July Anime Blitz

Hey everybody it's time for the super quick July roundup. This month I will only be updating new series I've started as nothing has happened to the shows I presented last month to change my opinion of them. So, with out further ado...the new shows.

Welcome to the NHK (Ep 1)
Ok, I've only seen one episode of this show, but there is potential here. However, it is potential both ways. The show has the potential to be exceedingly good or it could get bogged down under its own weight and suck horribly. The show itself appears that it will be based around a NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). Basically from my understanding it's essentially a paranoid Otaku shut in. Our main character seems to be pushing three years of only leaving his house to go to the convenience store, and then in the dead of night where the chance of running into to people. Our second main character is a cute girl who has a “project” and proclaims at the end of the episode that she will save the leading man. Visually the show is excellent, quality animation, the trippy dream/hallucination sequences are very well done (if confusing, weird, and maybe a bit disturbing). The obsessively paranoid psychology and inner monologue of our shut in is also excellent. The series has tremendous potential if it doesn't get too high and mighty, avoids trying to out do itself in the trippy sequences, and doesn't fall into the trap of fanservice and moe-ism.

Mayama's Opinion: 1 to 4 depending on how things shake out.

Honey and Clover II (Eps 1 – 3)
This is a follow up series to Honey and Clover. Both the first and second series are based on a manga of the same name. Basically this is just a continuation of the story and I'm going to start blogging about each episode so, I'll be brief. If you like drama, shojo, or the first series you'll pro'ly like this one. Also as a side note my name sake comes from this show who, at times, I have a striking resemblance too.

Mayama's Opinion: 5

Gakuen Heaven (eps 1-13)
Yay! Pretty boys! I've seen prettier, but they're good enough. Ito Keita, mostly out of the blue, gets invited to attend a prestigious all boys high school (amusingly nicknamed BL Gakuen). There isn't anything terrible original to this show. Our cute, somewhat bumbling, but genuinely nice and adorable boy comes to a school of exceptionally talented and pretty boys. Ito feels awkward, but of course half the school has a crush on him. There also are feelings of deja vu upon meeting his neighbor in the dorms Endo Kazuki. The plot progresses through fits and jumps and modest obstacles. There is a pretty cute romance that ultimately blossoms, but it's your standard Shonen-ai fare. Entertaining for fans of the genre, but nothing strikingly original.

Mayama's Opinion: 2.5 (but only if you enjoy shonen-ai)

Yume Tsukai (eps 1-6)
This is a show with an interesting premise, of that there is no doubt, but somehow while intriguing it just doesn't seem to come together. The series centers around a group of people called Yume Tsukai, all of whom are more than a little strange in their own way. There job is to take care of people's nightmares that have found their way into the real world. The interesting parts of the show are the interesting characters and the many different shapes that people's nightmares take. However, this gets bogged down in the “detective” process of figuring out why the nightmare is manifesting itself, and then the fighting of the nightmare. Lamentably these parts don't really let the characters shine through. The show is kind of like a poor man's “xxxHolic” take that for what it's worth.

Mayama's Opinion: 2.5

Binbou Shimai Monogatarai (Ep 1)
I don't know a ton of Japanese, but I do know that binbou means poor. As it turns out the series is about a pair of poor orphaned sisters (one high schooler, one elementary schooler). The first episode seemed like a nice introduction to the characters and their situation. Not a ton happened, and they had kind of a cliched misunderstanding only to have it resolved. However, there was something rather cute about the first episode and I look forward to watching more. I don't think it will be a revelation or anything, but could be some good clean fun.

Mayama's Opinion: 3

Muteki Kanban Musume (eps 1-2)
Ok, while not as weird as “Welcome to the NHK” it is bizarre in its own right. Focused around a hyper active, high strung, ramen restaurant delivery girl the show itself seems to have little plot. Somehow though it manages to be entertaining, but hardly good. I'm not sure what more I can say. It's worth a check out, because you might find it hilarious but you might also hate it.

Mayama's Opinion: 1 to 2.5 (but closer to 2).

Honey and Clover II 1

So, I've kind of decided that I need something to write about, and that has lead me to the decision to do episode write ups for two new shows (Honey and Clover II and Welcome to the NHK). No I am far to lazy to do screen captures or put anything behind a cut, or whatever, so consider this your warning. If you don't wanna know what I think before hand just skip these entries.

To start with, because it's easy to do a write up of, I present you Honey and Clover II 1. Honey and Clover II is a 13 episode follow up to 2005's Honey and Clover. Both are based on the Honey and Clover manga by Chika Umino (her only work as far as I can tell).

Anyways episode 1 is a dreaded recap episode. Yes it was kind of nice to have a little but of a reminder of the gist of the first 24 episodes, and I suppose for one who didn't watch the first series this would be indispensable. However, for someone rather well versed in the first series it was a little bothersome. Takemoto delivered some good narration (most of the narration and soliloquy style musings in the first series are excellent). There was also about 45 seconds of new montagey animation, but that was really all there was to the episode.

Since there wasn't much show to write about here's a quick rundown of my thoughts on the OP/ED.

OP- Ah YUKI I am oh so happy you are back again to squawk the opening theme at us. Actually I don't particularly care for the artist, but at least the song this time is better than the first series. As this iteration of YUKI is fair inoffensive, as opposed to annoyingly bad. The lyrics also are far superior I think. The animation is in the same “unique” style as the first season of the first series. That being said at least there is no creepy dancing food this time around. It is hardly conventional, and strikes me as neither particularly good or particularly bad. However, it did amuse me that there was a random pancake thrust in at the end, as if they just couldn't live without one food item in the credits (as a side note this is a drama that focuses on a bunch of art students and is in no way a cooking anime).

ED- Ah Suneohair you I am very happy to hear again. After doing an excellent job with “Waltz” as the 1st ED in the 1st series I was excited to see they came back for Honey and Clover II. The song “Split” is both excellent musically and has lyrics that are both good and extremely appropriate for the tone and content of the show. The credit sequence is nothing to write home about. The only thing of interest is that they do the next episode preview during the song. This means you get about a 10 to 15 second montage of clips and no narration so, sometimes it's a bit of a mystery, but I like it.

Ok that's it for this time around. There will be more next time as I assume new things will actually happen. As a quick summary OP feel free to skip, ED listen and enjoy.