Posted inFirst Impressions Hanasaku Iroha

Hanasaku Iroha – 14

「これが私の生きる道」 (Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi)
"This is My Way of Life"

With tons of relationship problems building back at home, it was pretty slick of P.A. Works to somehow utilize the infamous beach episode to transition away from Ohana and the love triangle she's dealing with to giving Yuina the proper introduction that she really deserves.

Posted inFinal Impressions First Impressions Retrospective Look

Retrospective Look – June 2011

With Kiiragi's recent departure, I figured I'd better take part in this season-end monthly post so that there isn't a sharp decline in the amount of shows being discussed. Some readers also expressed interest in hearing my thoughts on the shows that I'm only watching (a good 16 of them), so it was now or never if I was going to say anything about them at all. Of the 30 shows I was personally watching, 22 of them concluded this month. Along with Prooof and Takaii's input, this is a hefty post full of final impressions. I hope you find it insightful in some way.

Changes since last month are as follows:

  • Prooof dropped Nichijou.
  • Takaii is behind on Deadman Wonderland, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, and Hidan no Aria.

    • Note: Once again, please be considerate of others who may be interested in picking up a series after reading about it here by placing discussion of any major spoilers in <spoiler></spoiler> tags. There will be little to no tolerance for anyone intentionally spoiling the enjoyment of others.

    Posted inFirst Impressions Steins;Gate

    Steins;Gate – 14

    「形而下のネクローシス」 (Keijika no nekurōshisu)
    "Physical Necrosis"

    I've felt from the beginning is that this series has been exceptionally smart in the way it dishes out information. There's always enough exposition every week to keep me from feeling completely at sea, but each bit of new information seems to raise two questions for every one it answers.

    Posted inFirst Impressions Kami-sama Dolls Series Introduction

    Kami-sama Dolls – 01

    「神は来たりて」 (Kami wa Kitarite)
    "God Arrives"

    The adaptation of Yamamura Hajime's action fantasy manga may not have ranked very highly in the seasonal poll, but I was pretty sold on what I read in the early parts of the manga. The promo material left me with a good first impression, and Brain's Base delivers impeccably with this premiere episode, quickly reminding me of all the potential that I saw.

    Posted inFirst Impressions Series Introduction Yuruyuri

    Yuruyuri – 01

    「中学デビュー！」 (Chuugaku Debyuu!)
    "Middle School Debut!"

    I'm never opposed to a series about cute girls doing cute things, so I'm always up for a slightly different spin on it. To that end, we have a trio of trio of middle school girls, Akaza Akari (Mikami Shiori), Toshinou Kyouko (Ootsubo Yuka), and Funami Yui (Tsuda Minami), and the unofficial "Fun Club" they run in the ex-tea ceremony clubroom.

    Posted inFinal Impressions First Impressions GOSICK

    GOSICK – 24 (END)

    「死神の肩越しに永遠をみる」 (Shinigami no Katagoshi ni Eien o Miru)
    "Looking at Eternity over the Grim Reaper's Shoulder"

    This was a finale that played it straight. It quickly tied up all its remaining loose ends, set the stage for the timeskip, and ended it with the classic "and they lived happily ever after." After a little thought, I think that's satisfactory enough.

    Posted inFirst Impressions Ikoku Meiro no Croisée Series Introduction

    Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation – 01

    「入口 "Entrée"」 (Iriguchi)
    "Entrance"

    To most viewers, this will undoubtedly be the slowest and most uneventful new series of the season, and be quickly written off as "boring" or "dull", but for Aria fans such as myself, it's one of my most anticipated adaptations of the season, featuring a heartwarming 19th century story about a young Japanese girl named Yune (Tooyama Nao, Kanon in Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai), who travels to Paris, France to work.