Posted inFate/Zero First Impressions

Fate/Zero – 05

「凶獣咆哮」 (Kyoujuu Houkou)
"Howl of a Mad Beast"

They're really pulling out all the stops now, as what looked like four Servants standing off against one another suddenly became six. I don't recall that ever happening in Fate/stay night. With the way they were assessing the situation and feeling one another out, it could've easily turned into a free-for-all battle royal.

Posted inFirst Impressions THE IDOLM@STER

THE IDOLM@STER – 17

「真、まことの王子様」 (Makoto, Makoto no Ouji-sama)
"Makoto, A True Prince"

You know, I tried to go with the flow of this episode and see Makoto as a girl -- I really did -- but it's so damn hard to. It's like they designed her character so well that it's practically impossible to her any other way. Sorry Makoto, you'll forever be the idol prince who dreams of being a princess.

Posted inFirst Impressions Mawaru Penguindrum

Mawaru Penguindrum – 16

「死なない男」 (Shinanai Otoko)
"The Man who Won't Die"

Rock Over Japan! It feels like ages since I heard that song (nine episodes in fact). It's just too bad this episode didn't confirm or deny my interpretation of what happened to Yuri. Instead, it raised some new questions, the biggest of which was, "What the heck did I just watch?"

Posted inFirst Impressions Macross OVA/Movie

Macross Frontier – Sayonara no Tsubasa

「恋離飛翼～サヨナラノツバサ～」 (Sayonara no Tsubasa)
"The Wings of Goodbye"

Almost one year ago, I said in my coverage of Itsuwari no Utahime that I considered a trip to Japan to coincide with the theatrical release of Sayonara no Tsubasa. I can definitively say now that it would've been well worth it, as the second movie shuffles the story around more and features brand-new jaw-dropping animation. Movie-quality visuals backed by an epic soundtrack by Kanno Youko and new songs by May'n and Nakajima Megumi, plus a conclusion where Alto finally picks one of the songstresses? What more could a longtime Macross fan possibly ask for?

Spoiler warning: This post (minus the screen caps) is purposely free of major spoilers. There's no summary of the plot, the final battle, or the ending. Still, I mention some specific developments, so it's not recommended for those who don't want to be spoiled at all.

Posted inFirst Impressions Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown – 03

「顕出 void-sampling」 (Kenshutsu)

It's somewhat regrettable that I may have inadvertently hyped Guilty Crown too much -- at least for our regular readers -- because rather than impressing audiences with everything that the series does well, it's now struggling to live up to everyone's high expectations.

Posted inFirst Impressions UN-GO

UN-GO – 03

「覆面屋敷」 (Fukumen Yashiki)
"Masked Mansion"

Based on the last two cases, in terms of pure mysteries I’m beginning to suspect that UN-GO is a cut above the likes of Gosick, Kami-Memo and Dantalian.