Fall Preview 2

Here is round 2 of the Fall episode preview.

Toradora was a name that floated around quite a bit in the anime circles with in the last month or so, I wasn’t really sure what it was all about but I was still lerious of it all the same. Originally I thought it might be a continuation of Tona-Gura, but it is not. Instead it is the story of two misunderstood high school students. Ryuji was born with a face only his mother could love, which she does quite strongly. His face looks like he is a classic Yakuza, his eyes are the most striking, squinty so that he always looks like he’s pissed off and ready for a fight. He can thank his father, who apparently was a yakuza, or at least partied like one, for his features. His mother, a blond hostess club bimbo, loves him all the more because he looks exactly like his father. Ryuji on the other hand see’s his appearance as a curse, since everyone judges him by his looks and assumes he is some hard assed yakuza/punk. No one messes with him but no one wants to be associated with him either. In fact out of baseless fear some people even assume they have to pay retribution to him. On the fist day of school he runs into a delinquent only known as the Hand Tiger. Here nick name comes from the fact that she is only about 4 feet tall and her name is Tiaga. Ryuji comments on her size after he runs into her and she responds by knocking him to the ground in one punch. Later in the day, as he is about to leave for home, Tiaga is alone in the classroom. As he grabs his bag she fights him for it, he ends up winning and only later in the evening does he discover why she was trying to take his bag. She had mistakenly slipped a love letter in it meant for another boy. The letter ended up being empty but he still knows she has a crush on a classmate. In the middle of the night he is awoken by noise in the house, as he investigates he is attacked by a short, boken wielding prowler who turns out to be Tiaga. After he fends off her furious attacks she calms down and he explains the situation involving the love letter to her. Still upset and sore form being beaten she forces him to become her servant to make up for finding the letter. The next morning she calls him to begin doing her bidding only for him to find out she lives in the apartment complex that towers above his house. He heads to her place to find her living by her self in a complete mess and begins working to make her apartment better, all the while, she verbally assaults him.

Ok, so we can see where this is going, he ends up being her bitch and he both softens her attitude and they both warm up to each other and eventually start dating, right? Probably. That’s ok though; this series is pretty funny, so far. Taiga is pretty much the spitten image of Tsubasa from His and Her Circumstance, size, attitude, demeanor, everything. Ryuji, while he looks like a hoodlum, is actually friendly, outgoing and considerate. He’s also used to dealing with peoples irrational fears of him and a bimbo mother. He pretty much runs his household and that carries over to his relationship with Tiaga. The art and character design feels a bit like Tona-Gura but the story its self feels more like Lovely Complex. The fight scene between Taiga and Ryuji is pretty well done and funny as hell. This series looks promising in the entertainment arena, maybe not so original but then again that’s hard to come by. So if you have enjoyed such series as Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan, Tona-Gura or maybe Midori no Hibi you might enjoy this series, I know I’m going to keep watching it, unless it gives me a reason not too.

The next series is Hyakko, one that I have been mildly interested in since I started looking at the fall lineup a month or so ago. I didn’t know anything about it beyond the fact that it was a slice of life comedy, which usually entertains me. Hyakko is the story of 4 high school students who are attending school at a large private academy complex that houses 3000 students from kindergarten all the way to high school. The first episode starts out with Ayumi; archetype – self conscious and unconfident, getting lost on her way to her classroom. After wandering around for a long time she finally meets another human being, Tatsuki; archetype – cold, calculating, political lineage. Tatsuki is gruff and uncaring towards Ayumi’s plight, but Ayumi follows her since she has been going to this school her entire life. After a while It dawns on her that Tatsuki is lost as well. As she asks her about that fact a girl jumps out of a window in the building next to them, landing perfectly, only to fall over and start acting in pain, meet Torako; archetype – wild girl, fearless and uncontrollable. Soon after, putting an end to Torako’s bad acting, another girl jumps from the window and lands perfectly, Suzume; archetype – quiet, loner, savant. Torako assumes leadership of the group and they all strike off to find their way back to class, as all of them are lost on this gigantic campus. After wandering around and introducing each other Torako decides to try and break into the school with a brick, Tatsuki fights her and in the struggle the brink ends up going through the window anyways. Much like seasoned thugs Torako and Suzume split the instant the window shatters. A second later the first other human they have run into shows up. Before he can find out what’s going on Torako reappears and knocks him out. The girls split quickly before he can regain consciousness. They end up finding their way to class only to discover the person they encountered and assaulted is none other than their homeroom teacher. He calls them into the office after class to scold them for their actions and in the end lets them go. As they leave school after their first eventful day they form the bonds of friendship between them.

     OK, so this is going to be about them going through all sorts of crazy adventures as high school students, I guess their classmates are also bizarre, their teacher certainly is. This feels like a fun loving, non-cynical version of Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei. The four characters are pretty funny and the pigeon holing of their personalities will be what drives the series. Ayumi will try to break out of her timid shell. During the first episode she had a number of entertaining visions of doing so. Between her and Torako they will break down Tatsuki's tough exterior. Torako will probably be the main catalyst for them getting in trouble. Suzume will probably be more bizarre and complex than anyone can imagine…I see her as being the character who would pull anything out of her hat in the best possible situations but be completely out of the bounds of reality and make the other characters pause for a second and wonder if she is even human. I see this being a fun series, a nice easy going, slice of life comedy. The art is interesting, I can’t place were I have seem similar styles but the faces are more rounded than you would normally see. If you are a fan of such shows as Azumanga Daioh, Pani Poni Dash, Minami-ke or Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei you will probably like this one too.

The last new show I reviewed in this batch was a complete unknown to me, Macademi Wasshoi, and I’m not sure what to think of it. It’s like a combination of Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan, Negima, Dragon Half, Full Metal Alchemist/D.Gray-man and Maho Tsukai Tai.

Young Takuto, is a normal student, on the outside. In reality he and his cousin, Suzuho, are students at the Magicians Academy, a secretive place that exists on another dimension. During an attempt at passing the summoning test, Takuto brings into the academy a naked, mewing, elf eared, buxom creature. The creature instantly develops a mother complex with Takuto, which angers Suzuho, who apparently has some sexual desires for her cousin, what is it with the Japanese and cousins. Suzuho, who is normally mute and timid, unbinds her pony tail and quickly changes into a blue haired version of herself who is aggressive and vocal. Suzuho’s alternate identity begins to try and destroy the summoned nymph. In the aftermath Suzuho is calmed down, the nymph survives and part of the school is in shambles. Takuto develops some feelings for the creature he summoned, some probably sexual, and pledges to make it his familiar and names it . Once he pledges this some magical stuff happens and the nymph speaks, verifying their contract. Now the nymph, which can speak but does so in the classical subservient cute girl sexual object way, is even more connected with her new master and must live with him. This enrages Suzuho who also chooses to move in with him. It also seems that the contract is some sort of marriage proposal thing too…maybe.

Ok, we can see were I am not entertained with some of the plot devices. Yet there are some aspects of the show that keep me from purging it. It’s a blatant shonen romance, semi harem anime. The characters are all curvy and voluptuous. When they introduce each character for the first time a little video game type screen pops up listing all the info, I did a double take when Suzuho’s popped up because one of her descriptions said Boobs and Glasses. Yay fan boy, ero dating sim stereotypes. I found myself skipping through the parts that reminded me of Slayers, like when they start casting their magic and going over what the magic does and all that nonsense. What really caught me was how much this series reminds me of Dragon Half. Sure it’s not exactly like that classic comedy but there are striking similarities, such as character design and the flagrant use of super deform. If the comedy can outweigh the harem romance I might just watch this show…but it’s pretty borderline right now, it reminds me a bit of the awful series Inukami. I also have never been a fan of the magic or fantasy series, but if the comedy can keep rolling and the oddball antics I might just look beyond that. Only time will tell and I have chosen to give this one the standard 5 episodes to truly make a choice.

Akane Iro no Somaru Saka (revisited)

     So I watched the full, subtitled, episode of this show, so I have a better opinion of the show…it will probably suck. It is based on an ero dating sim game and will also be pandering to that same audience. Its pretty much about this rich girl, who starts at a new school and is saved the day before by a handsome boy who is named Geno Killer. The next day she finds that this so called delinquent thug, Geno Killer, is in her class and is not the hardass he is rumored to be, he actually is a nice person. The class goes crazy over her and everyone jumps on her. She freaks out and asks the boy to go out with her, but that eventually gets straightened out and things are smooth from there. The next day the girl approaches him again and his conscious tells him to kiss her, because that’s what she’s looking for, she freaks out and kicks the crap out of him right there on the spot, in front of everyone. That night she shows up at his house, saying she is moving in because they are betrothed to each other.

     OK, crazy, split personality rich girl who know hates the person her anonymous parents are forcing her to live with/marry and the normal, average guy she now lives with and has to get along with. Can we say a bad rip off of Ranma ½ mixed with something like Onegai Sensei. I’ll give it at least another episode to not suck, but I’m, not holding out for much.

The next batch of reviews should include; Casshern Sins, Kurishitsuji, Tales of the Abyss, Linebarrels of Iron and To Aru Majutsu no Index.