Title: Devil Survivor 2 : The Animation
Genre: Demon / Game
Review Score: 9
Aired: April 2013 to June 2013
Review (By Storm):
A normal day is interrupted when demons attack a city. These beings known as Septentriones are trying to take over and destroy all of humanity. A small group of people has 7 days to stop that from happening. Hibiki Kuze is the protagonist here and he plays it well. His will, along with the people around him, give him the strength to overcome his obstacles. If within the 7 days HIbiki can not stop all of the attacks, a god like entity known as Polaris will completely obliterate humanity and the thought of its existence.
This was my favorite new show for the season. I am a huge Atlus fan so this made me happier then you can believe. True to the 3DS title with the same name, this show will make you so happy to see summons you loved in the games come to life and fight neck in neck in actual combat. From aspects like the auction house to demon fusion, this show will service fans better then you can imagine. I can not even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the action, demons, and characters; all playing roles they are meant to. This show is highly enjoyable and without a doubt a must see for fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series.
When the show opens you get the dead face clips which show you how a friend will die in the near future. This is an app, along with the demon summoning one which allows humans to control demons, was created by a Septentrion in hopes that the humans would be able to fight back against their inevitable demise. Throughout the show you get many fights and lots of tough choices along with it that shape how the future will be. Plus, being like the series Shin Megami Tensei there is no shortage of moments that will make you sad as well.
This show is fantastic and does such a great job at the emotional level that it will make you so happy even when outcomes look grim. Then when you get to the end you will absolutely love it and be so happy that you were able to watch something that was so good topped off with an incredible ending themes that sends you off well. I adored this show and was happy to have experienced this. I really hope that anyone who reads this will watch the show , between action, chemistry with characters, and phenomenal story, you will be in love with this show no matter what your taste in anime. As long as you are more on the adult side. Give it a watch sometime, I know I will again.
Title: Suisei Gargantia
Genre: Action / Mech / Sci fi
Review Score: 8
Aired: April 2013 to June 2013
Review (By Storm):
In the distant future, the human race is struggling to survive against a race of creatures known as the Hidiaazu, pronounced like hideauze. While in a struggle in space, Ensign Ledo gets caught in a rift and sent to a place long though to be extinct, Earth. Ledo has to come to grips with the fact that the human planet is still alive. As well as, learn how to live somewhere where constant fighting is not necessary. This kid who has spent his whole life knowing nothing but fighting and survival of the fittest has to learn to change habits and behavior to be able to survive on the peaceful fleet of Gargantia.
Okay first off this show was outstanding from beginning to the end it really had me gripped and wanting more. Earth is completely submerged so everyone has to live on big fleet ships and travel around constantly. This is an amazing aspect that is not often seen in animes and it added a whole new way for life to work rather then the average routines we are so used to seeing. People live simple lives and are generally happy. Hands down this was a show that had people loving it right away and gave you feelings for many of the cast. The buildup of characters as well as the story and the background of the Hideauze is so well done that I believe no matter what, you would be a fan of it. Then you enter into the fact that Ledo is on this fleet with his mech, so there is also that aspect on the show. Without a doubt in mind this show made a lot of people happy with the way it went and how everything was so neatly put together.
Something I really did kind of get bothered by here though is that, you kind of expected more of day to day life on Gargantia and Ledo learning and growing more daily. However towards the end it became heavily fighting and government oriented which I believe it could have gone different directions with these things. Don’t get me wrong, it does not mean I did not love the show. I just felt it could have done with more of the slice of life aspect of things.
Overall, I’d say watch this show and you will more then likely find something that you enjoy about it. It will have you gripped from the beginning all the way to the end of it. The way it end leaves it as if it is perfect the way it is and does not need to add anymore at all. However it is also left that the army he left could find the planet and a conflict could arise there, who knows. But watch the show and judge for yourself on what is your favorite part about this. I guarantee you will love every bit of it.
Title: Karneval
Genre: Shoujou, Action, Mystery, Sci Fi
Review Score: 7
Aired: April 2013 to June 2013
Review (By Storm):
Nai, a young boy with a mysterious watch on his wrist, is in search of the one who gave him the watch. Gareki, a thief with a troubled past, crosses paths with Nai and both of their lives will forver change. The two eventually wind up with the strongest defense force in the world known as circus. Circus helps Nai out because they find out that Nai was originally an animal and through unknown reasons was turned real. While trying to find Nai and learn more about themselves they are faced with dangerous creatures known as Varugas, who are the pawns for a mysterious organization known as Kafka.
I won’t even lie I was pretty bored with this show at the start. It just could not grip me at all as something I would want to keep watching. However as the show continued I kept getting more and more into it until I just really wanted Gareki to join Circus and become just a really powerful companion for Nai in the future. If you can stick with it, I promise the show is good and has a solid amount of action and story to keep people happy. This is something that definitely took me by surprise.
If you like shoujou styled characters and beautiful art you will definitely find what you are looking for here. Even the music that they use goes very well with every situation that is encountered throughout the show. These aspects definitely made it worthy of a watch.
In the end of this run, when you see everything that has happened, you are pretty satisfied with the ending. If there would be another season that would be fine, but likewise if they would end it there, I would not mind that either. Overall very well rounded show that I would recommend at least giving it a shot because I promise you will be drawn to it.
Title: Date A Live
Genre: Shounen / Mech/ Sci-Fi / Comedy
Review Score: 7
Aired: April 2013 to June 2013
Review (By Storm):
While searching for his sister after a dangerous space quake, Itsuka Shidou comes face to face with the disaster, a spirit. Whenever a spirit emerges into this world they cause devastating damage to everything near it. Shidou is recruited by Ratatosk, an organization run by his sister, to make the spirits fall in love with him to seal their powers. Shidou has to be quick, as to avoid direct confrontation with the AST whose only objective is to destroy spirits.
The show goes through Shidou’s encounter with several spirits. From Tohka the charming but hostile first spirit he meets, to ones like Yoshino who is shy and the little sister type. These encounters have to deal with him getting the spirits to fall for him, and then sealing their abilities away with a kiss. These events occur while an AST member who also is obsessed with Shidou is trying to destroy the spirits. Origami, the AST member, is a girl at his school who has always been very fond of him. So when she sees him with the enemy she has to choose between her feelings or her work. The end gave a huge jump into the past, which Shidou and his little sister Kotori, have forgotten. This leaves me anticipating another season to get all of these questions answered.
The show is really good and so easy to get into. It moves at a pace that keeps you wanting to see more, while also giving you what you need with each episode. The proper balance between mech, comedy, and its romantic nature makes sure that most audiences will be entertained for this ride. At times it even feels like playing an eroge game with the choices and things that he has to do. So this show will definitely have you answering and wondering what if at the options.
Overall enjoyable show that definitely has potential for more seasons to come. The one thing about it that was big is they only seemed to give you one big antagonist, who Shidou still believes he can save. Personally I cannot wait for another season to see how this turns out.
Title: Kakumeiki Valvrave
Alternate Title: Valvrave the Liberator
Genre: Mecha
Review Score: 6
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By HappyPiccolo):
Far in the future humanity now primarily lives in space. The “Dyson Spheres” are cities that allow for habitation in space. Kakumeiki Valvrave starts off on JIOR, a small country that holds neutrality. There are two primary factions that compete for power in space, ARUS and Dorssia. Tokishima Haruto is an average high school student thrown into a life of defending Jior through use of the Valvrave battle mech. His friends and schoolmates make for a solid 3 dimensional cast of characters. The story moves at a fairly rapid pace with very few lulls in the action. Between the mecha fighting in space and the students figuring out how to maintain the city, this show can be very entertaining.
Altogether this show presents a pretty respectable story with a cast of likable and variant skilled characters. It jumps into the main conflict right into the first episode and continues on a steady rise from that point. Haruto is paired up with the anit-hero L-Elf in a case of vampiric body swapping, which leads to L joining the Jior faction. From this point the show has a good quality of balancing the kind nature of Haruto, with the power of the Valvrave, against the cold calculating mind of L-Elf. Valvrave the Liberator does a good job of taking most of their characters and expanding them as the first season progresses. I would say this is a series worth checking out if you enjoy Teen/Mecha series. I feel the animation is very well done in the space fights with a pretty concrete mix of fluid motions and beautiful effects. On the other hand, the light effects and the speed at which everything moves can be a bit confusing at times. I enjoyed the fact that this show ends with a full cast of Valvrave pilots, each with their own driving mentalities. Though I do feel like more time could be spent showing each pilots acceptance and thoughts of “surrendering their humanity”.
Fair warning, the end of the first season will leave you on a major cliffhanger by dropping an information bomb just before the end of the season. Because of this, the series needs to continue into a second season. The chances of getting a second season are hit or miss, so if you’re not willing to wait for a possible incomplete plot you may want to wait and see. I’m personally looking forward to it, if they get a second season.
Title: Yuyushiki
Genre: Comedy / School
Review Score: 7
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Dash):
Yui, Yakari, and Yuzuko have finally started high school. Luckily the three friends are all in the same class as they start their high school life. Being freshman they will start looking for a new club to join where they can spend time and hang out. Wanting to find a club that seems to fit their interest they join the Data Processing Club which currently has no members, but provides an empty room with computers for them to use.
My thoughts on this show have not changed since the first episode. I went in expecting a light slice of life comedy and I got just that. The animation is a little off to the standard, but fills in nicely for the genre. I looked forward to this show every week. I enjoy easy going anime where I don’t have to jot down notes or think about the meaning of life. This show is built on puns and silly humor. The characters are goofy and play off of each other real well. The VA for the show fit perfectly in my mind. I never sat there thinking “wow, that just seems a little off”, which does cross my mind in several shows at times. The show is simple, but delivers in my mind.
I won’t lie, this show is not for everyone. It is designed and aimed for a certain audience and that group will not be disappointed. I would define this show as an “everyday” show. Those moments where you and your friends have a good laugh off a series of jokes or funny moments. I would be hard pressed to sell this anime to any form of mainstream, but for those looking for a simple and light hearted show you may want to check this out.
Title: Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko
Genre: Comedy / Romance / School/ Harem
Review Score: 7.5
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Rising Sun):
Yoto Yokodera is a lustful boy who loves to cause all kinds of perverted mischief at his school. The ironic thing though is people misunderstand his mischief for good deeds. One day Yoto’s best friend (who was just as perverted as he is) has a change of heart, and is throwing away his perverted lifestyle. He attributes this to making a wish in front of the stony cat statue. There is a rumor that when people give an offering to the statue, the statue takes away a personality trait that they don’t desire.
The thing is that same personality trait is given to someone else who desires that trait. Yoto goes to the statue and wishes to show his true emotions. While over there he meets this girl named Tsukiko Tsutsukakushi. Tsukiko wants to stop being really emotional. The statue hears this and takes away their traits. Yoto can now speak his mind, and show his emotions. Tsukiko on the other hand is basically emotionless. They eventually have issues with these changes, and they have to find a way to get their traits back.
This show was really, really delightful! I enjoyed the opening. It was really cute and catchy and the ending song was also very Moe! The characters, especially the girls, were very cute. From Tsukiko the emotionless girl to Azuki the tsundere ojou-sama. The art design is also very adorable. This anime does have its moments of fan service and ecchiness, but overall I really had a great time watching it. It has a good amount of comedy, where I was laughing so loud I almost woke up everyone in the house. I was also very satisfied with the ending, and I hope to see a second season in the future.
If you like Romantic Comedies with a good amount of ecchi in it, you will definitely love this. Personally I did.
Title: Hayate no Gotoku@ Cuties!
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Review Score: 6
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Dash):
(This is the fourth season, the intro of the preview is based on the first season.) Hayate is a young who is cursed with misfortune. He is hard working always trying to earn money for him and his family only to discover that one day his parents leave him to… travel… placing all the debt they owe on him. To avoid the “the very kind people” who loaned money to his parents, he runs away. Sitting in a park he runs into a young girl who is having trouble operating a vending machine, realizing she is rich he contemplates kidnapping her. When he goes to say what he is going to do, the young girl (Nagi) misinterprets it is a confession. Nagi is then kidnapped for real and Hayate goes to rescue her. Seeing his potential and in thanks, he is offered a butler position to pay back his debt that Nagi pays off for him (there is more to this so go watch!). So the start of the anime begins or umm.. three seasons and 300 chapters later!
I will start with my cons on this show first to get them out of the way. The first thing I noticed as the lackluster animation in comparison to season one and two. It gave a feel similar to season 3 which was a bit disappointing to me. The second note is the amount of confusion you would have if you did not read the manga. The fourth season starts off pretty far from season two (many skipped the 3rd), which will leave several of the characters and the situation they are in a bit confusing. My final gripe would be the utter lack of plot. There is no real point to the fourth season. Story is more thrown to the side, so you would dodge this season if you are looking for a real move in the story.
With all of the bad stuff said, I did still enjoy this show. This is coming more as a fan of Hayate no Gotoku than looking for a solid story for the fourth installment. At first glace you can tell this is another carry over season which is going to focus on each of the girls starring in the show. I love the characters so this did not pose a problem for me. Nagi is not a bad character, but Hayate did a great job of creating other leads you are hoping win his affections. Like many I am a Hinagiku fan, however I felt her episode was a little weak. I did enjoy the Maria episode since her background is pretty cloudy and a little light on she was a child is shown. They also did manage to bring back the original cast, new VA would have definitely hurt any chance this show had of pleasing the fans.
The opening and endings are cute, but nothing that stand out in comparison to several other shows. I knew going in he was not going to “pick” one of the girls, but remain the indecisive Hayate. With all of that knowledge ahead of time I did not place super high expectations on the fourth installment. I feel that it could be labeled more as fan service and delivered on that point. Personally I give it a “6” from a fan perspective, but for the most part would rate it a “5” as a stand alone. It doesn’t really carry a story nor any purpose. It would run along the lines of a comedy, romance, non-ecchi harem. If you like the Hayate series, you may still have your gripes about the show. It is a solid watch if you are looking for some light comedy and enjoy the characters more so then the plot.
Title: Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge
Genre: Action / Romance / Fantasy
Preview Score: 7
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Preview (By Dash):
Haimura Kiri is obsessed with hair, more so wanting to cut it. One day he runs across Mushiyanokouji Iwai after hearing a story who is supposedly a ghost (she is not). It is love at first sight (with the hair). She has long beautiful hair that Kiri sees and now wants to meet her. He discovers Iwai has a “curse”, her hair can’t be cut, he does however try with scissors she owns and finds it true. He learns that the curse does not only keep her hair from being cut, but that those who are close to her eventually go missing or die. Kiri then learns of an organization who possess “Killing Tools” who watch over her and those who posses said tools. These tools are former tools of serial killers from times past, they are also cursed. Upon learning of his own history and that his own cherished pair of scissors is a “Killing Tool”, he returns to cut Iwai’s hair successfully. Now the story truly begins…
All in all in show delivered a solid “first half” of an anime. If the show were to end here, I feel it would drop closer to a “5” due to the unfinished nature of “if they get a happy ending”. The show could turn you off pretty quickly as you may label this closer to a hair fetish, then a fantasy driven plot. My one piece of advice is to stick through the first couple of episodes, it does start to get interesting.
Other than the “half delivery”, the show does carry a few weak points. I feel the nature and story could hurt many viewers from getting into it. The backdrop of the story is very dark. The tools they wield are all linked to famous killers of the past. For me this was a plus, however I do not think this show would fly well for “kid friendly viewing”. I also did not care much for the character designs, I just feel they were a bit offing due to the nature of the sow. The last note is that they do add the point of pleasure and sensuality the killers get from acting out their desires. I felt that it was portrayed a little to “push to point” with the sensation they feel. I understand that there is a point where killers also can feed sexually off of what they do, however I do not think that should have applied to all the killing tools as shown to date.
Like I said before, I did enjoy the dark backdrop and the stories behind the tools. I felt they did a good job of explaining the history of each tool and why they drive some people to the brink of insanity. I enjoyed this show from start to finish. The story was very well done, I have not seen anything that “matched” up the same way. To point out I often don’t watch action anime, so there is a chance there is a similar show. I would counter point and say that nothing over the past year has come out that really gave this kind of feeling. It felt original and they did not ignore the building of background on your characters. You can feel for both sides of the struggle in the show as you move along. The concept of the killing tools, how they are created, and their purpose now was a win in my mind.
If you are looking for a dark twist anime with a hint of romance and “internal struggle” I think you will enjoy this. Half of this cast is female and the animation might steer people away due to the “not your typical action/dark style” artwork. They did already promo their second season, which keeps it higher ranked. If the show was to end now, it would suffer due to “in completion” of virtually everything they feed you. I do think general anime fans should check this show out. It provides a different taste then what has been airing over the past year and I do feel it is one of those “you should see this” anime. I think it covers a broad range of what a lot of fans enjoy.
Title: Hataraku Maou-sama!
Genre: Comedy / Romance / Fantasy
Review Score: 9
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Dash):
The Demon King is threatening the conquer the world and of course a group of heroes come to fight him. During the battle the Maou is forced to use a portal to escape… which lands him in modern day Tokyo. Upon learning of this world he and his knight Shirou realize they are now human and cannot use magic (for the most part). To build on this dreadful situation they must now find a place to stay and get jobs to pay for their bills until they can find a way back to the world they are set on conquering.
This show took me by full surprise. I would say where Dansai looks like a comedy at the start and turns dark, Hataraku looks like a Claymore type demons vs heroes anime that turns comedy. This show had me laughing at the situations and reactions they are put in as they seem to be only good at fighting and have no idea what to do when they first arrive in this world. The show does take a good pace to not force you to watch “get jobs” and “settle in”, they do this quickly and to the point. Now Maou Sadao is a part time worker at a fast food restaurant to pay for all of their living expenses while Shirou looks in the magic of this world and possibility to return to their own. Maou seems to take his work very seriously and depicted very different from the evil lord he was in the other realm. The final turn at the end really had me laughing.
The show keeps up its humor while starting to mix in action and plot. Over the course of the show you start to learn a bit of where he comes from and the actions he committed. A strong point to the show was the female protagonist, Emi. She is the hero from Enta Island and has followed the Demon Lord here to slay him. To her dismay she learns that he is a honest hard working person who lives his daily life. As the show progresses additional characters are added in and bad guys come along to destroy the Demon Lord, however each one has a twist or meaning to the story. I really felt that this show pulled me in in episode one and held me through all thirteen weeks. I can honestly say this show was my favorite of the new anime.
The story is a dually addressed. On one hand you have the Maou and Emi living their lives here on Earth, while you still have the plotting back on Enta Island. They do a pretty good job of addressing this as the show moves on, especially towards the end of the show. They do touch on the background between Emi and Maou, especially on the kind of person he was as compared to now. I can only hope a second season can bring closer on their relationship and how he has learned to be “human”. The VA was also perfectly cast for this show. I can honestly salute the execution for every nuance that needed to be present to make you love the characters. The artwork is solid and the action scenes (the few they have) are very well done. The ending song is cute, but the opening is amazing and up for my best of the season opening.
Overall this show was great. I have to give it a “9” and virtually recommend it to almost any person considers themselves an anime fan. Sure the “demon in the human world” take may not be super original, but from there on out the show stood out in my mind. A second season could seal this show a ten possibly in my mind. Even concluding as it is, I would still rate this a high “8” missing one of the looming questions “Can Emi and Maou come to terms… Can she Forgive him?”
Title: Photokano
Genre: Romance / Slice of Life / School / Comedy
Review Score: 5
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Happypiccolo):
Maeda Kazuya receives a hand me down camera from his father, taking interest in it he starts taking photos at school. After being spotted on his potential “talent” the current president of the Photography Club approaches him and invites him to join. During the attempt to recruit him, the “Photo Club” also reaches out to him (they share a room divided by a curtain). The difference? The Photo Club is pretty much the legitimate take on photography art wise, while the Photography Club focuses more on shots of what makes high school great, girls. Luckily for Kazuya he already knows or is starting to know several of the most beautiful girls in the school.
The first five episodes of this series seems like your average slice of life and serves the purpose of giving you some background information on the seven love interests. The remaining episodes lead the show to a more dating sim style by presenting different love story endings depending on which girl Maeda focuses on in that episode. This show has its funny and emotionally touching moments, but it doesn’t really present anything that hasn’t been seen before.
If you are a big fan of slice of life this may appeal to you or it may just seem like the same old thing. This show is pretty ecchi heavy so if you enjoy random shots of young high school girls this show will appeal to you. If you are looking for a standout romance slice of life you will probably want to pass on this one. At best this show achieves mediocrity and serves to be mostly just a time filler.
Title: Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru
TS: “My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong as I Expected”
Genre: Romance / School / Comedy
Review Score: 8
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Dash):
Hikigaya Hachiman is an unsocial, easy going, not positive outlook on life high school student who is in for a big change. After submitting a report to his teacher on what he believes school and high school is, he forced to join the “Volunteer Service Club” led by the beautiful and intelligent Yukinoshita Yukino. Yukino takes up the goal of helping “fix” Hachiman so that he can become more socialable and change his negative view on life. On his first club activity, they take up a job helping Yuigahama Yui who wants to learn to make tasty cookies for her friends and the one she likes. Three students who are completely different are now brought together for a fun and entertaining series.
There are very few complaints I can think of for Yahari (at least personally). From the get go you know its a high school loner protagonist, but it is his mentality that makes him different. He has no intention of being a socialite and views human interaction as silly. Insert his teacher forcing him into the “Volunteer Club” and all fun breaks loose. I wouldn’t define the show as super original or a stand alone. That would be the big draw back in my mind. It felt a bit like a non ecchi-harem Boku no Tomodachi.
Pushing onward the series continued to be entertaining. A club who will help you achieve a goal, but not do it for you. The goal is to help you accomplish or aid in the accomplishment of your task. The entertainment comes from the mishmash that is the “Volunteer Club”. Each character has a very strong personality fitting for the work and type of person they are. (As an example) Honest and serious, yet lacking the ability to show emotion; Yukino plays the ideal perfect girl with a slight older sister complex. Combined it creates a great mix of humor. Their activities aren’t unique in the “I need help doing this..” fashion, but rather how they overcome the challenge. They often call back on Hikigaya and a darker approach to solve a problem,
Most aspects of the show were handled very well. I thought the VA for the show was perfectly cast, I really thought Yui was super cute The opening and ending are both cute songs, although I wouldn’t place them as my favorites of the season. There is a plot and conflict for this story as well. The three characters are all connected and it does become a conflict to push thought mid way through the show.
A side note I really enjoyed was the interlude commercial cut. Rather then everyone being happy or smiling, they all have a mean look on their face. Overall I would highly recommend this show. It is one of the best new anime of the season with Hataraku Maou-sama in my mind. Granted you have to enjoy high school – club like anime, I would recommend watching at least the first few episodes before scratching this off your list. The show did a great job of combining several elements that make slice of life / school / club anime great.
Title: Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san
Genre: Comedy
Review Score: 6
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Dash):
Mukoujima Takurou seems to be a loner who likes to spend his time fishing. One day he catches a mermaid, Muromi. From there it breaks down in comedy hits and random takes and fears mermaids might have on land (seagulls… cats… fishing hooks). The show seems to follow the first three or so encounters he has with Muromi and her random added antics which at least are adding a bit a flavor to Takurou’s no longer peaceful life.
This is a straight slap stick comedy. The art style is clearly geared for the comedy factor… almost a better rendered and proportioned Kill Me Baby. The show itself has no real direction other then discovering some of the mythical creatures of the sea and their relation to Muromi. Most of the time it is Taku sitting at the dock fishing and dealing with Muromi’s one sided affections.
The VA was solid and for some reason I fell in love with the opening (granted it flashes several times at the start so be careful). The animation is clearly comedy style and not designed to impress, rather to enjoy, As stated there is no real plot, it is a comedy / slap stick anime.
This show is a half size only running about 15 minutes a piece. I would recommend Muromi if you like silly humor with no real point or direction. I do not see a second season popping up, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Due to lack of “anything” other than humor it is hard for me to rate this high, however still enjoyable.
Title: Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W
Genre: Comedy / Parody
Review Score: 7
Aired: April 2013 – July 2013
Review (By Dash):
This is the second season from the once flash anime. It picks right back up with the humor and style that made Haiyore! so popular. The artwork on this show is pretty details and I love the character design. I was happy to find out of a second season of this show, as the first season was pretty popular and so was its music. The second season opening is also super catchy (and fun to watch), the ending I felt wasn’t “as” cute. I really love the VA team assembled for this show and Asumi Kana does an amazing job with Nyaruko. There is a little bit of cuteness and charm point about her voice acting that I have always had a special place in my heart for her characters. (Amagami SS – Miya, Angel Beats! – Miyuki, Shugo Chara – Ran) just to name a few of her roles, trust me you know her.
Nyaruko W delivers right off of the bat in my mind. I feel it followed up perfectly from season one, virtually feeling like one solid run rather then two different seasons. The show itself has a very lose plot, Nyaruko attempting to make Mahiro fall in love with her (while protecting earth from aliens). They do not really add any characters from the first season to the second season minus Kuko’s sister appearing (whom is love with Kuko). This one added plot device does develop the Mahiro x Nyaruko relationship a bit and also pushed Kuko’s affections towards Mahiro up. After those plot additions, the story more or less stick to the same concept. Mahiro gets caught up in whatever Nyaruko and the gang are doing, while one of them lands up saving the world from silly baddies. They did end the show with a surprise that pleased me.
The cons of this show would be the genre the show falls under, which in my mind can’t be held against it. It would be better to avoid the genre if you don’t really care for it. The animation is very clean, the VA is great, and the music is fun. The story, like many comedies, is pretty lose but slightly present only really having any play until the end. I can see why the show is a hit in Japan and only hope that it catches on here. The other downside played off of this is that this show uses a lot of parody for jokes which may fly over the heads of many mainstream fans and especially get lost in translation.
Overall I loved the show, the slightly lower rating based on story and the deeper stuff it lacks. However for a slightly ecchi-harem comedy it was great. If you like these types of shows, Nyaruko should have been on your radar for this season. The opening is super catchy and arguably one of the best of the season. I would recommend this to anyone who is a big anime fan period due to the several parodies they play off of or if you are looking for a solid cute comedy.
Title: Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai.
TS: My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute 2
Genre: Comedy / Slice of Life / Romance
Rreview Score: 9
Aired: April 2013 – June 2013
Review (By Dash):
Kousaka Kyousuke and his younger sister Kirino have not had the best of relationships, in fact they virtually ignore each other. One day they run into each other in the house as Kirino is stepping out and Kyousuke finds something on the ground, a magical girl anime with an ero game inside (even worse a little sister ero game!). After a little bit of thought and a quick trick Kyousuke learns that Kirino is a closet otaku! Why the shock? Because Kirino is a beautiful, smart, top of the class, athletic, and model like girl. Upon disclosing her secret to her brother, Kirino starts “Life Counseling” sessions with Kyousuke as to how to deal with her split love of being an otaku while being an ideal girl. Along the way they will make new friends and perhaps new relationships will bloom.
I love Oreimo, so it was without question I was really looking forward to season two. I felt that the show started off a little slow and was not sure if it was going to live up to my expectation, I was wrong. For starters you need to realize this sequel follows the added ending (going through 15 where she goes to America) and not the original release.
Now this season answered a long standing questions I’ve had watching this show, Why does Kirino hate her brother? I felt that the first episode lead in a short glimpse of what spurred this and the last episode actually will give you the full answer to this question. A primary point before diving into the second season is that the show for “content” purposes will end at episode twelve. I was very pleased to see that they address why Kirino is the way she is and what formed her distant relationship with her brother. I felt that adding this part to the equation lifted the story a good deal.
I impressed by them bringing light to the additional characters of the show. It was nice to know the background of Saori and why she dresses the way she does. I was really looking forward to the Kureneko and Ayase plots. I believe most viewers knew at some point most of the girls would come to like him, but I enjoyed how they built up the final few episodes and how they come together. I also adore the question never fully being answered, Does Kirino see Kyouske as a man or as her brother? A lot of times I want a resolution, but due to the nature of the show I felt it was a question better off not answered (for now). The show moves on perfectly from the first season giving the feel of a solid twenty eight episode run rather than a “two season” feel.
ClariS did a bang up job with the opening and the various ending themes for each girl were well done. The animation is solid for Oreimo, what you see is what you get. It is not a lights and lasers show, but a slice of life comedy with a slightly different drawing style that feel adds to the cuteness of the show. I remain a solid a Oreimo fan and looking forward to a third season should the anime gods permit it. I would still highly recommend the show to anyone who enjoys easy going comedy / romance type anime. It currently among the strong names in the anime world, if you have never picked up Oreimo you should and go knockout out some moe!
Title: Zettai Bouei Leviathan
Genre: Fantasy / Magical Girl / Comedy
Preview Score: 6.5
Aired: April 2013 – July 2013
Preview (By Dash): The show starts off with something landing on a planet (Aquafall) and black lights releasing themselves on the planet. (Run the Intro) You then cut to three different girls going about their daily lives. One is taking a walk down a path, one is training, and one is carrying a bag on a delivery… they are all hit in the head by a mechanical looking beetle. After a short chase all three girls meet up and defeat the evil beetle that bopped them all on the head and part ways. The young girl Leviatan (they seem to leave out the “h” however all references I found kept it in) proceeds to train at a lake where she uses water magic (and a short flash back of her and her brother). This magic hits a flying fairy in the air, whom she… (er) rescues. This fairy (Syrop/Syrup – again the anime translated it Syrop but the character lists say “Syrup”) is on a mission to gather people to form up the “Aquafall Defense Force” to fight off the creatures coming from the meteorite who are invading the planet. At first Leviatan refuses her, however Syrop tag along with her as she goes about her errand in the down. After a “happenstance” meet up again with the other two girls at a bar/restaurant the girls team up to take down some guys who (wrong?) them. They finish off by introducing themselves while looking out over the ocean. So Leviatan, Jormugandr, and Bahamut’s adventure starts!
I enjoyed the light hearted start of the show. The initial encounter with an invader is short and comedic. Their second meet up can be described as just as fun and the side kick Syruo\p doesn’t run off as annoying, but cute! The VA for the characters meet the part, but rarely does original Japanese VA do badly. The magical transformation they show of Leviatan was pretty standard, yet still pretty. I enjoy they all have dragon tails in their magical form (Cosplay Alert!). The art is simple yet clean, and I can’t really complain. The music does vary pretty well as they moved along the from situation to situation.
This looks like a light hearted story as of now, with a good mix of comedy and magical fun. I personally prefer female characters over male and follows the “Rule of Three” for the magical girls (Red – Blonde – Blue Hair). I feel this is going to be a fun magical girl adventure that won’t be as cheesy as the shoujo ones out there. I honestly would recommend giving this show a try if you like magical / fantasy anime with a good comedy kick (as it doesn’t seem to be the normal magical girl).
Title: Arata Kangatari
Genre: Adventure / Fantasy
Preview Score: 5
Preview (By Dash):
An alternate world where magic and swordman still exist, there is a princess that rules over the land known as the Hayagami. The Hayagami are protected by the “12 Shinshou”, twelve powerful warriors with magical weapons. Every thirty years a new princess is chosen from the Hime family to take over as keeper of the land. However, the Hime family has been unable to produce a daughter for the past sixty years. Under the threat of being destroyed or exiled, the Hime family disguises Arata as a girl and sends him in place of a female to take over until they can find a new princess.
In a world that is like our own, lives another Arata. Arata doesn’t trust anyone after being betrayed by his friends and wishes to just vanish. His wish comes true as he and the other Arata switch places magically. However only the “Arata’s” realize it. Now Arata must flee for his life as the princess has been murdered by her own Shinshou who have placed the blame on the other Arata. They murdered her during the ceremony to appoint a new princess where there were no witnesses to confirm the betrayal. Arata is now wanted for the murder of the princess and so our story begins!
Arata Kangatari has yet to win me over (given we are only one episode in). It is a shounen aimed anime from what I can tell, however it has a very shoujo feel with the twelve Shinshou fitting the “pretty boy” moe. The other thing that really peeves me is the “I hate my life” protagonist Arata, granted he does stand up for the Hime family, I still don’t like his character. You can already see he is going to slowly change, but his past will come to haunt him and definitely cause the typical “Can I overcome this?” mentality. The magic and action look pretty shiny, however my inability to like the protagonist will interfere with my appreciation of the anime. I find this similar to “Excel Saga”, in which I just could not get into because the protagonist was just so pathetic. I also like a strong female lead in anime, this anime has one (Kotoha) but doesn’t strike me as a focus in comparison to the male characters. (I never got into Hunter x Hunter for the same reason.) I could be wrong, but the first episode did not give a solid impression in comparison to the other anime that have come out. I feel this show will hit the back burner for me and I will be playing catch up come the final reviews. I am hoping Arata Kangatari will make a solid turn and use the twelve episodes to make a provoking anime proving my initial thoughts wrong.
Title: RDG: Red Data Girl
Genre: Shoujo / Fantasy
Preview Score: 5
Preview (By Storm):
Izumiko Suzuhara is a very passive and shy girl who lives a seemingly sheltered live at a shrine. The only outside interaction Izumiko has seems to be at school, where a majority of the school bully her for being shy and dull. We find out that she has some problems with electronics and interacting with them. After she causes a small incident at her school, we are introduced to the second main character of the show Miyuki Sagara. Miyuki is rude to Izumiko right away because he remembers her from previous childhood experiences where he hits her with rocks for being dull. After her father’s friend appears Miyuki states that he cannot believe that Izumiko is the Himegami. As the episode came to a close we have yet to learn what a Himegami is which peaks the interest to watch further episodes. One thing you can take away from this first episode is change. The need to change versus the want to change.
This anime as it stands from this first episode is not too good at pulling me in. As of just the first episode was not really good at hooking me and overall kind of just dull. The voice acting used is well suited to this type of anime as it is monotone and fits with the atmosphere of the show. However as it goes on my feelings are that this show does have some potential, just have to wait to see if it can go somewhere and get me more interested. For people That would like to watch it my suggestion would be to wait for a few episodes before you get into it so you will have something to work with.
Title: Aku no Hana
Genre: Drama / School
Preview Score: 2
Peview (By Storm):
Aku no Hana is about a boy named Kasuga Takao. He has a deep love for books; especially one he constantly reads, Les Fleurs du Mal. Takao considers a girl he has a crush on, Nanako, to be his muse for life. His obsession from a distance leads him to steal her gym outfit one day when he goes back to get his book from school.
In all honestly nothing else really happened in this show. If I tried to write more it would just be me literally writing words from conversations in the show. The art of the characters is very uninteresting and honestly annoying, which makes no sense when the background is beautiful. The voice acting is bland and kind of puts the viewer in a mood to just not care about what’s going on at all. This show really has no draw for me and just seems very boring and unfulfilling in every way. In my opinion, this will be a very hard anime for anyone to latch onto. My guess is it is going to go some deep psychological route, but as for now the show gives you nothing.
Overall I would suggest overlooking this show unless you like poor animation style and bleak voice acting. Still unsure if I will give this another chance but only time will tell.