Anime Sunday: Seishun Buta Yarou Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a new series from the Fall 2018 season. It’s my Seishun Buta Yarou Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot of this first episode is very intriguing and it sets the stage for the series really well. I will say that this is an adaptation of a Light Novel Series, but I haven’t read it. I don’t tend to enjoy the romantic comedy series, but hopefully this avoids most of the faults of those Anime. This first episode shows that it could go very well, but that could end up being just a short reprieve from another poorly done romantic comedy.

Characters: Mai and Sakuta are our main characters and they are both very interesting. Mai isn’t a terrible person and is actually incredibly likable from the get go, if a bit surprising in her choice of garb. Sakuta on the other hand is also fairly forthright in his interests with Mai, and it’s a refreshing change of pace from other romantic comedies that always have awkward love polygons for no purpose beyond making drama.

Art: The art is okay, but nothing spectacular. It’s not egregiously bad, but it’s not amazing either.

Music: I enjoyed the musical score, and the opening theme. Not much more to be said about that.

Overall: This could prove to be a delightful series if this first episode is indicative of the rest of the series.

For those who like: Romance, Supernatural, School Life, Drama.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m back with yet another Spring 2018 series. It’s my Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot Synopsis: Tsubaki Aoi is a college student who has the ability to see Ayakashi, a trait she inherited from her deceased grandfather. One day, when Aoi walks past a torii shrine, she sees an Ayakashi sitting there who announces that it is hungry. She gives it her lunch and then heads to class. On her way back she finds her bento box on the steps of the shrine and goes to pick it up….

Plot: The plot isn’t spectacular, but it’s not terrible either. I really rather enjoyed it, as Aoi is a girl who absolutely doesn’t give up and doesn’t like to take crap from anyone. That being said there is some things that look really obvious to me, but whether or not they actually are what I think they are remains to be seen in future episodes.

Characters: Aoi is our main character and she’s pretty awesome. She’s by no means a bad ass girl, but she has backbone and is quite enjoyable to watch. The rest of the cast is just as interesting, although my favorite side character might just be Ginji.

Art: This is the one downside to this series, and honestly is a pretty big one. The animation is sub par, it’s not as bad as Studio Deen, but it’s pretty damn terrible nonetheless. There were plenty of times when I paused the screen and saw just horrible animation.

Music: The music is fitting, but nothing spectacular either.

Overall: I’d say it would be a must watch if not for the horrendous animation quality. If you can get over that, than this might just be the show for you. If not, you probably ought to move on.

For those who like:  Urban Fantasy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Supernatural, Good Plot, Awesome Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: Hinamatsuri Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering the first episode of a series I’ve covered in a previous Manga Monday. It’s my Hinamatsuri Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot Synopsis: A mid-level Yakuza, Nitta Yoshifumi, relaxes at home when a large metal pod drops onto his head out of nowhere. After hitting a switch on the back, a naked girl emerges from the pod. Remembering nothing else except her name, Hina, she uses psychokinesis to threaten Nitta into buying her clothes and toys…

Plot: The plot is incredibly slapstick, which is alright because there is absolutely nothing about this series that should be taken seriously. At all.

Characters: Nitta is a rather unlucky guy, but I enjoy him as he’s pretty much one of the only sane characters in the series. Hina on the other hand is hilarious, but that’s more because of her actions rather than her personality.

Art: The art is pretty good, but it’s not super amazing either.

Music: The music is mediocre, while not being terrible it’s not really memorable either.

Overall: If you enjoy, or need, a good laugh you could do worse than watch Hinamatsuri. You could do better though as well.

For those who like: Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life, Slapstick.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Movie Monday: Kara no Kyoukai Overlooking View

This week for Movie Monday I’m covering the first in a seven part series of movies covering one of the Nasuverse’s greatest stories. It’s Kara no Kyoukai, or the Garden of Sinners, Overlooking View!

Plot Synopsis: September 1998, Mikiya Kokutō brings over some ice cream while visiting Shiki, but Shiki is not happy to see him and says that she does not like ice cream so she decides not to eat it. Later at Garan no Dou, Shiki and Touko discuss the recent spate of unusual suicide incidents where several high school girls fell to their death, but left no suicide note and had apparently no reason to commit suicide. Tōko concludes that the girls did not intend to die. At night, Shiki visits the deserted part of town containing the Fujō buildings which have now fallen into disrepair and are about to be demolished, and while there stumbles upon the body of newest victim….

Plot: This is the first in a series of movies that are an adaptation of a novel by Kinoko Nasu. That being said if you get confused at first, just keep watching. It’ll make sense in the end.

Characters: Shiki is probably one of my favorite female characters of all time, and not just because she’s a badass. However my particular reason is pretty spoilerific and I’ll leave that for you to figure out. Though those who know me might be able guess after watching all the movies. However the entire cast is great, although fairly small for this first movie.

Artwork: This was animated by ufotable, so you should expect amazing visuals. Overlooking View doesn’t disappoint at all in that regard.

Music: The music is also pretty damn amazing, being done by Kajiura Yuki who is a legend in the Anime business.

Overall: Definitely a must watch for those who enjoy any type of mystery series. That being said, it’s not for kids at all.

For those who like: Mystery, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Nasuverse, Action, Drama, Awesome Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters, Masterwork Animation, Excellent Musical Scores.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Sensate Saturday: Hakase to Slime-chan by Isaki Nayuta

This week for Sensate Saturday I’ve got a more upbeat story. It’s Hakase to Slime-chan by Isaki Nayuta!

Plot Synopsis: A Professor had created what he hoped to be an artificial human, but what came out of the large holding tube wasn’t a human, but a Slime?!?

Plot: The plot is very Slice of Life and more about comedy than anything else. There is no action, no damsels to save or Demon Kings to vanquish. Just a guy who wanted to make an artificial human and got a slime instead.

Characters: Both the professor and Lime are amusing, however they are not incredibly deep character wise. This may change in later chapters of the series, but I haven’t read ahead of the currently translated material. So while they are amusing, and somewhat heartwarming, it wasn’t enough for me to want to find the untranslated chapters of this completed series.

Art: The art is okay, not super amazing and nowhere near Shueisha level of quality, but it’s in full color which is a bit of a rarity when it comes to Manga, although this technically is a Webtoon or Web Comic where such things are much more commonplace.

Overall: If you’re bored this might be worth a quick read.

For those who like: Slice of Life, Supernatural Stuff, Decent Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.