Kannagi

Kannagi just gets better with each episode. It’s not like that there are any revolutionary new things done here, but what is done is done well and with just the right amount of self-mockery. I guess it also helps that Jin is a rather believable male protagonist, the minor characters can deliver some comedy on their own and, of course, that Nagi and Tsugumi are just fun to watch.

Kyou no Go no Ni TV

So far I’m quite pleased with the TV version of Kyou no Go no Ni. I believe it goes without saying that I would have wished for a similar animation quality like the OVA had and at first I was rather disappointed, but after a short time of acclimatisation it’s not that bad after all. The change of the Seiyuus was also something I was concerned about, but the new cast works fine for me. The background music is decent and when noticeable then in a good way, which is more than I remember from the OVA, so I think they made a good job here. And what I really like beside the new episodes is that they try to differ a bit in the ones that are already known through the OVA. These changes don’t alter the story per se, but are a nice addition and can only really be appreciated if one knows the OVA I guess.
Again, altogether a fine series to watch so far, hopefully it keeps being entertaining when the old stuff is through and that the setting work for more than four episodes. For now I’m positive on this.

Kyou no Go no Ni

I got the first urge to rewatch Kyou no Go no Ni OVA (Today, in class 5-2) at the time Minami-ke: Okawari started to get average to boring. I missed the first season and knew that both series were written by the same author, Koharu Sakuraba. Lack of time prevented me to do so and somehow I forgot about it again until a few days ago when I read about a planned full-fledged series of Kyou no Go no Ni on Random Curiosity. Well, this time I managed to watch the four episodes in short order and it wasn’t disappointing for sure.
The story develops around five girls and three boys of the class 5-2 where develop might be the wrong word, because each OVA consists of 5 independent mini-episodes and there is no real progression at all, just different slice of life situations. Practical all of these situations become ecchi at some point, which is my only real complain about the series, but at least each panty shot and such has some meaning to the story and doesn’t happen because of too short skirts or “favourable” camera angles. In spite of the ecchi content everything as a nice aura of normality and childlike innocence and the interaction between the cast and especially the two major characters, Ryouta and Chika, is really sweet (and of course funny) to watch. The humour is different to the one in Minami-ke, but I’m sure that if one likes one of both the other series is at least worth a try.
Now I only hope that the upcoming series can accommodate the OVA and doesn’t turn out to be to the OVA like Okawari was to the first Minami-ke season.

Slayers Revolution

I really like what I see here. I’m pretty sure that Slayers Revolution is rather confusing and at parts unsettling for those who haven’t at least watched the first two, maybe three seasons of Slayers (don’t let me start on the various OVAs and movies here). However, for the ones like me who have done so in the distant past everything fits and makes perfect sense. They caught the style and atmosphere of the older seasons quite well while presenting an animation that fells fresh and vivid. The whole setting and pacing of the story might be a bit antiquate today, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I rather welcome it somehow.
I guess that’s one of the advantages of anime vs. normal series. You couldn’t have Richard Dean Anderson having play MacGyver or David Rasche staring as Sledge Hammer today again resulting in the same beloved series that ended years ago. Those could be new and quite funny series (most likely not I’m afraid), but they could never be like the original ones again. Same goes for movies, old Indiana Jones fighting Soviets wasn’t that bad to watch, but Indi without Nazis is, well, just Indy without Nazis.
Megumi Hayashibara on the other hand sounds like she always did and so Slayers Revolution feels like there wasn’t a years long gap to its predecessor. And that is really great.

Fumina Konoe Strikes Back

One of the good things about Shakugan no Shana is that even if the actual season doesn’t deliver at all one can always look forward for the season’s Shanatan version. Of course even Shanatan fails at times, but at least it’s in the worst case a waste of no more than ten minutes worth of life instead of the time equal to half a season. And so far the good parts outweighed the bad ones by far. Luckily the latest instalment doesn’t differ here and offers lots of cuteness and silliness again with (to name a few) Konoe and especially Kazumi acting in a little different way, Shanatan using her newest melon pan weapon, Sabrac’s premiere as “Da pimp” and the Shanatan version of the caramelldansen, which by the way already got its own caramelldansen version in reverse.

Soul Eater & Tower of Druaga

Soul Eater

The world (and especially the people living in it) is constantly in danger to be dragged into chaos and destruction by the Kishin, evil humans who try to gain in power by feasting on the souls of other humans. Fortunately the Academy of Shinigami Weapons Wielder exists to face this threat. This academy teaches its students to fight together with their special companions, humans who can turn into weapons. Of course these teams are also send into the world to assure peace and to collect the souls of the Kishin which are to be devoured by the weapons. At the time a weapon has successfully eaten 99 Kishin souls and one soul of a witch it will turn into a real “Death Scythe” and its meister will become a full-fledged Shinigami.
This is the story of three meisters and their weapons and each team is more nuts and incompetent than the last one, but because the rest of the world seems to be quite the same they get their job done somehow in the end.

First thing I noticed about Soul Eater is its unique artwork and high quality animation. One Piece, Bleach and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are the series that popped up in my mind almost immediately while watching. And although this isn’t the best sign, after all I lost interest in the first two series fairly quick (One Piece) respectively after some time (Bleach), I like what I’ve seen so far. The comedy parts are just hilarious, the action promises to be quite viewy and all together this series emits a nice unique feeling. Hopefully they can keep it fresh for the scheduled 51 episodes.

Tower of Druaga

Once upon a time the great hero Gilgamesh took up the quest to rescue the priestess Ki from the demon Druaga. For this he fought bravely through all sixty floors of Druaga’s tower and the many different kinds of monsters who dwelled within them to finally face and defeat Druaga in the tower’s top floor. This way he saved Ki and the whole country of Babylim from the demon’s undoing and became shortly after the king of Babylim and Ki’s husband.
60 years later the danger of Druaga and his tower has risen anew and many young men and women have gathered at the base of the tower to taken up the duty which the now old king Gilgamesh had taken all by himself in the past. Each of them has his or her own motivation to do so, many just want to make a living out of the treasures and rewards that are to obtain out of slaying the many minor beasts, but some strive to follow the example of the old king and want to slay Druaga to secure Babylim once again. The protagonist of this story, Jil, definitely can be counted among the later section of the so called climbers. But it is surely no easy task he has chosen.

The first episode of Tower of Druaga was just hilarious and played well with lots of RPG clichés. There was no time to get bored in any way because they just fast forwarded a whole (generic) story plot in just one small episode. Well, at the end and with the second episode it gets back to the harsh real (fantasy) world and thus the amount of comedy and fast pace got naturally driven back significant. This surely might be a bummer for some and I don’t know this first episode will of advantage for the whole series, but its still a nice watch especially because I haven’t seen some RPG-styled fantasy anime for a longer time now. So I guess it will be okay for me if the rest of the story gets rather generic, but with the first episode in mind I hope for some surprises of the good kind. Soever, I think this is quite an interesting way to promote one’s MMORPG game.

Allison and Lillia & Special A

Allison and Lillia

The countries of the Roxcheanuk Confederation and the United Kingdom of Bezel Iltoa have been in the state of war for the past 130 years and a loosely armistice has been in effect for the last 10 years. In this uncertain times the childhood friends Allison, a pilot of the Roxche Air Force and Wil, a talented student, are told by an old and apparently senile man about a treasure hidden somewhere in the Bezel Iltoa Kingdom which content holds the potential to end the ongoing conflict once and for all. Not long after the man gets kidnapped before their own eyes. They try to rescue him, but in the end they can only watch him being flown out by plane. With a captured biplane they begin the pursuit which leads them toward the Bezal Iltoa Kingdom and into a unknown future.

Granted, the basic story of Allison and Lillia is as simple as the outlay of the two countries that are in conflict here, but from what I’ve seen so far I think it can become a quite entertaining treasure hunt. Both leading characters and their interaction are likeable and the artwork and the CG both might not look that fancy, but still pretty nice. And what I really like is the promise of lots of biplanes and similar designed planes to be seen in this series.

Special A

Hikari Hanazono is teached in martial arts practically since her birth and has never been bested by anyone. Anyone except one, Kei Takishima, whom she met at the age of six and has never been able to beat in any kind of challenge since then, although she tried whenever and whatever she could. Years later they both attend the same elite school, the Private Hakusen Academy. The pupils of this school are separated in the classes A to F accordingly to their grades and the seven best of the A class have a extra class of their own, the Special A class, with many extra privileges and rights. Both Hikari and Kei are part of this Special class with Hikari being the second best and Kei, of course, being the best of all pupils. Being looked upon by the rest of the pupils with adoration and jealousy they continue their contest which unnoticed (at least by Hikari) already has turned into love.

So far Special A seems to be another story of a dense girl who finally has to discover her true feelings toward the boy she always argues with and always gets teased by, but maybe it turns out to be a enjoyable mix of Kare Kano and Ouran after all. The potential is certainly present and could be exploit if the characters attain some depth in the run of the series and if the apparent conflict between the Special A class and the lower classes will be played out right. I would be rather sad if this will turn out to be a pure glorification of the elite class who spins around its own problems while the lower classes only serves as worshippers and cheating scum to make the Special A class appear even brighter. Oh, and by the way, am I the only one who thinks that SA is a rather bad abbreviation to label a elite formation of a (otherwise) brown-coated group of people? I might be a bit picky here, but at least it serves for some unintended strangeness in this series.