Another great season of anime has started. Wondering what’s good and what’s not? Well, I’ve watched many of the first episodes of this season’s shows, so let me share my thoughts with you all.

For a good listing of what’s being aired, see the synopsis of most of the shows this season in Josh’s Blog.

I’m not going to review Itazura na Kiss and Special A. Just watch those. Hehe.
Remember, this is only a first episode review, and the many things could change as the show progresses. My listing would look like this:

Name: The name of the show
Genre: Listed first, the primary genre followed by the secondary genre.
Subs: The group where English subs are available.
Score:
Excellent – the show truly impressed me.
Good – I liked it.
Fair – Neutral, didn’t hate it, didn’t love it.
Poor – Not for me, but maybe you might like it.

—————————————————————————-
Name: Kanokon
Genre: Ecchi, High School
Subs: Ayako-Fansubs
Score: Excellent

Kanokon was actually much better than I had expected. It’s about a underaged-looking boy from the suburbs named Kouta, and the fox-god(or something rather) girl with huge tits named Chizuru. She badly wants to have sex with Kouta, while the class president is rather against their lewd relationship. The fox-gods are capable of merging with human and shoot fireballs based on the strength of their love. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it’s a great watch. NSFW.

Kanokon Kanokon
Kanokon Kanokon

—————————————————————————-
Name: Kurenai
Genre: Drama
Subs: BSSubs
Score: Fair

I didn’t really understand the story too well, but it’s basically about 16 year old Kurenai who’s in-charge of taking care of soon-to-be 7, Murasaki, daughter of an extremely wealthy family. She’s taken away from her father for protection. Not used to life in such squalid living conditions in her new life, she’s lonely and lost. Apparently, Kurenai has some secret powers too, and he has been accepting many dangerous jobs for money. Taking care of Murasaki is his latest one.

Kurenai is however, extremely well produced. Somehow though, it didn’t catch my interest as much as the others, thus I’ve probably under-rated this show.

Available in HD.

Kurenai Kurenai
Kurenai Kurenai

—————————————————————————-
Name: Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Subs: Gonzo
Score: Excellent

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I believe it’s about some kinda MMORPG. Their objective is to destroy the God of Evil, Druaga. But, it’s actually an action-comedy, poking fun at many medieval fantasy stereotypes. It’s really hilarious, and best part is, it comes subbed by Gonzo. Apparently, they’re sick of fansubs stealing their glory and now they’re subbing it themselves. Good stuff.

Available in HD.

Tower of Druaga Tower of Druaga
Tower of Druaga Tower of Druaga

—————————————————————————-
Name: To-Love-Ru (Trouble)
Genre: Ecchi, High School
Subs: Ayako-Fansubs
Score: Good

To-Love-Ru is about a normal everyday high school boy, well kinda, named Rito. He’s got a phobia of girls, but has the hots for a girl named Haruna. All that changes when he ends up with an accidental alien fiancee named Lala. It’s a lot like Final Approach. And it’s better than Rosario Vampire too. This pink-haired Lala seems more interesting than Moka.

To Love Ru To Love Ru
To Love Ru To Love Ru

—————————————————————————-
Name: Neo Angelique Abyss
Genre: Shoujo, Action
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Excellent

Now, this is another show that really surprised me. In the modern medieval mixed world of Arcadia, an evil known as Thanatos attacks the land. These creatures suck the life force out of any creature they touch. Men(usually young and good looking ones) who possess purification powers are the only ones capable of destroying these evil creatures.

Well, that changes when the one and only girl possessing purification powers, Angelique, was discovered. Her purification power is immensely greater than any of the men, and with that, she is burdened with the fate to save the world of Arcadia.

I’m not really sure what genre to put this under, but I believe it is shoujo, just like Fushigi Yuugi. A young, beautiful heroine surrounded by pretty boys. Whatever it is though, the storytelling is excellent, and the characters seem very interesting. I’m looking forward to more Neo Angelique.

Neo Angelique Abyss Neo Angelique Abyss
Neo Angelique Abyss Neo Angelique Abyss

—————————————————————————-
Name: Kamen no Maid Guy
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Good

Naeka is the granddaughter and the last two surviving heirs of her super powerful and rich family. The other is her brother Kousuke. Once she turns 18, she’ll inherit an incredible fortune. The grandfather has a fetish for maids, and he has a lot of them. Naeka however, not so. Wanting to live alone on her own, the grandfather grants her wish, but forces her to accept two maids, despite her protests. The younger brother too is forced to live with Naeka.

To protect her from assassins, Maid Guy and Fubuki are assigned to protect her. Meaning well, but also having absolutely no clue how to treat girls, Maid Guy is constantly punished for his incompetence. From episode one, I can’t tell where this show is headed, but it looks like there’s probably going to be a lot of hilarious antics from Maid Guy trying his best to take care of Naeka.

Kamen no Maid Guy Kamen no Maid Guy
Kamen no Maid Guy Kamen no Maid Guy

—————————————————————————-
Name: Allison & Lillia
Genre: Drama, War
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Fair

The katakana names are extremely hard to catch, as I couldn’t really figure out the names of the countries. But whatever it is, the show is about army pilot, Allison, and her childhood love, William. They live near the border(I think) of two warring countries.

Meeting with the tall-teller old man in the village, he tells them of a secret something which will end the war. What this item is, is not revealed, as he is abducted before her could show them. Allison and Will pursue the kidnappers. That’s a short summary of episode one.

Not too much was revealed in the first episode,(Don’t even know who Lillia is yet) so it’s hard to make any judgements about it.

Allison & Lillia Allison & Lillia
Allison & Lillia Allison & Lillia

—————————————————————————-
Name: Monochrome Factor
Genre: Action, Yaoi
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Good

If you’re willing to look past the homosexual acts, Monochrome factor is pretty good.

The story is about high school student, Akira, who’s really bored of life and really has nothing better to do. He is one day approached by the silver haired, Shigogane(who appears to wear lipstick and yes, is a guy). Strangely, Shirogane has no shadow, and claims to be the shadow of a deceased person.

In the end, Akira is forced to form a contract with Shirogane to become a shadow himself in order to fight demonic beings called Kokochi(or something if I heard correctly). However, there are plenty of funny moments and looks very interesting. Yaoi fangirls would love this show for sure.

Monochrome Factor Monochrome Factor
Monochrome Factor Monochrome Factor

—————————————————————————-
Name: Amatsuki
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Fair

The story is about a carefree student named Tokidoki who gets transported mysteriously into Japan of 250 years ago while wandering through a replica version in the modern world.

Going through some sort of time-slip, Toki gets attacked by a lion like demon called Nue and its controller, Yako. Toki gets saved by a long-haired, sword-wielder girl named Kuchihada, but not before losing his left eye. These demons however, are not visible to most humans. Toki and Kuchihada are some of the few who can see them.

I think a lot of people will enjoy this show. There’s probably going to be a lot of fighting and such. My views on the first episode are quite neutral, but I did enjoy it.

Amatsuki Amatsuki
Amatsuki Amatsuki

—————————————————————————-
Name: Vampire Knight
Genre: Vampires, Shoujo
Subs: ShokuDan
Score: Excellent

Does it live up to the hype? Well, for me, it was really good. I wasn’t sure what genre to put this under, but I believe it is supposed to be an adaptation of a shoujo manga.

Anyway, in the Cross Academy, classes are divided into night and day classes. Day for humans, night for vampires. Humans are not aware of the existence of the vampires and the school tries to keep it that way. Yuki and Zero are day prefects or ‘guardians’, in charge of making sure people keep believing that the students in the night class are human and so that no day students trespass at night.

The co-existence of humans and vampires is an uneasy one, as the vampire’s lust for blood can overwhelm their reasoning. Yuki however believes, the vampire who saved her, Kaname, is a good vampire and would never attack humans. But, I guess the real question of the show is, will Yuki choose Kaname or Zero?

Vampire Knight Vampire Knight
Vampire Knight Vampire Knight

—————————————————————————-
Name: Wagaya no Oinari-sama
Genre: Supernatural
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Fair

I’m not sure what to make of this one as the first episode was pretty much an introductory episode, so I can’t really guess the direction that this show will be heading.

Anyway, it’s about the mischievious fox-god Kuugen who was sealed by the Mitsuji clan, and recently unsealed by Noboru to protect his younger brother Tohru. Upon completion of her job of protecting Tohru from a demon, Noboru decides not to reseal Kuugen. With her new found freedom, Kuugen chooses to stay with Noboru and his family as she quickly grew fond of them because she was well acquainted with their late mother.

Available in HD.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama Wagaya no Oinari-sama
Wagaya no Oinari-sama Wagaya no Oinari-sama

—————————————————————————-
Name: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Action
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Good

Now, this one was far better than I had expected. Yes, it’s actually about ninjas. Hidden in modern society is the hidden “world” of Nabari and the secret war between ninjas to obtain the “power of everything” stored inside a young boy named Rokujou Miharu. Unfortunately for Miharu, apparently, he seems to be the last person to know that he possesses such a incredible power.
Though it may sound corny, it’s a rather serious show and the ninjas here are actually pretty cool, unlike a famous blonde haired ninja who wears a bright orange tracksuit(isn’t cameoflage important for ninjas). Either way, if you enjoy serious action, with a cool main character and an interesting story to boot, I think Nabari no Ou would probably not be a disappointment.

Nabari no Ou Nabari no Ou
Nabari no Ou Nabari no Ou

—————————————————————————-
Name: Cystal Blaze
Genre: Detective, Action
Subs: Not yet available
Score: Good

If you’re wondering why it’s called Crystal Blaze, well, the first 20 seconds of the show sort of give a clue. Some mysterious force is capable of burning people and turning them into crystal, thus Crystal Blaze.

Well, this show sort of surprised me too. In a good way. I’m not very fond of detective stories, as they’re often a little episodic with silly small mysteries to solve. In Crystal Blaze, they start off with a big one.

Set in Rags City in near future Asia(with a 60s feel to it), a fat, cross-dressing informer tips off the S&A private investigation firm to pick up a “package”. However, this package is actually a woman, or appears to be, and is apparently some sort of weapon, perhaps.

Despite the supernatural sci-fi elements of the show, it still feels very realistic, and the theme is very dark, with smoke-filled bars and seedy hotels. Thumbs up for the first episode.

Available in HD.

Crystal Blaze Crystal Blaze
Crystal Blaze Crystal Blaze

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38 Comments

  1. I do have to respectfully disagree with your opinion on Kurenai. As far as April anime launches go, so far this is the most dramatic (though not heart-wrenchingly dramatic as KgNE the TV series, I haven’t really seen any other anime that can top it in that regard). Well, Grave of the Fireflies, but that’s a different setting & I’d like to categorize that as a war movie. It should’ve been at least rated as good.

    I also liked Blassreiter for an intro episode, though most people would complain about the CGI & Gonzo in general, but I liked Druaga even more. Gonzo might actually have a hit with Druaga for spoofing the fantasy anime genre. It’s funny how whenever a character says that he’ll go back to his hometown & get married, they end up killed. lol

  2. Nana
    8:18 am on April 8th, 2008

    I’ve already seen ToLoveRU and its ‘OKay’ for me, I’m goin to look at Kanokon and Neo Angelique and I’ll give my opinion on those later ^^

  3. Ramong
    8:27 am on April 8th, 2008

    as ohtheirony said:
    I also respectfully disagree with your opinion on Kurenai. I liked episode 1 but then again its only 1 episode out yet.

    THe rest i actualy agree with ๐Ÿ˜€
    But each person got difrent tast

  4. xess
    8:42 am on April 8th, 2008

    I gave ‘fair’ for kurenai as I couldn’t give too much of an opinion based on its first episode. It was just because I liked the others better, so I pushed it down from a good to a fair.

  5. Wija-chan
    8:45 am on April 8th, 2008

    Oh~ I’m gonna watch Kurenai. :’3
    Ever since I read a synopsis and watched the trailer, it has been on my mind. x’3

    I should try and check Neo Angelique, seems cute..in a way. xD

    I agree with Druaga. It was pretty funny and I’ve always wanted to watch it ever since I…saw the title? xD Lawl. (I really dunno what got me to try and watch it. -scratches head- Hehe.)
    You should try Blassreiter…well, I still haven’t watched it. But it seems interesting. :’o Prolly. xD

    I’ll tell you about Vampire Knight though…it was a bit of a disappointment..but then, that’s just my opinion. :’o It’s up to you to rate as you wish. ^_^

    Itazura na Kiss and Special A(even though I just watched this in raw) were good. ^-^

  6. Anonymous
    8:52 am on April 8th, 2008

    I don’t like your taste, but thanks for the effort.

  7. dead
    9:22 am on April 8th, 2008

    nice list, thanks, i hope some fansubbers pick up the other shows that are listed so i can watch em

  8. Ramong
    10:04 am on April 8th, 2008

    Yeah, would like to see Kamen no Maid Guy subbed ๐Ÿ˜€

  9. Mikan-chan
    10:23 am on April 8th, 2008

    I really really love Zero of VK. I’m looking forward to VK releases. Thank you for your works.

    ps: sorry for my english, but I’m Italian =P

  10. RealTears
    10:47 am on April 8th, 2008

    You seem to have the same taste as I do :D. I like how you categorized your rankings particularly especially with Poor – Not for me, but maybe you might like it. It’s covers your ass when people who enjoyed the show that you dislike tries to flame you.

    I went to one sight where the blogger was completely biased to the anime he was reviewing and he was putting down the whole genre like he knew what anime was suppose to be. It just made me irritated. (btw the site was Random Curiosity, I don’t think I’ll go there again for an anime review).

  11. loic
    10:49 am on April 8th, 2008

    thanks a lot for the list

  12. Josh
    11:21 am on April 8th, 2008

    I should note that my listing doesn’t include sequels of shows that *I* haven’t seen, thus why no Geass, etc.

    It’s a good list if you’re looking for new shows, however.

  13. Marek
    12:17 pm on April 8th, 2008

    You know, this might just make me watch a few things more this season… ๐Ÿ˜€

  14. Kingster
    1:35 pm on April 8th, 2008

    Just a question, Will M.3.3.W Sub any of the new shows? and if you will, when will you start? ๐Ÿ˜€ i want too know since they all looked pretty interesting too me ๐Ÿ˜€ and i so badly want too see some fresh anime xD

    Keep the “Holy” work up ;D //Regards, Kingster

  15. Lost-Wisdom
    2:48 pm on April 8th, 2008

    I’m on chapter 94 on To Love-Ru on the manga. I wonder what the anime will be like…

  16. ToTaFTW
    4:10 pm on April 8th, 2008

    Tower of Druaga? A MMORPG??

    I wish >..

  17. asagao
    4:34 pm on April 8th, 2008

    Kingster: It is very unlikely that we will sub any of those shows. If sub groups are extremely slow and/or bad, however, and we in general like the show, *AND* we have time, we *might*. But don’t expect anything.

  18. Asakura
    5:53 pm on April 8th, 2008

    where i can snatch druaga? if you are going to say tokyosho even respond this.

    about code geass is awesome beats the craps out of death note AGAIN xP.

    i hace to watch itsura no kiss. damn college i dont have time to watch anime T.T

  19. Josh
    6:48 pm on April 8th, 2008

    You can watch a high quality streamed version of Druaga at bosttv -> http://www.bosttv.com/gonzo/

  20. Rapeace
    7:47 pm on April 8th, 2008

    I think that preview wrote is from 1 person point of view not from many since thre is soo many disagreement happening !

    I have to agree with that, and i think Code Geass is the best of the best since it 1st esp is already heart-pumping and awesome

  21. Deark
    8:06 pm on April 8th, 2008

    Itazura na Kiss is exactly the same as a Taiwan drama series( forgoten the name :p ) a few years back, so if u also a avid Taiwan Drama fan, then u should notice it !!!
    For me it not very interesting since i already saw the drama and kinda can predict what it lead to in the end anyway who know the anime might be a little bit diffrent from the drama!

  22. asagao
    10:59 pm on April 8th, 2008

    Rapeace: Ya, that’s a one-person review. I mean, if all of us at m.3.3.w were to give our opinions, we’d have a much more smoothed out average rating, and probably all shows would be between good or fair. I think it’s better that there’s some strong opinion given, then that you “find out” that in fact people’s tastes (even in a group that only does “one kind” of anime) differ quite a bit, and that group “preferences” are a kind of joke. The only sure bet is to download all anime that come out this season, and test the waters for yourself. At least with this “guide” you know what kind of anime it is — if you download a couple on the list and find that your personal opinions somewhat coincide with these, then you’ll probably like the others he recommends as well. Ah, I’ve rambled on a bit too much.

    On a side note, Crystal Blaze (which had not aired at the time of the “anime preview”) looks to have quite some potential, although the plot is on the slow-to-develop side (as in, after an episode, I have very little idea what’s going on). It’s supposedly a mystery anime, but has a fair touch of comedy (at least this episode). I’d give it a potential to be “good/excellent”, but more likely a “fair” by this rating system.

  23. RealTears
    2:40 am on April 9th, 2008

    This pink-haired Lala seems more interesting than Moka.

    Don’t ever say that again or i’ll poke your eyes out :P.

  24. hei
    5:15 am on April 9th, 2008

    Vampire knight seems excellent but, don’t like at all the manga so i’ll not watch it.
    Kanokon, Toloveru & Nabari no Ou are already in my anime list for this spring season ๐Ÿ™‚
    But with your reviews, i will give a try to kamen no maid guy, seems funny .

    PS: It’s a crime to not have listed code geass s2!! ๐Ÿ˜ฎ

  25. Fireaxe
    6:27 am on April 9th, 2008

    [[Not too much was revealed in the first episode,(Donft even know who Lillia is yet)]]

    For those who were wondering the same, Lillia is actually William and Allison’s “future” daughter. The first half of the show will cover William and Allison, while the second half should cover Lillia and her boyfriend’s part of the story, 20ish years later.

  26. Animenger
    9:12 am on April 9th, 2008

    well..i am playing the mmorpg of tower of druaga lol…apparently the mmorpg and the anime is supposed to be tied into a single project (AKA the Druaga Project)

    did anyone notice that tolove ru in japanese pronounciation is actually toraburu (trouble) lol

  27. Kingster
    9:26 am on April 9th, 2008

    Asagao: Oh ok, i hope you will sub them! ๐Ÿ˜› Your definetly on my top 5 Fan sub groups ^^

    Alot of the other Fan subbing groups are good too, they got nice spelling and so on, but like 9/10 groups got really bad coding and fps and so, so you get an Anime episode that freeze’s with 0.5-2 sec between the freeze’s >.

  28. Aburi
    3:32 pm on April 9th, 2008

    Thank you for the list, only seen half of the ones here so far, but it seems we have the same taste ๐Ÿ™‚

    Looking forward to the rest being subbed!

  29. fawd
    4:34 pm on April 9th, 2008

    thou sir have shitty taste go kill yourself

  30. Pa®adin
    9:54 pm on April 9th, 2008

    I can disagree with some of the scorings, but most of all I want to ask why isn’t there anything on Zettai Karen Children :/

  31. LeviathanX
    1:42 am on April 10th, 2008

    Nice preview ! I like Kanokon – wonder how it will develop…

    Hey, does anyone know who will sub Da Capo this season ?

  32. AMGfan
    11:30 pm on April 10th, 2008

    Code Geyazz sucks…its WAY over ratedd…i really would like to see a guy with a screwed up eye walkin around tryin to rule the world… not my type of thing…therefore it is a given that Code isn’t on the list and will soon develop into a law that it will nvr appear on this list ever… and plus m33w is in for thee love, comedy and light heartedd animess soo Codee sudn’t even be on the list and pluss he was just recommendin us animess, which is great cus i definitely didn’t know Kanokon was already outt.. was lookin 4ward to it and its definitely NOT a disappointment.. but VK cud be a bitt better… but i guess i’ll stick around forr those…They all look really nice ToLoveRU resembles Final Approach, Girls Bravo and Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai…

  33. Joan
    11:36 pm on April 10th, 2008

    Yea, I totally agree with you AMGfan. Code Geass is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. I hope that all the subbers for it drops it. LIKE SERIOUSLY!!

  34. NahZ
    7:34 am on April 11th, 2008

    what about itazura na kiss it doesn’t seem to be on the list?

  35. Ranmayasha
    7:54 am on April 11th, 2008

    Well I already saw Kanokon, Kurenai, Druaga, ToLoveRu, Vampire Knight, Special A and Itazura no Kiss. I plan to check all of those anime on list except Allison & Lilia which is totaly not my taste.

    I know i watch alot of anime ๐Ÿ˜› Last season i was watching like 12 shows. This won’t be any different ^^. Thought its a bit sad that most of the series given here end after 13 max 26 episodes. I would like to see more great animes like Bleach, Naruto or D Gray-man which last for many seasons and watching them becomes realy a part of weekly routine.

    Netherless I would give similar Scores except except maybe:
    Druaga is only good for me instead of excelent,
    Amatsuki also is good not fair,
    and Nabari no Ou is Excelent instead of good:)

    But it’s just my opinion and everyone who want’s to say something about the shows should first watch them before stating any opinions ๐Ÿ™‚

    Your’s Ran~

  36. L189
    8:24 am on April 15th, 2008

    Are you havin’ a laugh?

  37. linmai
    4:54 pm on April 15th, 2008

    Kanokon Excellent! you really have brain problems

  38. L189
    8:02 am on April 17th, 2008

    What brain?