Summer 2011!!

Time flies and it's already summer. I've been so busy lately that I have not finished any of the Spring 2011 anime even though some has already ended. (v.v) Anyway, Summer 2011 anime listing looks pretty exciting and there are also sequels to some of the anime I like.

Below is the list of anime series which interests me:

1. Natsume Yuujinchou San

I enjoyed the first and second seasons thoroughly. I'm so happy that they finally made the third season! I can't wait to see more Natsume, Nyanko-sensei, Natori and others!

Watching? Of course!

Release date: 4th Jul 2011


2. Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou

The first season's pacing was a little slow but I think this will not be the case for the new season. The major story arc which the new season of the anime will be focusing on is the Kyoto arc. It's a pretty long arc so there's no need for the animators to throw in fillers like what they did in the first season. The Kyoto arc is all about the youkai and onmyouji so I hope that the animators will stick to that and not shift the focus to the annoying humans (referring to the Rikuo's classmates).

Watching? Definitely Yes!

Release date: 3rd Jul 2011


3. No. 6

The story takes place in the ideal city "NO.6" in 2013. Shion was judged as having "highest-ranked intelligence" when he was two years old and was allowed to live in the luxurious area "Cronos".

On his twelfth birthday, he met a beautiful boy called "Nezumi," who had escaped from a reformatory. Shion protected him, but the Public Security Bureau deprived Shion of all his privileges and expelled him from Cronos to "Lost Town." Four years after the banishment, a mysterious accident leads Shion to the secret of the city NO.6.

I love the art and the character designs. It looks like something I will like.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 7th Jul 2011


4. Usagi Drop

Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!

It looks like a nice slice-of-life series. I shall give it a try.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 8th Jul 2011


5. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!

The first season was pretty enjoyable and funny. I also enjoyed the OVA on the school festival. Hopefully the second season will continue to entertain me.

Watching? Yup!

Release date: 8th Jul 2011


6. Dantalian no Shoka

Hugh Anthony Disward inherits an old mansion and a personal library from his grandfather. In the basement of the mansion, he meets a mysterious girl Dalian. She is a Dantalian and a gateway to "Dantalian's bookshelf", which stores the prohibited books of the demons. "Gensho (Illusory Books)", the prohibited books, endanger the balance of the world but people are fascinated by the taboo. Huey and Dalian solve the cases involving Gensho with their ability to access the Dantalian's bookshelf.

The summary sounds interesting and I shall give this a try.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 15th Jul 2011


7. Sacred Seven

A "new school battle action" project by Sunrise. The tagline is "People's memories change the world!"

I like Sunrise productions so I hope that this will be good.

Watching? Likely.

Release date: 2nd Jul 2011

Bokurano

How would you react when you are told that the fate of our Earth lies in your hands?

This is a question which I hope I never have to face even if it means that I get to be a SuperHeroine. It's seriously not fun to be entrusted with such a big responsibility.

In Bokurano, 15 middle school kids are tricked into participating in a battle to protect Earth. At first look, Bokurano looked like a typical mecha series with huge mecha fighting one another. However, that's completely not true as even though Bokurano is a mecha series, it focuses much more on the human side.

Story: (10/10) – Awesome
During a summer camp, 15 middle school kids, 8 boys and 7 girls, found a cave near the beach. Deep within the cave, they discovered working computers and some electronic equipment. Momemts later, a man called Kokopelli appeared and he claimed to be a programmer working on a brand new game, in which a large robot has to defend the Earth against alien invasions. He persuaded the children to test the game and sign a contract.

Around 1-2 episodes are dedicated to each kid who is chosen to be the next pilot to fight on Earth’s behalf. Each kid has a story to tell, a conflict of some sort to work out before they fight.

I've nothing but good words for the story. It's very unique and beyond my expectation. Even though the story is super depressing, it actually makes it more realistic.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
There are at least 20 important characters in Bokurano. Despite having so many characters, the series managed to develop them and tell their stories beautifully. Some of the characters appeared really boring initially, but I can't help but to like or empathize with them as the series progressed.

It's difficult to pinpoint who my favorite characters are but I personally like the back stories of Daiichi and Maki. Their back stories really touched me a lot.

Daiichi

Maki

Ushiro is probably the character with the most development and I enjoyed watching his development.

Ushiro

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I quite like the character designs for the humans but I can't say the same for the mecha. The mecha which the kids are using is called Zearth and it looks pretty cool but I can't say the same about the other mecha. On the other hand, the mecha battles are animated quite well.

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The Opening theme is "Uninstall" by Chiaki Ishikawa. Personally, I don't quite like this song but I have to say it does fit the depressing mood of the anime. Chiaki Ishikawa also sings the 2 Ending themes, "LIttle Bird" and "Vermillion". Both themes are more light-hearted and I personally like them better.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
Bokurano did not make me laugh but instead, it made me cry many times. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it as it's really unique and thought-provoking. The internal struggles and pain which the characters went through are very realistically portrayed and I can't help but to feel for them.

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
To sum it up, Bokurano is a mecha series which focuses more on the human aspect. One of Bokurano's appeals is its depressing theme so don't expect any fairy tale endings as there's none of that. If you are in the mood for a depressing slice-of-life anime, watch Bokurano!

First Impression: Inazuma Eleven Go

5 episodes into Inazuma Eleven Go and I've decided to continue watching it. Initially, I was deliberating whether I should follow Inazuma Eleven Go or not as the creators have (most likely) turned my favorite character from Inazuma Eleven into a bad guy.

Well, this is just my speculation but sadly, I think I'm right. In the first episode, it's revealed that Gouenji is Tenma's life savior. In the same episode, there's a scene with a mysterious guy and a priest. A few episodes later, it's revealed that the mysterious guy is Holy Emperor and he's the bad guy who tries to control football by fixing football matches. I don't want to admit it but he looks and sounds like Gouenji. They share the same voice actor but this may not be indicative as in Inazuma Eleven/Inazuma Eleven Go, it's common for voice actors to voice multiple roles. So if that guy is really Gouenji, it means that we'll eventually see a face-off between him and Endou (finally appeared in the last scene of episode 5!). A face-off sounds exciting but I still don't like the idea of Gouenji becoming a bad guy. =.=

Gouenji vs Holy Emperor - don't they look alike (v.v)

What's Hot?
- Among the new characters, I find Tsurugi the coolest. His attitude reminds me a little of Fudou.

- So far, only 2 avatars are shown and I love their design.

What's Not?
- Frankly, I don't quite like the main character, Tenma. He's the weak but positive and motivated kind who will eventually become stronger. I personally prefer characters who are pretty strong from the onset (ie. Gouenji, Endou, Kidou and etc).

- Gouenji is Holy Emperor (?)

Inazuma Eleven

Inazuma Eleven has ended! But, Inazuma Eleven Go will continue the legend of Raimon Eleven. I shall talk more about my first impression of Inzuma Eleven Go in another post.

With 127 episodes, I had a fun and enjoyable time watching Inazuma Eleven. The hissatsu waza (certain kill techniques) and action may be over-exaggerated and too unrealistic, but nonetheless, I found it very fun to watch. In my opinion, Inazuma Eleven is set in another universe where hissatsu waza is part of daily life so even though it's unrealistic, it doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I find the hissatsu waza fun and cute (penguins, penguins and more penguins!).

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The story is simple. It’s about Soccer, Endou Mamoru, his team mates and rivals.

Though the plot was over-the-top and unrealistic, it's full of drama and surprisingly entertaining.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
Inazuma Eleven has MANY characters. Usually, for an anime with this many characters, it's not easy to remember the characters, but this is not the case for Inazuma Eleven. Not only the main character, Endou Mamoru, but almost all the characters develop throughout the series. Also, all the characters have unique personalities and character designs which make them easy to remember.

Here are the characters I like:
Gouenji - He's my favorite Inazuma Eleven character! He's really badass and cool!~

Kidou - I love his character development! I also love his cloak. It makes him look like a hero!!

Endou - It's hard not to like his never-give-up spirit and bright smile!

Fubuki - I love his character development too! Too bad, he didn't retain his brother's badass personality but I still love him anyway.

Tsunami - I love his easy-going personality!

Hiroto - Nice and cool personality!

Fudou - His hair is too cute!~

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
Inazuma Eleven has very unique character designs. I can't say I like all of them but it's fun to see the kind of character designs they have. The hissatsu waza is animated very well too!

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
I love the all the Opening themes which are all sung by T-Pistonz+KMC. All the Opening themes are full of energy and vigor, which fit the mood of the anime very well.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
The hissatsu waza, the drama, and of course the soccer make Inazuma Eleven a joy to watch!

Overall: (8/10) – Good
If you are looking for a realistic sports anime, this is not for you. Inazuma Eleven may be a little kiddy and unrealistic, but that's what I like about Inazuma Eleven. From the onset, it's obvious that the soccer in Inazuma Eleven is different from that of real life's. Unlike Prince of Tennis, it doesn't try to act realistic by quoting the names of real life players but in the end, used unrealistic hissatsu waza (real life tennis players can't use those hissatsu waza).

If you are looking for an anime full of action and entertainment, I'm sure you'll enjoy Inazuma Eleven!

First Impression: Ao no Exorcist

It's only the first episode of Ao no Exorcist and there were already filler materials (the supermarket scenes and those scenes involving the little girl). Is this a good thing or not? I'm fine with fillers once in a while but if they were to do that for every single episode, I wonder what Ao no Exorcist may become.

Personally, I quite like the filler materials in the first episode and I think they fit the main story well. Those filler scenes also portrayed Rin's personality (he's a little awkward and clumsy at times but very kind) well.

What's Hot?
- I love the interaction between Rin and Father.

What's Not?
- None.

First Impression: Gintama'

Gintama is back!! It's great to watch Gintama in HD 16:9!

The anime staff decided not to start Gintama' from where it left off in the manga (chapter 293), but instead, they decided to start with chapters 324-326. I personally think that it's a great choice and there's no better way to start Gintama'.

What's Hot?
- Everything in the first 2 episodes is full of win!!
Gin-chan as Yamcha, Kagura-chan becomes Kagura-san, Otae and Gorilla Commander married, Dragonball-esque battle between an okama with both boobs and balls (Kyuubei) and an okama with no boobs and no balls (Zurako), Yanki-like Jimmy Yamazaki, a smiley Hijikata, Bakaiser.....

- The Opening Theme "Tougenkyou Alien" by serial TV drama is really fun to listen and the Opening Theme sequence is fun to watch.
- The Ending Theme "Samurai Heart (Some Like It Hot!!)" by Spyair has a really cool tune and sequence.

What's Not?
- Nothing!