Summer 2014 season overview part eight Things I almost missed

I thought I was done with the season overview thing until I realized not only was there a few shows I missed but also was a bit short on shows that were actually fun and engaging. Fortunately I decided to watch these shows and I am glad that I did.

Terror in Resonance

Two mysterious boys are connected to a reign of terror. They recruit a female passerby in the first episode.

This is one of the Noitamina shows of the season. Although they have proven to be hit or miss the first episode gives some hope that this will be one of the better shows. The thing about these kinds of shows is that there is only eleven episodes so it isn't much of a commitment either way.

Tokyo Esp

In a science fiction world there are people with supernatural powers some of them wish to rule over normal humans but there are others like Rinka also known as the "White girl" who will protect the innocent.

The first episode of the show is a giant in media res action piece much like the first episode os Ga Rei Zero (yes that cameo in the first minute made me think of that show)  so I can call it a good start to a show about fighting with a bit of thought.

HImegoto

Hime Arikawa is a boy who looks like a girl who is threatened by the Yakuza for some debts. He is saved by a local high school student council who wants to make him their servant.

This is a short show with a plot that reads like Hayate the Combat Butler with a cross-dressing twist. Wait a minute there was an episode where Hayate was made to dress up as a girl, go watch that show instead.

Review is the order a rabbit

Good anime needs good headwear

One day a girl named Cocoa walks into a café called rabbit house and is utterly enchanted by everything there including the stores mascot a round looking rabbit thing called Tippy. she gets a job at the rabbit house and's stays there while she is going high school. There she spends her days with the cafés owner Chino and another worker named Rize as well as to other employees into other cafés, Syaro and Chiya.

four sleepy girls

there is a certain genre of Anime shows that are simply called cute girls doing cute things and that description could pretty much fits is the order rabbit to a tea. As with many shows of this type it also tries to be a comedy show and for the most part does a decent but not exemplary job of attempting to make the viewer chuckle.

just a peek

There is a slight amount of fan service in this show; it's not much but given the character designs and general tone of the show it can still be a bit jarring. I would have liked to say that the Germanic architecture in the show is a plus but I felt it wasn't used well enough to really be much of an asset to the show. There is a small amount of strangeness considering one of the characters is actually an old man in a different form but in the end it is just another one of the show's quirks.

Overall is the order a rabbit looks like a cute and breezy show and that is what it is. It's like buying a jar of peanut butter and finding it is full of peanut butter.

Rating the bronze Hokago teacup (K-on) for being a decent and pleasant slice of life show.

My wrath upon Love Stage

I was thinking that after a few months of never using it I was thinking of retiring the lead rating from my review scale. I usually avoid these types of shows as they are not my cup of tea so to speak but I wanted to try something different for a change. My curiosity in this case was something that was not rewarded in this case.

I was okay with the idea of Love stage for the first two episodes and was willing to watch the show and give it a decent review. Then the third episode aired and my benefit of the doubt was twisted into disgust. The reason for this is that in the later half of the episode Ryouma attempts to rape Izumi.

My main problem with this event is that all of the indications is that this event will be nothing to derail the eventuality that Izumi and Ryouma will eventually get together. Stuff like this should never be portrayed positively. Secondly it reinforces the idea that the two main leads are nothing more than Seme and Uke stereotypes. These stereotypes are some of the most toxic and offensive ones that exist in fandom. In the end you would have to pay me for me to continue watching this show.

Overall this show hits a lot of my sore spots and I can't even make it past the third episode to see how it's going to turn out.

Rating the Lead Rainbow for being utterly repulsive material. 

Review From up on Poppy Hill

Our Heroine

Umi is a hard working girl who lives in a boarding house with her grandmother and younger siblings in Yokohama just one year before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Every day she raises a set of nautical flags in remembrance of her dead father. One day at school she hears about how an old school building is going to be torn down and becomes interested in one of the boys (who's name is Shun) that is protesting the closing of the Latin quarter (the school building in question). Little do either of them know they have a past that not only makes them closer than they would possibly think but also threatens to tear them apart.

Hey everyone would like to know about how you can refinance your loans at a low, low rate?

From up on Poppy Hill is the second film by new director Goro Miyazaki. It is a period piece (the early sixties in Japan) and the movie's visuals bring the setting of the movie alive and perhaps the movie's best feature. The architecture of the Latin quarter is example enjoyable to watch.The movie is also peppered with various period appropriate musical pieces and feels quite unique even if you watch a lot of anime.

This movie does have some pretty scenery even when it about stuff that is supposed to look ugly

The characters on the other hand aren't that great. The two main leads (Umi and Shun) are decent enough but feel a bit flat in terms of having an interesting personality or being that memorable. A lot of this is do to how there is little to really challenge either of them on a really fundamental level or make them emote all that much. There is also the problem of the romance angle to the movie being lackluster and the fact they choose Umi to be the main character when she seems to only have a passing interest in the other goal of the film, being saving the Latin quarter.The rest of the cast consist of fairly quirky one note foil characters, none of which are particularly notable or annoying.

Nope this movie isn't about the enviornment

Overall this movie is something that works best if you are looking for a period piece. If you are looking for a more character or plot focused movie you might be somewhat disappointed.

Rating the bronze eyeball flower (Aku no Hana) for being only a decent movie to most people even if I suspect some artsy types might like the film more

Review Chaika the coffin Princess

Commercialism at it's finest

Toru was a younger saboteur who lost his meaning in life when the war was over. One day he comes across a strange woman named Chaika. After a fight with a scary unicorn Chaika decided to hire Tohru and his adopted sister Akari to journey with her to recover the remains of the dead emperor Gaz. However Gaz was an enemy of the current government and they oppose all connect

Cute, yet horrifying at the same time

Chaika, The coffin princess is a fantasy anime show with a decent helping of action as well as a bit of comedy to even things out. Although there are two seasons of the show this review only covers the first season. The fantasy component of the show is the kind that is filled with technological oddities such as magic guns and cars powered by magic that seems to be most common in anime.

Nekomimi on the male character, what madness is this

This show has some fan service but not enough that it overwhelms the show. Chaika herself has an odd way of speaking as she omits words from a sentence but I found her an interesting character nonetheless. I also found the character of Toru to be a likable protagonist but not much of a stand out character. There is also Akari who claims to be Toru's sister and is in love with him to some degree although that isn't overplayed either. There is also a sizable cast of side characters which flesh out the story nicely and provide conflict without always having to resort to black and white morality.

Overall even though I don't think it is a classic I found Chaika the coffin princess to be a fun fantasy action show.

Rating the bronze Parn (Record of Lodoss War) for being a decent and fun action fantasy romp

Summer 2014 season overview part seven sweet girl flesh

So now I finish off my season overview of the summer anime coming out right now. I finish off with a weak collection of harem anime with an addition of of a horror show (although there are a few people who might say they are the nearly the same thing, but I am not one of those people). Anyways I think almost everyone has their weekly anime choices for the next three months picked out already and these shows aren't going to change much of anything for most people.

Majimoji Rurumo

One day Shibaki summoned a witch and wished for some girl's underwear in exchange for his life. After some wackiness he ends up with a stack of coupons that he can exchange for his life.

At first glance this looks like a show about a pervert and the wacky and perverted hi-jinks that swirl around him. The humor seems a bit average and I can only recommend this to fans of the genre.

Tokyo Ghoul

There are beings which, although they look like humans they can only survive on human flesh. One night while Ken Kaneki was walking his new girlfriend home he finds out all about ghouls first hand.

Tokyo Ghoul is a gore filled horror anime show . While I think it might be compelling for the right audience at the same time there are many who may find the shock value of the show to be too much to handle.

Blade dance of the Elementalers

In a fantasy world where only women can make contracts with spirits Kamito is the only male exception. He ends up going to the Elementalers school and being the the target of the students there.

This show is a light novel adaptation that seems to be taking it's all of it's ideas from Infinite Stratos and Zero no Tsukaima, not that those were the best of shows to begin with. This is not something that I can recommend.

Summer 2014 season overview part six one more time

As you might get from me mentioning this but the anime industry is a capitalist entity and like any business one they come across something that is profitable they will make it again. This is the first time I covered multiple sequels and there are even sequels I haven't covered this season preview.

Encourgement of Climb 2

Aoi met her old friend Hinata after years of separation and gained an interested in mountain climbing. Now she and her friends continue their interest in mountain climbing.

Although this is a sequel to another short cute girls doing stuff show the original takes a little over a half an hour to watch so if you are looking for something in the genre this is one of the more endearing shows I have seen.

Invaders of the RYUKUJYOMA?!

Koutaro was very proud of the apartment he found that was only 5000 yen (about fifty dollars) a month. Unfortunately it means he has to share his tiny one room apartment with four types of supernatural girl.

As anyone can tell this is a harem anime with the requisite fan service and comedy inserted. By introducing all six girls in the first episode even I can't tell who the main character will end up with. This show seems a bit average for it's genre.

Persona 4 the golden animation

Yu Narukami was sent to live with his uncle out in the countryside. He soon finds out that there is a mysterious realm behind the televisions there and a mystery to match it.

There was a Persona 4 anime a couple of years ago and it was pretty good so I can't figure out if this new character will make this show worthwhile for those that aren't utter die-hards for all things Persona 4. However it is only going to be twelve episodes long so maybe one should see the first one though.