There are things in here that I like, yet...
First off, I need to clarify that these first impressions are not from the two-episode web pre-air but are from the first episode of the Viz simulcast that is up on Hulu. With that out of the way, my main take-away from the first episode is this: is the main character some kind of masochist? The episode makes a big deal about establishing how pathetic our protagonist is before he gets his hands on a program that will apparently change his entire life. He's short, fat, gets bullied, and his only escape is beating his own high score in virtual squash. Once this was all established, I did feel a bit sorry for him... but then it was shown that he has friends who want to help him. Then all the sympathy I had for the character flew out the window. If the point is to create a downtrodden character with nowhere to go but up, don't give him an out! And I don't mean the program that stops time and puts him into 3-D Street Fighter, since that's the premise of the show. Seeing the main character make a big deal about not wanting his friends to help him makes me think that he's not so much a social outcast as a victim of teenage angst. I'll be giving this the three episode test, since I like the way technology works in this world and want to see more of it. I'm also interested in the intentions of Kuroyukihime other than the obvious "you too can get an attractive female to like you for no reason" angle. What does she get out of helping this kid? There's no immediately obvious reason, and I hope that they do discuss it. This episode disappointed me a little, but I'll stick with it for now.
Images from Hulu.com.
