Posted inFirst Impressions Kami-sama no Memo-chou Series Introduction

Kami-sama no Memo-chou – 01

「彼女について知っている二、三の事柄」 (Kanojo ni Tsuite Shitteiru Ni, San no Kotogara)
"Two, Three Things You Should Know About Her"

J.C. Staff's latest adaptation kicks off with an hour-long special, providing ample time to introduce the premise and characters, and wrap up the first case so that we have a better idea of what this series entails.

Posted inFirst Impressions Ro-Kyu-Bu! Series Introduction

Ro-Kyu-Bu! – 01

「小学生がやって来る ヤァ！ヤァ！ヤァ！」 (Shougakusei ga Yattekuru Ya! Ya! Ya!)
"The Grade Schoolers Have Come, Ya! Ya! Ya!"

I suspect a good measure of how you'll like Ro-Kyu-Bu! is going to be tied to the question of how you feel about a series that introduces itself with an extended scene of five 6th-grade girls in the shower.

Posted inSeason Schedule Series Introduction

Summer 2011 Schedule

SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday
Ao no Exorcist 17:00 MBC TBS (4/17) Natsume Yuujin-chou San 25:30 TX (7/4) Bleach 18:00 TX Nyanpire The Animation 22:54 Kids Station (7/6) Usagi Drop 24:45 CX (7/7) BLADE 22:00 ANIMAX (7/1) Nekogami Yaoyorozu 08:30 AT-X (7/9)
DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE
Nurarihyon no Mago Sennen Makyou 17:30 MX (7/3) Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel 25:45 tvk (7/4) Kami-sama Dolls 25:30 TX (7/5) NO.6 25:15 CX (7/7) Ro-Kyu-Bu! 23:00 AT-X (7/1) Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE 1000% 24:00 MX (7/2)
DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE
Hanasaku Iroha 22:00 MX (4/3) Yuruyuri 26:00 TX (7/4) Double-J 25:29 NTV (6/28) THE IDOLM@STER 25:25 TBS (7/7) Ouran High School Host Club Drama 24:20 TBS (7/22) R-15 25:00 tvk (7/9)
DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE
Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 24:30 CTC (7/3) Morita-san wa Mukuchi. 25:30 KBS (7/5) BLOOD-C 25:40 MBS (7/7) Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi 25:05 TVS (7/8) Nichijou 26:20 TVA (4/2)
DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE
Manyuu Hikenchou 25:00 tvk (7/10) Steins;Gate 26:05 TVS (4/5) Mayo Chiki! 25:55 TBS (7/7) Dantalian no Shoka 25:23 TX (7/15) Sacred Seven 26:28 MBS (7/2)
DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE DPTE
Mawaru Penguindrum 26:10 MBS (7/7) Kami-sama no Memo-chou 25:30 MX (7/8)
DPTE DPTE
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! 26:15 TX (7/7)
DPTE
Legend: 8Divine 2Prooof 6Takaii 5Guardian Enzo Not covering/watching

First off, Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian readers and an early Happy Fourth of July to all our American ones. The summer season is upon us now, so it's time to give a quick overview of what the writers and I will be watching, and more importantly, what we'll be covering. As always, please note that this is a tentative schedule and shows may be shuffled around after the first week. Any changes will be noted on this post as they're made.

...More after the break.

Posted inSeason Preview Series Introduction

Summer 2011 Preview!

As the summer season draws upon us, it's time to take an in-depth look at what's just around the corner. There are 26 shows to choose from, marking a significant increase from the 16 offered last summer. Brain's Base is making a splash this season with three productions, all of which show a lot of promise. Sunrise is back with another original series, leading the way in the fantasy department. BONES and Production I.G are going the sci-fi and heartfelt drama route with their noitaminA shows, plus the latter is providing an original vampire series of its own. GAINAX also makes a rare appearance, providing the standout mystery series of the bunch, though J.C. Staff may have something to say about that with its own adaptation. It's a bustling summer season with a lot of high school romantic comedies to round it out, which is great for getting back into the blogging swing of things.

* A season poll is available on the sidebar. It will automatically close on July 1st at 6:00 AM PST to coincide with the start of the season. * This preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.

Posted inAo no Exorcist First Impressions Series Introduction

Ao no Exorcist – 01

(Akuma wa Hito no Kokoro ni Sumu)
"Demons Live in the Human Heart"

Coming from A-1 Pictures, Ao no Exorcist is a modern representation of what I perceive to be a "classic shounen." You know, the type that some of us are familiar with from our childhoods watching Toonami. The type that doesn't use much of any "commercial guarantees," but boast excellence solely on storytelling. I mean, not even a single female appeared until the sixth minute of this show! Yeah, my mind was blown too.

Posted inDeadman Wonderland First Impressions Series Introduction

Deadman Wonderland – 01

(Shikeishuu)
"Dead Man Walking"

I didn't know about this series before, but after burning through 40+ chapters of the manga in a day, I was sold and was excited for the anime adaptation to come out. My main fear was that there would be excessive censoring because it's TV anime, not DVD or theaters, and also that the one cour may not be enough. There's quite a bit of material and getting cut short would be no good.

Posted inFirst Impressions Series Introduction Snapshots

Hidan no Aria – 01

La Bambina
"The Girl"

J.C. Staff is back with the Toradora duo of Majima Junji and Kugimiya Rie in their latest light novel/manga adaptation, except this time we have a bunch of armed detectives in training known as "Butei" (Busou + Tantei). As I described in the Spring 2011 Preview, the attention to detail with the Butei specializations and the weaponry they use is one of the highlights of this series.

Posted inC: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control First Impressions Series Introduction

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 01

complication (Fukuzatsu)

Money is power. Money is the root of all evil. That's the theme in this supernatural finance series. At least, that's the impression I got seeing a debt-ridden businessman making a deal with devil at a bank ATM, complete with an evil sounding machine voice and demonic taxi driver. I didn't really know what exactly I was getting into before this episode, since the subject matter was unusual, but the potential is exciting.