Winter 2016 First Blush - part 2

Here is the 2nd batch of new shows for the Winter season of 2016 and my initial impressions.

Dagashi Kashi: Kokonotsu has his heart set on being a manga artist.  But everyone around him wants him to take over his fathers small town candy store. He faces a challenge from a woman who works for a major candy manufacturer that wants to recruit his dad.  Will he succumb to everyone pressuring him to continue the families small town store?

    This show really triggered nothing in my to want to continue to watch it.  I will give it one maybe two more episodes but I'm not holding my breath.

Bubuki Buranki: Twin siblings, Kaoruko and Azuma, live in a post apocalyptic world with their parents.  The world is filled with giant machina that sleep with foreboding doom.  When Kaoruko inadvertently awakes them their mother sends them away while she battles them.  Their escape is from their home, isolated high in the atmosphere, to the surface of Earth.  The story picks up 10 years later and Azuma is returning to Japan after being away for some time.  Security forces capture him with hopes of discovering an item of his families that can control the silent monsters.  A group of magic wielders come to his rescue.

    This series really had me for the first half of the show.  A cool, Miyazaki like natural world over the remains of a destroyed civilization.  The family with the ability to counter the sleeping giants of destruction.  Then it turns into a magic cyberpunk version of Kill la Kill.  I will give it a few more episodes but it quickly turned into something that doesn't interest me.  Characters with complicated costumes geared for cosplay repetition who follow strictly ingrained archetype personalities.  Disappointing, the show would be much more interesting if it didn't take place in an totalitarian near-future Earth.

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash: A group of kids suddenly find themselves in an unknown fantasy world, with no memories of their past or how they got there.  Having no choice but to immerse themselves into this new reality they begin down the harrowing path or 'adventurers'.

    Normally I dislike fantasy anime and I really dislike the current crop of 'normal people sucked into MMORPGs'.  But for now, something about this series is OK and I am willing to give it 5 episodes to convince me either way.  There is some un-needed fanservice but I sense something in the background of the story that speaks of maturity and interest.  So for now, it sticks around.

Oya-san wa Shishunki: This is a short slice of life comedy about a middle school who works as a landlord for a small apartment building.  I really have no idea where it could go.  It seems like an insipid moe otaku thing.  It's super short so for know I'll watch a few more episodes but I don't see much coming out of the show.

Dimension W: Mabuchi Kyoma is a man resisting change in a world where unlimited power is available, but controlled by a less than friendly public/private corporation.  While resisting using the technology himself his job is to hunt down people who use and trade illegal energy technology.  On a routine job he ends up running into an robot girl who knocks him out and runs off with the tech before he can secure it.  He tracks her down but before anything can happen her creator unleashes a technology that destroys energy tech through out the city.  His employer revives the girl who asks to join their efforts in gathering the illegal tech.

    For some reason this show makes me think of a hybrid between Cowboy Bebop and Riding Bean.  So far its not bad, artwork that fits the style and interesting, off bat characters.  Time will tell how the series fares as the story progresses and the secrets unfold.