Have you guys read the anime previews from Anime News Network? Click here to read.
Either way, I’m writing this blog entry to talk about their previews and how their ratings are the total opposite of mine. I guess everyone does have different tastes. I received mixed comments in the m33w blog; some would rate the shows similarly to me, while others seem to completely disagree – perhaps they have similar views to those reviewers at ANN.
The female reviewer, Casey, rated the shoujo shows more positively, and the male-oriented fanservice shows more negatively. Well, that’s perfectly understandable. However, the other three male reviewers seem to be quite unanimous in their ratings – in that they all seem to automatically give poor ratings to fanservice shows (except one who gave 4/5 for Maid Guy), and automatically give high ratings to shows which potentially have deep plots.
Perhaps, their rating criteria is different. Do they look for originality? Story? Personally, the only thing I rate is enjoyment and entertainment value. Whether the show has but a shallow story, or lacks originality, cliched or whatever, isn’t a factor for me. There are so many shows out there, it’s hard to actually find a story which has never been done before in some form or another. And searching for a deep plot in an ecchi romantic comedy is asking for a lot, honestly.
We’re into the third week for most of the shows? What have you guys been following? I’ve not watched anything past whatever I reviewed here two weeks ago except Real Drive. After three episodes, let me give some updates of my thoughts and reviews.
For Kanokon, I’d still give it an excellent rating. I honestly thought that it’d go downhill quickly, but the show has kept me laughing all the way. The humour is simple, lewd, but yet, funny. It’s interesting to watch how the great Eros Dai Maou juggle between the asset heavy fox and the flat-chested, expressionless wolf. Also, one of the ANN reviewers gave some negative comments for the OP/ED songs. I thought that the ED song was really nice though.
For Kurenai, I’m still quite undecided about that actually. It still feels like too little of the story has been revealed. However, it does seem interesting enough to keep following. But, I find Benika to be quite annoying for some reason. Perhaps it’s her arrogant attitude? Good thing she doesn’t get much air time. Also, is there a reason why they put a dash in Kure-nai? I don’t understand what the dash is for. Kurenai is a single word meaning deep red, and also the main character’s name of course.
ToLoveRu: Some people asked why I rated Kanokon above ToLoveRu. Well, just because they’re both about big breasted non-human girls going nuts over some undersized school boy doesn’t make them the same. Bokurano and Gundam are both about kids piloting giant robots too; yet they’re quite different. I honestly did think that Kanokon was better than ToLoveRu. However, ep 3 of ToLoveRu was actually pretty good. Perhaps I’m biased because I like Haruna-chan more than LaLa.
Tower of Druaga: I felt pretty cheated that only the first episode was about nonsensical humour. However, as a big RPG fan, I kinda love how they’re living in a MMO type of world. Divided by classes, forming parties, and seeking treasures in dungeons. It looks like it’s going to start to get even more interesting as they begin to ascend the tower in episode four.
Neo Angelique Abyss: Episode two wasn’t as good as the first, I thought. I guess I must have been expecting too much. I hope it’s not all about fighting and that more romance develops. That would certainly make it more interesting. However, what drew me to the show was that Angelique is a very likeable character, and I’d like to see how her harem of men fight for her attention. Well, never mind the Thanatos and saving Arcadia thing.
Monochrome Factor: The ANN reviewers gave poor reviews mainly because it was too cliche? Well, what shounen hero show isn’t about a normal kid who suddenly one day became the chosen one to save the world or something similar? Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc. all started out like that. I don’t think that should detract from a show’s value automatically. Monochrome Factor certainly isn’t great in my opinion, but I’m sure it’s not extremely bad either. It kept me entertained. And certainly, shows shouldn’t be brushed off simply because of the genre. I know I made this mistake often. I dislike mecha in general, but Bokurano and Gun Parade March are some of my favourites. The mecha is simply a backdrop in the greater story.
Nabari no Ou: I actually expected a bit more from the show after the first episode. But, the fighting eats up 100% of the air time in episode three. I guess this really is a fighting anime. However, the fighting scenes are fairly interesting and it did keep me entertained. It’s always about the exciting wait before the hero unleashes his godly powers.
Maid Guy: It’s funny and over the top. Don’t really have much more to say about it. Maid Guy makes the most mundane things absurd. Reminds me a bit of Sagara Sousuke from Full Metal Panic – a guy with impressive skills who can’t function in normal society.
Vampire Knight: Ah, one of my favourites. Zero’s struggle to fight his lust for Yuki’s blood, and perhaps his affection as well, tainted by a high level vampire, really piques my interest. Yuki is charmed by the mystery that is Kaname, but is very compassionate to Zero, who is like her adopted family. Plus, it has a wickedly eerie ED song. I’m not sure why the ANN reviewers would think that this is a horror (though ep 3 was a little creepy). It is supposed to be a shoujo and the main plot of the story does appear to be about the impossible relationships of Yuki, Kaname and Zero.
As for the rest, I didn’t bother watching any more episodes. I do wonder why Allison & Lillia is so highly rated by ANN though. I thought that it was just okay. And I thought Oinari wasn’t all that exciting either. The breaking of the seal to release to fox god and the battle with the lightning snake spirit felt very anti-climatic. I hope they didn’t give it a 4/5 just because it’s in HD. Nah, I think he geniunely liked it.
10:36 am on April 22nd, 2008
ANN is a pile of shit, stop visiting it, it’s bad for your health
12:32 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Haha! xD Lawl @ Anonymous.
Ahh..I know how you feel. I’m not a big fan of the shounen-ai genre…but I came to like ‘Yami no Matsuei’ and ‘Gravitation’. =’p
So maybe it’s not bad to check Monochrome Factor and just try it, ne?
Kurenai is kinda slow. But it interests me so much, I’m pretty sure it’s not just because of the beautiful art. Lawl. xD
Druaga gets interesting and interesting though, same goes with Vampire Knight. :’]
I might not watch the ecchi genres though…but I suppose it’s not bad to try them. =’D Thanks for the reviews.
I don’t dare look in ANN for their reviews…sometimes it’s quite a let down so I dun wanna see. ^^;
12:41 pm on April 22nd, 2008
WHERE IS SOUL EATER!!!! WHY WON’T YOU TALK ABOUT SOUL EATER!!! It kicks the ass of a lot of these animes. The story is interesting, the characterse are interesting, and the art is fantastic. ARGHH…
2:19 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Yeah Lol I agree ANN is pure crap (their reviews anyway) Those people don’t even know an awesome anime when its staring 2mm away from their faces.
2:46 pm on April 22nd, 2008
I think a problem with many of the pure ecchi series is that they lack some other edge. The humor is too predictible and repetitive many times, and since they often lack other aspects it becomes too hollow. Some are still watchable though.
Kurenai, now that’s really my taste. Mostly because the ambiance and interaction between Kurenai and Murasaki is so superb. So far the best of the new shows this period, but there are 2-3 others that may develop very good, we need more episodes. (RD Sennou Chousashitsu and Nijuu-Mensou no Musume for example.) I don’t really know how to keep up with 19 series, though 😉
5:07 pm on April 22nd, 2008
I’m really starting to like Druaga too, despite being slightly disappointed by knowing only the first episode was a complete parody. I also agree with StatusQuo87, I love Soul Eater too xD
5:32 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Really, those reviews were just a waste of time. For crying out loud, is there any need for deep plot structure on an echii anime to be good? Don’t think so. If it’s funny and entertaining is ok on my book. An why such a low score on Code Geass. Those guys are forcing too many of their prejudices, and totally forgot about the enjoyment of anime.
6:12 pm on April 22nd, 2008
I completely love Vampire Knight(I can’t wait for someone to sub episode 03). I like the Gothic feel to it. I like Yuki and I’m not sure who I like more, Zero or Kaname. But whoever Yuki chooses, I’m supporting her. Kudos to Matsuri Hino!!
Also, I like the ED song of Vampire Knight and Kanokon. I’m still waiting for Still Doll but I’m glad the Kanokon ED song is out.
7:53 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Agree with Vampire Knight. And I’m constantly surprised by how funny I find Kanokon. Although… toad juices? I still feel dirty.
I’m not quite sure why you’re so unsure on Kurenai. The technical competancy of the writing alone is O_O worthy, and with all its other boons it’s easily my favourite anime of the season after…
…wait for it…
…wait for it…
KAAAIIIBAAA!
Not even a mention? I weep.
10:47 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Tower of Druaga so far the worst anime for me, feel cheated as it actually a comedy instead of a mecha
RD Sennou Chousashitsu is a nice anime to watch, if u like Ghost In the Shell series u will love it too ( Anything regarding high end technology )
And Soul Eater, i think is simply plain funny than action packed, nice to watch though especially Soul with COOL words and Shinigami wth Shinigami Chop
10:50 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Oh ya, Vampire Knight love it soo much, but i think it more to romance than fighting vampire like in Blood+. Some changes to a normal vampire anime is something good, i think !!!!
11:51 pm on April 22nd, 2008
Well, I didn’t mention soul eater because I haven’t actually watched it -_- Can’t talk about something I haven’t watched unfortunately. Just too many series this season. I’ll get to it though, since you say it’s so good.
And like Wija said, I’m unsure about Kurenai because it’s kinda slow. We’re just scratching the surface of the story in ep 3. It’s probably best only to give ratings to these kinda shows only at the end, since you’ll only have a full understanding of the story then. Also, I don’t really like young children, so it’s just one of my biases.
12:35 am on April 23rd, 2008
I personally really enjoyed allison and lilia, the animation style, characters and the storyline seem appealing… maybe its just me
1:14 am on April 23rd, 2008
Hey Kenny, you’re not alone as I really am enjoying Allison and Lillia so far.
2:09 am on April 23rd, 2008
Maid Guy is pretty good.
3:38 am on April 23rd, 2008
bleh i’ve watched most of the animes so far…
and the only animes i’m gonna continue watching are:
that are worth archiving:
– To LOVEru
(well the 1st episode made me laugh, but 4:3??)
– Kamen no Maid Guy
(and so far this one didn’t let me down on the humour either, hehe uncensored version ftw :D)
– Kanokon hmmm… it’s a maybe
(i do wanna see it but it doesn’t have to be on my harddrive and btw why does that boy got a girl voice…. freakin’ annoying cause i recognize it…)
not worth archiving, but will be watching via stream:
– Allison and Lilia
(only god knows why)
– Bus Gamer
(but it already ended…)
– Itzura no Kiss – gotta love the drama/romance
(did we go back in time, cause in 2008 i think they can produce the characters more detailed, it looks like an anime from 10 years ago…)
– Kurenai – extreme lolicon action?
(only the devil knows why)
– Penguin Musume Heart
(thiz one is a maybe… but so far so good)
– Special A
(almost same reason as itzura no kiss, the characters are so thin that i need a widescreen monitor)
– Vampire Knight
(it has indeed that ED which makes me wanna see more and more and more, those eyes hypnotize me)
– Zettai Karen Children
(it makes no sense but it’s a hell lot better then Kyouran Kazoku Nikki)
i am NOT gonna watch:
– Monochrome Factor
(cause i saw that gay scene that still haunts me!)
– Nabari no Ou
(that main character should also stop acting like a gay and that girl dun look that well drawn either :S)
– Amatsuki
(WHAT?! only one girl?! that’s in violation of my hormonecode i had to watch Kanokon to make up for that)
btw does this make me a spammer? 😛
to make up for that i’ll praise you
otsukare-samadeshita and gambatte for the fansub crew
gokuro-sama for the viewers
(if you don’t know what it says then it means u have to watch more anime instead of reading my lame opinions!) 😛
12:51 pm on April 23rd, 2008
Just wondering, can someone please put up a list of times the shows air in Japan?
That’ll give us a better idea of when we expect subs to come out..
The only one I know is that Code Geass R2 is during Sunday in the afternoon sometime, which replaced Gundam 00’s slot..
Thanks in advance!
Setsuna
1:46 pm on April 23rd, 2008
Setsuna: http://www.fansubwiki.com/Who_Subs_What:_SPRING_2008
Another show with some potential is Himitsu (Top Secret) – The Revelation or something like that. Not sure if it’s headed in the DEEP direction, but the plot hook (the Japanese have devised a machine that can watch the last moments of a person’s life, but omg that raises a whole slew of moral questions) is at least decent. First episode gets a “good” rating from me, and on casual watching the Animanda subs were good as well.
6:07 am on April 25th, 2008
i watched every single series..except those that didn’t release on the first week..cos of my tests and shit..gonna catch them all..i found amatsuki nice, with quite a substantial plot imo..everything else everyone have said already…but nabari no ou is much better than naruto..that’s a given xD
5:59 pm on April 25th, 2008
What about Soul Eater?!?! It’s freakin’ AWESOME!
8:34 pm on April 25th, 2008
Real Drive, Amatsuki, Blassreiter, Golgo 13, Itazura na kiss, Allison to Lillia, Macross Frontier, Nijumenso no Musume, Kure-nai, and Tower of Druaga, and Soul Eater were the ones I liked.
I’ll watch the rest streamed on the internet.
5:31 pm on April 26th, 2008
I already praised Kurenai above, but I just watched the fourth episode twice back to back, and it’s completely staggering. Way, way the best this season…
11:51 am on May 8th, 2008
I gotta second (third? fourth? fifth?) the notion for Soul Eater being one of the best series so far this season. Very nice stuff.
2:03 am on May 12th, 2008
These are the shows that i’m currently watching, most of them entertaining while some are not so entertaining. But hey I still watch to see the story unfold. I don’t give rats ass of what ANN thinks to anyone else, watch it for your enjoyment!!
Kamen No Maid Guy
Mnemosyne
Monochrome Factor
Toshokan Sensou
Druaga No To ~ The Aegis Of Uruk
Allison & Lillia
A M A T S U K I
Bus Gamer
Armored Trooper Votoms ~ Pailsen Files
Code Geass – Lelouch Of The Rebellion R2
G O L G O 13
Kanokon
Kurenai
Kyouran Kazoku Nikki
Nabari No Ou
Special A
ToLoveRU Trouble
Wagaya No Oinari-sama
Wangan Midnight
XXX HOLiC Kei
Vampire Knight
p.s. Soul Eater, Daughter Of 20 Faces, Macross Frontier are next on the list
Who’s subbing “Blassreiter” in English?
2:15 pm on May 17th, 2008
I watched Toshokan Sensou it’s on my favorites list now.