Alastor's Reflection

The 2011 Fall Anime Season *Halftime-ish* Report, Part Two

Ξ November 20th, 2011 | → 1 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |

I’d intended this Post as a continuation of the Quarterly Report, but time kind of slipped away and now we’re already past the halfway mark of the 2011 Fall Anime Season! Funny how time slips away, especially with so many shows to watch! In Part One (a few posts below, or here for those too lazy to scroll) I covered my top tier of Fall shows, so now on to the second involving the five other titles. I know I said eight in the earlier post, but I’ve since dropped/put on hold three titles that just didn’t sustain my interest enough to add to the already-considerable time-sink; these are Phi-Brain, Persona 4, and Guilty Crown, some or all of which I might finish during the seasonal break. Or not, depending LOL

MIRAI NIKKI:

 Leading off is the unpredictable and psychotic Mirai Nikki (aka “Future Diary”), an interesting concept consisting of a tournament (of sorts) pitting prescient Diary-owners against one another. Stalker-girl Yuno makes for a great character, one whom you don’t quite know how to cheer for (or even if you should); she’s alternately moe and dangerous, an interesting combination, if you care to invest yourself.  She doesn’t make it easy at all…

As for the “game” itself, here’s the gist of it:

I’m figuring that Mirai Nikki will be atop many fans’ lists this season. If you like anime which doesn’t pull its punches but smacks you straight in the face (and stabs you in several places), this might be the show for you

UN-GO:

Another show that has sustained my interest despite initial misgivings is Un-Go. Mainly a mystery/detective show, I was kinda put off by the “handsome young sidekick” trope, but “Inga” has proved interesting enough in light of “his” occasional transormation into a buxom ageless woman who forces witnesses/suspects to tell “her” the truth, whatever that is. In this show you can’t be too sure, as the mysteries are doled out in layers, some thin, others thick. Your enjoyment will largely depend on the characters, and at least for now, it’s certainly “interesting”

Here’s a short subtitled Trailer for it that might shed a little light on its mysteries…

BOKU WA TOMODACHI GA SUKUNAI:

Since I loved the distinctive and tasty character designs of Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko from earlier this year (love those mouths!), I had to give Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai a shot. I’m glad I did, because it’s been an enjoyable ride so far and I don’t even mind the fanservicey animation.  Normally I dislike gratuitous sexiness (because I feel trolled), but this show takes it to a comfortable limit for me, and its “naughtiness” is cute rather than forced.

Having started up a sort of “Lonely Hearts” club, Yozora finds her (limited) patience tested by new member Sena, whom she dismissively nick-names “Meat”. Caught right smack-dab in the middle of their feud is protagonist Kodaka, along with a few slightly-less-caught members who are all (somewhat) interested in expanding their non-existent circle of friends. Little do they realize that they’re in one! I wouldn’t say that it’s brilliant, but it has been fun

The ED is cute too, with Yozora playing a very-capable air-guitar while Sena “leads” the way:

CHIHAYAFURU:

Chihayafuru really took me by surprise; I didn’t figure that I’d be at all interested in a show about a card game. The fact that it was a verse-matching game based around Japanese poetry attracted me though, and I’m glad that I stayed tuned as the show’s been educational as well. It’s not really about the game of karuta, but more about its being a linchpin around which the lives of the three main characters revolve. Despite its peaceful premise it’s a highly-competetive game, and the pauses between verses can be quite tense!

Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata have played karuta since they were children, and their story begins in the present day with flashbacks detailing their growing interest in karuta and budding friendship, which was shattered after a certain event. Firmly in the slice-of-life, Chihayafuru is refreshing, reflective, and thoughtful, and I get a definite Kimi ni Todoke feel about it. These are good things no matter how you look

Since it appears that YouTube is taking down the Chihayafuru OPs and EDs (and I don’t want to have to be replacing them!), I’m going to do something different and post a brief 3-minute “review” by a fan who sums my views up nicely:

KIMI TO BOKU:

Another delightful surprise, Kimi to Boku has kept me tuned in despite every temptation to drop it. Not that it’s a bad show by any means, just that a male-centric friendship show didn’t appeal to me. BUT! Not one to judge anything based on ignorance, I decided to check it out anyway. I found a show that couldn’t be more slice-of-life, has no intentions of going anywhere, and is basically just about five friends hanging out. Fortunately the characters are interesting, quirky, and funny enough to carry the story, and the writing is doling out careful and rewarding little vignettes for each as we go along. Here’s a wordless Promo Vid for it that is pretty much just like the show (aside from its absence of the great dialogue and funny-ness):

THE HALFTIME REPORT:

At the halfway point of the season (or, just past it) my favorites are Fate/Zero, Carnival Phantasm, Shakugan no Shana Final, Mawaru Penguindrum, Last Exile: Fam of the Silver Wing, Mirai Nikki, The iDOLM@STER, Working’!! and Squid Girl’s second season. Whew; not a bad haul! But while I’m a huge Fate/Stay Night (and Shana) fan, the show I’m having the most fun with is the inscrutable Mawaru Penguindrum. I just rewatched episodes 1-18 before #19, and doing so went a LONG way towards understanding better the plots and varied motivations of its great characters. The week-to-week wait between episodes really hurts the careful continuity; it’s a show that practically demands that you marathon it! Most likely it’ll be in the Top 3 of a very competitive year, along with Steins;Gate, Madoka, and AnoHana. That’s good for us, and good for the industry, if they can keep releasing so many worth-watching shows (and getting them to Market so we can buy them) :-D

Since I already spazzed out over Mawaru Penguindrum below, here’s a bonus AMV that I found, focusing on Shouma and Ringo (yet another stalker-girl LOL):

Happy viewing, and please feel welcome to leave a comment. If I don’t post before then, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Despite such a harsh and uncaring world, there’s so much to be thankful for