The Winter of Our Content
Ξ February 3rd, 2010 | → 2 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
Okay, now that the last Winter 2010 show I’ve been waiting for has come out (Katanagatari), it’s time to take a look at the shows I’ll be following this season. In addition to four still-airing shows from Fall 2009 (Railgun, Kimi ni Todoke, Book of Bantorra, and Kobato), I’m waiting with bated breath each week for the following seven series:
1) Durarara!!
From the creators of Baccano! comes a twisty and convoluted story of an urban legend headless motorcycle rider and the interactions between several gangs and innocents co-existing (somehow and so far) in the city of Ikebukuru. Through the four episodes to date, the story’s been smart, funny, appropriately violent, and as quirky as Baccano! was. And believe me, that is quirky!
The direction is great (for my tastes) and the interweaving of so many characters is clever, just as it was in Baccano! The action’s been delightfully over-the-top (tossed vending machines as projectiles, motorcycle-fu to the face, and etc), and we’ve just met the Headless Rider’s “keeper” who appears to be more involved than he lets on. Here’s the OP, without the numerous main characters’ names over the credits, so consider it a pretty clean Opening (despite the fact that it’s reversed):
The jury’s still out on this one (for me), as the story seems to be meandering a bit with seemingly weird little diversions that don’t seem pertinent to the plotlines, although since its concept is from Ryukishi07 (of Higurashi/Umineko fame) there’s really no telling where it’s gonna go! So that’s okay, until it isn’t. Since I’m a big R07 fan, I’m giving it a chance, and enjoying it so far for the most part. The direction or pacing hasn’t wowed me yet, though.
The character designs by Peach-Pit (Rozen Maiden) are intriguing but at times seem a bit wooden/plastic against the background animation, which more than likely is the fault of the animators. It’s not bad, just a little… different. Which can be a good thing. Some of the characters are enjoyable to watch, such as Mana, the wheelchair-bound little sister, and the central figure in all this, the masked-and-scythe-wielding girl. The story involves many of the same elements as Higurashi; a transfer student arrives in a mysterious town where an atmosphere of mystery and danger lies just beneath the surface, something involving large wolves (or similar)… Okay, that last part isn’t from Higurashi, but still. Let’s check out the OP/ED which are combined in this less-than-stellar quality video:
Okay, now this is something completely different! From the somewhat odd (but still delightfully unique) character designs to the airing schedule (about one 50-minute episode every month) this 12-episode series screams “look at me!” From the creator of Bakemonogatari, NisiOisin, comes this Edo-era historical fantasy based around a swordsman who fights without a sword, chasing down the twelve mighty swords crafted by the legendary Shikizaki Kiki. He’s assisted by the self-proclaimed “Super Strategist” Togame (voiced by the always-delightful Yukari Tamura) who so far has hindered more than helped!
But wow… the first episode was nearly wall-to-wall dialogue! I barely had time to look at the animation since my eyes were so busy reading the subtitles. And Yukarin speaks very very fast at times LOL Still, it was very enjoyable, and I can’t wait to see where it goes, though I fear that it may become a bit repetitious. But maybe not. There’s lots of action, when it happens, and seems well-directed. Here’s a treat for ya: the subtitled trailer for episodes 1-3!
OMG, where to start… “This isn’t a series for everybody.” How’s that? Aside from the M-rating, violence and bloody battles, if werewolves and vampires aren’t your thing, pass. If petite, young-looking loli vampires aren’t your thing, you can pass too. But what a loli vampire! Princess Mina Tepes is someone that you canNOT take your eyes off of. Except sometimes. You may see what I mean 
Despite my general apathy for lolis, she is breaking me in not-so-gently, as she’s a great character, though a tiny bit understated so far, and enchanting to watch. Her attire (or lack of it) notwithstanding LOL.
The story’s having trouble getting its feet wet in anything besides blood, however. Mina is trying to establish a haven for vampires (the “Bund” of the title) so that they can exist in the humans’ world, having paid off Japan’s national debt to do so (vampires having accumualted all manner of wealth over the centuries). But those nefarious various parties opposed have other ideas, the main one being to assassinate her. (We’ll see how that goes…) The series is produced by wonderfully-notorious studio SHAFT, and directed by the equally-notorious (and wond- er… “awesome”) Akiyuki Shinbo, both big favorites of mine for the always-challenging, provocative, and dazzling productions they deliver. So, despite a somewhat rocky start, I have high hopes for this show. They are (and everything about this show is) an acquired taste! See:
Okay… I hate spelling it that way because it’s a hassle. If I say “Soranowoto” you’ll know what I mean, yes? I may shorten it to something else yet. ANYWAY! Despite some viewers compaining about the show’s slow pace despite its (apparent) wartime setting, I’m really enjoying the world’s exploration, character exposition and growth so far. There hasn’t been much, just enough, and as long as this series actually progresses then I’ll likely enjoy it a lot. And I’ll happily (and pointedly) ignore the “K-ON! in War” yammering, because the two series don’t compare except in the most peripheral ways. Besides, that comparison is unfair to both shows.
Essentially, the series focuses on a fortress-full of five young women assigned to protect it and the nearby town during a lull in the fighting, as seen through the eyes of their erstwhile bugler, Kana. There’s a great deal of good-natured humor, and what may be hints of what’s to come in the more-serious nature of combat weapons, uniforms, and tanks (or, A tank), plus mentions of a legend of maidens who can control a demon. In a twelve-episode series with already five episodes under its belt, it may be tough fitting everything in to the viewer’s satisfaction. But do give it a try; it may delight you 
Series direction is by Mamoru Kanbe, who also did Elfen Lied, and who I believe is fairly underrated and unrecognized, since the fuss about EL was in its blood, gore and nudity, and not in his direction which I felt was superb. For the Opening of this show, once again he used the Gustav Klimt influences to good measure as he did in Elfen Lied’s OP:
Another little treat: Since the OP above doesn’t show the world, here’s a trailer done to the longer Opening Song:
I’ll have to continue with the last two series later in the week, hopefully tomorrow, as I *think* I’m approaching some kind of word-count/length limit since I type and nothing happens! Hope you enjoyed this Wintertime State of the Season post 
on February 8th, 2010 at 5:27 am
Uh, still have to check out Katanagatari, your impression confirms my hopes of it being a change from the usual stuff.
I dropped Ookami Kakushi since the first four episodes were basically a waste of time, the story made no progress at all and nothing noteworthy happened either. If you compare it to the first four episodes of Higurashi – which were really thrilling and interesting – Ookami Kakushi is simply a huge disappointment. Visually it’s similarly trite, particularly the character design and animation bothers me. The characters feel like puppets as there’s absolutely no life in them. Compared with Soranowoto – where the story hasn’t progressed much either – Kanbe at least knows how to establish a good mood and make the characters believable and entertaining through amusing interplay. Really liked the fifth episode in this regard, the scenes with the backpacks were real fun. I hope that we’ll get some more dramatic developments in future episodes, though. The character designer has written on his blog that episode 7 will be surprising, maybe we’ll really get K-ON! in War?
Or at least some developments that give the story more punch…
Oh, you finished Planetes? I’m sure you liked it, right
How did you like its conclusion? Did Hachi do the right thing?
on February 8th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Hi Max,
Planetes was awesome in every sense of the word! It’s definitely a series that I want in my official collection, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good “space opera” even if technically they don’t go very far OUT into space. The characters were wonderful and well-drawn; very expressive and realistically motivated. The ending tied everything up in a believable fashion neatly and with a bow to boot.
Yes, Hachi finally did the right thing, though it sure looked questionable for a while. Seven years is a long time, but one never knows what can happen, right? But given that they knew what they were in for (for the most part) when they signed up, the ending kind of portrayed a realistic outcome, and a happy one, for all concerned
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Katanagatari; at least you won’t be disappointed if just looking for something “different”. There’s still time for the story to slip into “autopilot sleepwalking cliche-land” but I’m hoping for the best. What can I say; I’m an optimist LOL
I can’t be too optimistic about Ookami, however… As you say, it’s really lacking, especially with regard to the characters. I’ll probably stick through it though out of consideration for Ryukishi07’s story, if for nothing else.
SoraWoto is really a pleasure so far; I like how little by little we get to see the world as it is now. I’m sure that they’ll be opening it up real soon
Now I have to finish this Winter evaluation with the last two series I’m watching: Hanamaru Kindergarten and Nodame Cantabile!
Thanks for your Comment, as always