Spring 2016 season over part two Cute girls save the world

I have posted and now posted again in timely fashion so I can honestly say that this blog isn't dead. So I have decided to review the first episode of three new shows, this time the theme is groups of girls, something that is very common in anime. In truth these shows are rather different as there is a slice of life and the latest installments of a seminal magical girl and mecha shows. All three of these shows are at least decent and worth checking out.

Bakuon

Sakura Hane is a new high school student who rides to school on a bicycle and one day meets a girl who rides a motorcycle to school and is introduced to the world of motorcycles. In short this is show about cute girls riding motorcycles. Judging by the first episode I am finding this show to be something that uses it's premise to good use like a girls und panzer. Also I found the character designs to be slightly old school and I found that to be a slight plus.

Macross Delta

In the future humanity has expanded out into deep space and have run into various types of aliens. The latest threat is a disease called Vars which causes people to turn violent. There is an idol unit called Walkure that is used to combat the threat of Vars. The first episode does little more than introduce the two main characters as well as the fact that this show will contain a lot of singing and well doe cg dog fighting. You can only get this off of fan subs but I found this to be an interesting show.

Sailor Moon Crystal

Sailor Moon and her friends have defeat the threat from the future but a new threat looms and it seems that Mugen academy could the be the center of the problem. This show continues the sailor moon tradition in reanimating the third story arc of the sailor moon epic. It look like there is better animation than the first season of sailor moon. There is also a new ending showcasing why a lot of people are interested in this season in particular.

Spring 2016 Season Overview part 1 A mystery wrapped inside an enigma inside Crunchy roll

I am hopefully casting off the doldrums of blog hiatus and starting up regular posts with this posts today. As usual one of my regular deals is to review the first episode of every show I watch. I don't know how long I will walk this proverbial minefield for your hopeful benefit. With this particular post I tell you about the first three shows that I have seen this season, all of them on Crunchy roll.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Diamond is Unbreakable

One day in the town of Morioh Jotaro arrives to inform Josuke that he is a member of the Joestar clan and entitled to part of his father's fortune as well as to avoid some mysterious threat. However Josuke possesses a supernatural power known as a stand. I rarely review season four of a given franchise in these overviews but I find this show to be a special case. I have found this show to be a bit slower than your usual Jojo fare but I have heard good things about this section of the show and it still felt good enough that I will continue watching.

Mayogiga (aka The lost village)

A bus with 30 people who wish to do their lives over again heads for the mysterious town of Nanaki. However there subtle hints that not all is going to end well. I found the first episode to be mostly setup since so many characters are difficult to remember and although I don't feel it is a modern classic it looks like it could be at least a decent show if you like mystery and possibly horror shows.

Ace Attorney

Naruhodo is a brand new attorney ready to taken on his first case. To start out he is tasked with proving his friends innocence in a murder trial. This show is based off of a series of games known in America as Phoenix Wright. I found the first episode to be merely passable but from most mystery shows (and any work about the legal process counts) tend to use the first episode as a mere proof of concept and are never among the best episodes.

Sakura con 2015 late late blog

I know it has been a while since I have posted and I am sorry about that. Also I have noticed that I have forgotten to post my report of the last convention that I went to and I am even more sorry about that. So I have what I have written and I will post my next Sakura con report in a much more timely manner.

Like a good anime fan I went to at least one anime convention per year and for someone that lives where I live that means I go to Sakura Con. I live close enough to the convention that I can go to the convention site by bus, and given the nature of downtown Seattle it is better that I go to the place via bus rather than pay thirty dollars a day to park a car. I woke up early and was able to make it to the convention center at around eight thirty in the morning, and the convention wasn't entirely up in running and preregistration lines were very short, to the point of being non existent. I had a sandwich after that so I wouldn't have eat lunch at around noon when the lines are crazy. Over my time at the convention I went to several convention panels and learned several things along the way. Here is my list.

1. I had my first taste of Taiyaki on Saturday morning of the convention. Now I understand what Ayu was talking about although it most Japanese deserts it is lest sweet than American deserts. Although it might be hard to get I think that I would totally want to put Azuki paste on my Eggo's (for those who don't know what Taiyaki tastes like image said Eggo waffle with a slightly sweet jam in the middle.
2. I learned the rules to Japanese Mahjong. This is important because various countries have their own rules to Mahjong and Japan has one of the most complex sets of them all. It took about an hour to learn and I probably should have played some games to further set the rules in my mind. At least I think I understand the whole flow of Saki the next time I watch any of it's three seasons.
3. I saw the Jojo's bizarre adventure panel. I only learned a little about the series but if they ever make an anime of Diamond is unbreakable I will totally be all over that show.
4. I saw one of the Idolmaster panels. I won't be getting too much further into the fandom than watching the current anime but I got some more appreciation of idol fandom and how there is a whole format of the glowing sticks you see when there are concerts and how there is an interplay between the idols and fans.
5. There was plenty of cosplay this year. I found there was no truly dominant show like Attack on Titan was last year although there was a sizable Fate Stay Night contingent.
6. I played a couple of games. The most interesting of which is a drawing game called Mangaka which is available on kickstarter. I found it quite interesting and one that you can play with just about anybody.
   
   
   And here is the cosplay photos I took 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

top ten anime shows of 2015

It's that time of year again and since this blog isn't entirely dead I am making another list of my favorite anime of the year.

My rules again is that I will only choose anime shows that I think are finished airing. However since a new season can be announced at any time, I am announcing a new rule, a show can only be on my list once, thus Tossing out Oregiru from my list. Other omissions from my list include Shirayuki with red hair and your lie in April which I am only part way through.

1.Shirobako
The anime show about making anime. The show is unusually complex and adult (with an actual adult cast) without being needlessly convoluted.

2. Log Horizon
The show which I call the thinking man's Sword art Online. and one that has been a favorite since I started this blog.

3. Aldonoah Zero
A slick show with innovative and interesting battle scenes. One of the best Mecha shows in the past few years.

4. Sound Euphonium
Imagine K-On with stuff actually happening and while still having a relatable cast and you have a recipe for success.

5.Kuroko's Basket
A high intensity sports series that is all the rage with the Fujoshi but still very fun if you are not one.

6. School Live
Take cute girls and zombies and together you find a show that manages to push the boundries of both genres.

7.Fate Stay night Unlimited Blade Works
This show has lovely animation and is a wonderful fantasy and action show to view.

8.Yuri Kuma Arashi
Even at it's weirdest I found this show to entertaining as well as artistically fulfilling.

9.Prison School
This show is something that really pushed the boundries of what an fan service laden show could be and for that it deserves a place on my list.

10. One Punch Man
Simple, short but eminently entertaining, this show is one that I felt lived up to it's hype.

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.