The summer season is beginning, and I'd like to share some preliminary thoughts on some of the simulcasts this season based on the first episodes. Please keep in mind that the following is only my opinion and that it is subject to change during the season. This post will be updated as more series become available.
Uta no Prince-sama!
Thoughts: Everything that you need to know about this show is in the opening credits. It's a reverse-harem wish-fulfillment show, which means that everything exists for the sake of the harem and the girl that it revolves around, regardless of whether it’s believable or not. The premise is that all of the characters go to a school intended to create pop stars and the main character wants to write songs for her favorite idol someday. The school itself looks more like a palace than a vocational school, probably because so many rich kids apparently attend, and there are insert songs and a tease towards the end about something regarding a contest. The teachers are easily the most off-the-wall characters so far; the principal throws a flashy opening ceremony and the class teacher is a trap. It’s very similar to La Corda D’Oro, only without fairies and magic instruments. In a way, this is nice, because it’s being presented for what it is, a harem show, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t without its gimmicks (see above about school). It's doubtful that this will be any different from any of the other series in this genre.
Twin Angel: Twinkle Paradise
Thoughts: If Madoka Magica was the show that redefined the magical girl genre, then this show is the one that will set it back about twenty years. Based on a pachinko game and a 2008 OVA, Twin Angel blatantly rips off better magical girl series; in the first episode alone, I spotted elements from Pretty Cure, and, most obviously, Sailor Moon. And the show doesn't really seem to care that it is lacking in original elements; it seems much more focused on the fanservice, with boobie-bouncing, a scene where the main characters turn into catgirls, and a second episode preview that shows most of the female cast in nothing but towels. The most enjoyable way to watch this show is to view it as a parody, since the first episode is lacking in anything original.
Sacred Seven
Thoughts: While nothing about this first episode had a particular “wow” factor to it, there is some potential in Sacred Seven. There was basically no buildup as the episode got as quickly as it could to its selling point; the fight scenes. This works to the show’s benefit, as it didn’t rely on flashbacks or monologue in an attempt to garner sympathy for the main character, which any other show of this type would have done. Instead, the opening episode takes to heart the “show, don’t tell” rule of storytelling, allowing what is on the screen to speak for itself. The character designs and some of the sillier aspects of the episode were reminiscent of Code Geass (I’m looking at you, maid army), but overall this episode promises at least an enjoyable anime to watch, if not the “big hit” that the advertisements promised.
Natsume Yuujinchou San
Thoughts: I’ve really missed this show. It didn’t really hit me until I started watching this episode, recognizing the familiar characters in the OP one by one and I knew that I was falling in love with this show all over again. This first episode had a little of everything that makes this show great; interesting youkai, a sweet story, and great character interactions (read: Nyanko-sensei is the bomb). I’m obviously extremely biased when it comes to this show, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you haven’t seen the first two seasons, then go watch them right now. If you have, then what are you waiting for?
Kamisama Dolls
Thoughts: Ever since I saw the trailer for this series, I’ve been excited for it, and this first episode did not disappoint. It gave just enough information about the “Kakashi” and the “Seki” that control them in order to follow what was going on, but it never felt like an info dump. Nor did it go overboard with the action; there is one short fight scene as well as a flashback at the beginning of the episode, which is enough to show what the “Kakashi” are capable of. Basically, Kamisama Dolls doesn’t play all its cards in its opening episode to try to draw viewers in; instead, it gives a taste of what is to come without rushing the action or over-explaining its premise. This might just be the sleeper hit of the season.
Usagi Drop
Thoughts: This is the title that I’ve been anticipating the most this season, and there’s great potential all over this thing. The first episode was heartwarming, contrasting the bratty child and the other members of the family with the two main characters’ personalities and grieving process. The way that this show portrays relationships is subtle and believable, despite the amazing circumstance of a thirty-year-old having to raise his own aunt. I’m a little sad that the animation dropped the watercolor look after the OP sequence, but the art as a whole is consistent and the character designs believable and likable. If there’s any one show worth watching this season, this is probably it.
No. 6
Thoughts: I love dystopian sci-fi stories, and No. 6 immediately brings in societal strife with a 1984-styled society (although there is no Big Brother in sight yet) where people wear wrist bracelets and have to check in with the government in exchange for peaceful lives where everything is provided for them. Of course, paradise isn’t perfect, and it looks like the story will focus around revealing the true intentions of the government. There is some vague homosexual subtext here, but I don’t mind it and it can be easily ignored by those who do mind in favor of the larger story. Looks to be an interesting watch every week and a good counter-balance for Usagi Drop.
Images from NicoNico.com, Hulu.com and Crunchyroll.com.
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