This is the last of the fall 2009 impressions series of posts.

Is calling Kuchu Buranko pretentious fair? Is calling Kuchu Buranko interesting fair? Is calling Kuchu Buranko fun to watch fair? Hmm, I have mixed opinions on all three.

Fansub group: gg

Things I liked:

• Nice use of background music. The classical music choices were fittingly fanciful, and the original BGM was fun to listen to.
• Once you get past the ridiculous animation, strange visuals, and non-sequitors, I thought the story was actually pretty interesting. It was just hard to weed that out of all the random crap.

Things I didn’t like:

• Did they rip off a Gloria Estefan song for the ED or are my ears playing tricks on me?
• Shinbo on shrooms, is that a fair way to describe the art direction? Either way, it was too damn busy, too damn random and most of the time, too damn ugly for my tastes.

Random other thoughts:

People are going to either love or hate this show. Kuchu Buranko is sort of like that kid in school who’s pretty likeable, but tries way too hard to hang with the popular kids. Or in this case, with the art school nerds. Watching Ichirou "treat" the trapeze artist’s sleeping problem and failure to trust his teammate was legitimately interesting. However, that made up about 5 minutes of the episode. The other 15 minutes seemed like it was filled with all sorts of random visual effects and "symbolism" to make the show feel like it had more depth than it really did. Take all that away and you’ve got a pretty interesting premise for a show, but likely not something you’d rave over.

Well, the fall season is indeed living up to the fairly low expectations I had for it. Besides Armed Librarians, the only other show I’m hoping to check out is Trapeze. Maybe I’ll also check out Fairy Tail if the initial buzz is good.

Fansub group: Commie subs

Things I liked:

• I like most of the character models, they’re pretty sharp, and the battle animation – what little there was – was slick.
• The concept of people turning into tablets of memories is actually quite fascinating. If it weren’t for all the other ridiculous terminology in the show, I’d be much more confident in thinking that Armed Librarians would be an interesting story.

Things I didn’t like:

• The stupid terminology. To be honest, there wasn’t that much. But what there was, was cringe-worthy. People are meats? Really? And I’m really having a hard time taking the show seriously, because every time I hear a bad guy yell, "it’s the armed librarians," I think: so what? What could a bunch of bookworm nerds possibly do?
• Oh man, between this and Letter Bee, I don’t know who wins the award for ugliest CGI animation. They would’ve been better off having a bunch of kids draw lines with crayons.

Random other thoughts:

Honestly, the only redeeming part of the show was the idea of people turning into books (or tablets) when they die, and the librarians having the ability to access those people’s memories. Otherwise, the characters weren’t interesting, the villains seem 2-dimensional, and the escaped "meat" is an emo piece of furniture. There’s not much here that’s going to keep my attention, especially throughout a 24-episode season. So I’m dropping this for now, unless I start hearing Armed Librarian catcalls of joy.

Aroduc wasn’t kidding when he said the power of the Persona force was strong in 11eyes. It was the first thought that popped into my head when Kakeru’s sister summoned that persona in the first scene.

Fansub group: TMD

Things I liked:

• Nothing really happened, but the show was strangely compelling. In addition to the Persona vibes, I felt a little bit of the same feeling when I first watched Shakugan no Shana and Chaos Head. One turned out well, one did not. We shall see.
• Every Daisuke Ono character is a plus in my eyes… even though this one wears a patch.
• There’s nothing special about the character designs, but perhaps because of the heavy use of the reds, I really liked the color palettes they used.
• Yuka seems like the generic harem winner, sort of meek and helpless, but I still dug her for some reason. Maybe it was because of Mai Goto’s voice. I have good memories of hearing her steal the limelight as Mika the spicy, younger sister in Nogizaka Haruka.
• Nice, fast-paced rockin’ ED. You rarely see one of those. Perhaps the best ED song of the season.

Things I didn’t like:

• First episodes usually have some pretty slick animation, but this show looks rocky right off the bat. There were too many instances of faces looking weird and distorted. And it’s not like there was a whole lot of action for them to have burned the budget on.
• The lead guy wears a patch and has a tortured history. The lead girl is about as tough as a blueberry muffin, but has a heart of gold. The monkey-boy sidekick is an ecchi creep. The androgynous bad boy is a complete jerk. The school nurse jiggles from walking around and smokes in school. Uh huh.
• I can’t criticize the story, since there is no story yet, but there’s something very generic-feeling about this show.

Random other thoughts:

I feel like of all the fall shows I’ve sampled so far, 11eyes is the one I don’t know what to make of. As is typically the case, I know nothing about the source material. So I have no clue whether this show that’s based on an adult VN is simply an excuse for some tentacle raep, as hinted in the next episode, or a hidden gem with an interesting story like one of Ryukishi’s VNs or Fate/Stay Night. Off the bat, there’s not much about the characters that’s particularly compelling – except for the fact that I like most of the seiyuus so far – but the few story developments, like the Crimson Realm, or the existence of shadows has me thinking that this show could turn out to be surprisingly good. I’m going to keep watching to see if Kakeru can awaken his shadow. It’s always toughest the first time.

So what is a shoujo show? Is it a guy singing the OP? Is it a girl being the lead? Is it the lack of any semblance of a harem? Is it featuring a guy who’s cool and competent, but sensitive and vulnerable? Is it flowers and pastels? If so, I guess Kimi ni Todoke’s got the shtick down pat.

Fansub group: FMS-Sunberries

Things I liked:

• I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve heard Mamiko Noto in a lead role. Nogizaka Haruka might’ve been the last show… which was a.) terrible and b.) not a great role for her. Based on the first episode, I think she fits Sawako a lot better.
• The whole Ring parody seems old and played out, it’s like horror/comedy’s version of bullet time. But I was surprised to get a few chuckles out of it. Mostly at Sawako’s early naiveté. Still, I’m hoping they’ve run the gamut of the Ring jokes. There’s only so much of those I can put up with.
• Kazehaya’s a likeable guy, but too much of a softy for my tastes.
• Interesting use of colors, especially in the backgrounds. Sort of looked like a waterpainting.

Things I didn’t like:

• Tears from episode 1? Uh oh. This isn’t fated for heavy Key-esque dorama later, is it?
• Character art was umm… interesting. I liked Sawako, and her chibi form wasn’t bad. But otherwise it looked rather unattractive. Is that part of the shoujo charm? Make all the non-lead girls look ugly?

Random other thoughts:

Part of me really liked Kimi ni Todoke. The story was solid. The flow was good, the atmosphere was nice and it mixed in the comedic moments well with the more dramatic moments. Sawako is instantly likeable (and relatable in many ways), and I’m glad they didn’t pound the Ring shtick too far into the ground. The budding romance between her and Kazehaya felt pretty natural, and not over the top. And the supporting characters are not bad, but not as unlikeable as I first thought they’d be.

On the other hand, maybe it’s the shoujo angle, maybe it’s the tears, but I have this funny feeling in my gut that the show may end up differing from what I expect. I was thinking that Kimi ni Todoke would be about 60% comedy, 30% slice of life/random classroom hijinks, and 10% romance drama. That’s close to the ratio I prefer, heavier on the comedic side, with a smattering of romance. But instead, I feel like the show is quickly going to get heavier with the romance drama and lighter with the comedy – which would be an instant turnoff for me. Is there anybody that follows the manga who could provide some insight?

In the meanwhile, I’ll continue watching cautiously.

After reading so many posts about how unbearably moe Kobato was (for better or for worse), I was actually surprised to find that Kobato’s actually a slut who’ll follow any number of guys like a dog chasing its tail, enjoys getting ravaged by ravenous animals, has a fetish for trash, and whores herself out on-stage the first possible chance she gets. Ok, I’m twisting the events a little bit, but I figured I needed to find something to say that hasn’t been said before. Because otherwise, I’d have nothing else to say except that Kobato is undeniably adorable.

Fansub group: gg

Things I liked:

• Kobato is indeed ridiculously cute and fun to watch. I like my 3D girls cute, and my 2D girls saccharine, and Kobato definitely fits the bill. And I definitely have a weakness for idiot savants if Yui and Nodame are any examples. Kana Hanazawa does a great job. She’s had an excellent run of supporting characters (Mikan, Zange, Nadeko Snake), so I like hearing her get a chance to lead.
• Ioryogi the angry dog is hilarious. He’s a perfect complimentary character for a Kobato, serving as the sour to her sweet. And Tetsu Inada (haven’t really heard of him, although he’s had a lot of roles) does a great job mixing in the sarcastic with the bombastically angry.
• It’s CLAMP so it’s got those excellent character designs. Actually, Kobato has slightly more normal body proportions than other CLAMP designs like Code Geass or xxxholic. I really like the deformed artwork style as well. Madhouse does a good job with the animation, although there wasn’t that much they needed to do in this episode.

Things I didn’t like:

• There wasn’t anything I didn’t like, but some of the behaviors of the side characters made me think. Like when the two guys invite Kobato to tea, I’ve always wondered, why is it always multiple guys asking out one girl? What exactly do they expect out of it? A sausage party orgy? Ugh, no thank you. Also, there was nothing that made me think Fujimoto was a cool guy. So when he picks up the dirty dishes, why do the two girls become flustered? The guy was wearing a bandanna and an apron. Where are their standards? Anyway, I digress.

Random other thoughts:

I really enjoyed the first episode of Kobato. It mixed in really cute moments while not losing sight of the storyline. The chemistry between Kobato and Ioryogi was great and is probably strong enough to carry the show even if the whole "collect broken hearts to achieve Kobato’s wish" doesn’t pan out as a good storyline. In fact, I’d say Kobato is the closest show of the season to Sora no Manimani, in that I’d be more than happy to watch the show for the character interactions alone (the Azumanga effect as Scamp calls it). I know nothing about the manga, so I don’t know if this show later takes a darker turn, but it seems like the perfect show to follow if you’re looking for some fuwa fuwa time during the fall season. This would’ve been right up my alley to blog about (seeing as how I like writing about moeblobs), but the 24 episode length is a likely dealbreaker.

I thought Letter Bee was one of the more intriguing shows of the season, and the first episode did nothing to dispel that thought.

Fansub group: Moggert, although I think the sub was provided by Crunchroll

Things I liked:

• As digiboy mentions, the atmosphere and the background art for Letter Bee is quite nice. There’s a tranquil vibe from the heavy blues that seem to fit the show’s pace and atmosphere really well.
• Which isn’t to say this is Aria, featuring Jun Fukuyama, because there’s a bit of action as well.
• I don’t know where these writers come up with such ridiculous names, but the characters are pretty interesting, and surprisingly well-developed one episode in
• Baby amterasu! Almost.

Things I didn’t like:

• Boy, that was a lot of exposition in the beginning.
• A lot of animation shortcuts in the first half of the episode, and some pretty horrendous looking CGI bugs. I’m guessing they’re going to need to be "resourceful" with their animation budget.

Random other thoughts:

Letter Bee has the most inventive story of all the shows I’ve seen so far this season… which admittedly may not be saying much, since I’ve only seen 3 harems, 1 no plot comedy and 1 railgun, but that’s besides the point. I like the idea of a journey anime, especially with a little action thrown in – although I could do without the CGI bugs. Letter Bee also did a pretty good job of setting up the characters, and revealing just enough info about them to make me want to learn more. I want to see more about Lag and his backstory with his mom, I also want to learn more about the Letter Bees, and Gauche’s home life with Link and Nunally Sylvette. Overall, a solid first episode. It’s not necessarily a surefire winner, but it’s worth checking out. I won’t write about it, but Letter Bee fans may be happy to learn that it might get the ghostlightning treatment.

What if you mixed elements of Air, To Love-ru and Chobits? You might get something like Sora no Otoshimono, although I still can’t tell if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Fansub group: HorribleSubs courtesy of Crunchyroll

Things I liked:

• Sohara may be the most attractive girl of the fall season. She’s well proportioned too. Not too loli, not too Queen’s Blade.
• Certain moments were actually really interesting. Tomoki’s dream of the angel. The monkey’s paw effect of world domination.
• The concept of totally throwing any sense of realism out the window was sort of refreshing. When Ikaros made the billion dollars appear out of thin air, the first thing I thought was, "what happened to the principle of equivalent exchange"?

Things I didn’t like:

• Ikaros continues this harem comedy trend of ridiculous proportions. But unlike the bowling balls from Princess Lover, Ikaros unfortunately gets saddled with a couple of monstrous water balloons. It’s gross. Plus, why does she look like she’s been overdrugged on antidepressants? Is the earth’s gravity that oppressive?
• Tomoki (from here on known as the idiot) was THE most unredeemable character I have ever had the displeasure to watch. Seriously, no positive characteristics whatsoever. His ecchi laugh is really annoying too. Souichirou Hoshi (Maebara Keiichi) what have you done!? You’ve created a monster.
• The character designs, besides Sohara, are pretty meh.

Random other thoughts:

I thought I had this show figured out when they opened with some morning wood, but in some ways this show surprised me. The animation was solid and the story’s fantasy twist is genuinely interesting (that is when it’s not just on a naked, ecchi rampage). But in other ways, it was pretty much what I expected: ecchi, ecchi, ecchi. Unfortunately, it has, like I mentioned, the absolute worst, most annoying character that I’ve ever seen in my life. I want to continue watching this show, but I don’t know if I can put up with 20+ minutes of the idiot laughing like a moron, and waffling between being a pervert, a chibi and a wuss. If you can put up with the idiot, and you’re a fan of ecchi harems, Sora no Otoshimono might worth your while. But otherwise, it’s one for the trash pile. At the very least, I’m going to try to stick it out until the blue-haired angel shows up.

Yes, there is such a thing as too much meta-humor. But I eagerly await the day that some studio, so bereft of ideas, decides to make an anime adaptation of lolikitsune’s visual novel about anibloggers.

Fansub group: gg (they’ve been busy)

Things I liked:

• I have to agree with Shin about the male lead, he’s shamelessly chasing the harem dream. You gotta give some respect.
• The artwork was occasionally ok.

Things I didn’t like:

• Could have been the quality of the video, but the colors seemed washed out. Animation as a whole was not that hot, but as a random, slapstick comedy, you’d probably expect that.
• Heavy-handed with the referential humor. A lot of it seemed shoehorned in. They’re going to run out of stuff to pick on by episode 4.
• No personality of its own.

Random other thoughts:

Seitokai no Ichizon was a summer show that got delayed to this fall. It was probably for the better, because it would’ve been crushed amidst the summertime quality. But amidst the fall season’s mediocrity, it blends in pretty harmlessly. To be honest, after I read Patrik’s drubbing of the light novel on Random Curiosity, I expected this show to be complete crap. And while it wasn’t good, it wasn’t horrendous either. The harem guy is pretty amusing. The girls are occasionally cute. And the machine-gun pace of the jokes means you don’t dwell on all of the misses along the way.

The biggest problem I have with Seitokai no Ichizon is that it has no personality of its own. Rapid-fire comedies generally aren’t my thing, but one thing you can say about shows like Zetsubou Sensei, Hidamari Sketch and Pani Poni Dash is that they all have a distinct personality… hmm, taking a second look at that list, maybe this would’ve been better off as a SHAFT show. But I digress. Ichizon from the beginning makes it clear that this is a show with no plot and everything’s the same. But by relying so heavily on referential humor, anytime it tries to throw in an original joke, images of tumbleweed rolling through the desert pop up in my head. Moreso than the anime references, I liked the last part of the show the best, when it tried to stand on its own accord.

All in all, I’m probably not going to watch this, but more because it’s not my style than because it was garbage.

My anticipation level for this show has been steadily increasing until it hit fever pitch yesterday. I have only one word to describe this show: Nyantastic!

Fansub group: gg

Things I liked:

• Jun Fukuyama voicing a cat is about as amusing as you’d imagine. I want to hear that cat pull of a Zero at least once.
• Like tj_han pointed out, the art style, the comedy, it is indeed very much like Seto no Hanayome, which was the greatest comedy I’ve ever seen.
• Mizuno and her saucer eyes is really, really cute. I also like that she appreciates chivalry (much like Seto San), and has a penchant for inadvertently torturing cats (I think I do the same IRL). I don’t mind Yuka Iguchi’s voice, but occasionally I’ll hear a little Index in there, so I’d rather have had Haruko Momoi.
• It looks like this series will follow harem convention, but the whole cat theme is so off-the-wall zany it feels fresh and interesting.
• Neko neko neko!

Things I didn’t like:

• Not animating the cat’s mouths I guess makes sense, but it looks a little strange.
• The OP/ED are just ok. It’s certainly no Romantic Summer.
• How the heck are they going to stick in 99 good cat deeds in 12 episodes?

Random other thoughts:

The more I thought about Nyan Koi, the more excited I became for it. I don’t know why, but I thought the show would just work. And it did. The story was ridiculous, but entertaining (unlike Kampfer, which was ridiculous and stupid), and I love the random, non-sequitor humor and art-style. Like I mentioned, it’s very Seto no Hanayome-esque, although it’s a little more restrained. So far I like the main leads, and the two cats are pretty hilarious. The shrine cat, because it’s Jun Fukuyama, and the fat cat, because I think that’s how cats think and behave in real life.

I’ll definitely keep watching this (hopefully it doesn’t suffer from the same fansub abandonment as Seto no Hanayome did). And although I haven’t figured out how many shows I want to write about this season (somewhere between 0-2), Nyan Koi has now edged out Railgun for top billing.

One of my expected B-grade shows of the season, The Sacred Blacksmith pretty much delivered what I thought I’d see: nice character art, some ok action, and a dodgy story.

Fansub group: gg

Things I liked:

• I liked most of the artwork. The background colors were a bit dull, but the scenes were well detailed. And the character designs for the main characters looked good. Cecily looks like she’d fit right into K-ON, Luke looks like the bastard lovechild between Eureka Seven’s Renton and Dominic, and Liza looks like she belongs in Umi Monogatari. Disparate looks, but they all mesh well.
• Luke seems like a pretty cool male lead.
• I thought the ED was pretty funny, and Aki Toyosaki singing is nice.

Things I didn’t like:

• The character designs for everyone besides the three main characters was pretty blah.
• Cecily’s shaped breastplate is both aesthetically and functionally idiotic. It didn’t work in the Joel Schumacher Batmans, and it doesn’t work here either.
• Also, Cecily didn’t bother me, per se. I actually think she’s likeable, but she’s about as smart as a sack of doorknobs. There’s brave, and there’s really freaking stupid. Unfortunately in every battle, Cecily falls to the latter. Her breastplate block of ice shards was facepalm worthy.
• Judging by the awkward, out-of-nowhere fanservice/fake-confession scene, I guess they’re going to shoehorn in some romance whether it fits or not.
• Like Aroduc mentions, the choreography of the battle scenes definitely could use some work. Luke spends about a minute drawing up a spell, meanwhile Cecily’s staring at him the whole time… and the monster’s doing nothing. Uh huh.

Random other thoughts:

I listed more things I didn’t like than I did like above, but actually I thought the show was ok, and worth watching for at least another couple episodes. Even though the story was weak – if there even is one at this point – I thought the character interactions were interesting enough. While it’s a pretty easy show to nitpick flaws, in the end, the episode flew by nice and quickly.

My wishlist for Cecily: forget the sword, she needs less ridiculous looking armor and a brain.