2015 starts off a bit slow with shows that I am interested in watching, many
of them are recent favorites returning to the fold. Here are my thoughts
on them after watching the first episodes.
Aldnoah.Zero 2: The original 12 episode run ended with a bunch of people possibly being dead, main characters. So the return of this show was highly anticipated. The story picks up 17 months afterwards to find the Vers military still waging, and succeeding in, a war of conquest over Earth. Slain, the Earthling defector, has been knighted due to his noble duties and is helping to lead the conquest of his home planet. Meanwhile the Terran forces have regained composure after the initial attack and are working to slow the advance of the invading armies with the hope of ending the war or even regaining lost territory. The one thing that could have put an end to the conflict was Princess Asseylum. Something has changed in her since the incidents of 17 months ago and she is now working as a champion for the conquest of Earth, broadcasting propaganda from the orbital castles.
I am really happy to see the return of this show. I enjoyed the original 12 episodes, including the cold, calculating, personality-lacking Inaho. I really enjoyed the background of the story and all the events that led up to it. The mech designs on both sides are enjoyable and interesting. Yet there is one big point of contention I have with the shows return as exhibited by this first episode; the sudden hero shaping of Inaho. Regrettably, but welcome anyways, Inaho is alive and still just as badass. The fact he has some cybernetics now makes him ever more awesome in my book. I wasn't happy with the way the introduced his return in this first episode of season 2. Too much fanfare, too many things that smacked of traits used in shonen battle shows. Pegging Inaho as the unlikely, and unassuming hero of the world, more than previously done. This time they heralded his return as the savior of Earthlings like some mythical being. Buy, maybe that's what he has been this entire time and I didn't pick up on it. Some things seem to be reactions to much of the internet criticism of the original season, criticisms dealing with Inaho and his abilities and personalities. Now he had/has the ability to affect the Aldnoah Drive's through a single drop of the Princess' blood entering his body? Come on...that's stretching it a bit too far, don't you think? Either way, I am excited for more adventures of Egg-kun.
Saenai Heroine no Sodate-kata: Another otaku for otaku-sake story. One boy has ambitions to make a popular galge and recruits 4 girls to help him in this effort. The girls, some of whom are otaku themselves, go along with his scheme for soon to be revealed reasons. The first episode expositions all of this information while providing gratuitous fan service and slamming fan service and otaku for otaku-sake stories at the same time.
I am torn with this one so far. Just the same was I was torn with My Mental Choices... The show presents its self as lambasting and criticizing otaku over reach while at the same time sticking with the things it calls out. It’s hard to tell what the real intentions are going to be but the rampant dialogue destroying played out tropes in the moe industry are mildly entertaining. I will give this one some more time to prove to me that it isn't a moe trap and is instead a smart and critical destruction of moe.
Koufuku Graffiti: Machiko Ryou is an independent high school girl who lives by herself after her beloved grandmother passed away. The biggest thing Ryou took away from her upbringing was the need to be the best cook she can in order to be a desirable bride. She doubts her abilities and is ready to resign herself to a live alone, perhaps collecting cats or something. That changes when her cousin Kirin decides to live with her on the weekends in order to attempt to go to school in Tokyo. Kirin is also using this as an opportunity to escape her parents, particularly her oblivious mothers horrible cooking. Much to Ryou's surprise Kirin is instantly smitten with her culinary prowess.
Man, it’s not as lame as I thought it was going to be but there is still a lot to not like with this one. It’s a moe cooking show that may or may not be a cover for a yuri story. There is some definite sexual tension/innuendo going on in this show. The scenes of food being consumed and reacted to are quite...erotic in exposition. Its jam packed with stereotypical moe/slice of life scenarios but there is something about it that as semi enjoyable. Even with her pathetic personality and character design the main character is actually likeable. I love cooking too...thought I don't think this show will really get into cooking like it was some battle cooking series. So it stays in the cue for now...but tenuously so.
Durarara!! x2 shou: Taking place 6 months after the end of the original series and things in Ikebukero haven't changed at all. All of its colorful personalities are continuing on as they always have. The first episode deals with Celty mostly and ends with her being a bit more of a celebrity than she wants to deal with. Someone has put a $100,000 bounty on her. What new things are afoot in the wild streets of Ikeburuko?
I am super excited to see the return of this highly entertaining show. Not only is the large cast of misfits still active they are introducing a number of new weirdo's to the mix. As with the original show, it will be really interesting to see the directions this multi-tentacle story takes. If nothing else, each week Durarara won't disappoint!
Assassination Classroom: Randomly one day the majority of the moon is obliterated and the octopus like creature responsible has told the Japanese government it will destroy the Earth in one year unless a class of 9th grade kids is able to assassinate him. Now the class has this mission and the octopus thing is their teacher. Can they save Earth with anti-octopus-thing airsoft rounds? Who and why is this being doing such a thing? What secrets abound!
OK, so this is a semi popular Shonen Jump series so it’s going to have to meet a number of requirements typical of Shonen Jump titles. The biggest thing I am afraid of and what’s threatening me to drop this as soon as possible; the possibility that it will be a really long show. The manga is still going, so obviously there has not been an end to it yet. The entire reason you start reading this is to find out how/when the kids will succeed and what the secrets behind the octopus creature are. They have set up quite a bit of that ground work in the very first episode. Suggesting, rather obviously, that the creature is from Earth and has some relation to this school or a similar school and is trying to impart something of value to the world. I will seriously give this one five episodes. Then unless it becomes magically fucking delicious it will go away. I don't feel like being 'shonen battle' lectured to.
The Rolling Girls: 10 years after a great war in Tokyo all of the aristocracy disappeared. In the vacuum of power groups of individuals have staked out old feudal territories across Japan. Meanwhile everything keeps going on as normal, with the exception of new rules regarding control and authority. Each area has a power base that battles the other territories for control in spectacular and somewhat ridiculous form.
They didn't get into too much of what this series has been pegged to be about, mostly sticking with some introductions of the concept of the world and some of the key characters of the show. So far I do not like it. It seems like a dumbed down attempt to tap into the creativity of the guys behind Kill la Kill and FLCL. In fact it feels like a blended imitation of both of those shows with some Atlas Shrugged thrown in for good measure. While I am not a fan, I respect and recognize the brilliance of Kill la Kill, Gurren Lagann and FLCL. This on the other hand seems to be without direction and a hodge podge of ideas with no real intent and purpose. The animation is a bit odd, the dialogue is all over the place and the amount of suspension of reality they are asking for is a bit beyond me. I doubt this one will be sticking around in my cue for long either. I will give it a few more episodes to see if there is some coherent plot in the works, but I don't have any hopes for it.
Death Parade: When people die they find themselves in a high end cocktail lounge. The barkeep informs them they are to play a game to determine what will happen to their soul. The games are standard fare but with sinister affects. They work more to force the participants to come to realizations about the lives they lived more than actually determining their ultimate fate.
This feels like it’s going to be a by the book psychological tension series. I don't anticipate there being any long story arcs beyond getting into the backgrounds of the beings who work at the bar. There really is nothing new with this series that hasn't been done before. The animation is a little clunky, especially the CG and the tension is predictable. I am not sure if this will stick around much, I would much rather spend the time I would use on this show to finally finish Monster and enjoy some really well done psychological drama.
Aldnoah.Zero 2: The original 12 episode run ended with a bunch of people possibly being dead, main characters. So the return of this show was highly anticipated. The story picks up 17 months afterwards to find the Vers military still waging, and succeeding in, a war of conquest over Earth. Slain, the Earthling defector, has been knighted due to his noble duties and is helping to lead the conquest of his home planet. Meanwhile the Terran forces have regained composure after the initial attack and are working to slow the advance of the invading armies with the hope of ending the war or even regaining lost territory. The one thing that could have put an end to the conflict was Princess Asseylum. Something has changed in her since the incidents of 17 months ago and she is now working as a champion for the conquest of Earth, broadcasting propaganda from the orbital castles.
I am really happy to see the return of this show. I enjoyed the original 12 episodes, including the cold, calculating, personality-lacking Inaho. I really enjoyed the background of the story and all the events that led up to it. The mech designs on both sides are enjoyable and interesting. Yet there is one big point of contention I have with the shows return as exhibited by this first episode; the sudden hero shaping of Inaho. Regrettably, but welcome anyways, Inaho is alive and still just as badass. The fact he has some cybernetics now makes him ever more awesome in my book. I wasn't happy with the way the introduced his return in this first episode of season 2. Too much fanfare, too many things that smacked of traits used in shonen battle shows. Pegging Inaho as the unlikely, and unassuming hero of the world, more than previously done. This time they heralded his return as the savior of Earthlings like some mythical being. Buy, maybe that's what he has been this entire time and I didn't pick up on it. Some things seem to be reactions to much of the internet criticism of the original season, criticisms dealing with Inaho and his abilities and personalities. Now he had/has the ability to affect the Aldnoah Drive's through a single drop of the Princess' blood entering his body? Come on...that's stretching it a bit too far, don't you think? Either way, I am excited for more adventures of Egg-kun.
Saenai Heroine no Sodate-kata: Another otaku for otaku-sake story. One boy has ambitions to make a popular galge and recruits 4 girls to help him in this effort. The girls, some of whom are otaku themselves, go along with his scheme for soon to be revealed reasons. The first episode expositions all of this information while providing gratuitous fan service and slamming fan service and otaku for otaku-sake stories at the same time.
I am torn with this one so far. Just the same was I was torn with My Mental Choices... The show presents its self as lambasting and criticizing otaku over reach while at the same time sticking with the things it calls out. It’s hard to tell what the real intentions are going to be but the rampant dialogue destroying played out tropes in the moe industry are mildly entertaining. I will give this one some more time to prove to me that it isn't a moe trap and is instead a smart and critical destruction of moe.
Koufuku Graffiti: Machiko Ryou is an independent high school girl who lives by herself after her beloved grandmother passed away. The biggest thing Ryou took away from her upbringing was the need to be the best cook she can in order to be a desirable bride. She doubts her abilities and is ready to resign herself to a live alone, perhaps collecting cats or something. That changes when her cousin Kirin decides to live with her on the weekends in order to attempt to go to school in Tokyo. Kirin is also using this as an opportunity to escape her parents, particularly her oblivious mothers horrible cooking. Much to Ryou's surprise Kirin is instantly smitten with her culinary prowess.
Man, it’s not as lame as I thought it was going to be but there is still a lot to not like with this one. It’s a moe cooking show that may or may not be a cover for a yuri story. There is some definite sexual tension/innuendo going on in this show. The scenes of food being consumed and reacted to are quite...erotic in exposition. Its jam packed with stereotypical moe/slice of life scenarios but there is something about it that as semi enjoyable. Even with her pathetic personality and character design the main character is actually likeable. I love cooking too...thought I don't think this show will really get into cooking like it was some battle cooking series. So it stays in the cue for now...but tenuously so.
Durarara!! x2 shou: Taking place 6 months after the end of the original series and things in Ikebukero haven't changed at all. All of its colorful personalities are continuing on as they always have. The first episode deals with Celty mostly and ends with her being a bit more of a celebrity than she wants to deal with. Someone has put a $100,000 bounty on her. What new things are afoot in the wild streets of Ikeburuko?
I am super excited to see the return of this highly entertaining show. Not only is the large cast of misfits still active they are introducing a number of new weirdo's to the mix. As with the original show, it will be really interesting to see the directions this multi-tentacle story takes. If nothing else, each week Durarara won't disappoint!
Assassination Classroom: Randomly one day the majority of the moon is obliterated and the octopus like creature responsible has told the Japanese government it will destroy the Earth in one year unless a class of 9th grade kids is able to assassinate him. Now the class has this mission and the octopus thing is their teacher. Can they save Earth with anti-octopus-thing airsoft rounds? Who and why is this being doing such a thing? What secrets abound!
OK, so this is a semi popular Shonen Jump series so it’s going to have to meet a number of requirements typical of Shonen Jump titles. The biggest thing I am afraid of and what’s threatening me to drop this as soon as possible; the possibility that it will be a really long show. The manga is still going, so obviously there has not been an end to it yet. The entire reason you start reading this is to find out how/when the kids will succeed and what the secrets behind the octopus creature are. They have set up quite a bit of that ground work in the very first episode. Suggesting, rather obviously, that the creature is from Earth and has some relation to this school or a similar school and is trying to impart something of value to the world. I will seriously give this one five episodes. Then unless it becomes magically fucking delicious it will go away. I don't feel like being 'shonen battle' lectured to.
The Rolling Girls: 10 years after a great war in Tokyo all of the aristocracy disappeared. In the vacuum of power groups of individuals have staked out old feudal territories across Japan. Meanwhile everything keeps going on as normal, with the exception of new rules regarding control and authority. Each area has a power base that battles the other territories for control in spectacular and somewhat ridiculous form.
They didn't get into too much of what this series has been pegged to be about, mostly sticking with some introductions of the concept of the world and some of the key characters of the show. So far I do not like it. It seems like a dumbed down attempt to tap into the creativity of the guys behind Kill la Kill and FLCL. In fact it feels like a blended imitation of both of those shows with some Atlas Shrugged thrown in for good measure. While I am not a fan, I respect and recognize the brilliance of Kill la Kill, Gurren Lagann and FLCL. This on the other hand seems to be without direction and a hodge podge of ideas with no real intent and purpose. The animation is a bit odd, the dialogue is all over the place and the amount of suspension of reality they are asking for is a bit beyond me. I doubt this one will be sticking around in my cue for long either. I will give it a few more episodes to see if there is some coherent plot in the works, but I don't have any hopes for it.
Death Parade: When people die they find themselves in a high end cocktail lounge. The barkeep informs them they are to play a game to determine what will happen to their soul. The games are standard fare but with sinister affects. They work more to force the participants to come to realizations about the lives they lived more than actually determining their ultimate fate.
This feels like it’s going to be a by the book psychological tension series. I don't anticipate there being any long story arcs beyond getting into the backgrounds of the beings who work at the bar. There really is nothing new with this series that hasn't been done before. The animation is a little clunky, especially the CG and the tension is predictable. I am not sure if this will stick around much, I would much rather spend the time I would use on this show to finally finish Monster and enjoy some really well done psychological drama.
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