 | "2nd Impressions" by Konstantin
(2007-03-13) |
With the season well under way and information starting to trickle down about the new shows (for the record, I'm waiting for the
Hayate anime with almost as much anticipation as Akira, hell, they even got I've Sound to do both the OP and the ED!), I think it's about time to do a mid-season review. While there haven't been as many spectacular new shows this time as in previous seasons, there have been a few good enough to keep me entertained. Here are the three that I'm still watching:
Nodame Cantabile - I think at this point it's pretty safe to declare this the best show of the season, and probably the only one I'm going to remember more than a season from now. It's directed and produced by the same folks who made Honey and Clover, and this show definitely has a similar look and feel to it. While it's not quite as funny and the character dynamics aren't quite as touching as H&C's, Nodame still manages to be cuteness personified, partly due to Kawasumi Ayako turning in one of the best performances of her career. There's a bit of a fear that as the show progresses it will focus on the characters' music careers more than on their relationships, leading to a shounenesque cycle of challenge and powerup, but at least so far it's second only to Kanon in terms of my weekly anticipation.
Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! - Cuteshow is cuuuute! There doesn't seem to be much in the way of of plot here, just cute girls doing cute things, but the whole show still feels very well made. The characters are interesting and get more development with each episode, and things are helped by good animation and appealing character designs. Unlike Hidamari Sketch, there's just enough cohesion here to keep me from getting bored. On a side note, zOMG is it just me or is Hayashibara Megumi making a comeback? First doing the title role in Paprika, and now singing the OP and ED for this show... That's enough to set this old-school fanboy's heart aflutter, at the very least.
Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho - Unfortunately, it looks like they blew their zombie quota in the first episode. It's been 5 episodes already, and not a single encounter with the living dead since then. Citizens demand undead hordes, build more undead hordes! That bit of grumbling aside, it's still a fairly decent supernatural fighting show. The plot could be moving at a faster pace, but the action remains exciting enough and the overall mood dark enough to keep my interest.
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