Fall 2007 Anime CRAZE!!

Whoopie-doo~ Here we go again! It is autumn time in anime-infested Japan, and thus the season for brand new series commence!
Very much like a previous post I had some time before, today I shall present my dear bloggie-readers short commentaries on the fresh series I have been following since the beginning of October.

Disclaimer:
Below is purely a brief, honest opinion on my impression (as of far) of 20 anime series. If you are in any way allergic to the mentioning of Japan animation or whatsoever, do NOT read past this line.

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Better grab your favourite beverage - cos' coming right up is a long post~:
*pics plugged shamelessly from MyAnimeList and related sources =D

[ Ren'ai Division ]
Include in this section are five entries. As the category title suggests, all series in here consist of the common element 'dating', 'pretty girls' & 'love'. You can expect the male lead of such shows to build a solid harem of his own, but this season's selection may prove otherwise.

ef - a tale of memories

More like: 'ef - a confusing tale of events'. Right off the bat, we are introduced to at least three male-leads in this one, and an interwoven story that imo isn't as interesting - as to e.g. Baccano!. Characters shown so far have been portrayed to have boring characteristics. Studio SHAFT is doing this, and they are clearly using their 'artistic' style of animation for this show. While I enjoyed that direction in Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, I can't say I like it here (aka. I am not impressed).
However, I still have high hopes for the story to take off in the coming episodes, but as for now this series takes last place in my Ren'ai lineup.

Da Capo II

Generation 2 of Da Capo. Thus new characters, new story, but same old island. At least I feel the male lead looks better than his predecessor. This guy is definitely gonna get his harem; I mean, he already got the ball rolling by hooking up with his childhood friend Koko in episode 1! We got a winner here!!
ANYWAY..so far from what I have seen, the characters are seemingly bland and lacking in unique personality traits - the bunch of stereotypical ren'ai crew. I guess banana robot-gal is a little interesting though. It is still Da Capo, so I am pretty sure things will heat up when the anime touch upon the 'magical' segment of the story. I will save my final judgment till then.
Just please, don't let the protagonist's final choice of girl be Nemu-wannabe; Yume - anyone but her!!

Kimi-kiss ~ pure rouge

Multiple relationships involved, again. I guess people are getting sick of lead-centered plot eh? Somewhat interesting is that we got the cute girl Mao-neechan in the male-dominated 'player' role. Simply means she gets involve in her own pairing with another dude, or at least what the series is hinting thus far.
Characters are suffering from the usual shallowness in personality, but that can't be help since it has only been till 3 episodes. Except Mao, because she is sexy-awesome. And it is also because of her presence that this series currently topped the previous two. Woot! BIAS!

Myself; Yourself

Blasphemy! Male protagonist with hidden past?! Childhood friend (female lead) with a nasty mood swings and behavior!? ...do I sense an interesting premise brewing?
Unlike the last three, the main cast in this is shown to be more quirky and fun. It is just so much more enjoyable to watch something with characters that interest me - even if the main story is one huge cliche theme. One of my favourite seiyuu - Koshimizu Ami plays lead-girl in this one, so bonus points too! Yes, I know she too is voicing Kimi-kiss's cover gal (look above), but that one me think is boring in comparison. =P

Clannad

The top dog of this season Ren'ai category. Animation, premise, voice-acting, characters - definitely like what I have seen. Interactions between the characters have been nothing but golden, and amusing situations are all over the place - easily capable of making me chuckle (which is of no easy feat for a show).
Many people do seem to be complaining about the show pacing being too fast, but I am feeling right at home. No complaints from me. This series is on my top-priority watch list, which prove how highly I view it to be. I even recommended it to JW, but he isn't biting it. Boo-wee, nvm, I shall enjoy it myself.

[ Shounen Division ]

The stuff that attracts the attention of young boys. Usual action-packed fare, with a mix of fantasy elements thrown in as well. Common in this genre is that melee (magical) weapons are mightier than conventional firearms, and this season's lineup follow the trend.

Night Wizard

Gosh. Super-cliche setting, flat characters, and annoying leader-girl Anzelotto. The main dude is even a sword-wielder = overused weapon of choice. Biggest upset is why am I even watching this crap. Being based off an old Japanese rpg, it had so-much potential... but completely wasted, because the characters are sooo boring. Elis = mary-sue. Haizzz, I will just give this series another episode as my ultimatum.
I can imagine Anzelotto from the series asking, "watch this show - your choice are: 'Hai' or 'Yes'." I say, screw you.

Suteki Tantei Labyrinth

Why does this show so reminds me of Dectecive Loki? Maybe it's the mystery-crime elements, or the butler companion and white pet. Heck, probably because the main character is a mysterious, yet rich little boy who can solve crimes with his powers. Yep, I think I have watched something like this before...
What surprises me most is the fact that I almost bought the manga just that other day without knowing what it was. Thank thee I didn't, since I got to watch the anime version later instead, and sadly, the story didn't grab me. This still isn't as notorious as Night Wizard, so I guess I will continue to watch it whenever I am free. ..oh, and I think the white dog is cute. ^^

Shakugan no Shana II

Red-haired Shana returns! The first season was generally entertaining, so I kind of awaited for this in anticipation. And this new installment? So far so good. I will watch this, even if it is for kicks.
Despite that Shana is yet another blade-user, it is her loli-status and tsundere behavior that separates her from the typical swordie. That, or I am just disillusioning myself. Eh, whatever.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro

Or Private Evil-Eye Nougami Neuro, as it English title would be. I heard this anime rendition is different from its manga counterpart. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the first episode. We got a clueless, food-glutton school gal who plays a role of being a famous detective, but it is her demon 'companion' that is solving the crimes for her - and he is called Nougami Neuro, as like in the series title (duh). That was quite enough to pique my interest, and also raise it above Shakugan no Shana's ranking.
Besides the interesting setting, I also have taken a liking to both the duo leads. Will watch this, since I want to know what type of direction this series will take.

Rental Magica

The last entry on the Shounen list, and my favourite one of that for the time-being. Even before the show premiered, I was already attracted by the character designs, (actually the novel's illustration but anyway,) and how its plot center around various magic arts that referenced to actual traditions. Hence, I got hooked from thereon.
Then the time came when I could finally feast my eyes on this series. And it turned out to be... okay. Not great, but still pretty good. And I put it on the top of my Shounen chart - because I can do that. =D Even if this series turns out average, it should still serve as my 'guilty-pleasure' entertainment.

[ Sci-Fi Division ]

Somewhat close to reality science, but usually have overblown elements that push its boundary to that of being a fiction. Many scientific-sounding, profound terminologies are used in this anime typeset. Mecha(s) are common affair in this category, but not a mandatory component.

Blue Drop ~Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku~

Before I talk about my impression, I want you to know that it took me some effort to actually sit down and watch this through. All because I knew there were yuri-elements, and I have a thing against that. Stuff like Kannazuki no Miko and Strawberry Panic pretty much left me traumatized.
I have heard good things about this series story, and me being a sucker for good plot, I eventually couldn't resist the urge to give it a shot, even if the lingering yuri-threat was there awaiting.
And the result? Phew... wtf, episode 1 had little to no yuri action (scare me for nothing). As for the story premise; I can't say I like it. I am getting the extraterrestrial/alien-thingie vibe from it, but nothing particularly special that warrant a 'wow' from me. Maybe I will skim through future episodes to see if they picked up the pacing or something. If not, then it is a (blue) drop from me.

Dragonaut - The Resonance

It is by studio GONZO. The animation company with a really long list on its portfolio, but only half of its production are really worth the watch. So which side of the coin does this new series stack up to? No idea, but I am willing to bet my chance that this is on the 'not gonna suck' side.
Honestly, the first two episodes had me confused and bored. The recent episode however, got whatever little of my interest back - it is just so like GONZO's way of doing. =_=
What it does really possess upfront is its list of stellar seiyuu - can't go (too) wrong with a cast like that. Yep, I think it will at least be a decent sci-fi show... even with the lame CG dragons.

*Mizuki Nana is starring in it too! Voicing the blonde loli Jacqueline. Ah, I will STILL watch this show, if only for the sake of hearing my idol's voice in her bratty, yet lovely tone. And I thought I would never hear her in such a role again.. Thank god for that~

Mobile Suit Gundam 00

It is a Gundam series. And I am a Gundam fan. Enough said.
Eh, what else? Notable mentions are that it's the first of its kind of have the setting in our reality timeline - AD period, and the series director also worked on Full Metal Alchemist. The latter information is actually a sigh of relief, to me at least. No more having to deal with Seed and Destiny's cheesy storyline.
First two episodes were quite a show, but so were Destiny's - and looked how that turned out. So I won't say this new Gundam will be definite-win material. Fortunately, I foresee great potential for this newcomer; one can only pray it won't screw up..again.

[ Misc. Division ]

Not similar enough to be included in any of the above category, they are otherwise distinguish as a class of their own. Series included can range from being Seinen type, sport-genre, or the charming slice-of-life. Titles are not arranged in order of liking, unless clearly stated otherwise by the blogger himself.

Kodomo no Jikan

Announcing the Fall 2007 series for da LOLICON! It is all about 3rd graders (pri.3) doing perverted stuff much to their male teacher's dismay (or guilt pleasure) - but mild enough to not be considered hentai. It does make me feel like a pedophile just by watching this. Thankfully, I know very well I am not one, and 9-years old girls don't interest me (sexually). So no worries, I am a safe guy, peace~.
Of course, hilarity is the main essence of this show. Unfortunately, humor value dropped by a whole level - no thanks to poor and overused censorship. It is not the actual show fault, but more in line with Japan's media actions. I won't be following this tv broadcast though, since the censoring is way-overkill. A pity, but it is the type of series I can still do without.

Mokke

I only had the chance to watch the first episode of this little bugger, but that alone already raised many doubts in me about sitting through the next episode. I shall describe this show as 30% tamed-supernatural, 70% serious slice-of-life, which in turn = 100% tears of boredom out of me.
Veteran seiyuu Kawasumi Ayako and beloved Mizuki Nana voiced the two sisters, and while their acting were nothing short of, the pilot story didn't do it for me. Events went by so slowly, I ended up watching it with the mindset of hoping for it to end asap. I guessed I have been spoiled too much with all those recent fast-paced shows. Bah. Never mind, I will give this the benefit of the doubt, and watch the following episode. Mokke, please show me your magic~

Sketchbook ~full color'S~

Now, this is the kind of slice-of-life that is right up my alley! Cutie-voice Hanazawa Kana plays lead role in this anime, and along with the other characters, their unusual behavior and antics had given me quite a few giggles. I am also a budding artist myself, so it is always a welcome to watch an art-themed anime. The first episode has shown itself to be very innocent, relaxing, and light-hearted, so supposedly subsequent episodes should most probably follow a similar pattern. Well, this shall be my 'refresher' series for this season. I will follow it for more~

Kaiji

From the makers of the mahjong-inspired series Akagi, comes another gambling-themed series. It is important to mention Akagi, because this anime bears two similar key factors; the 'sharp' art design, and the significant psychological-boggling content found in both mentioned series. This show resembles a bit like a j-drama I watched entitled Liar Game, but that's probably just because they both focused on people trying to outsmart one another in terms of wits, and through trickery - anything in order to win and survive. Since this is the spiritual successor of Akagi, I am very sure the course of this series will do the same in providing me with the exciting 'adrenaline rush' for my brain.

Shion no Ou

It is the Shogi (Japanese Chess) version of Hikaru no Go, but underneath the what seemingly typical competitive-driven 'sport' anime, lies an underlying sinister plot involving an unsolved murder case - the one that also robbed away both the parents and voice of heroine Shion.
I think I pretty much summed up the plot. I guess you can say this is actually more of an thriller, under the guise of a Shogi-based series. The premise is straightforward, but also very clear. And yet I have totally no idea who the murderer could be - if he is to be revealed in the first place. So in order to uncover the truth, I will have to watch on. This series has me hooked for reasons as simple as that. ~Brilliant move.

Bamboo Blade

I was seriously expecting this to be some purely ecchi-fanservice type of series, but whoa, the plot is actually about Kendo... umm well, more-or-less. Anyway, the main point is that it is actually funny, and Nodoka...gah, I mean Tamaki (lead female), is really amusing, to say the least. This show has one thing that I am also quite fond of: the recruiting factor. It is that procedure where you learn how said group go about gathering their core members - you meet new characters, and it is fun to watch how the recruiting occurs; which may possibly be fate, or accidental. Yep, I will definitely be following this series. Should be a fun ride.

Moyasimon

Also known as Tales of Agriculture. And it is about a dude who has the ability to see bacteria with his naked eye. Besides the over-the-top (interesting) skill that allows the protagonist to interact with microscopic organisms, its subject on bacteria is as realistic as can be.
A clever series that not only can provide entertainment, but even educational facts about bacteria! And of course, you can promote this to anyone you know who is studying food & nutrition-related courses - it's not like you get to see an anime about bacteria regularly (or maybe even ever).
After watching this series, you will not look at those organisms in the same light again - at least I won't. Ooh...I never knew microbes were this entertaining~? o_o

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Walls of text, end!
There they are; all 20 series and my impressions of them. I think, LONGEST blog entry I had ever written. Phew!
It is to be noted that I got a teensy-bit of Fall'07 series I want but have yet to watch; such as Ghost Hound. Maybe I will edit this post to update on that when I get the chance to watch them...

...oh, and of course I flew to Japan to watch those shows. What were you thinking otherwise? I am a legit viewer of anime. =D

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