Spring 2010 Anime Season

Oh yes, I’m well aware that I’m a bit late to the spring anime season bashing party so I’ll go ahead and be the “It’s not so bad” guy.

You know this guy he’s the one who stands in the group not really saying anything of interest. He just waits and laughs at all the appropriate times.

When the alpha male of the group says “God I hate that kid Bob, he’s such an *Inappropriate Word*”

Then I’ll say “Oh come on really popular Alpha Male guy, he’s not that bad.”

At this point there are two options. They either kick me in the groin and throw me out of the party for not agreeing flat out, or I simply fan the flames of the discontent because the next lines will be something like “Not that bad!!! Are you kidding me, were you there the one time when he spilled milk on my jeans?! Those were freakin’ designer jeans man. That Bob kid seriously needs to stop being such a *Inappropriate word* I mean he’s a *Inappropriate Word* *Inappropriate Word* mixed with a *Inappropriate Word* and a *Inappropriate word*. He can’t even tie his *Inappropriate Word* without the *Inappropriate Word* *Inappropriate Word*ing over the *Inappropriate Word*.”

And so the conversation continues. Though to the fairer sex it might appear like I’m a good guy (as was my intention) I really had no plans to carry poor Bob’s defense further than a weak objection, but that’s all I really needed to do to not associate myself with the Alpha Male. Thus, I am a non conformer while very clearly conforming… Brilliant.

That was a very long metaphor, but hopefully you have grasped the essence of what this post is going to be now.

As I read the descriptions for most of the shows I must admit feeling like I had seen most of them before. For instance as I read the description for Kachou wa Maid-sama! I understood: Cute, very smart and driven girl is unsatisfied with men and will never subject herself to love, until in episode one when cute boy shows up and sweeps her off her feet. Smart Girl is very smart, but because men are smarter than women (I don’t believe this! I’m just typing what I read after it’s gone through my brain filter, please don’t believe this) cute boy is slightly smarter and discovers her secret. They dance around their feelings for awhile, but eventuall he forces a relationship. It’s ok  though because she likes it (Therefore it isn’t r8pe). I clearly should give this show a chance because it doesn’t sound anything like Special A or Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (the latter of which I did not actually complete). Then again I can’t bash anime too hard for this because of course this is like every romantic comedy I’ve ever seen. The gimmick is the cute boy discovers the cute girl works in a Maid Café, which is apparently her secret. It could be good, but it won’t be watchable unless the comedy is executed really well. The plot won’t be worth sticking around for as you’ve seen it before. Oh, yes and I forgot: “Come on guys, it won’t be that bad”.

Other anime descriptions on this list just intrigued me: Gundams playing out the romance of the three kingdoms *Dustin Facepalms*. However B Gata H Kei did catch my eye as being particularly polarized. I mean “Yamada is a high school student, and a virgin, who aspires to have 100 casual sex partners. Despite this, she soon finds herself targeting and pursuing only one boy.” Ok I’m still laughing a little bit. Part of me is asking myself whether or not this is serious and the much bigger part knows it is. Will I have to give this show a couple of episodes? I probably will… Will it be any good? It probably won’t be.

Another crazy one on the list would have to be Kiss X Sis: Now I know this has been done before, but is anyone else getting the uncomfortable feeling that incest is becoming a little to main stream? To Love-Ru (the manga) was ok, because Rito had no feelings for Mikan and the feelings Mikan supposedly had were never expressed. Kiss X Sis is just a little bit too obvious and a little scary as a seemingly normal harem anime. Perhaps this shouldn’t be continually encouraged in anime for I fear it will give it a bad rap. How long before anime is just called an H genre? I’m afraid of the answer to that.

I will be watching Mayoi Neko Overun! I don’t actually expect it to be that good, but the first three manga chapters have been pretty fun: Partially for the Mikan cameos but more because the mangaka who drew Black Cat and To Love-Ru is drawing it (the manga). They use character stereotypes but I really like Chise’s stock character: The cute, rich, loli who goes about trying to make friendships in all the wrong ways. Her heart is always in the right place, but her social skills are a little awkward! When I watched the trailer though I must say I hate the way they advertised it. Of course they’re playing off the cat girl thing, but I really hope they focus on the relationship development and plot. Of the three manga chapters I’ve seen that’s what will make it enduring; not a fetish.

I’ve heard a lot of people comment on Ironman. I’m curious to see how the Japanese do it. Will they stick to the American Capitalistic values of Tony Stark, or will they fundamentally change the story. I can’t see it being all that popular if they don’t change the story a little bit, but at the same time you all know how much I hate that. They really can’t win with Ironman now can they?

The series that intrigues me the most on this list (and admittedly I don’t know much about it) is Rainbow. “Set in 1955, the story follows seven teenagers who must learn to live together in the same hold at a reformatory in Shio. Confined in a hall of daily suffering and humiliation, they wait for a ray of hope in a dark, incarcerating world. It focuses on how they have lived their lives, after being released.” This is, perhaps, the most inspired review, or, the series itself might be good. Anyways, even though the plot does sound interesting to me you never know until you see the actual execution. The writer could be abysmally bad… You just never know.

Ahh, and the last item of note has to be K-ON! Season 2. Oh you all know it’s coming, I can already feel the words springing from my mind to the page.

I have been unnaturally hard on K-ON but not without good reason. I realize the target market of the series, but I refuse to get a good feeling from characters who just feel so unreal to me. The K-ON girls dialogues, stated plainly, are uninspired. The drama of the first season was manufactured (and for the most part bad) and my general reaction at the end of an episode was a heavy sigh. Now I will admit that the actual lives and the crazy Fuwa Fuwa time music video were actually pretty great. I loved the musical aspect of the show and the interesting creativity they applied to showing us such off the wall scenery, but I really haven’t been able to get behind the slice of life aspects of it at all. Oh I know there are Lucky Star haters out there, but ever since I’ve seen it I can’t help but compare every slice of life show that comes along. Unfortunately K-ON doesn’t really project the prickly edges of relationships; the minor irritations that normally get to us on an everyday basis. Sure they have the Ritsu X Mio friendship and they added Azusa to maybe create the feeling. But doesn’t it seem a bit to air headed all the time? Maybe I just can’t stand the Ui X Yui relationship: They’re just sickeningly sweet to each other right? I mean, I’ve seen siblings that get along, but never sisters that are… In Love with eachother (Couldn’t they have taken a few tricks from Minami-ke?). I’m not even talking the old married couple in love: I’m talking the week one, I still have butterflies kind of in love. They apparently can’t see any faults. Sometimes this brings about a really nice moment, but most of the time I’m not quite at ease with them. I’d say something like “Mio shouldn’t be fantasized as she has some seriously messed up psychological problems,” but I know I’m probably already dangerously close to some nasty comments as it is. When it comes right down to it I’ll watch the series: One, because it’s Kyoto Animations; and Two, because I want to stalk my fellow bloggers and disagree fervently with every positive thing they say until they are thoroughly sick of me (Just kidding, you guys know you can tell me to shut up and let you enjoy the series anytime right?).

I’m not looking forward to the spring season as much as I was the Winter one which surprises me a bit. I really wish Yin would get some more screen time, but I always want Yin to be on my screen more so no changes there. What do you guys think? Anything I left off my list that I really shouldn’t have? Is there anything on my list I’ve horribly mislabeled and slandered before giving it a chance? I really do appreciate your comments because you guys usually build my enthusiasm for series more than any pic + description can do.

Guess I’ll just continue to wait impatiently for the next episode of Castle and Caprica (I seriously love those shows)!

What? So Anime can get more graphic but this blog can’t? Don’t hold me to your cruel double standards :)!