 | "New Season" by Konstantin
(2005-10-25) |
Finally got around to watching some of the first episodes of the new anime season. Looking very promising so far. Here are some quick impressions, in no particular order.
Jigoku Shoujo - Reminds me quite a bit of Vampire Princess Miyu with a touch of Lain thrown in for good measure. Animation looks solid, and the first episode has managed to convey a sense of despair and unease quite well. As an extra bonus, the title character is voiced by Noto Mamiko, so needless to say, I'll be watching more of this. ^^
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's - A sequel series to last year's Lyrical Nanoha, and so far shaping out to be a worthy successor. All the characters from the original series are back, along with the original voice cast (Hisakawa Aya banzai!), and it looks like a whole slew of new ones is going to be introduced. The production values are still quite high, and the CG spell effects are pretty indeed. If this one continues the focus on character development, sensible plots, and (vaguely) realistic fights, I'll be one happy fanboy.
Blood+ - Although this is the TV treatment of Blood: The Last Vampire, it looks like the setting has been shifted from the 60's to the present, and the show has acquired something that looks suspiciously like a plot. In addition, the character designs have greatly improved while the animation remains impressive, though not quite as flashy as the movie's. Too early to tell whether the plot develops into anything worthwhile, but it's piqued my interest enough to warrant giving it a few more eps.
Mai Otome - A sequel in spirit, if not in practice, to last year's excellent Mai Hime. Considering that the production staff and the voice cast are pretty much the same, the show feels less like an alternate universe and more like the original's characters putting on a somewhat bizarre play. Dunno if it's going anywhere, and I'm kinda disappointed that Mikoto got turned into a rather chubby cat this time around, but I think I'll keep watching just for the moe factor and the Kajiura Yuki soundtrack.
Animal Yokocho - A cute, odd, and frequently funny comedy aimed at younger children. The humor has a refreshingly absurdist feel to it and doesn't rely too much slapstick, so the show's got me interested despite my initial skepticism. Definitely grabbing the next ep to see if they can keep it up.
Noein - An intriguingly strange new show, involving otherworldly ninjas and Japanese schoolkids. This is probably the most visually adventurous show I've seen since last year's Gankutsuou, though in this case the distinguishing feature of the art style is its intentional roughness. Assuming the plot goes somewhere, this one looks like a keeper.
Black Cat - This assassin show, on the other hand, seems to borrow liberally from the mainstays of the shounen action genre, which isn't to say that it's not well done. The direction looks tight, the animation's top notch, and the characters are appealing, even though you can see where the story's going from miles away. I get a feeling that this one's going to be long, and I may well grow bored of it after a season's worth, but in the meantime I'll keep watching.
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