Summer Season Update

It’s past the halfway point for the summer season, time to do a quick overview of the shows currently being viewed.

Ald.Noah Zero: In 1969 a gateway to Mars was discovered on the moon.  The humans who emigrated to Mars discovered more alien technology and considered themselves heirs and lords or the planet.  Going under the name of the Vars Empire their contempt for Terran humans is well known.  Fifteen years after an accident that destroyed half of the moon along with the gateway a young Vars princess travels to Earth on a goodwill mission.  Unfortunately she is assassinated leading to the Vars nobles who live in orbit around Earth to declare war.  A group of students in Japan are caught up in the defensive as Vars mechs continue to descend around them.  They have to use their compulsory military training beyond its limits to survive long enough and get to safety.

    Even with its annoying character designs this is a really enjoyable series.  Interesting world building and excellent mecha combat.  This show along with Argevollen has made me contemplate the styles I enjoy when it comes to mech anime.  Regardless, this is a fun series that I look forward to finishing, even with the annoying Victorian characters designs of the Vars nobles.

Argevollen: Taking place on a fictional world as two nations battle each other for territorial control.  The story focuses on a small expedition mech force that ends up rescuing and acquiring a new and untested mech design.  The mechs pilot is a rookie soldier whose main goal is to learn why his sister died years earlier in her military service.  As he and his squad become more entangled in the workings of the current conflict they start to realize they are pawns in a game of political deception.

    This is the second mech series for me this season and it is also incredibly enjoyable and quite different from Aldnoah.Zero.  This is a straight forward military anime that I greatly welcome.  It reminds me a little of Pumpkin Scissors in its intrigue and politics.  It has also been dividing the mecha fan base though...

Barakamon: Professional calligrapher Handa Seishu moves to a remote fishing village in order to focus on his work following a disastrous rejection of a display piece.  The simple and friendly locals do their best to make him feel at home but their quirks and customs rubs him the wrong way.  His time on the island serves as both a centering of his profession and a blunting of his criticism towards others.

    A fun slice of life comedy I have been waiting for since 2013.  It reminds me ofYotsuba&! with the little girl who glom's onto Handa.  As the story progresses he continues to become familiar with the residents of the town and takes away life lessons from them.  The series isn't sappy though.  It's filled with quick comedy and some word play.  Ultimately it's an enjoyable show with a clear direction and conclusion.

Glasslip: Fukami Toko and her friends are enjoying their last summer as children in their quiet seas side town.  That peace and happiness starts to crumble when a transfer student arrives and causes discord between the friends.  he has come, seeking Toko, as both of them have the ability to glimpse fragments of the future.  He wants to help her and work with her so they both can understand what the visions mean.

  This is an interesting and dry romantic drama.  The conclusion of the series is still a mystery but its fun to see the dysfunction grow between the group as they let their petty jealousies come to the surface.  The clairvoyance thing is interesting but it hasn't materialized to much as of yet.  Secretly I'm hoping it will more go the way of Toki o Kakero Shojo and the transfer kid is from the future!!  But I doubt that will be the case.

Nobunaga Concerto: Slacker high school student, Saburo, suddenly finds himself in the Warring States period of Japan, (mid 1500's).  The first person he comes across is a young Oda Nobunaga, one of the future unifiers of the nation.  The young warrior convinces Saburo to take his place as they look identical.  He wants to do this in order to rest from his duties to become healthier.  Saburo eagerly agrees not really having anything else to do.  Impersonating a 16th century noble isn't as easy as he would expect.  The only thing keeping everyone from executing him due to his bizarre antics is their respect for their liege.  Saburo begins to fit into the role of Nobunaga and with the help of his history text book works to make sure history stay on course.

    There have been a number of anime recently with Nobunaga in their titles.  This is would probably be the best as its part history lesson and part fish out of water antics.  It’s a wonder he isn't executed for witch craft at times as he references his book, uses English words and other general modern quirks that befuddle those around him.  There are two problems with this one though; the character animation is sloppy motion capture CG and Saburo's general personality is a bit hollow.  he just floats along blissfully ignorant of what his situation really is; only believing that the course of history will follow its path.  Also...he got really good at riding a horse, like immediately...what the hell...  Still a fun show.

Tokyo ESP: People begin developing psychic powers.  A group of them band together with ambitions to become the leaders of the world through terror and subjugation.  Other psychics decide to work to stop the oppression of normal humans. 

   This is half super natural action series and half slice of life comedy...at least based on the first few episodes.  I like part and am bored by the other part.  The animation is really slick though but it’s a tired and played out story.  In this one there is a mysterious savior, the White Girl, who unwittingly fights for justice and peace.  She ends up grouping together with other people to help protect normal humans from being exploited and ends up becoming a sort of figure of hope.

Zenkyou no Terror: Two young men enact a plan to terrorize Tokyo for unknown reasons.  After stealing radioactive material from a reactor facility and bombing half of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building they begin a deadly game of cat and mouse with the police.

    This is the second new series by Watanabe Shinichiro (the other being Space Dandy) and it is nothing like his typical style.  This is a straight forward drama closely resembling cops vs. bad guy Hollywood movies.  It’s a fun ride so far and even though I don't expect anything ground breaking I enjoy seeing this other side to Watanabe's writing.

Tokyo Ghoul: In an alternate version of the world flesh eating creatures coincide with normal humans, hidden in the shadows and passing off as normal people in the day.  College student, Ken Kaneki, finds himself thrust into the world of the ghouls when a doctor performs a radical transplant to save his life after he is attacked by one.  Now he must come to terms with being a part of both worlds.

    I am still unsure if I will continue to watch this, I haven't caught up with it yet, but the few episodes I have watched really have not grabbed me.  I also fear the inevitable direction the story will go based on the series imprint on the interwebs.  There is some significant cosplay associated with this title and it looks like it’s going to end up being a horror shonen battle series, which I have little interest in.  This one may get dropped sooner than later.

Ao Haru Ride: This is a slice of life comedy romance about a girl who lost her boyfriend when he moved.  When he comes back 3 years later they have both changed and she tries to reclaim what was lost and/or fall in love with the new man before her. 

    This is a sweet and enjoyable that goes back and forth between moments of comedy and moments of drama.  The only complaint I really have with it is the characters designs.  I am not a fan of the 90's shojo style.  This doesn't bring anything new but it isn't bad either.

Maido! Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku: Crazed antics of a misfit family and their associates.  This one still has not been picked up by anyone and is not being subbed so I can only follow some of what is going on.  This is a spinoff of an Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku anime from the late 90's and is also derived from a popular gag manga.  All I can say is this is the best looking anime adaptation of a gag manga I have ever seen and the parts I can understand make me cackle.  This is a blast and I eagerly away each weeks' short episode!
 

Himegoto: An androgynous high school student is saved from debt collectors by the notorious student council.  The punishment for his help is to be their cross dressing slave until the end of his time at school.

 

    This is a ridiculous and perverted anime short series.  There is nothing of value in it and it plays on worn out fan service tropes.  Yet, I think it’s an amazing piece of protest to the current trends in anime.  Each episode is loaded with panty shots and precarious panty revealing situations...but every single one is of the male lead and his younger brother while in gag.  I don't know the authors original intent, but aside from a stupid comedy, I see this as a thumb in the eye to the rampant and unneeded fan service in anime these days.

Sabagebu: Sonokawa Momoka is forced to join the Survival game Club at school y the clubs president and school idol.  At first reluctant to participate she soon gets into the groove with the odd ball members as they run through fantastical gun toting romps of fantasy and speculation.

    The best way I can describe this series is if Keroro Gunsou was about semi-lesbian war game otaku.  It doesn’t take its self seriously, with the 4th wall constantly being broken down and all sorts of gags and absurdities.  It picks fun of otaku, modern anime tropes while at the same time worshiping them.  Not the best of the year but still worth spending 20 minutes a week with.  Some episodes are hit or miss though.

Re:_Hamatora:  This follow up to the original Hamatora series from the beginning of 2014 picks up 6 months afterwards and deals with the fallout from the events of the first series.  While at first hesitant with the original episodes, this one was more than welcomed to return!

    Still full of ready for cosplay characters with impossible names, the drama and comedy syncs together well as the members of the Hamatora detective agency try to figure out what’s going to happen with them and others who have their special Limit powers.

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun: Chiyo Sakura has a crush on her classmate Nozaki-kun.  A misunderstanding leads her to become his newest manga assistant instead of her boyfriend.  She's now part of a small team of classmates helping the stoic and oblivious Nozaki make his popular shojo romance series.

    This would be one of my favorite shows from this season.  It’s funny and paced similar to School Rumble.  A much welcomed slice of life comedy.  There is no real central plot or course of direction and I hope it goes for more than 13 episodes.  The characters are fun and I get good laughs with each new episode.

Shin Strange+:  The return of this short gag anime which initially aired in the beginning of 2014 follows the misfits of the Mikuni Detective Agency.  With no coherent plot or general direction of any sort of story you just sit back and take in the insanity.

    At just a few minutes a pop, this is a fun and odd gag series.  Worth the time if you have a taste for pointless butt jokes and gender bending oddities.

Dropped Shows:

    DRAMAtical Murder

    Shonen Hollywood

    Hanayamata