's basketball is a great show that should appeal to a wide audience. I recommend it wholeheartedly

Rating the silver psibody (star driver) for being a show that you shouldn't miss regardless of any homoerotic appeal it might have.

Review Upotte

Girls that are guns

Seishou academy is a very special school in that the students there are guns in human form. One day a new language teacher (who is unamed) arrives at the school and quickly meets the Belgian made FNC assault rifle (who is called Funco) and gets shot when he embarrasses her. However this is only the beginning of the story with Funco and her friends.

No this is my yuri pairing

Upotte is a slice of life comedy show about girls who are somehow guns (this manifests as the girls being able to draw their guns from nowhere). The show incorporates a surprising amount of trivia about military firearms and manages to work it into the show is somewhat amazing, you might learn something.

Stop, hammer time

This show manages to have more of a plot than the usual slice of life show has, as girls that are somehow guns allows for some pretty good action sequences. Needless to say the show is usually better and almost always different than the first episode so don't let that episode turn you off of the show. The show isn't full of underwear jokes, I can tell you that.

overall I found Upotte to be a slice of life show with a gimmick that works just well enough to make the show entertaining.

 Rating the bronze Hetzer (Girls und Panzer) for being a decent cute girls and military show.

Dog Days (season 3) review

come you will an excellent addition to my harem It has been some time since Shinku as well as his friends Nanami and Rebecca have been summoned to the fantasy realm of Flonargd to Perform as their nation's heroes and to meet up with their friends in the realm. Everything was going according to plan when Shinku and Nanami were struck by lightning as they were being summoned and thrown way off course.  What adventure awaits them in their new and unfamiliar location? Yes girls, there will always be slime monsters in this show I have always found Dog Days to be a delightful but rather vapid sort anime show. What I believe is make this show different from many other shows in that it has it's own strange id as to speak, as it is a fan service show that follows it's own script rather than try to ape other shows. As such Dogs may feel a bit weird and slightly inane at times but it's fun and fast paced at the same time. What this show needed a shota rabbit This third season of Dog Days is about as good as the previous two seasons of the show. There isn't any substantial war games in this season but the show makes up for it with   plentiful demon hunting episodes. There are a few more characters adding to the show's already ponderous cast. Overall I found the third season of dog days to be simple stupid fun, just like the rest of the franchise. Rating the bronze chainsaw (kore wa zombie) for being a delightful mixture of action and moe service

Kofuku Graffitin

Even pyramid head goes moe

Ryou Machiko was a lonely girl ever since her grandmother died. Most importantly she couldn't cook as well she could. By chance her cousin Kirin had to stay in the city once a week do to her taking a class in the city. When she cooked for her Ryou found her true love of food for when it was cooked and eaten with another person.

The fourth wall is no match for Eel.

Kofuku Graffiti is a slice of life show about cooking. There are two big differences between this show and most slice of life shows is that in every episode the much ado about food and the fact that this show has a smaller core cast than most shows of the genre.  (although the show tries to convince you that Shina is a main character although she really doesn't have much presence in the show). I found this causes the show to be a rather weak example of the slice of life genre.

While the show does have it's premise and if handled properly it would have been more interesting the show simply repeats itself too much. On top of this I found Kirin slightly annoying with her usual selfishness, which given she is usually about half the cast kills the moe aspects in the show. 

In short Kofuku Grafiti is a weak slice of slice show that hangs it's premise mostly on a food gimmick but fails at it.

Rating the tin mermaid (ponyo) for being a work that fails to measure up despite a prominent director.

Review Hibike (sound) Euphonium

I am all over this pairing

Kumiko Oumae is a girl who has been practicing the Euphonium for years although she had no great plans for music. When she entered high school school she joined the orchestra club almost as a matter of course and meets up with some news friends as well as Reina a friend from middle school who is more serious about music. As always this is a new chance and what will happen this year?

Got your nose

Hibike Euphonium is a coming of age story based around a school orchestra. Being from the studio it does (Kyoto animation) comparisons to the show K On are inescapable (to be entirely fair I referred to Reina as Trumpet Mio for a couple of episodes). However given the show's plot and emotional weight it is wrong to call it a slice of life show.

Senpai noticing you comes with it's own dangers

This show has a fairly large cast of minor characters, this being a show about an orchestra. I found that this show uses them to introduce new angles in the overall theme of working hard to be good at music in a competitive environment. All this is done while not taking too much time away from the main cast and giving them enough time to feel fleshed out. 

Terrorist fist jab

Overall I found Hibike Euphonium to be a really good story in terms of looks, theme and characters. It's an all around solid package.

Rating the silver Minmay for being such a great musically driven show. 

Summer 2015 Season overview part seven final jokes

I haven't reviewed everything this season but this is all I think I can get around to for now. I am over half way through July so season previews are a bit old now. Anyways these last three shows are all comedies if various types and qualities. No hits out of the park though.

Castle town Dandelion

In a small but kingdom there are nine super-powered and royal siblings, yet who live in a normal house instead of a castle, who are in a contest to see which one of them with be the next monarch.

This show is pretty much a harmless comedy with a really wacky premise. Although there are some underwear jokes in the first episode you don't see the character's panties so I can't really call this show fan service laden.

Seiyu's life

Futaba is a brand new Seiyuu (voice actress) who just landed her first job in a new anime show but she lacks confidence.

I found this show somewhat instructive as well as entertaining. I would think of the show as something of a Shiro Bako lite.

Shimoneta a world without dirty jokes

In the near future all sexual material and even words are banned but there is rebel called blue snow who fights back while wearing underwear on her head.

My biggest problem with the show is that I live in a world with ample porn so I need more than this show's elementary stabs at dirty humor get me off so to speak.

Summer 2015 season overview part six Where the weird things are

Anime blogging is like war. No seasonal plan survives contact with reality. I planned on watching God Eater (that way I could perfectly fantasy theme this block of shows) by now but I was able to watch three at least somewhat interesting shows. They may not be for everybody but at least they aren't stinkers like a couple of shows this season. Besides I think I am out of monster puns already.

Overlord

Momonga is the last member of his guild to stay online when the MMO game he likes goes offline. However something strange happens, he remains in the game and the npcs start gaining personalities.

This show takes a very different tack to it than other shows of it's theme given the main character's social isolation. This could be very good or not but here is to hoping.

Chaos Dragon

The island of Namul has been mostly conquered by two other kingdoms. However there is a band of adventurers chosen by destiny and the guardian dragons who might just change things.

This show is reported an adaptation of a rpg played by some famous creators. However the first episode is mostly the country is conquered and some kid gets superpowers with some hints of a more involved plot down the line.

Ranpo Kittan Game of Lapace

A young man wakes up to see his teacher has been murdered and a bloody hacksaw in his hand. Questioning this leads him to a teenage detective.

This show looks like it could be a series of short stories, from the genre (mystery) and episode title. I was really taken aback by the directing in this show and would recommend it to more artsy types of anime fans.  

Summer 2015 season Overview part five Moe survives

If you have been watching anime anywhere near recently you probably know that there are a ton of moe shows of various stripes. As a reviewer I sort of take it upon myself to step on any landmines so to speak and see if any of those shows are worth watching. As for the three shows I will be writing about this article

School Live

Yuki and her friends are a part of the school living club, meaning instead of going home they live at school. However not is all that it appears to be at first.

This appears to be your ordinary slice of life show with four girls doing nothing, however there is quite a twist to the show that reveals itself near the end of the first episode. You might want to watch.

Himouto Umaru chan

Umaru is a model student who is perfect at everything. However at home she is a shameless Otaku who spends all of her time on manga and the computer.

I found this show to be a simple comedy that is pretty funny. My Personal title for the show is "My little sister can't be this chibi." as it feels kind of like Oreimo without the incest angle. 

Million Doll

This show about a local idol group and a fan girl who is interested in idols.

This is a short show (about eight minutes) that really doesn't really do anything fun or interesting. I would recommend you the reader skipping this show.

Summer 2015 Season Overview part four Red vs Blue

Now about this time in a season I get some rather interesting shows to watch. It is also a week since new shows started coming out so I start watching shows not one Crunchyroll as well. Two of the shows are somewhat female focused and one that looks like it is made for the western fan base of anime fans. All shows look like they will be at least enjoyable for their target demographic.

Aoharu x Machine gun

Hotaru is a girl who dresses up as a boy with a strong sense of justice. She gets roped into fighting in survival games with a host member who is an enthusiast.

With some of the character designs I feel that is a somewhat shoujo anime although some people might say otherwise. However I do feel that it has a broad appeal and was generally good enough to be a recommendation for just about anybody.

Snow White with Read Hair

Shiroyuki is a woman with striking red hair and skills as an herbalist. One day she is summoned by a prince to be her concubine but fate has other plans for her.

This is one of the few shoujo anime of the season. I found that this show was well done and if you are at least open to the genre this show is worth watching

Gangsta

Worick and Nick are two mercenaries who take jobs in a crooked city run by the mobs and crooked cops.

This is a very  violent and gritty show. Even though it rather gratuitous with the violence I felt the character to be interesting. The fact that Nicholas is hearing impaired is an interesting twist with the show.

Summer 2015 Season Overview Part three Monster Mash

Exactly how does one group two harem comedies with a shonen action show and make it all seem to fit? By having a monster theme to them. As for rating the shows two of them feel quite average and one looks like it could be a break out for it's genre. Which one is it you ask? You will just have to read the rest of the article to find out.

Actually I am

Asahi is a boy who has extreme difficulty keeping any sort of secret. One day though he finds the girl he likes is a vampire and if her secret comes out she will have to leave.

I found this pretty average although I feel the worst thing that I can say about it is that it feels like a lesser copy of the monster girl show (see below) without enough originality to make both worth watching unless you really like the genre.

Ushio and Tora

Ushio finds out his family legacy one day when he finds a demon stuck to a wall by a spear. He is forced to release the demon in order to fight other demons.

Shonen shows are kind of hard to read by the first episode. One thing that I can say for certain is that if you remember the old Oav from back when this first episode is pretty much the same as the first episode of the Oav.

Everyday with monster girls

Three years ago the existance of monster girls became public. Now a young man named Kimihito is living with Miia a lamia and sexy highjinks ensue.

I am usually not too fond of fan service shows in a critical sense however I found this show to be really fun and delightful. The characters are good as well as the humor.  

Summer 2015 Season Overview Part 2 Fantasy and Reality Collide

If there is one big problem that I have with doing first episode reviews of shows it is that a lot of shows are mainly just setup in the first episode. This is especially true with fantasy shows in that you have to explain how the world is different before the story gets too far along. As I watched a couple of fantasy shows for this group I ran into this problem a couple of times.

Gate

One day a gate to a fantasy world opens up and a fantasy army attacks. They are quickly defeated but several months later the JSDF (the Japanese equivalent to the military) sends a force into the gate.

I felt the first episode was a bit hard to get a read on other than it had an otaku main character and there were some cute fantasy girls shown in the opening. I won't write this show complete off yet but it doesn't feel like it is going to become some anime classic.

Rokka Braves of the six flowers

There is a prophecy that six heroes will save the land from the demon god just like they did centuries ago. Self proclaimed (but to be honest he pretty strong) strongest man in the world Adlet Mayer believes that he is one of the chosen heroes.

Although this first episode is mostly exposition I do give the show points for it's pretty good action scene and Mesoamerican aesthetic. There doesn't look like there is too much negative in the show just yet so I will continue watching.

Charlotte

Yu is a young man with the ability to possess other people for five seconds. He uses this ability to cheat on tests until he discovered and forced to transfer to a different school.

I had high hopes for this show and it looks like my optimism was at least somewhat rewarded. Most of the first episode goes into introducing the main character, who has a good deal more personality to him than your average slack jawed harem protagonist. I also found the little sister to be cute and not in a creepy way. I will continue watching.