Spring 2012 Anime Season: First Impressions

First Impressions Spring 2012  

Well it’s time for another season of new shows. This season there are a ton of new shows so there is a lot to get through. So lets get right to it. These are my first impressions on the spring 2012 anime season. 



OZMA: OZMA started really early this season, and the show itself is only about 6 episodes, so at the time I am writing this, it is already nearly done. So this is more like an overall impression of the show, and less of a first impression. But anyway, OZMA has a lot of elements I really like.  It’s done by Leiji Matsumoto, the guy who did Captain Harlock and Interstellar 5555,  so the art is classic anime, which I love. The world the story takes place in is a classic dessert world, with far off human settlements, and just enough life to survive, but not enough to make it easy, again other aspect I like, seen before in Trigun and shows like that. And they have submarine battles. How, in a sand world? They techno babble a way around it, somehow shifting the sand to make it like water, but that I don’t really care about. There is just something about submarine battles that I love. They are slow, yet smart. It is not a case of who was the biggest, best ship, but which ship and crew is smart enough to outmaneuver  the other. It is fantastic, suspenseful, and just really well done. The drawbacks are the characters. The characters are underdeveloped and I really don’t care about them. They are bland and boring, only there to move the set pieces. It is unfortunate, because the world is amazing, but the characters are a real detraction. Watch it for the world and submarine battles, not the story or characters.

 Space Brothers: This show is surprisingly good. In a hyper-realistic future, 2025 I believe, man is planning for a mission for Mars, and in preparation NASA is sending a crew to the moon to set up a colony, to basically see if its possible. On the crew is a Japanese man, the younger brother of a car designer who just got fired for head-butting his boss with his awesome afro. When the two brothers were younger, they believed that they saw a UFO, and promised each other that they would one day both make it into space, the younger promising to reach the moon, while the older, who believes that he must always be a step further then his brother, says he will be the first man on Mars. This perfectly sets up the brotherly dynamic, the younger is always rushing ahead of the older, but the older feels as if he should be first, not because he wants to be first, but because he believes the older should always be ahead of the younger, so that the younger will always have something to aspire to. This dynamic really hits home, as I have a younger brother and I can really understand the motivations of the older brother. This show just hits every mark perfectly, and I can only recommend it. The only problem I can see is that the show has been reported to be about 50 episodes, so I fear that it might get stale after a while. But I have high hopes for Space Bros.

Shiba Inuko-san: This is a show about a dog who is also a school girl. It is boring. That is all. Alright, when I first heard about this show, I hoped it would be something like that one Animaniacs sketch, where there is a chicken who is dressed up as someone important, and no one realizes he is a chicken, except for maybe one person who everyone treats is crazy, until it is revealed that the giant clucking hero is really a chicken and everyone runs the chicken out of town. It is a classic sketch, and I hoped that Shiba Inuko-san would basically be this, over a few episodes. It is not, and worse, it is incredibly boring. I plan on dropping it fast.

 Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden: I have to admit something, I love the world Naruto takes place in. I think it is really cool, with strange lands and really opposing political factions, meaning sometimes your enemy is your friend, or your friend has aligned with your enemy. It is a brilliant fantasy land that could have been ever expanding. I also liked the characters, or in fact, I liked what the characters represented and what they could be. Naruto and Sasuke are the best representatives of this. Both should be a mirror of one another, both dealing with incredible loss, but both being treated the complete opposite by society, Naruto being treated like trash while Sasuke is treated like a prince. They should have been complex characters who’s relationship was like that of the nations I mentioned above, sometimes working together, sometimes working against each other, but always working to be better then each other. Instead, Naruto is an overactive, hyper, idiotic happy freak, while Sasuke is an emo prick. But one character I always thought came off correctly was Rock Lee, segueing into the anime at hand. Naruto SD is nothing but a gag comedy about Rock Lee and his friends, doing dumb things that can be funny if you are into dumb comedy. Admitingly, I think it’s ok, but really it will get boring fast. But will keep watching it for one reason. Every episode so far, meaning the first 2, has put Neji, a stoic smart guy, in a dress for absolutely no reason. I find this funny, so I have made a promise. I will keep watching this show as long as Neji keeps randomly showing up in a dress.  Gakkatsu- I have no clue what to think of this show. It is fast and crazy. It is about a homeroom classroom that everyday has a debate about something random. And it is just out there, with over the top speed lines when the characters are making points, crazy characters that are just almost always yelling, and an art style that looks like it has been made with paper and glue. It is fun, but I might drop it for time reasons. 

Sengoku Collection-  Sengoku Collection is this seasons version of a show about the Sengoku warring states period in Japan, where the great historical figures from that time are now girls…for some reason. After watching the first episode, I just really can’t deal with it again. It is just really generic, and really boring. I might watch the second episode, but really, this show is considered dropped.

 Upotte!!- Upotte Is dumb moe about girls who are really guns, and who go to a school so that they can become the best assault riffles they can be. It is really dumb, there are sex jokes, Hetalia-esc nation jokes, and really dumb regular old moe high school jokes. And for some reason I love it. I keep jokingly calling it the best anime this season, It isn’t, but for some reason it is just really fun. It is one of those shows that I shouldn’t like at all, but it is just dumb entertainment, so I can’t say no. I feel like this will be this seasons Softtenni, which I watched all the way through. So I will watch this show, and probably regret it, but it will be a fun ride to that regret.

 Kuroku no Basuke- This is basically a generic basketball anime, but I really like the main character. The main character is a quite, almost emotionless type who considers himself a shadow. He is in the background, helping the team but never remembered. I really like the blue mage type character, the one who supports but never takes center stage. Sports anime are not my forte, but I will probably keep up with generic basketball anime 34 for a little while longer.

 Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 2nd Season: Second verse, same as the first, just a new group of baddies. I was hoping they would spend more time on just episode by episode puzzle solving, but they don’t. I will keep watching it, as I did last season, but it is still more of the same. 

Tasogare Otome X Amnesia- I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this show, mostly because I had no clue what to expect from it. I honestly can’t say much about this show because of the twist it does, and does so well I might add. I really like the romantic dynamic between the two main leads, and the style itself is dark, but surprisingly realistic. It plan on keeping up with Amnesia, if only for the main female lead. She is flirty, fun, a bit jealous, but never comes off as negative, despite her situation. I really can’t say much, you just have to watch it for yourself.

  Acchi Kocchi: A moe romantic comedy, like any other really. But the tsunedere main character is actually the type of tsunedere I prefer. I’ve grown tired of the bitch tsunedere, a girl who acts antagonistic to the main, until he raises her flag, if you know what I mean. I prefer the shy tsunedere, the one who just can; admit her feelings because of shyness, and the acts flustered and even active, as opposed to a normal passive demeanor, when confronted with those feelings. It is why I liked Inu X Boku. The main form there was not purposely mean, she had reasons, and wanted to move past that. She was shy, but when confronted, she put up a hard defense. I think the main female from Acchi Kocchi is like this, and I like it as a whole. Also, I admiringly find the main heroin just adorable. It isn’t a laugh fest, the background characters are so stereotypical that I pray they get development, but over all it is nice. I will keep up with it.

 Natsuiro no Kiseki: At moe high school melodrama about a group of girls who want to become an idol group. It is not good. he melodrama is ridiculous, if realistic because high school girls can be ridiculously melodramatic, the characters are shallow and just moe girl archetypes, and the twist at the end makes no sence and is only there to keep the watcher interested enough to watch the second episode. Yeah, suffice it to say  I am dropping this one.

  Medaka Box: I have a soft spot for some weird sub-genre of anime. One of those sub-genre is high school student council shows. I love a good student council, with a group of well characterized if wacky characters, sometimes just doing nothing but interacting with each other, but also sometimes solving the problems of the student body. And that is basically Madaka Box at its core. I also like the main character a lot. Madaka is suppose to be this perfect being who can do anything, and convince anyone to do anything. She is someone who looks down upon the masses and is like a god among men. Of course she comes off as a Mary Sue. But I actually like this, we do get to see her more human side, and she needs her best friend to keep her in check, who we see the story through the eyes of. The show does have a bit too much gratuitous fan service, but the show itself is funny, the characters are great, and the student council aspect just makes me love it right away. I will be keeping up with this anime.   Kimi to Boku 2: Second verse, same as the first. But they seem to be focusing on romance a bit more, which makes sense because they are growing high school boys. But after last season’s Daily Lives of High School Boys, it just seems all the more boring. But I will watch it, as best I can.

 Zetman: Zetman is dark, to say the least. It something like a mix of tokusatsu and American comics. It uses the tropes and themes of many of the darker tokusatsu and comic book heroes I have seen. The first episode totally wowed me though. The small child we seen in the first episode is perfectly set up to be a hero in the future. His misunderstanding of basic concepts because he grew up on the streets is done incredibly well. And they made the motherly prostitute character so sympathetic and just a good person over all that it hooked me. And then the second episode completely flipped the table and got rid of everything. I feel like this show is rushing way too much in the early part. It just wants to get to the main meet of the story. But I really feel like it needs to take its time. The story needs to slow down, and we need to see some sense of normality before everything starts changing. But it looks interesting over all. The fights are pretty well done, and the dichotomy between the grungy street child who will end up fighting to save people, and the rich kid who wants to fight for  justice, believing that fighting the bad guy is more important then saving lives, is really well done, if they keep up at it. It needs time to really pan out, but I think this could be a really great series. 

Kids on the Slope: I mentioned before that I have a soft spot for weird sub-genres. On of these is musical anime. From BECK to K-On I love a good musical anime, and Kids on the Slope is no different. This time its jazz music. When the music is on, it is fast and, well for lack of a better word, jazzy. But that is only when there is music. There is mostly no background music for some reason, but I actually like it. The only time we get the great jazz score is when the two main characters, who by internet law I have to mention are starting on one of the most epic bromances  in anime history, are together. And it makes sense, jazz is not just one man playing an instrument, you need multiple instruments all playing off of each other. It really works with the ascetic of the show. The main character is a bit on the wimpy side, a boy who cannot stand confrontation and gets physically ill when it occurs, but he is the main character so I am hoping he will have a good character arch. I am in love with this show. The art is great, the music fun, and I really want to see where this show is going.

 Tsuritama- This is surrealist anime at its purest. I honestly have no clue what to say about this show. It is strange, but in a perfectly natural way. Visually it looks like a Hayao Miyazaki film, specifically Ponyo. The fishing theme is pretty great. The characters are just so off the wall that they become endearing. And the promise at the end of the first episode, that by then end of the series the main characters will have saved the Earth. How? Why? I have no clue, but I can’t wait to see. Also, there is a dude who is apparently dating a duck. God, this show is so weird I think I love it. 

Yurumates- I really have nothing to say about this show. Less because it is so strange it is awesome, but more because it is just boring. The only good thing is its opening, which has the chracters make their apartment form a Megazord of some sort. But that’s it. It is boring, and another anime added to the drop list.

 Accel World: This show is interesting to say the least. It is one of those shows that has that 14 year old character who wants to change the world, or in the very least wants power, gets that power, and then either slowly goes mad with it (Death Note) or uses it to become a great hero (… I got nothing, Gurran Lagann maybe?). I am personally betting on the crazy street, the main character doesn’t exactly seem rooted in reality. The fighting game that Accel World bases itself around is still really undefined, minus everything they go to explain what a fighting game is. Why is it here, how does it really work, and why are all these people a part of it? I want these things answered, and I hope that the show will eventually. I do plan on keeping up with Accel World, the fighting seems fun, but the characters, or at least the main character, seems annoying in his self deprecation. Boiled down, its fun, but not without its faults.

Mysterious Girlfriend X: On the high end, this is a fantastical, mature, yet romanticized look at the natural growing sexuality of a young teenager, and the discovery of that part of yourself at that age. On the more low end, it is a show about a strange girl and an average dude, and he is addicted to her spit. Its all metaphorical, representing things that normal teenagers would do or think about. And the chemistry between the main couple is surprisingly realistic. They are kind of awkward, but there is real affection for each other there. Of course, real couples aren’t addicted to each others spit. Unless there is something about dating no on has ever told me before. What I really like about the show though is the what they did with the male leads room. All around his room are posters for old SF movies, like Star Wars or 2001: A Space Odyssey. We see some Big O action figures on his desk. We know what this character likes. So when he guesses that the reason he is addicted to the spit of the main love interest is because she has some strange disease that makes it so addicting, it seems natural that that would be his natural thought process. It just works so well. I really like this show, it’s just good, if very weird. 

Polar Bear’s Café: First, this show has one of the best openings of all time. Second, this is really just a relaxing show. It is just the daily adventures of a polar bear who owns a café, and the patrons he see’s everyday. It is surprisingly simple, surprisingly calming, and I really like it. It is a show to relax to, a show that after a hard day of classes, I plan on watching and relaxing to the sounds of Polar Bear makes a bad pun.

Saki: Achiga-hen episode of side-A: This show physically hurt me. I wanted this to be something like Chihayafuru. I wanted to learn about mahjong while watching our heroes fighting against other, better players. But no. we got the moe-est of moe-est blobs. We got a first episode which explained nothing, characterized no one well, and crammed a whole season of anime into one episode. This show is dumb, and if I had to tell anyone to avoid any show, it would by this one. 

So there were my first thoughts on this anime season. There are quite a few new shows I have some real hope for, and  a few that I will be dropping like it just bit me. So until next time, have fun watching.