http://tldranimu.net

I had intended to finish this series months ago, but kept putting the second half off a bunch while watching new stuff, so while I am on a roll here, presenting a one-and-a-half-part review on Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai aka The World God Only Knows.

Based on the same-named manga by Wakaki Tamiki, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai premiered in the Fall 2010 season, and takes place at Maijima High School Academy. Keima Katsuragi (Shimono Hiro) is a student who spends his entire day playing visual novels, dating sims, and eroge, without much interaction or thought about the world around him. He suddenly meets Elsie de Lute Irma (Itou Kanae) who descends from the sky on a broom and declares herself a “demon” sent to collect “runaway spirits”. Declaring Keima her “buddy” and forming a contract with him, placing a collar he cannot remove without penalty of death, he must cooperate with her to find the runaway spirits which manifest themselves within students and feed on their negative emotions and empty hearts. He must use his incredible skill as “The Capturing God” from his games to court these girls and release the spirits so Elsie can collect them.

SHE'S TURNED FROM SUCK TO... LARGER SUCK!

In the second season, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai II, the story continues as Keima and Elsie continue to collect runaway spirits, which are getting a little tougher and more unpredictable for Keima, as he struggles to understand the connection between the game world and the real world, believing them to be one and the same at times. Joining the cast is fellow demon and mentor of Elise, Haqua du Lot Herminium (Hayami Saori), who graduated top of their class at the academy, and is already a District Chief, she crosses paths with the two while hunting down a large spirit. Here, she informs Keima of the real origin of runaway spirits, and dampens his informing him of just how many there are to catch before he can free himself from the collar.

reactionface.jpg

This show has a lot of strengths, and it starts with the OP/ED music. ELISA rocks the turntable on the first season OP with “God Only Knows” and paired with the OP animation, I found myself watching it over and over where I usually skip OPs after the first watch. Oratorio commands the second season OP with “A Whole New World God Only Knows”, and again, awesome opening animation. The theme of video games and VN/sim/eroge fits extremely well as a means of telling the story, as Keima often references his gameplay habits when making decisions in courting the girls in his school. The show makes use of quick transitional scenes (SO…) to move about quickly, and doesn’t overdo itself too much in the joke department. There isn’t much of a persistent story throughout both seasons, so it feels very “girl of the week” mostly throughout. Considering the manga is still going, and how the second season had no concrete ending, it’s entirely possible we will see more of this show in the future.

UNLIMITED VIDYA WORKS

The second season did not go too far off of the first in terms of characters or story. Besides the introduction of Haqua, it maintained the same pace but did challenge Keima a little by giving him some girls that weren’t going to be caught easily as before. If you were to compare it to any other show, I’d say it’s similar to Sora no Otoshimono without most of SnO’s story elements, and even then, SnO often disregarded its own story to fool around each week or do something silly, so it’s probably a fair comparison.

All in all, if you’re a fan of the vidya-type anime or imagine yourself as Keima in daily life, Kami Nomi is a definite watch. You could go much worse, I suppose.

Title: Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai II
Sub Group I Watched: Chihiro, CMS
Episodes: 12×2 (24)
Rating (1-10): 8, 8

Favorite Character: Keima Katsuragi
Least Favorite Character: Ichirou Kodama
Best Girl: Shiori Shiomiya (Library girl > *)
Worst Girl: Mio Aoyama (too generic)
That PFP: I love my old PSP, but man, my hands hurt trying to play for a long time. You have to be a machine to use that thing all day every day without fail.

I’ve come to expect a lot of things from a show within the first few episodes, but for something like Mawarun Penguindrum to come along and offset that entire balance, that’s something worth watching, even if you don’t understand half the shit going on.

Admit One

Mawarun Penguindrum premiered in the Summer 2011 block and wrapped up its run this past season, totaling 24 episodes. The story focuses on three young kids of the Takakura family, oldest brothers Kamba (Kimura Subaru) and Shouma (Kimura Ryohei), and their little sister Himari (Arakawa Miho). Together they live in a small home in Ogikubo. Due to poor health, Himari stays home most of the day, while the other two attend West Garden High School in Shinjuku-Gyoemmae. One day while visiting the penguin exhibit in the aquarium, Himari falls ill and is transported to the hospital where she dies. The brothers knew of this, as her doctor warned it would happen any day, but before they could mourn, a novelty hat bought for her at the aquarium appears on her head and magically brings her back to life, but the entity controlling the hat demands the two locate the “Penguindrum” an artifact of unknown power that once obtained, they can save her life permanently. The entity also extends Himari’s life, unbeknownst to her, while this task is underway, and the two must attempt to recover the Penguindrum to save her life, without her knowledge. On top of that, three penguins arrive at their door. They understand the family and help them perform tasks, but cannot be seen by anyone else, and often get into mischief while not being supervised. Their first target, is Ringo Oginome, a student of Ohka Garden Girls’ High School also in Shinjuku-Gyoemmae, who may possess the Penguindrum. The adventure they embark on will change the world around them, and the fates of their family, friends, and themselves.

This happens. A lot.

You may recall Brains Base most recent offering, Kamisama Dolls, which was another excellent series that sadly only ran for a half-season, though we were teased with the prospect of more. The tricky part about Penguindrum is that it lets you believe it will be a series of lighter fare, judging from the first few episodes, and the need to replay the “transformation scene” over and over again. But as you go deeper into the series, you begin to find out that it is incredibly complex, full of psychological twisters and unexplained incidents, that do fortunately get resolved over time, but by then your brain feels like silly putty. In a nutshell, Penguindrum attempts to tell a story where the “one ring” can change a person’s fate, and when it was used that day , it altered a number of people’s fates so much that none of them realized it for a number of years. Due to a series of events in the beginning of the show, the main cast starts to unravel the sixteen year old mystery that shrouds themselves from the truth, of what happened that day. I don’t want to spoil too much, because it really is worth watching being as much of a Penguindrum-virgin as possible.

This also happens a lot. Try to keep up.

The characters and story are pretty top-notch, and coming off of Kamisama Dolls I’d hope so, because that was one of KD’s shortcomings, it had an excellent story but weaker characters. Penguindrum kept the characters in check with the story throughout the show with only a few deviations for light comedy. The use of the penguins also tries to distract you from what it going on and in some cases, add a light comedy act to serious business. The visuals are something not much unlike Bakemonogatari, it relies heavily on “stock footage” of entering the subway station, the flashback board, and some familiar scenes as the characters travel along. The did get creative with some of the stock shots by changing up the animations in them, mainly in the subway for the Double-H animations, as well as a few other shots here and there.

Overall, if you are looking for a good full-season show that offers a little mystery to your otherwise insane show about penguins, this should be in your pile of watching.

Title: Mawarun Penguindrum
Sub Group I Watched: gg
Episodes: 24
Rating (1-10): 8

Favorite Character: Ringo Oginome
Least Favorite Character: Keiju Tabuki
95: Take the year the show was based in, presumably 2011, and subtract the 16 years they said “the incident” occured. 1995. Mind = Blown.
You didn’t mention EVA: Evangelion is not the benchmark for mentally fucked up anime, and really, Anno did not want you to understand his fucked up mind. This show will explain itself, just not when YOU want it to.
Why Ringo? She was fucking nuts? It was hard to pick a favorite character from this show because honestly, I had a reason to hate every one of them at some point or another, including Himari. But redemption, in the end, came to Ringo, and you’ll have to watch the show to see what I mean.

I finally found the spare cycles to pick up and (Te)blow through all of The Idolm@ster, and it is quite the show. But I’ll let my usual style of mockery and clever writing do the talking for me.

Adapted from the 360 game “The iDOLM@STER 2″, the show follows the chronicles of 13 girls as they try to make it to the top of idol stardom. Haruka, Ami, Mami, Hibiki, Yukiho, Miki, Makoto, Chihaya, Iori, Azusa, Takane, and Yayoi work for a small company, 765 Pro, headed by “The Chief” and led by producer Akizuki Ritsuko, a former idol, they started out only getting a few jobs here and there, until they hired another producer to help bring in more work. Throughout the series, as they gain more and more notoriety and stardom, their individual characters, reasons for being idols, friendships, and even their professional carrier come under fire in a tough-as-nails world of being a star.

You sly dog you

I’m usually hesitant to pick up shows like this for two reasons. One is, the VA cast. It’s laden with actual idols, pop stars, or popular anime VAs. I don’t really know anything about the world of Japanese music, or popular artists. Frankly, to be honest, aside from a few VAs, I don’t even have a general interest in Japanese OR English VAs. I generally like to distance myself from those sorts of things, because it adds another layer to this fandom that I never wanted to delve into. The second is, due to the first, the series has a lot of musical accompaniment. I don’t mind music in my anime, but being a show that rests its heels on popular musical artists inside the show and out, it’s like watching a Disney film, you expect it to burst out into a song in the next ten minutes.

Poor Chihaya. I'd totally hug her.

However, I am a fair man, and I went into this with the basic expectation of that this is a show that will, at the very least, deliver the same energy that K-ON! delivered, cute girls doing cute things. I’m surprised to say I got a little more than I banged out for, and that alone makes it worth the watch. The show is by no means the SOTY (sorry frustra) but I can see why a number of twitterbros were into it during it’s run last summer. I can also see where this is going to tip the balance of power in this year’s Saimoe Tournament, in the same way Saki tipped 2009/2010. I expecially liked the “documentary feel” to the first episode, and I honestly kind of thought that it would be interesting if they kept that throughout the show, but it would have probably crimped it somewhat.

As for “the best girl”? Ehh. I’m by no means an expert at this show, but if I had to spin up an official Delta PowerRanking, it would be:

Makoto > Chihaya = Takane > Yayoi > Miki > Hibiki > Azusa > Ami = Mami > Haruka > Iori > Yukiho

Yeah, yeah, Makoto. It was close though.

Title: The Idolm@ster
Sub Group I Watched: Chibiki
Episodes: 25
Rating (1-10): 8

Favorite Character: Kikuchi Makoto
Least Favorite Character: Hagiwara Yukiho
What about Xenoglossia? It seems to be what this series was based on, but in a different telling, where the former was a mecha or something. I’m actually considering watching it just to see what it’s about.
Y U NO X GIRL: There are too many girls to choose from, but ultimately Makoto, Chihaya, and Takane proved to be sustainable favorites where the others didn’t gel with me by the end, and not just because they had episodes and stories to themselves.
Couldn’t they give Producer a name? I mean come on, everyone else had a name, even the bastard at the other company. Guess it was like being DOC in Red vs. Blue. It just sticks. Dufrane. I know though, he was the eyes in the games, so it makes sense. Still.

Any suggestions for more completed shows from previous seasons I need to watch? If you’re not sure what I have or haven’t seen, check MAL

Would you believe me if I told you I wasn't removing his kidney using Microsoft Office?

Veteran anime fans no doubt recall watching Onegai Teacher/Twins, two of 2002 and 2003′s best series. Screenwriter and creator Kuroda Yousuke, partnering with AnoHana director Nagai Tatsuyuki, gives you this season Ano Natsu de Matteru, a story about students creating a film over the summer, and finding much more. Kaito Kirishima (Shimazaki Nobunaga) is an average first-year high school student who enjoys video and film. He recently bought a new camera to film with, but while he is standing on a bridge at night, a bright light flashes above him and a force of wind knocks his head back into a rail before he feels himself falling. He wakes up the next day believing it to be a dream. At school, word gets around of a new transfer student by the name of Ichika Takatsuki (Tomatsu Haruka) who is a senior that Kaito’s friend Tetsurou Ishigaki (Ogihara Hideki) already knows detailed information about. Kaito ends up meeting her as she is eating lunch with fellow senior Remon Yamano (Tamura Yukari). It’s here Tetsurou tells Ichika about Kaito’s upcoming movie ideas and solicits her to appear in the film, while Remon volunteers herself after Ichika agrees. Kaito’s other female friends, Mio Kitahara (Asumi Kana) and Kanna Tanigawa (Ishihara Kaori) also agree to the film, rather reluctantly. On his way home, Kaito encounters Ichika trying to fish in a river without fish. She seems to be dragging a suitcase with her, suggesting she does not have a place to stay. He agrees to let her stay with him for the night, but a strange mark on his neck starts to give him trouble, and she tries to help through the use of alien technology as his sister and Kanna walk in.

It’s an almost identical homage to Onegai Teacher in many ways in just the first episode, the only difference being she is the student and not the teacher. If it plays out exactly like the former series, I would be okay with that, but I am looking for something a little more. Being combined with the director of AnoHana though makes me question where things may go in this journey. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed AnoHana, but it was not what others hyped it up to be, and it didn’t really play out how I would have rather enjoyed it. Onegai Teacher/Twins kept itself light while keeping on a story track, so that’s going to be an important note.

TLDR Watch This: cute girls with glasses
TLDR Don’t Watch This: strange alien devices that hack your ORRRRRRRRRRGANS (with apologies to PA)
Sub Group: Commie
First Rating: 8

Starting the trench run...

Another science fiction/mecha entry to this season is Mouretsu Pirates. Set in a distant future on a colonized world, Marika Katou (Komatsu Mikako) is a student, Space Yacht Club member, and works part-time at a high-class retro cafe. She is visited by two strange people who are friends of her mother, Ririka Katou (Kaida Yuko). They have come to pay respects to someone the three knew, and also serve Marika with an edict, she is to inherit the space battleship Benten Maru, a pirate ship from the war for independence a century ago, where pirate ships were pressed into service under a special agreement to defend the colony. By law, when a captain dies, the ship is turned over to a direct decedent. To add further enigma, a new transfer student, Chiaki Kurihara (Hanazawa Kana) appears at Marika’s job and seems to have some sort of business with her, but gets caught up in a fight among some tough dudes looking for Marika.

I love the premise, and I especially love anything that has a very Outlaw Star-ish appeal to is. What’s better is it has a confirmed full season run, which means they hopefully will not cut corners on telling a good story to go with the fact that she is a goddamn space pirate. I didn’t initially consider this show on my roster, but after reading some twitterbros reactions and internet reviews, picked it up, and am not regretting it.

TLDR Watch This: female space pirates
TLDR Don’t Watch This: are you crazy?
Sub Group: Horrible
First Rating: 8

I-I-It's not like I want you to see my panties or anything!

For those of you fortunate to have waited out the 6+ months to see all of Bakemonogatari, and enjoyed it, then Nisemonogatari is right up there with it. There is no real story or plot to reiterate here, it stars Koyomi Araragi (Kamiya Hiroshi) as an average high school senior who got tangled up in some supernatural events from an old friend and became a vampire for a short time. He was restored, but retained some vampire-like elements, such as heightened awareness and regeneration. He meets Hitagi Senjougahara (Saito Chiwa) and helps her to rid her of a similar ailment that had been plaguing her. The two would adventure through their daily lives interacting more supernatural phenomenon and eventually become a relationship together. In the sequel, The black swindler Kaiki Deishu, comes back to make trouble, and Koyomi’s sisters, Karen and Tsukihi (Kitamura Eri and Iguchi Yuka) take up the charge to bring it down.

The important thing you have to take in with this show is that it is very unconventional. It has a very erratic style that jumps through visual scenes quickly with a lot of spoken dialogue running back and forth about seemingly nothing at times. Bits and pieces of the actual plot will surface, but you have to pay attention. What I enjoy the most about this show though is the art style, use of puns and jokes, and some of the characters. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea though, so don’t feel too bad if you don’t get it.

TLDR Watch This: Senjougahara, Mayoi, and staplers
TLDR Don’t Watch This: if you never understood “alternate reality”
Sub Group: Horrible
First Rating: 8

YOU MADE HER CRY YOU BASTARD

There is an irony to making #thatfeel jokes on a show whose producers are named “Feel” but nevertheless, Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai! (Listen to Daddy, or #papakiki) is a new comedy entry for this season which stars Yuuta Segawa (Hatano Wataru) as a college freshman whose parents passed away when he was young, he was raised by his older sister Yuri. Eventually she marries a man who has two children already, Sora and Miu (Uesaka Sumire and Kitamura Eri) and has a daughter Hina (Igarashi Hiromi) who is three by the start of the series. Upon entering college he becomes friends with Kouichi Nimura (Ono Daisuke) who often uses his place to take girls home to rather than his own, in exchange for cooking and cleaning to help Yuuta out. He also befriends Raika Oda (Horie Yui), a mysterious girl he only knew as “sobbing girl” before due to a bizzard near-blackmail case the Sightseeing (SS) Club president tried to invoke on Yuuta. Yuri asks Yuuta if he could come visit the girls one day without telling him that her and her husband would be going on a trip. When they go missing during their trip, he is left to take care of the girls on his own until they can be located.

The show has a very Loli Basketball related feel to it, though not the same production company, rather, Feel was responsible for Mayo Chiki, which is why you might find its visual style familiar. If this was a normal family dynamic I’d say nothing interesting would happen, but you have a guy whose older sister is married with kids, a bizarre female classmate probably after his nuts, and three girls, one whom has a crush on him, the other probably too, and a three-year-old who probably doesn’t know what is going on. It’s a recipe for random, but hopefully it is a better story-driven show than not.

TLDR Watch This: sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob
TLDR Don’t Watch This: pseudo-wincest… wait, shouldn’t that be for “watch”?
Sub Group: Horrible
First Rating: 8

Girls, girls, fret not, I will bang you both... you too Tabitha

The fourth and final season of Zero no Tsukaima is on, and it promises to be decent from the starting gate. If you haven’t seen any of this show, I suggest you start from the beginning, there is far too much to go over for a proper synopsis, but the basics are Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière (Kugimiya Rie) is a magician-in-training at Tristain Academy of Magic in Tristain, a small country bordering many other larger, powerful countries in another world. Along with classmates Charlotte Helene “Tabitha” Orléans (Inokuchi Yuka) and Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst (Inoue Nanako) and others, she aims to be a great magician and serve her country, headed by Queen Henrietta de Tristain (Kawasumi Ayako). During the Familiar Summon Ritual, Louise summons a boy from Tokyo, Japan to their world named Saito Hiraga (Hino Satoshi) through some bizzare circumstance. Without a way to return home, and bearing a strange inscription on his hand, Saito reluctantly agrees to help Louise despite being treated like a pet dog rather than a person. Joined in the second season by Tifania “Tifa” Westwood (Noto Mamiko) who saved Saito’s life, the team continues to train at the academy and take on the region’s complex and controversial problems that threaten everyone’s safety and security.

JC STAFF really has a penchant for pain this time around, not only are they doing this, but they’re also doing Shana Final, Kill Me Baby, and Milky Holmes all in the same season. I’m sure they can handle it all just fine, but it’s seems rare to see them working on two top-tier shows at the same time as their other fare. From the looks of it, the final season will finally see them flesh out the true meaning of the Void users, not to mention they revealed Tifa to be a Void user as well. The animation looks top-notch and Rie is Rie. Points for stylin’.

TLDR Watch This: Louise, Tifa, and just about everything in between
TLDR Don’t Watch This: …….
Sub Group: Uichan-SHIN
First Rating: 9

UNLIMITED EMO WORKS

I know popular opinion of this show is low, but I’ve been fairly positive about it throughout its run. I will admit though, that this week’s Guilty Crown will need some explanation as we get into the second half of the show. The fact that Gai dies really calls forth what is going to happen in the second half, does the show go on? Does Gai come back to life? What happens to the Undertakers now that “the source” of the virus has been eliminated? Or does any of this even matter, retcon and repeat? Tough love I suppose, but we’ll see where this trainwreck is heading for soon enough.

NUN KICK~

Things heat up in this week’s Shakugan no Shana Final as the snake gets loose into the world and Shana tabs her epic battle with Darth Yuuji for another time. Meanwhile Sabarac is defeated again, unknown if he is dead this time or not, but Wilhelmia and the gang get out after narrowly having to face off against Hecate and the others. The battle continues to rage outside, with no clear resolution. Sophie Sawallisch tries in vain to seal the rift at the last moment, but is blocked by a surprisingly still-alive Fecor, allowing the snake through in the end. Being the midway point and what looks to be the first part in the major plot developments complete, I expect the series to take a back seat through the next few episodes as we ramp up to the end, hopefully it will be worth it.

WE'RE JUMPING ON TO RED BASE.. GYAAAAAAAAA

Full tilt comes around in Gundam AGE as the crew of the Diva take on the UE head-to-head using their new cannon that the AGE system developed for the ship. Flit demonstrates his ability to master the “X-Rounder” skill (Newtype, amirite?) by wasting a large portion of enemy mobile suits. The Diva managed to get off a powerful shot that destroys most of the large battleship and enemy forces, but not before some got out to make a last ditch effort.. Fortunately some reinforcements show up, but not before we’re treated to an ominous group of fellows who likely are the UE, and have Yurin in their custody. Like I’ve said, I know Gundam exists to sell toys, this shouldn’t be any different, but damn if this show isn’t making inroads with me.

Goddamit little girl, when it's your turn to make the next Saw movie I'll tell you. GTFO my game.

Tension escalates in Mirai Nikki as it’s revealed that Mur Mur manipulated Deus’ game to speed up Fourth’s destruction, as she is betting on Yuno to win. However Dues still places his cards with Yuuki. Mur Mur hatches a little plot that sees some of Yuuki’s friends looking for them in a deserted resort town, only to be trapped by Yuno, who is trying to get the police and everyone off their tail so they can escape without a problem. This show continues to amaze me in many ways, both for its story and for its use of the characters in the story. I can’t help but feel like what this ending is going to be though.

So we’re set up for another fantastic season of shows. Besides these, I am also working through last season’s The Idolm@ster which has been pretty good so far. I don’t think I can gel with the hype that some people have for it, especially since I am still trying to wrap my head around all the damn characters, but for what it’s worth, it’s worth a good ride. I have some general housekeeping things I want to go through at some point soon, mostly reorganizing categories and tags. I am working on building a real website soon, and I am not sure if I will be folding my blog into yet or not, but look out for some fun shit to happen there sometime.

Finally, the chart.

There are a lot of visual novels out there, most untranslated as Japanese developers don’t have a market for them over here, or are disinterested. They range from school comedy, to drama, to supernatural and fantasy. Most involve courting a girl and having sex with her. Others not so much. Ultimately, it comes down to single experiences and what you take away from it. Katawa Shoujo is a unique entry to this field. Developed independently by twenty-one anonymous people worldwide who met on the world’s most popular imageboard, 4chan, supported only by one single JPEG and an idea, spent five years developing what would become one of the biggest English Visual Novels to hit the internet.

The story begins in the fictional Yamaku High School for disabled children, located somewhere in modern Japan. The main character, whom the player interacts with the story through, is Hisao Nakai. Originally from the city (implied Tokyo) he is hospitalized following a heart attack outside while he was meeting a female student who confessed her love for him. He spent months inside the hospital after learning he had a congenital heart defect, arrhythmia. Once a normal, outgoing guy, he became noticeably bitter and downtrodden having spent months in rehabilitation as his friends and family slowly disappeared from him. Eventually, upon his release, he was transferred to Yamaku, a facility that operates like a traditional high school, but has a full-time medical staff, on-campus living, and assists with students with disabilities. With the intention of getting a “fresh start” in life, he arrives at the school and immediately begins to interact with its students and facility.

Hisao is immediately introduced to the Student Council President and class representative, Shizune Hakamichi, only he mistakes her interpreter and friend Shiina “Misha” Mikado first without realizing. Shizune is deaf, so she communicates through sign language and writing. Misha effortlessly translates everything for her and acts as her voice. A bouncy, bubbly, cheerful girl, Misha wastes no time trying to help Shizune recruit Hisao for Student Council, which appears to consist of only them two. In contrast, Shizune is more focused, determined, but eager to take on a challenge and will challenge anyone who she deems interesting. She enjoys playing strategy games with people, electing to play Risk with Hisao and challenging his decision-making skills in the final moments. She comes from a well-to-do family with a brother who is many ways like her but not deaf, and a father who tends to over-communicate his feelings and directives on to everyone who will listen.

As Hisao is looking for the school library, he stumbles into a room being used by Lilly Satou, a fair-skinned girl with blond hair. Lily’s condition is that she is blind, and uses a retractable cane to get around with. Being half-Scotish and half-Japanese, she enjoys tea very often and has a very calm and relaxing manner, except when dealing with her class representative duties, which she has to report to Shizune with. Lily is in fact Shizune’s cousin, their fathers being brothers, and it appears they used to get along well until a prior incident broke them apart. She spends most of her time reading books in Braille and with her friend, Hanako.

Having been led to the library, Hisao then meets a girl in the corner on a beanbag, reading quietly. This turns out to be Lily’s friend, Hanako Ikezawa. Hanako has noticeable burn scars on half of her body, most covered up by her uniform. It’s fairly obvious she was involved in a fire, but keeps her long hair covering the affected side of her face so no one can see. She is very timid and shy, slow to speak up or talk very much to anyone except Lily. She can be often found in the library reading, or helping Lily with her groceries. The others note how often she misses class, due to therapy sessions, and times when she simply doesn’t show up, something the teacher remarks as being a normal process for some students, to allow them time to adjust and recover at their own pace.

On the way out the door to lunch on the first day, Hisao collides with Emi Ibarazaki, “The Fastest Runner on No Legs”. Emi noticeably is missing her legs from the knees down, instead having prosthetic springs fitted exclusively for running track, which she does effortlessly. Full of energy and spirit, Emi is given the task by the school nurse to help Hisao stay in shape and improve his condition, something she eagerly accepts. She also invites Hisao to eat lunch up on the roof with her and her friend Rin. She doesn’t like to dwell on her past or anything about her condition, she believes only in her ability to move forward, and encourages other people to do the same whenever possible.

Lastly, on your way to the art room to run an errand for the Student Council, you run into Rin Tezuka, Emi’s friend and Art Club member. Rin noticeably does not have arms, and when you first encounter her, she is eating lunch with her feet. A cryptic individual, Rin’s hobby is to paint very bizarre and surreal scenes using only her feet, and one of the first you see is a large mural outside of the school for the upcoming festival. She is friends with Emi, who helps her do things she cannot without arms. She tends to be very inquisitive and vague, often countering questions with questions, or supplying a conversation with irrelevant facts.

Other characters assist in the story unfolding, such as Hisao’s roommate, Kenji Setou, partially blind and full of rebellious rhetoric about conspiracy theories and plots by “feminists” to enslave the male population of the school, Akio Mutou, the science teacher who often encourages Hisao to consider a career in science, Yuuko Shirakawa, the school librarian and part-time waitress at a local cafe, and Nurse, who is actually a male, but oversees the medical facilities on campus and keeps close tabs on Hisao’s condition as well as Emi’s. Throughout the story, Hisao confronts his own demons about his life with a disability, as well as the other girls and the demons that surround their disabilities. He finds love and friendship among a student body that aren’t disabled, but normal boys and girls who have disabilities.

Katawa Shoujo is actually my first real foray into Visual Novels, mainly because even though many exist out there to play now, I’ve only experienced bits and pieces of some, not an entire game. I had medium expectations going into it, because of the source material, the fact it was an indie production, and it had the “4chan Seal of Approval” (SoAs are something we like to stick to our software at work because our software has problems). So what could possibly go wrong?

The good news is this game is fantastic in every way. The art is a mix of still sprites, panning/cycling backgrounds, and some FMV-like animated cutscenes for each character. They’re surprisingly well done, and you’d think this entire game was done by a professional studio. The story is a mixed bag, overall it is excellent, very well written, and executed well. There are little nags here and there, for example, Shizune’s route is very underdeveloped, suggesting they did not go in the direction they wanted to with her. Rumor is they had to re-write it, so I’m afraid they probably intended something much better. Rin’s route also got quite confusing, mostly due to the nature of her character. Most folks agree though that Hanako and Lily’s routes were the best written of the game, and really highlight their characters even to the point where you understand a little more about what real people with these types of conditions face. I won’t go as far as to call it DEEP or anything of the sort, but if it doesn’t provoke some thought in your head, you are a lifeless sod.

A lot of material is out there for this game, mostly on the official forums, but I’ve begun to form my own Visio flowchart of the game for reference:

Part 1 Main

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zerosubspace/misc/Part+1+Main.png

Part 1 Subsections A-B-C (Shizune/Misha, Rin, and Lily)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zerosubspace/misc/Part+1-A-B-C.png

Part 1 Subsections D-E (Emi, and Kenji)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zerosubspace/misc/Part+1-D-E.png

Still a draft, things like lines and some other stuff still needs to be added, but that covers the first half of the game leading into the individual routes. I’ve seen a few other charts and thought it would suit Visio’s style for making flowcharts.

Also, several threads on 4chan collected Youtube links on favorite music themes for some of the characters.

Emi – Phil Collins – Easy Lover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnDYattQH3Y
Rin – Genesis – Invisible Touch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMiDhmL_zFo
Hanako – Goo Goo Dolls – Iris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYWuo9OFAw
Lily – Celine Dion – Because You Loved Me – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CkKuA86Mis
Shizune – Savage Garden – Break Me Shake Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJY6xGm_6f0

Hisao – The Weakerthans – Reconstruction Site http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXMiPKBV17Q
Kenji – The Weakerthans – Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9D8VEoghtc

The official music in the game is also very well made, so give that a listen as well.

4LS sadly has stated they will likely never made additional content or a sequel to this game, so take it for what its worth. Maybe they will be persuaded to make another some day, or someone else will step up and try to take it on. Time will tell.

PS: I understand there is a 4LS developer named Delta also. I am not him. Sorry. I wish I could be, but I’m afraid I am just this guy who write this silly blog. Had I been cool enough to pay more attention though years ago I’m sure I would have loved to participate in such a venture. It would have been exciting.

I hate it when my survivor girls go berserk

The plot is fairly simple, monsters that turn you into dead rocks, and two girls who use weapons and words, some kind of sound wave, to beat them up. Senki Zesshou Symphogear stars popular VAs Yuuki Aoi and Mizuki Nana as Hibiki Tachibana and Tsubasa Kazanari, the former a girl who attended a Zwei Wing concert two years prior to the events in the show and was nearly killed when “The Noise” attacked. She was saved by Tsubasa’s partner Kanade Amou who sacrificed herself to protect Hibiki and Tsubasa. Two years later they end up in the same school, where Hibiki is desperately trying to get Tsubasa to notice her so she can ask about that day. She never forgets Kanade’s last words of “Never accept death” and wants to ask Tsubasa about her. Unfortunately on her way home from school she encounters “The Noise” and in an attempt to rescue herself and a little girl, traps themselves on a roof. Cornered, she tries to recall the song Kanade sang that day, which triggers a transformation in her, causing her to gain Symphogear powers.

There is a lot of music, so if you didn’t like Disney movies breaking out every twenty minutes into a routine, it might not be your thing, but think of it as battle music, and it does not disappoint, it really goes well with the action going on screen, and I am liking the premise, even if it’s going to probably end up being a monster-of-the-week for the first half. I’m a bit disappointed that Kanade won’t go beyond the first episode, but if there is anything anime has ever taught me, is that death isn’t permanent, even if they say it is.

TLDR Watch This: girls wielding powered suits and weapons
TLDR Don’t Watch This: music
Sub Group: Commie
First Rating: 9

Lady in Red

Every season, there is at least one show, or many shows, that offer you fanservice with little plot. Last season was Maken-ki, which did a shitty job at both. This season, is High School DxD or more aptly named, Harem King. Issei Hyoudou (Kaji Yuki) is a lecherous high school boy who with his friends, complains about not having girlfriends despite not bothering to possess any sort of suave or charm, instead peeping into locker rooms and idolizing from afar. Little does he know there is are forces beyond his comprehension lurking around the school, and he finds out first hand when is killed by a demon in disguise as a girl interested in him. He is saved by Rias Gremory (Hikasa Youko), the girl he saw up in the window before, who is actually one of the strongest devils on campus. She makes him her servant in a war against fallen angels and warriors of the light.

The first thing you need to know is there are tits, and not just round balls with skin color, we’re talking nipples and everything. The lower bits remain censored, but who the hell cares. But, that’s not the sinker, the sinker is we have a potentially interesting plot, a boy, folded into a girl’s servant harem. Also magical bullshit and devils. This to me has at least two other series elements combined, Demon King, and Freezing. As long as it maintains the latter over the former, this will be a show I can watch, and love.

TLDR Watch This: girls, tits, devils, and tits
TLDR Don’t Watch This: If you don’t like this show, you aren’t American. If you aren’t American, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
Sub Group: SubDESU
First Rating: 8

PERFECT!

If you’ve been following me for any inordinate amount of time, you know I always enjoy a good robot show, especially if it involves girls. Rinne no Lagrange takes place in a fairly normal world where Madoka Kyouno (Ishihara Kaori) is the president and sole member of the “Sweat Club” who dedicates herself to helping others whenever they need it. One day she rescues a girl from the ocean, but returns to find her clothes missing. She goes to class anyway and wears her PE uniform instead. She lives with her father at a beachside cafe where her sister visits occasionally, presumably from some kind of work. She cryptically always checks to make sure she isn’t in any sort of trouble. The next day a girl named Ran (Seto Asami) shows up to return Madoka her clothes, and invites her to a off-shore base to assist her organization who are fighting aliens from space, using a giant robot. Before Madoka’s sister could intercept her, presuming she knows about it, Madoka boards the robot anyway and proceeds to fight against an invading alien robot.

The first thing that came to mind as I watched this was that it reminded me too much of Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohiko. The whole recruitment process and how she just accepted her situation, got in, and proceeded to style it on her own, was just too familiar. There are a lot of crypts to the show, the aliens seem to be people, and the meaning behind her sister’s awareness of the robots, but I imagine this will get spelled out in due time.

TLDR Watch This: girls, robots, and Ran
TLDR Don’t Watch This: uh…
Sub Group: Commie
First Rating: 8

You need glasses Elly, that would make that pose FABULOUS

The first installment was something of a treat, it wasn’t awesome but it wasn’t terrible. The second season of Tantei Opera Milky Holmes doesn’t plan to deviate far off that course. You still have the lovely Sher, Elly, Cordelia, and Nero, along with Henrietta and the gang, doing Milky Holmes things. If you haven’t seen the first season, you might want to, as they don’t spend any time recapping in this episode, but if you don’t care to, you can probably just watch, I have a feeling it won’t matter. The basic premise is the girls attend a school to be great detectives, founded by the greatest detectives of history. However they utilize “Toys” which are magical powers unique to each person that assist in their endeavors. In the beginning of the first season the team lost theirs without any idea why, and the rest of the show focused on them trying to get it back, while dealing with being cast into the lowest caste of social status in the school after having occupied the top. They do all this while trying to foil “The Gentlemans Thief Empire” lead by Arsène, a descendant of the great thief Lupin. Unfortunately the girls are rather naive and gullible and worry more about feeding themselves in their new conditions than fighting crime or even getting their toys back, which infuriates Arsène as she has no one to challenge her and her gang. Alongside them is the “Genius 4″ led by police officer Kokoro Akechi who has college degrees and a high IQ, but cannot catch Arsène and her gang either, and is constantly being fumbled around by Sher and the girls. It’s an anything goes kind of series, and trust me, anything goes. Including Twenty’s erect nipples.

TLDR Watch This: CAR-A-ZEE FUN
TLDR Don’t Watch This: CAR-A-ZEE FUN
Sub Group: kiteseekers-wasurenai
First Rating: 7

That’s all I have for now, look for Zero and Nisemonogatari soon along with the final two premieres later this week. It’s going to be a fun season, I hope.

Yep. Thanks Fukuda. Next up, Square publishes a remake FFVII for the PS3. Just in time for April Fool’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the original SEED, and I still do. But this kinda shit makes me sad, because it wasn’t that quality, maybe it’s the 720p, or maybe it’s nostalgiagoggles, but if you’re going to re-air this during AGE’s run, make it worth my goddamn time Sunrise. Seriously.

But, it does include a new mix on the ED, See-Saw’s Anna ni Issho Datta no ni so for what that is worth, it was gold.

However, because I haven’t reviewed it here (or probably at all since it originally aired) I am going to do you folks a solid. I am going to review it as it airs again, and offer new commentary, like it is a new show. It’s been years since I’ve re-watched the non-SE proper, so I figure this is a good chance to break in new fans, and old fans, to one of Gundam’s best modern retelling of the original series. Before Destiny ruined it.

UNLIMITED GUN WORKS

2011 has been quite the season for many reasons. Many spectacular series were had which made this year’s Anime Saimoe Tournament one of both legend and massive filibuster. Still, throughout it all, I felt it was necessary to take a look into what made this year so goddamn awesome and look into the next year of upcoming delights.

The Winter 2010/2011 season started off with some amazing shows that set the tone for the entire year. Puella Magi Madoka Magica, GOSICK, and Infinite Stratos were among those, especially Madoka, which quickly became a crowd favorite in no time through the use of it’s gritty story that changed how a magical girl show should work. Index II also dropped in to push the franchise’s third show through, as well as some lucky underdogs, like Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? and Yumekui Merry.

Become Angel, Achieve Infinite Orgasm

Unfortunately, Mother Nature interrupted what would have been the final weeks of the season in March when Japan was devastated by an earthquake that triggered a tsunami that wiped out a large section of their coastal towns and severely damaged a nuclear power plant. While Tokyo and most bigger cities were sparred major damage, an incredible number of people lost their lives or their homes as the result of the catastrophe and would leave a permanent impression upon the global community already disturbed by Hatti and New Zealand. Nevertheless, in a country that has spent most of it’s post-industrial life defending against earthquakes, the overall picture was less severe than it could have been as demonstrated in quakes long ago. I was particularly impressed with how the US anime fandom helped pour a considerable amount of resources to the Red Cross and other organizations to help those folks out, and while the threads about “where is my anime?” were still present, the vast majority of fans were respectful of the situation and simply waited until things were back to as best as they could before moving forward.

Finish test. Like a boss. Pose on top of the lockers. Like a boss.

The spring season came, and with it brought more of the best of the season, namely Steins;Gate, Hanasaku Iroha, and Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, among others. Steins;Gate is among my favorite of the season, for it’s time-traveling nonsense in a style that reminded me of Back to the Future in a more modern twist. Hanasaku Iroha was easily one of the best comedy and drama series of the seasons, each episode being better than the last. Denpa Otoko was a great artistic and character-driven show, but was a bit loose in plot and wiggled around a little at times. Combined with some of the lighter fare of the season, namely Nichijou it became probably the strongest season of the year, though only by a hair.

I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE-- oh wait... wrong show...

The summer came roaring into high gear on top of the wings of Steins;Gate and Hanasaku Iroha, which continued into the summer season, among the season premieres of Baka to Test to Shokanjuu‘s second season, Usagi Drop, Kami-Sama no Memo-chou, and others. This was probably just under the spring season for my favorite season of the year. There were so many potential titles in this season that I only watched a dozen of them, and left a few to watch over the last half of the year. Steins;Gate had one of the best show endings I’ve seen in awhile, and Usagi Drop was probably my favorite underdog show of the season. It’s always hard to rank out shows each season, because almost every show I pick up and watch is great, save for a couple of lemons this year, it’s been a pretty successful year.

The Anime Saimoe Tournament came and went, and although Team Madoka carried out a flawless execution of the roster and won in the end, we saw a particularly interesting chain of events unfold that saw many veteran characters eliminated from play early on, allowing for an almost easier unchecked takeover of the rest of the field for the newcomers. For many of us, it made it fun, because it’s often harder to predict how newbies will fare against newbies, but popular trends stuck for the most part. Next year’s tournament will be interesting though, with IDOLM@STER and several other heavy-hitters new and old returning, we’re going to hopefully see some real action. Keep an eye out on my Saimoe blog for some posts in the coming months on this and more.

That qualifies as a rape face

Finally the fall season wrapped everything up with some old favorites and a few new gems. Returning for second seasons were Working!! and Ika Musume, and some awe-inducing madness like Mirai Nikki and Guilty Crown. Also returning for it’s third and final season is Shakugan no Shana. Many of the other shows that were in this season were good, but lacked notable endings that really put them on par with some of the shows from earlier in the year. Still, even with political pressure, economic conditions, and natural disasters, the industry has kept to producing some truly memorable titles of the year, and hopefully will continue to do the same into the next year.

Guess who's back. Back again. Shana's back. Guess you're dead.

As for 2012? Well assuming we all don’t die in the coming year, plenty of surprises await, and more rumored to boot. The upcoming winter season will feature the final season of Zero no Tsukiama as well as a second season of Tantei Opera Milky Holmes, and the spring is rumored to feature the second season of Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? and more. There also exists the possibility of the rumored second season of Saki and perhaps more of your favorites from 2011.

As for this blog? I don’t tend to change much this year, my “style” remains the same, informal and to-the-point. I had a few ideas come out of 2011, namely WatchRanking and the season preview charts. I intend to continue that into the new year in some form or fashion, though with my laziness and work I often forget to keep them up to date. The drawback of watching so many shows is having to write about them weekly, but I don’t want to scale back on what I watch.

Anyway, Happy New Year to all, and let’s continue to rock this shit into the next year.

One short-order orgasm coming up.

Haganai ended on probably the best note it could for something that has future season potential, without leaving too much hanging. You finally get to close the nagging secret you’ve known throughout the entire show, how they both knew each other, but he didn’t know who she was until she cut her hair short. The others didn’t get much screen time for this episode, and the season ends on an open note, hinting the possibility in the future for more, which is always good.

Title: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
Sub Group I Watched: Mazui
Episodes: 12
Rating (1-10): 9

Favorite Character: Yozora Mikazuki
Least Favorite Character: Yukimura Kusunoki
Real Favorite Character: Sena “Meat” Kashiwazaki
Superior Favorite Character: Rika Shiguma
A CHALLENGER APPEARS: Kobato “Kukuku” Hasegawa

...as delicious as you when you were asleep...

Ben-To finished exactly as it should have, although not seeing The Ice Witch fight the twins for the final time was a bit of a letdown, but Pervert jumping in and taking the win would have been better if they showed the actual fight. I feel like they could make more of this show and I’d love to watch it, but even if they don’t, I am content with what I got, it was a true underdog show of the season that was interesting to watch with every episode.

Title: Ben-To
Sub Group I Watched: EveTaku
Episodes: 12
Rating (1-10): 8

Favorite Character: Sen “Ice Witch” Yarizui
Least Favorite Character: Ume Shiraume
Why Ume Shiraume? I felt she wasn’t needed, while I enjoyed the counterbalance effect and her attitude, she just seemed over-the-top and unreasonable without any cross-check throughout the show. She needed to get clocked in the head at least once for good measure.
Favorite Lunch: That special one from the pool episode looked pretty good. I’ve never had omelet rice though.
“Pervert”: While funny, they could have tried harder. But then when they referred to them as “wolves” and “dogs” there isn’t much room for interpretation.

That's perfectly normal.

Another season in Wagnaria closes with the last episode of Working!! and it went out on an interesting note with Popura Poplar talking about the future and Yamada spinning it into a tale of her leaving. This along with how she reached the accident sheet got our intrepid Pedo Bear Takanashi all emo over her not being the cute little girl anymore. We also got to finally hear and see Maya Matsumoto more as she interacts with this story, and is the subject of Sato’s terror for a moment. I’m not sure if they plan to make more of this show, but I seriously hope they do, it is a terrible amount of fun.

Title: Working!!
Sub Group I Watched: Horrible
Episodes: 13
Rating (1-10): 8

Favorite Character: Popura “Poplar” Taneshima
Least Favorite Character: Kyouko Shirafuji
Inami Time? They scaled back the Inami this season, which was fine given what we got, but they still haven’t elected to tie up much from the first season. Really, I wish they never went there in the first season, it could have stayed blissfully ignorant, but poor Inami, she deserves to be a little less crazy.
Creepy Soma: What makes this character so much fun to watch, is that if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, there is always one person, who knows everything about everyone and somehow occupies all points of the floor at the same time. They’re the ones you can’t touch because they have blackmail on everyone.
Another Season? It’s possible, there is still plenty they can do with the cast, and at the very least, tighten up the Inami arc from the first season. But more of the same would be acceptable.

I'M GONNA EAT YOU

UN-GO was probably the only series this season to offer a truly excellent ending that wrapped up the show nicely without any loose ends. It got a bit hard to follow in places because of the vagueness that surrounded Inga and Bettenou, and it was hard to deduce who was who and what was what, but the last episode kind of sorts that out in the most simple primitive way possible, and that’s through ol’ fashion force. Still, they didn’t really explain the monster’s existences or how they came to be, except it being something from the war, but oddly enough I did not need an explanation, it seemed like “magical bullshit” was good enough for me.

Title: UN-GO
Sub Group I Watched: Horrible
Episodes: 11
Rating (1-10): 8

Favorite Character: Kazamori Sasa
Least Favorite Character: Izumi Koyama
Tasty Souls: I felt this was a bit of a gimmick in the series, that they could have removed it and it would have retained the same charm it had throughout the show. The extra mechanic seemed to catch up at the end when it was necessary to explain who and what Inga and Bettenou were. Fortunately they weaved this flawlessly, but I often think I would have been fine without the supernatural element.
Character Overload: I kinda got annoyed with the constant re-introduction of characters a bit in each episode, but admittingly, it made it easier to remember some of the sporadic faces.
Political Statement? It’s nothing new to anime, Japan likes to sneak little pieces here and there about how they perceive the world and politics today. 9/11 came up at least once if I recall, and though they don’t really say what the “war” was, I think they hinted at terrorism and a possible struggle over communications and energy.

Super Fish Catch

Ika Musume‘s second season draws to a close, and leaves open the possibility of more. Overall I think the first season had a little bit more going on, but the addition of Kiyomi and her friends added another layer to an already random show full of random moments. I do wonder though, if they make a third season, if there will ever be an end to it, will she return without succeeding in the invasion, or will she go somewhere else besides the beach and start a new chain of adventures? But I’m overthinking this, it’s simply squidding fun.

Title: Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
Sub Group I Watched: FFFpeeps
Episodes: 12
Rating (1-10): 7

Favorite Character: Chizuru Aizawa
Least Favorite Character: Martin
U Mad Eiko? That tends to be the fun in her pseudo-tsundere character, she is always mad or annoyed with Ika, but as the last episode shows, cares for her a lot.
English Cindy: Still one of the high points this season, the english episode was fun, because it actually sounded good and not like someone with a basic sense of it tried haphazardly.
MIT Shenanigans The snow machine was probably their best invention yet, and best screw-up.

I watch Maken-ki for the plot.

I tend to be a glutton for punishment, and that punishment is sitting through an obvious fanservice show looking for signs of the plot they tease you with in the first couple episodes. Well in Maken-ki they finally deliver, in the very last episode, and cheap the entire fucking thing out. I mean, oh look, here is a big bad with some mind control or someshit and oh look, our dorky perverted “hero” is now a fucking super-strong monster who gets PIERCED THROUGH THE HEAVENS by his big-titted heroine. You know what? Just drop the super powers and all that bullshit and just give me fanservice, at least then I would keep watching for the right reason and not the trainwreck reason. I don’t even feel like completing the rest of this review, it got a 5. Don’t bother. I didn’t even make a new screenshot because I permanently deleted the folder after I finished watching. Oops.

The preview chart is out for next season’s draw, which includes eight shows added to the four carrying over from this season, bringing my total up to twelve for this season, as much as I believe I had for the summer. Heavyweights include Zero no Tsukaima and Tantei Opera Milky Holmes along with some new shows that look interesting. I’m setting up my shit for the new premieres, so I’ll have a first week preview after everything airs next week. Roughly.