*You could have read these tweets in real time as I updated my status by following me on Twitter.

Autumn 2011 to winter 2012 (more info)

As good as the Persona 4 video game was, I wish its anime series would deviate more from the default script or fill in some more fine details that have thus far flown under the radar.  Arguably, fans of the video game are going to be the primary fanbase of the anime, but if there are no surprises for us we’re not likely to give very good opinions to more casual viewers who may only have a passing interest.  So the plot of Persona 4 is stuck in a weird catch-22 where it needs enough new material to keep the old fans interested but it also needs to stay true to the original story.  In some ways, it’s suffering from some of the same problems as Fate/Zero.  But it’s more than worth it to watch Persona 4 just for the killer music and sharp art style that is an intrinsic quality of Atlus.  One of the things the anime does get right that is a perfect mirror of the video game is the pacing of events to match real dates and create a tangible passage of time.  And while the story may have felt more natural in video game format, it’s still totally awesome.  Its best points are a cast of varied, loveable characters, a good sense for spinning elaborate mysteries and an overarching theme of emphasizing the importance of the bonds we share with our friends.  When you think about it like that, there’s not much else to be desired.

Autumn 2011 and spring 2012 (more info / part 2)

I’m of the opinion that a little more time could have been spent waiting to get the series released in one 24 episode block without this huge lapse in pace, especially when it ends on such a big cliffhanger.  Because Fate/Zero is a prequel, it also means that in order to keep consistency with canon, the story needs to conform to some rigid guidelines to fit what comes after.  Knowing that none of this is going to end well puts an emotional barrier between the viewer and a lot of the characters, prohibiting real attachment.  The result is that the viewer feels like an outside observer waiting for the inevitable, rather than wanting to get invested in something that’s ultimately going to be futile.  It’s sad because the new side characters are colorful and there’s a lot of spirit in their personalities.  But I don’t want to suggest that Fate/Zero is a waste of time.  It’s gorgeous and emotional, but also deeply thought provoking; delving into some really fun, dark corners of the human psyche.  The twisted personalities of Ryuunosuke and Caster manage to contort morality to match their own ambitions and that’s always an interesting exercise of mental gymnastics.  However, the fact that this survival game that is the Holy Grail War has thus far resulted in no casualties for the participants is a telling sign that the writers are pandering to the fanbase rather than thinking things through organically.  Fate/Zero is beautiful and epic to watch in the way that Type Moon always puts forward, but it’s not nearly as immersive as I’d hoped it would be.

Last Exile – Fam, the Silver Wing

Dropped at episode 4 of 21 (more info)

I remember fondly the sense of urgency and mystery that filled the original Last Exile and made it a great introductory anime to anyone who wanted to take a closer look at the steampunk genre.  The magic of the original series has been lost over the years and its second season has become just a boring old pirating anime, set in a world at war that deals with issues of honor in very contrived ways.

High School DxD (4/10)

Dropped at episode 2 of 12 (more info)

There’s good ecchi and bad ecchi.  To its credit, High School DxD falls somewhere in the middle, but there’s still way too much ecchi for its own good.  The plot is really quite silly and the character designs portray the women with completely unreasonable proportions, purely for fanservice purposes.  Its redeeming feature is that it actually has a somewhat original and interesting story to tell, but that’s not enough when the rest of the anime feels as though there’s no effort invested in its creation.

Kill Me Baby (3/10)

Dropped at episode 2 of 12 (more info)

The super-deformed moe style certainly isn’t for everyone, but what kills Kill Me Baby is the serious lack of personality in its characters.  Sonya is supposed to be aloof and detached, but seems much more bored and apathetic all the time.  Agiri may always be up in the clouds and look spacey, but her voice sounds either like she’s about to fall asleep or maybe she’s on drugs.  Lively Yasuna does her best to make up for the two cinder blocks she hangs out with, but when they’re content to just leave her behind I can’t see how the plot of this anime could possibly go anyplace exciting.

Inu x Boku SS (3/10)

Dropped at episode 5 of 12 (more info)

The idea of tsundere Ririchiyo being naturally driven to adopt this personality by virtue of her cloistered and bourgeois lifestyle is a level of depth in character creation seldom seen from this character archetype.  Giving her a doting companion / bodyguard who will naturally be able to melt her icy personality through his devoted loyalty was the perfect complement to Ririchiyo and the beginning of something really cool was all set to wow the viewers.  And then it all went horribly wrong as it floundered in a sea of misplaced and pointless S&M jokes.  Really, this is one of the strangest changes of tone I’ve seen in a long time.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear (3/10)

Dropped at episode 3 of 13 (more info)

Hibiki and Tsubasa’s relationship is on bad terms, but it’s mostly because Hibiki seems to turn off her social skills in favor of playing the starstruck underdog to Tsubasa’s cold, professionalism.  It’s also paced way too slow, with too little information revealed about the origins of this war and with supporting characters who clearly understand more than the combatants.  Being a singing anime with less than mediocre music is also not a great way to sell a title to fans who are interested in that kind of genre.  Symphogear could have been a cool, technological / magic girl anime along the lines of My-HiME, but the fight scenes are clunky and the characters are either super bitchy or socially incompetent airheads.

*You could have read these tweets in real time as I updated my status by following me on Twitter.

Autumn 2011 to winter 2012 (22 episodes) (more info)

At the halfway point of Guilty Crown, it feels like everything is finished.  But…there’s still another full season of content.  It’s very clear that this anime has decided to split its story into two very distinct arcs, which I’m worried is going to give the impression that the first arc was just a drawn-out way of establishing setting for what is now the main story.  Just how much of what happened in the first half is going to matter in the second is still up in the air.  But with such an abrupt change of direction, much of what came before may not continue to contribute meaningfully to current events.  An anime that’s only half-important to watch is liable to only be half good.  But I feel that I’m being overly pessimistic with that evaluation because Guilty Crown has some really brilliant action.  It’s also trying its best to be a supernatural thriller, and while I give an A for effort, when the best it can muster is an apocalypse, I’ve seen much better compositions on that theme in other anime.  My advice is to watch Guilty Grown for its gorgeous music, smooth art style and top-notch fights that exhibit some amazing spontaneity and creativity.

Autumn 2011 to winter 2012 (26 episodes) (more info)

It’s a satisfying accomplishment that Mirai Nikki manages to create a compelling scenario that keeps two very different people together for a common goal—even when one is a boring, weak, down-to-earth average Joe and the other is an obsessive, willful, crazy, psychopath.  But while the necessity of Yuno and Yukitero staying together feels like a match made in hell, it doesn’t help the rest of the anime when so many of the other characters keep passing on their chances to win this survival game.  It usually boils down to massive personality flaws borne either of a pretentious and overconfident nature or simply overindulging in the thrill of their admittedly finite powers of prediction.  Either way, the end result causes them to foolishly forfeit the opportunity of an unbelievable reward.  But setting aside that niggling little shortcoming, Mirai Nikki is dramatic and unpredictable, which keeps everything tense and thrilling.  The twists of this often painfully engrossing anime always leave me wanting more.

Winter 2012 (8 episodes) (title synonym – BRS) (more info)

And so begins the anime that was inspired by a Vocaloid song.  The first episode is showing excellence, but comes with quite an emotional roller coaster; leaving me only slightly optimistic about the tone of this series.  It would seem that with only eight episodes they’re rushing content and a slower revelation of this anime’s darker elements would have been better—allowing more time to set the mood.  That being said, there’s still an air of novelty around the concept of our inner psyches engaging in epic battles as we experience the tumultuous drama of our daily relationships.  The art style is also trying something unique with reality looking plain and somewhat unrefined; switching to a sharper and edgy theme when the action starts.  The talent of Kana Hanazawa greatly adds to the depth of the composition, which is going to be a necessity to pull off the range of feelings Mato is inevitably going to experience.  At its core, Black Rock Shooter is an experimental anime that’s breaking new ground and it’s off to a promising start.

*You could have read these tweets in real time as I updated my status by following me on Twitter.

Autumn 2011 (12 episodes)

Shingo and his sister Sakuno are participating in a school merger program in their small town.  They’re attending an all-girls school and this is the first time young men have set foot in this school for some time.  The girls school student council president is naturally against a change as large as introducing male students to campus.  When push comes to shove, Shingo is the kind of guy who isn’t going to get flustered by a stubborn female rival.  He slowly starts to make inroads with some of the less temperamental girls and shows that he’s capable of being a friend and ally.  Things are tough, but he’s making good progress as an ambassador for his school and probably more importantly for his gender.  But when he is assigned to be the men’s representative on the student council, that’s when things are going to really get interesting.

I’m glad the year of the inept male is finally over and we can get back to anime where the main man has a likeable personality.  Unfortunately, all the women around him are completely dependent on his motivation and leadership if they want to be successful.  It starts to get really annoying because it’s dragged out way too long. Watching the middle of this anime feels like a chore.  All the same, I’m pleased that Mashiro-iro doesn’t give away the main heroine until the very end.  It manages to keep relationships fairly natural and believable, even if that means it has to take things slower than I’d prefer.  But the fact that I wanted very much to know who Shingo ended up falling in love with kept me motivated just enough to finish it.  Considering its easygoing pace and balance, Mashiro-iro is one of those quiet anime that’s nice and relaxing to watch every once in a while.