The spring ’12 anime season started rather late this year, with some series already five episodes in and others only two or three. Because of this, I was debating whether to make my seasonal “first impressions” post or not. But since I ended up watching more shows than I originally intended, and I have a lot to say about them, I decided to go ahead with it despite being further into some shows than others…
Fate/Zero 2
Episodes 1-4
The second cour of Fate/Zero continues right where the previous one left off. As far as quality is concerned, it has all the same fantasy-rich goodness, intriguing character dialogues, and well-animated, magic-imbued action scenes that its first thirteen episodes had. Not every moment of Fate/Zero has me at the edge of my seat – it’s the kind of series where most of it is good but there are a few really great moments. I thought the third episode was a prime example of this, with the shocking, tragic demise of Kayneth and Lancer and the revelation of Kiritsugu’s true agenda. As someone who hasn’t seen Fate/Stay Night before going into Fate/Zero, I look forward to seeing how the Holy Grail War ends!
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Natsuiro Kiseki
Episodes 1-4
If you’re not someone who has an aversion to anime starring angsty and somewhat immature young girls having slightly whimsical slice-of-life adventures where they obtain personal growth, then Natsuiro Kiseki is a decent series thus far. Though the four girls have personalities we’ve seen many times before in anime, they bounce off each other well. I even thought the whole sequence of Natsumi and Saki getting stuck to each other in episode 2 was pretty funny. The body-switching thing in episode 4 was funny as well…I didn’t think laughs were what this series would give me so I was pleasantly surprised XD Even though the seiyuu are part of a real idol group and the show gives us some idol themes, it’s not shoved down our throats like I thought it might be…though the opening song by sphere is probably my favorite song of the season. I love that kind of upbeat, nicely harmonized j-pop song. The magical background behind the wishing stone is virtually non-defined at this point, so I’m hoping it’s addressed by the end of the series as there isn’t much else as far as plot goes. As long as you keep in mind that our protagonists are middle school girls and you don’t expect them to act like adults in certain situations, I think Natsuiro Kiseki will be alright.
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Uchuu Kyoudai
Episodes 1-5
One of four series I wasn’t planning on picking up but decided to last minute. And I’m glad I did because Uchuu Kyodau/Space Brothers is great. Like Sakamichi no Apollon, it’s not a typical anime centered around school girls or fantasy/sci-fi, but a down-to-earth and universal series more concerned about telling a story than catering to the otaku fanbase. I got some Bakuman vibes from Space Brothers because it follows the lives of two guys (brothers in this case) who are trying to achieve their dreams (well, one is still trying hard) of becoming astronauts while the series follows us through, giving us fascinating insight about the tests astronaut candidates have to take and how they’re chosen, much like Bakuman gives us interesting insight about the manga industry. I also felt the same suspense together with Mutta during his tests the way I did with the Bakuman duo as they awaited the results of their latest manga. Speaking of our main protagonist Mutta, he’s a funny guy and very easy to relate to. His relationship with his brother Hibito is well developed through easily digestible bits throughout the series – not too long or too short. We haven’t seen much of the rest of the cast, but they look to be good too. All in all, I have a feeling that Space Brothers will be able to keep up its current quality.
Also, the Space Brother’s opening has the most epic first twenty seconds of an opening I’ve seen in a while XD
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Hyouka
Episodes 1-2
A highly-anticipated but latecomer to the season, it’s hard to judge Hyouka at only two out of twenty-one episodes. I certainly see potential in it even though the plot, if there will be one, is still meandering at this point. The four main characters look like they will have good chemistry and the luscious animation with detailed backgrounds courtesy of Kyoto Animation help, too. Not being familiar with the source material, I wonder how much of the series will revolve around mysteries, how much about the classics, and how much about the characters. I look forward to finding out.
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Arashi no Yoru ni
Episodes 1-3
I said this would be my guilty pleasure for the season and it definitely is :3 There isn’t much to say about it beyond the synopsis that it’s about a wolf and a goat that become friends despite their species being natural enemies. There are a few more goat and wolf characters introduced besides the main two, but strangely, the show takes place in this huge expanse of plains with no sign of human civilization and even no other animals besides goats and wolves…how convenient =P Despite it being painfully obvious that this show is aimed at children, even younger ones than Naruto and One Piece, what’s unique about it is that it’s fully in CG and it’s being broadcast in dual-audio. So it has an official Japanese dubbing, actually with a few well known seiyuu – Rie Kugimiya and Hirokyuki Yoshino as the two main characters for example – and an official English dub produced by the studio. Since it’s such a simple, easy-to-understand series, I’m watching it raw in Japanese to help me with my study of the language. As far as children’s anime go, it’s decent. It’s a cute story and the CG is interesting to look at despite seeming amateurish compared to what can be seen in Pixar films.
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Sakamichi no Apollon
Episodes 1-3
With music by Yoko Kanno, directing by Shinichiro Watanabe, and production by Tezuka Productions, a lot of people have high hopes for Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids on the Slope. And so far I don’t feel like it’s disappointing at all. As much as I love typical otaku-aimed anime, I can also appreciate anime that don’t pander, like this one and Space Brothers. I was already gripped by the first episode with Yoko Kanno’s music, the unique setting of 1960s Japan, likable characters, and its serious yet also light-hearted tone. So far these early episodes are establishing character and theme very well, though the love triangle/unrequited love plot in the latest episode threw me off a bit. I look forward to seeing what it will lead to. With only twelve episodes, I hope Sakamichi no Apollon has the time to tell its story to the fullest.
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Acchi Kocchi
Episodes 1-4
I wasn’t even considering watching this series until a friend of mine showed me the first episode. Acchi Kocchi has the kind of subtle yet well timed character-driven humor that I enjoy very much. Though it’s not the caliber of Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star, I get a few good laughs out of each episode, which is enough for me. I find Tsumiki rather unique for this type of moe/slice-of-life anime in that she’s tsundere in her feelings for Io but she’s never violent or foul-tempered about it. When she goes tsun, it’s not in an angry way but in a…cute way. Io also isn’t a typical wimpy male protagonist nor a tsundere one either – he’s just a gentle nice guy totally oblivious about Tsumiki’s feelings for him. Add the mischievous comical duo Mayoi and Sakaki who try to get Tsumiki and Io together, and the hapless brunt-of-jokes Hime, and there’s much fun to be had. The series also has an interesting animation style, utilizing cartoonish on-screen arrows and cutting to comical diagrams to make the episodes flow more humorously than they already do. If you enjoy slice-of-life/comedy anime that actually have male characters and a light romance, Acchi Kocchi is a great pick.
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Furusato Saisei: Nihon no Mukashi Banashi
Episodes 1-5
Like I said in my spring ’12 preview post, Folktales from Japan is exactly what the title is. Each episode tells three Japanese folktales with very kid-friendly animation and dialogue. Interestingly, each story has noticeably different character designs and art styles, which is refreshing. Unfortunately the animation and even the voice acting is a bit low-quality at times (it sounds like they use the same few voice actors in every episode). But obviously it’s not a series meant to cater to the otaku anime audience but is meant to be a mainstream family series. I’m mostly watching it to learn about the various Japanese folktales since I don’t know much about them. And much to my surprise, I like the opening and ending songs. They’re both sung by Shoko Nakagawa, probably most famous for singing the Gurren Lagann opening “Sorairo Days.”
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Medaka Box
Episodes 1-4
I was on the fence about this one last time but decided to check it out. I thought it would be annoyingly fan-service filled but it’s not too bad. Besides a few random shots of Medaka’s voluptuous body, it does seem more focused on character relationships and fun misadventures than just flashing female parts. It actually had some genuinely funny scenes, and the relationship between Medaka and Zenkichi is kind of endearing. Medaka herself is a pretty unique protagonist for this genre of anime – she’s not a haughty tsundere, nor is she an overly polite yamato nadesico, nor is she a cheerful genki girl. She’s actually hard to describe, which is a good thing. The male protagonist Zenkichi is a bit blandly bad ass but not too much. And side character Shiranui is actually pretty funny. The rest of the characters are forgettable so far but it’s still early in the series. Medaka Box definitely isn’t a top tier seasonal pick for me but it serves its purpose as something to relax with after watching more complex and story-heavy anime.
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Sankarea
Episodes 1-4
And last but certainly not least, we have Sankarea, another series I wasn’t intending to pick up until I heard good things about it. I’m liking it very much so far – by the first episode I was already totally hooked between a zombie-obsessed kid trying to resurrect his dead cat and a girl smitten with him who has a sexually abusive father. By only the second episode I could already feel a lot of sympathy for Rea because that episode conveyed her relationship with her father so well. And Babu is a very cute anime kitty (What’s up with his tail though? It looks like it was set on fire like a candle wick or something). The only thing I don’t like about the series is its intent on making fan-service Wanko’s main purpose – more than others, those panty and boob flashes are really disruptive to the mood of this show. And Mogi and Yasutaka are so obviously Those Two Guys that it hurts. But luckily they’re all minor characters, at least at this point, so it doesn’t diminish the overall quality of the series much. Now that Rea has become a zombie, I look forward to seeing how things will unfold from here on. Sankarea is only slated for 13 episodes…I feel like it should be a two-cour series for some reason, but oh well.
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I can’t believe I’m watching this many shows for one season – there are just so many good ones =D I mentioned last time that I was planning to watch the AKB0048 anime, but at this point I just don’t have anymore time for it.
Anyway, I hope you’re all enjoying the spring ’12 season as much as I am. See you next time~
Judging from other bloggers, I don’t think you’re missing too much with AKB0048. :P
Top five of the season so far:
Apollon – Everything. EVERYTHING.
Tsuritama- It’s so damn funny. And dat opening sequence.
Mysterious Girlfriend X – A last minute decision that I’m happy to have made.
Space Bros – A good story with a great protagonist.
Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna – Stylish and fun.
The only show from this season that I’m watching and don’t like it Zetman. Hyouka might join it, but I won’t mark it down just yet. Still debating about Sankarea.
Yeah, I’m hearing bad reviews of AKB0048 too =P
Glad you’re liking Sakamichi no Apollon so much. I know you’re much more critical of anime than I am so the fact that you like everything about it is something special XD
The synopsis of Mysterious Girlfriend X just sounded too weird and gross to me…
Hopefully you’ll grow to like Hyouka but I know that KyoAni’s style of anime isn’t usually your thing so chances are slim. But I still think you’ll like Sankarea =)
Yea, that is quite a line up. I ended up just sticking with the light hearted slice of life basics that I always do. Apollon one just isn’t my scene. A lot of people are loving it, but I just DON’T like the characters and from what I saw it seemed like a bug brother and tsundere little brother, complex-esque kind of show, and I just couldn’t get into the show.
I’m watching Space Brothers one as well, and I agree it’s pretty great. Very original, I think it’s well done, and I’ve taken quite a liking to it. That pug is hilarious! You can’t go wrong with animals in anime. Which beings up Polar Bear Café which I LOVE. I get the humor, I like animals, the animation is well done, the universe is interesting with animals attempting to assimilate in human society. And then this relates to my love that both this show AND Eureka AO have sloths! I was a pretty big fan of the original Eureka7 so this interpretation(sequel? I’m pretty sure the kids mom is Eureka and he looks like Renton….) is awesome with beautiful art and the same kind of character interactions that I liked so much in the first one, plus a sloth for comic relief! So while I’m really liking those 3 kurokos basketball which is pretty ridiculous, I just love a shounen sport! With the “special” moves of these super human b-ball players XD I mean this one guy for all intents and purposes, basically has the Sharingan…
Uh, then I’m watching Naruto SD which I think is pretty funny, and a shameful appeal, since it’s very superfluous, but I really enjoy the skit like approach to the show. Then the one I’ve been waiting for most also ended up being my favorite. Hyouka! Gorgeous animation, my favorite kind of genre which is mystery BUT a mystery that doesn’t make you look stupid like Jimmy Kudo does. It’s mysteries the viewe can solve and I’m 3/3 for catching in before the main characters can. I just absolutely love it. If it keeps this up… Could end up being one of my favorites in my repetoir of anime. The character interaction, voice actoring, premise, art, execution, everything about it I like. I hope it keeps this up for 21 episodes! Very strong start. Good turn out so far.
Space Brothers is great fun. I like animals in anime too and Apo is no exception :3 Despite that, I didn’t pick up Polar Bear Cafe because the designs of the animals just didn’t appeal to me – their realistic designs in a comical atmosphere didn’t catch my fancy. Maybe I would have if they looked more cartoony and facially expressive…but I get my dose of anime animals now with Arashi no Yoru ni and Poyopoyo.
I loved Eureka 7 too but I want to rewatch it before I watch AO. It’s been over five years since I watched it and my memories of it are kind of fuzzy.
As much as I love Naruto I don’t need to watch a spin-off series of it too XD And glad you’re liking Hyouka so much~
I’m going to be brief, but here are the shows I’m watching this season and what I think of them.
Fate/zero – I agree with you here, it still looks stunning and has some awesome moments, however I’m hooked at the less amazing stuff as well. The series is just great at drawing you in, and the animation quality is incredible. Add a fascinating, varied cast where none of the characters are cheap stereotypes and you it’s superior to Fate/stay night in basically every way.
Natsuiro Kiseki
A quiet surprise, with the same old clichéd characters just feeling fresh. The character designs are strong, I think, and as you said, the humour is unexpectedly effective. The miracle in the first episode deliberately and effectively set the show in new territory with a focus on the supernatural and magic of youth.
Space Brothers
One of my favourites thus far. A high-quality show, consistently entertaining and with a great lead with whom the viewer can really sympathise.
Hyouka
I haven’t gotten around to watching episode 2 yet, but I distintly recall being impressed by the first.
Acchi Kocchi
I agree with what you said about the characters and how they stand out, and would like to add that this show is ridiculously adorable and wonderful.
Kids on the Slope
An enjoyably high-quality show with excellent production values, characterisation and attention to detail, as well as an intriguing premise and plot development, Kids on the Slope hasn’t resonated with me much this far, but I’m hoping I’ll get into it more with later episodes.
Folktales from Japan
Uh, I agree basically with everything you said.
Medaka Box
My strongest expectation from this show was understated but excellent animation, which I got, excepting the Gainaxing itself, which is anything but subtle. The series has drawn me in with how thus far it’s averse to sticking to an easy concept for more than an episode. Despite the obvious formula, it rarely abuses it, moving from character to character and doing new things. Medaka is highly entertaining, Zenkichi a great viewpoint character and Shiranui really funny and consistently entertaining.
Sankarea
Having read and enjoyed the manga, this show exceeded my expectations: the art is great, voices spot on and pacing wonderful. I don’t recall whether Wanko seemed as redundant a character in the manga by this point, but she’s bugging me here, which is a shame. Disappointingly, the whole cat/dog dynamic she has with Furuya has barely been mentioned.
Series you’re not watching that I am:
Accel World
The stronger points of the manga are here, with a strong emotional pull and a unique approach to the concept of a ‘male lead’. Plus, the fight scenes (and other technological aspects of the show) look great.
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
I found the first episode excellent, though the repetition unneccesary (as you could easily infer everything that happened without seeing the scene again) but givn a pass because of innovativeness. The second was rather dull and the third pretty great. Not sure how I feel about the series as a whole yet.
Eureka Seven AO
Not as good as the original, and I was never a massive fan of that. For one thing, I enjoyed the movie way more than the series. Anyway, this is a decent show with decent characters and great animation and decent fight scenes. Hopefully the romance element will improve the show.
Gakkatsu
I love this show. The (albeit limited, as in, to, like, three tracks) soundtrack is incredible, the colour scheme, the weird shuddery effect, the premise, the ludicrous execution – Gakkatsu is unique, and really cool.
Ginga e Kickoff!!
A stronger show than I was expecting, with the female lead, whose name I forget, impressing me most so far. Nothing incredible, though.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san
Totally different from the ONAs, this series plays it a lot closer to a typical romantic comedy, though with insane energy, but somehow gets away with it. A lot of fun, and consistently very funny. Caters very well to fans of humour, anime and H. P. Lovecraft.
Hiiro no Kakera
A ludicrously attractive series with a bland female lead, no character focus and, as of episode 4, some of the worst fight scenes ever. I know that it’s a shojo series, but it wouldn’t have taken much effort to have it not terrible for any males or fujoshi who happened to consider the series.
Is It a Zombie? – Of the Dead
Thoroughly eclectic, this show claims to forgo the drama of the previous series in favour of romantic comedy. Come out and say that, say ‘turn off your brain and enjoy this crap’, then I can get on board with that. The drama in the first series was nothing spectacular anyway.
Jormungand
An older-styled series with more gritty elements, with some startling visual elements, I’m slowly getting drawn into this series. The action scenes are hard-hitting, animation great.
Kuroko’s Basketball
Only the second basketball anime I’ve actually seen (though I read chapter 1 of the Slam Dunk manga a while back), the first being Ro-Kyu-Bu!. I’m enjoying it a fair bit, with interestingly overpowered everyone and a real sense of effort and emotion coming from the characters. Plus, Kuroko appearing from nowhere and shocking peopl has yet to get old.
Kuromajo-san ga Touru!!
Genuinely resembles a kid’s show, and as such is light, fun and has morals. Gyubid is very fun, and the show is quite cute.
Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
Haven’t watched any Lupin before (no, not even the Castle of Cagliostro). The most exposure I’ve had to the series has actually come from Aria the Ammo. Anyway, the show still somehow feels nostalgic, and the storylines are great, classicly-styled adventures, with one-off characters suitably cool and mysterious. A lot of fun.
Mysterious Girlfriend X
I was hooked by how unconventional the first episode was, with the fake-out romantic comedy setup (not that the world girlfriend wasn’t in the title), intriguing female lead and crazy dream sequences featuring awesome music. Reading ahead, the manga becomes quite formulaic, so I hope the anime amalgamates or streamlines things a bit. It’s a great series, but the anime where it is could use a spit polish.
Okay, fine, I’ll briefly mention the saliva thing. If you’re particularly squeamish, the fact that emotions are conveyed through one person consuming another’s saliva, however hilarious and awesome, might disturb you.
Polar Bear Café
Episode 2 made me doubtful, but this show is a lot of fun and clearly made by and for animal lovers. Everything is cute, fun and relaxing.
Saint Seiya Omega
Rather bland, featuring a bunch of brightly-coloured noodle people fighting each other. I’ll keep watching it, though, but it’s basically a nice-looking kid’s action show. If it’s meant to be anything more, it loses points for not being it.
Saki Episode of Side A
Surprisingly engaging, but nothing particularly stands out to me. The girls’ prowess at mahjong seems to be invented for drama; there’s no sense of achievement in anything they do. Think Dragon Ball Z and the meaninglessness of power levels. A pretty decent show.
Sengoku Collection
The first episode was appaling, the next two crap and the fourth mildly decent. These ratings roughly owe themselves to how much they’ve relied on stock moe tropes and predictability.
Shiba Inuko-san
This show is a minute and a half per episode, and a third of that is the credits. The jokes are… okay, but – and this isn’t really a criticism – the abruptness of the endings is funnier than anything that happens in the show.
Shining Hearts – Shiawase no Pan
Interminably dull. The most recent episode I watched had something that might be plot, and I hope it was.
Tsuritama
Very energetic, very random, eye-gougingly bright colours. This is roughly what I’ve understood from the two episodes I’ve watched so far.
Upotte!!
Cute, fun, and bizarre. The gun trivia is mildly interesting, the characters very moe and the character designs are intriguing in that they’re not sticks, or, like Saint Seiya, noodles. The relationship between girls and guns is still unclear, but it’s moer entertaining that way.
If you’re grossed out by anime fourteen year-olds being sexualised, you shouldn’t be watching this show. I totally don’t understand the backlash against this show – is it really anything new, or even that shocking?
Yurumate3Dei
I have nothing particularly to say about this. It’s short, kind of amusing but nothing memorable.
Zetman
While dark, action-packed and cool, Zetman somehow fails to interest me. None of the characters are particularly interesting, I have no sense of how powerful characters or people are in relation to one another, the siblings who are supposed to be the support characters I think are annoying.
Extremely dishonourable mention: Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals
This show was apalling. The Rock Lee spinoff manga is a decent comedy. This bears no relation to it, is more childish, annoying and longer and less entertaining. It’s like the anime adaptation (process, not result) of the original but worse.
Update: I’ve now seen episode 1 of AKB0048, and it’s ridiculous. Very over-the-top, silly and quite fun. Music’s good, too. I look forward to episode two.
Wow, you’re watching A LOT…almost every series worth mentioning this season. And you seem to be enjoying most of them, which is a good thing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! =D
I’m watching the same line up as you (except Arashi no Yoru ni). I was also pleasantly surprised by Sakamichi no Apollon. I thought it would be boring, and the characters looked a bit bland, but boy was I mistaken. Probably one of my favorites this season. Natsuiro Kiseki is pretty funny as well, it looks like those girls will have lots of fun. Acchi Kocchi is another one I thought I would not like, but as you said, it is just a funny anime, with nice characters. Hard to be put off by Io and Tsumiki.
I’m also watching Hiiro no Kakera, but as the other poster above me said, it is pretty bland so far… I do love the intro song though, I find it really nice.
Accel World is also a bit surprising, because the main character is definitely something you do not see often. A little, chubby, insecure guy that tries to avoid people, and just be left alone in his online world. The rest of the series is standard affair so far, but it is not bad. Will see where it goes.
Eureka Seven AO… Well, so far it’s pretty basic stuff (boy gets in mecha, boy beats up bad guys, boy meets other characters, etc). It just seems to be less mysterious than the original Eureka Seven (the world/setting is not as good on AO). So another one that I’m waiting to see how it turns out.
Mysterious Girlfriend X… This one is weird, in a fascinating sort of way… It’s definitely not something you see often, and takes a really weird concept, and applies it to… Ok, I have no idea… As Jimmy said above, it’s just a different sort of anime. But if you do not like the idea of saliva being used so often, then might want to skip it.
Saki Episode of Side A is just okish, nothing out of the ordinary. I liked Chihayafuru much better, and it is sort of similar to this… Just better.
I think that is about it, watching quite a bit this season, but I think it has quite a bit of good shows lined up. It was a good surprise, I thought it was not going to be a very strong season :)
Agree with you about Sakamichi no Apollon, Natsuiro Kiseki, and Acchi Kocchi. I didn’t have high expectations for the latter two but I’m liking them more than I thought I would =)
Yeah, Mysterious Girlfriend X sounded kinda gross…but maybe it’s also interesting at the same time? ~_^
I plan to check out Eureka 7 AO as soon as I rewatch the first season, which will probably be after it’s finished airing.
In the end I’m just sticking with Sakamichi (of course) and Eureka Seven: AO. I tried a number of other new shows like Sankarea, Zetman, and Hyouka, and they were all okay, but it seems like I’m getting more and more fussy as time goes on. Lol, maybe I’m getting crotchety in my old age. XD
Heh, I’m actually a lot more critical of anime than I used to be several years ago, but I’m still not that picky in general XD Well, the good thing about watching fewer series is that you can give each more focus and you don’t feel overwhelmed. Doing that from time to time can be a good thing.
Watch Mysterious Girlfriend X.
LOL, okay I’ll try to whenever I have the time XD
+1
I initially watched expecting something else, but was actually surprised by this show as well. Another + from me. I was also surprised by the seiyuu for Urabe. Her first role, but very good imo
nice list..from this season i especially love Acchi Kocchi ,a little reminiscence of lucky star and i really do love watching the relationship between Io and Tsumiki,i love their characters too,they are unique in this genre and tsumiki is so damn cute,i’m asking myself if she is not a really cat in disguise; Sankarea ,Eureka seven ao,its building up really good;Jormungand;Fate zero and Hyouka,if you love mysteries,you should check it,i assure you find it gorgeous
Yeah, Tsumiki is very cute and her design is reminiscent of Konata :3
I wasn’t expecting Uchuu Kyoudai to be very interesting, but I’m finding myself captivated by Mutta’s struggles more each episode. Perhaps the reason why it appeals to me so much is because I can relate to some of the things he goes through (not exactly, but in essence).
I’m still on the fence about Sankarea. Not much has happened yet so it feels like it should be a two-cour series as you said. Right now I’m enjoying it for the great animation quality and hope that it gets interesting soon.
I actually was expecting Uchuu Kyoudai to be good since it was praised right away from the first episode and since it’s one of the few anime each season that doesn’t revolve around high school settings with cute girls XD I’m also captivated by the realistic presentation of Mutta’s struggles.
I’m hoping Sankarea gets a second season somewhere down the line at least. The story is moving rather slowly for a one-cour series but I’d rather have that than rushing things.