As usual, here are my initial impressions of the anime I’m watching this season…
There was nothing I was extremely excited about this winter season. Besides continuing Kimi ni Todoke with its second season, I wasn’t waiting on anything else and chose my season picks by reading summaries and fans’ overall opinions. So here are my thoughts thus far of the five winter ’11 anime I’m watching after seeing the first two episodes of each…
Kimi ni Todoke season 2
Two regular episodes plus one recap episode into the second season of this shojo series, and it still gives me the same feeling as season 1. Kimi ni Todoke’s second season is offering the same sweet, gentle, touching, slow-paced, relationship-centered, blush-filled shojo goodness of the first season. One new character has been introduced so far, but other than that, the majority of this season seems like it’ll further develop the relationships introduced in season 1, particularly between the main couple, Sawako and Kazehaya. Obviously this show’s gentleness is not for everyone, but for me it’s very relaxing and uplifting.
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Fractale
Much has already been said about the Fractale simulcast controversy so I’m not going to get into it here. As for the show itself, it’s not as original and cliche-free as I had expected – both the first and second episodes involved the stereotypical situation of “hapless boy meets strange girl who unexpectedly falls into his care.” I’ve also heard others relate it to Miyazaki movies. Neither of these are enough to deter my enjoyment of it though, as I don’t mind cliches as long as I find something refreshing about them or the rest of the series, and what’s wrong with some Miyazaki influence when I like his works? =) But if Fractale is meant to appeal to non-anime fans, then yeah, these cliches might be a deterrent. Being only 11 episodes long, I have a feeling that Fractale is one of those series that needs to be judged after seeing all of it. The mystery of the Fractale system and its concept of doppels is what has my attention. The acid-trip opening sequence and pretty A-1 Pictures animation are also pluses XD
And all I’ll say about the committee’s cancellation of Funi’s simulcast is that it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a long time. Let’s make those who want to watch this show legally pay the price for what some pirates are doing until Funimation purges the entire Internet of illegal uploads because not giving fans a legal way of watching it is sure to help the fight against illegal means. Brilliant.
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Gosick
I decided to watch this series because the setting and character designs intrigued me (and I’m always up for a good mystery series). For some reason I thought the setting of early 20th century England would offer a quaint, pleasant tone. But with the mystery to be solved in these first two episodes, the show seems like it’s going to be dealing with mostly disturbing, horror-centered cases. Already we have kids murdering each other on a ship and the barbaric sport of watching dogs tearing up rabbits – but I don’t mind horror as long as there’s a decent story behind it, and so far the current mystery in Gosick has me in suspense.
I wasn’t particularly thrilled with our two main characters in episode 1, as the majority of their interactions just seemed so typical. By episode 2, Kujou is still every other male lead I’ve seen in a similar situation, but Victorique is slightly growing on me. I found her rather cold in the beginning, but her fake laughing in ep 2 shows she does have a sense of humor, and she had some cute “dere” moments when Kujou was ready to give his life for her (even though they like, just met a couple of days ago). I’m hoping Kujou starts building a personality in future episodes and that Gosick offers more interesting mysteries for the duo to solve.
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Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
The praise for the animation in this series, as well as music by Yuki Kajiura, is what prompted me to check it out. And in both areas, I’m not disappointed. Even though I haven’t seen that many mahou shojo anime, I could tell the story thus far in Madoka Magica is quite formulaic – all-around nice girl heroine meets mysterious talking animal who bestows magical powers upon her, she meets other magical girl friends and rivals, and much of their power revolves around friendship and emotions. But hey, it’s been a long while since I watched a magical girl anime anyway, so the show’s exciting for me ;) The story and characters are all decently appealing as of ep 2. With all its production values, I hope Madoka Magica ends up being at least above average for its genre.
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Hourou Musuko
Hourou Musuko, a.k.a. Wandering Son, is probably the most unique anime to come out this season, mostly for its watercolor animation style and story involving cross-dressing middle school kids. After watching episode 1, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. One issue I had was that too many characters were introduced too quickly in that first episode, and when they talked to and about each other, I was having trouble figuring out who was who. It also didn’t help that they all called each other by different names (given name, surname, or nickname) and that the particular character designs in this series make it difficult to differentiate between some of the characters at first glance.
Episode 2 however, gave me a much better appreciation for the show. Things slowed down and focus was put on the conflict between Saori and Yoshino. The charm of the other characters also came out, such as the noticeably cheerful Chizuru and peace-keeper Kanako. The scene of the group going out for ice cream together was very sweet. I hope the rest of the episodes are good like this ^^
Oh, and an ED sung by Rie Fu is a bonus~ Recognized her voice right away XD
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I was sort of thinking of picking up one more winter series, but probably not. One of my goals for the new year is to rewatch a lot of anime I liked but only watched once, since I spend way too much time watching all the latest shows and not enough time rewatching old gems. If I hear that any of the other winter anime turn out to be great, perhaps I’ll watch them at a later time.
Anyway, I hope you’re all enjoying whatever winter anime you decided to watch =) Gonna watch ep 3 of Madoka and Gosick tonight~
You really think that Madoka is “formulaic”? :)
Enjoy ep3!
Muahahahaha.
Heh, just watched ep 3. Yeah, that episode definitely suggests that the series is heading down a more wild and unpredictable road that it originally seemed. I still say the initial setup followed the mahou shojo formula closely, and there’s always a chance it could go back to that. But for now it looks like it’s ready to break away and go beyond expectations. Can’t wait to see how it turns out =)
I agree with you on Hourou Musuko. That’s shaping up to be my favorite this season. The character relationships are definitely confusing, but I like the presentation (and I’m not just talking about the artwork).
I haven’t seen the second episode of Madoka yet, nor have I watched Gosick at all (though it was on my hitlist; I think I read something unfavorable about it at one point).
I’m digging Fractale as well, and agree that the news about Funimation’s moratorium on broadcasting makes no sense at all. Near the tail end of the second episode (last night?) it reminded me of [Tweeny Witches](http://anidb.net/a1607). The two feel very much the same, at times.
Aside from those, I’ve got my eye on Level E (haven’t seen yet), Infinite Stratos (first ep, kind of cookie cutter), Dragon Crisis (ditto), and Yumekui Merry (seemed quite similar to Madoka, though this may just be due to proximity). The only shows that I’m definitely sticking with are Hourou Musuko and Kimi ni Todoke (though I wasn’t entirely impressed with the first “real” episode).
Cool, I’m glad you’re also enjoying Hourou Musuko and Fractale ^^
Now that I’ve watched ep 3 of Madoka, I’d say you should continue it. I’m also three episodes into Gosick and I think it’s worth a shot too, at least up to ep 2.
Heh, I avoided IS and Dragon Crisis! for those exact reasons XD I only have time for so much so I want to go with the series I feel I’ll enjoy the most.
I believe that Madoka is my favorite show this season. I thought Madoka would be kind of like Meruru in OreImo, but I was blown away by the strange paper/marker witches and the character designs. The story is surprisingly dark in my opinion, especially what happened to Mami in the third episode.
I’m still checking out all the premiering shows still, with the slight exception of Rio: Rainbow Gate based on the studio and fan-service. IS is already entering its harem phase; Dragon Crisis is reiterating why I can’t stand Rie Kugimiya.
Yumekui Merry is pretty interesting just based on the whole concept of dreams, but really anything that takes on the wonderous dream aspect deserves some watching time. I like the character designs a lot in that one.
I agree with all the things you mentioned above.
I agree that the “witch zones” or whatever they’re called in Madoka are amazing. Each one feels like you’ve been transported into some nightmarish art museum XD
Rie Kugimiya is one of my favorite seiyuu, but I’ll avoid blatant fan service/ecchi anime regardless of whether she has a role in it or not.
Yumekui Merry was a maybe on my list but I don’t think I have time for it now. Perhaps another time.
I agree that these are the series to watch for the season. I also tasted Dragon Crisis and Belzebub; while DC is just too generic, Belzebub may be worthy to watch as well.
I agree that episode one of Hourou Musuko was really confusing with all the characters showing up as they did, but after some research I found out the anime is beginning with chapter 30 or so of the manga, so characters were already developed. Considering that, I think they did a good work introducing everyone with their speech at the new grade.
I heard that Beelzebub was funny…but do I really feel like making a commitment with a shonen series that will probably keep going for 100+ episodes? I’m already watching four of them XD
Hmm, I wonder why they decided to start the Hourou Musuko anime from later manga chapters instead of at the beginning ~_^
I guess I’ll have to check out the magic girl one… Not a big fan of those I guess, but it never hurts to give it a try. Wandering son and Fractale look interesting, so I’m sticking with those :) I’ve also checked out Infinite Stratos, but it’s just a little too bland. I’ll watch a few more episodes and see what happens. Yumeki Merry, seems interesting, but not sure what to think of it yet. Need to watch a few more too. Now, the big surprise is kore wa zombie desu ka? I’ve found that anime to be quite funny, and even on 2 episodes so far, there is quite a bit of character introduction. It could actually be pretty good. If you have the chance, you may want to check it out :)
Madoka Magica seems like it’s twisting and darkening aspects of the magical girl genre so perhaps you’ll like it even if you don’t like that genre.
From what I read about Kore wa Zombie, it sounds like another run-of-the-mill fan service series. But I’ll look into it a little more =)
Well, I was surprised. Sure we have the pretty girl / busty girl combo, and some fan service shots, but just seeing the main character (which is a guy), transform into a magical girl (full costume, panties and all), and getting all the panty shots, and fan service treatment was just too funny.
Ok, I take it back… The 3rd episode of Zombie was a complete fan service episode, with just a few bits of character development… Kinda disliked it actually.
Really? I would never call Madoka formulaic. Anyone who asks me about it is told ‘it’s what would happen if you told Tim Burton to make a magical girl anime’. It’s so different from most of them! So…dark.
I am watching all of the ones you listed though–actually I’m watching basically everything this season. Not like I don’t have time on my hands.
Like I said in the post, the initial events of the series followed the magical girl formula very closely. The Tim Burton-like designs however are one of its attributes that make it stand out ;) And, now that I’ve watched ep 3, its darker tone may become yet another unique aspect.
Wow, do you usually watch every anime each season? (do you finish all of them too?) And for some reason I feel like I’ve asked you this before…
Okay, yeah, going off just the first episode, I guess I see what you mean. Episode 3 blew my mind–actual death in a magical girl anime!
This is honestly my first time ever keeping up with an anime season. I didn’t have the Internet at home before. So I’m watching 12 of the winter series, and I do plan to follow them through to the end even if I don’t like them much (read: Freezing). It helps me though, considering I challenged myself to watch 150 anime series this year :) (And I don’t think you’ve asked before, haha.)
I was waiting for this post. :)
Like previous seasons, not many shows have stood out, but so far I watched three, which is a lot compared to the last six months.
After marathoning Kimi ni Todoke, of course I”m watching the second season. Although I don’t have to, considered I then read the manga. But I’ll probably end up watching it anyway, just because the show is so damn sweet.
Mahou Shoujo + Kajiura Yuki + SHAFT = A definite watch for me. Despite mahou shoujo not being on the top of my favorite genre list, I still love a bunch, like Nanoha and CCS. When I heard that Kajiura Yuki was doing the music for a mahou shoujo anime, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical mahou shoujo show. I mean, of course there are typical cliches of the genre, but they’re utilized pretty well, and the art style is very aesthetically pleasing. I just watched the third episode, and I can’t wait for next week!
I watched the first episode of FRACTALE. It certainly does remind me of Ghibli. The first episode, as usual, gave us a somewhat general idea of what the world was like, typical guy meets and falls in love with girl plot. So from the first episode, I was intrigued, and I hate to judge based on just the one episode, but I was not intrigued enough to watch the second episode. I read Random Curiosity’s summary for the second episode, and I’m unsure about how I feel about Nessa in looks and personality. But I do give the show kudos for the lovely backgrounds and settings.
Sorry to keep you waiting XD Blame it on the Fractale fiasco and my watching Hourou Musuko last minute.
How does the Kimi ni Todoke anime compare to the manga? Is the manga complete yet?
Yeah, now that I’ve watched ep 3 of Madoka too, I’m excited. I’m so glad it’s moving away from the cliches and more towards Shaft goodness =)
I’m not sure what I think of Nessa, or any of the other Fractale characters yet. I have a feeling it will probably be a series where I’m more into the story than the characters…but we’ll see.
The manga is not complete, and it only has about 50-52 chapters. The anime followed it very closely.
I feel FRACTALE is going to be that way, however characters are really important to me, so if they aren’t good or unique enough, I’ll probably just drop it. And I always have Random C if I want to keep up with it.
I was wondering if people could follow the first episode of Hourou Musuko if they hadn’t read the manga. I’m a big fan of the manga (been reading it for a couple years) and was really excited about the anime adaptation. They’re starting from the third or fourth volume of the series without any real introduction, so I’m sure you and other people new to the franchise would be confused. I really do like how they’re handling it though- the story is in a monthly manga and can get really slow at times, so skipping ahead and doing flashbacks makes the series more interesting, especially on a weekly basis. I’m excited to see what other parts of the manga they adapt.
Thanks for the info about the Hourou Musuko manga. That clears things up XD Personally I prefer things in chronological order, but by ep 2 I found that it’s already becoming easier to follow the story and characters compared to ep 1.
How long is the manga/is it still ongoing?
I think they’re up to 10 or 11 volumes. (Can’t remember what was the latest tankoubon I saw at the store.) 93 chapters total. It’s definitely worth a read, though I think it reads better going a volume at a time rather than single chapters. It’s one of those mangas where monthly updates are killer.
watch madoka ep 3…
Wandering son is very indeed good.
fractale may need some waiting to do.
I’m considering Gosick would be an easy pick…
Have to re-run them all to understand better though.
Watched ep 3!
And obviously I would recommend Fractale and Gosick =)
I third (or fourth) the cry for watch the 3rd episode of Madoka. Let’s just say that the formula gets thrown out the window, run over by a car, and devoured by crazy vultures out for blood.
See my reply to Mentar in the first comment XD
I have not made up my mind yet on what to watch and what shall be dropped. It’s tough =\
I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon enough. No rush…sometimes it’s better to wait and see how shows turn out before you decide to watch them or not ;)
I’m glad to see you’re enjoying Gosick as well as all the other shows you’re watching this season. It’s the only one that piqued my interest enough to follow (plus not watching anything else gives me a reason to dip into the past shows to catch up with what everyone else has seen). I agree that the interaction between Kujou and Victorique is the main attraction with amazing OP/EDs to keep one interested.
I’ll go against the curve and say you should dedicate some time to re-watch some older shows. Having done a few comprehensive re-watches lately, I’ve found I enjoy shows even more than I realized the first time through and can tolerate even horrible characters the second time through. It’s also a good idea for a post going “Here’s what I remember thinking” and “Here’s what I think now.” I know I changed a lot of my perspective on Haruhi over three years and it’d be interesting to see if you changed your mind on any show.
I’m liking Gosick better after watching ep 3. The mystery was interesting (though I still have questions about it…I’m just not good at following stuff like that XP) and the interactions between Victorique and Kujou are getting better. Oh, and I agree that the OP is great!
I started my string of rewatches with Toradora! and since then I’ve added Angel Beats!, Wolf’s Rain (unlike the others, I’ve already watched it many times), Canaan, and am currently on Cowboy Bebop. You’re right, for most of these shows I’m enjoying them more the second time around =) I’m also planning to rewatch Code Geass, Eden of the East, the new Eva movies, Ouran, Railgun, and possibly Eureka 7.
I don’t know what made you think any century england would be nice especially if you’ve read the Picture of Dorian Gray. But Gosick does sound slightly interesting and so does Fractale and Kimi ni Todoki, so, i may watch those.
bye.
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