Magikano ep 01 raw:
Psychotic girl is sent against her will to the human world as a magical maid in the house of a nerdy guy with his 3 jealous sisters, hilarity to supposedly ensue.
Pros: fast paced, unexpected gags, art is okay.
Cons: crappy intro and outro songs, weak voice acting (but gets better in the later part of the ep), art is plain, garish colors for the titles (but maybe intentional as a rib on magical shows), the alledged "cute" girl is not cute.
Overall: not a thoroughbred but may turn out okay as a midly entertaining title.
Sadly, Fate/Stay Night feels like it's getting shafted by bad production and writing. The animation is pretty lame, and the writing seems clumsy. The strength of the original material shines through here and there - like when Saber shows up - but other scenes that seem like they should be powerful just fall flat. I thought the scene where Rin decides to stay by the first innocent victim of her fight should have a had a lot more impact than it did, for instance. And the anime is packed full of exposition, which gets annoying real quick. Too much telling, nowhere near enough showing.
I only played the translated demo version, but pretty much all of the really good back-and-forth between Rin and Archer that was in there at the start has been cut, or existed but didn't work in the anime.
Overall, standing on its own, I liked Tsukihime a lot more after the first two episodes.
>>18
tsukihime had much higher production values and was way more competently directed, that's for sure. it ended up falling apart, though! hopefully this one doesn't.
I specifically compared it to the two first episodes of Tsukihime, didn't I?
Also, in terms of production values, the first episode usually is better-produced than later episodes, to attract viewers. Neither do I agree, in terms of writing and direction, that "The first episodes of an anime are almost never good". A lot of my favourite shows have really strong first episodes. Just over the last year, I can think of Honey & Clover, Fantastic Children, Noein and Mushishi as grabbing me by the first episode (or in the case of Mushishi, the second).
It is quite possible that Fate will improve, and I'm determined to watch all of it, but if it wasn't for the fact that I know the original material is very good, I wouldn't have bothered.
So basically, it's looking to me like there's no real stand-out shows this season. I'm watching Fate, as I mentioned, but it's a bit of a let-down so far.
Question is, did I miss anything really brilliant that nobody's talking about?
>did I miss anything really brilliant that nobody's talking about?
The last episode of Yukikaze?
I found the last episode to be less brilliant than the other episodes, tho.
What the hell, it wasn't released until now? I thought everyone just forgot about it. And here I thought the wait for the last episode of Macross Zero was long.
Ginga_Densetsu_Weed_01 raw:
Dogs, dogs and more dogs. Talking dogs.
Life is cruel in the woods. It's a battle for survival.
Death awaits the weak.
Dogs anime.
Looks well done, not my kind of anime tho.
Eikyuu Alice Rondo:
Eh...I'm going to keep watching for the cutesy lesbian stalker.
Majikano:
The evil girl is not getting enough evil screen time.
Kage Kara Mamoru:
That girl lead is really annoying. But hey, I like her friend.
Ok, this season is for Kashimashi and Nerima daikon.
this new season is a lot suckier than the earlier one (ParaKiss, Noein, Mushishi were extremely good, the last 2 in particular)
Well, at least Noein's continuing into this season. I'd like some Daikon, but people are apparently being lazy bums as usual.
>>29
I like to call it the calm before the storm.
ADTRW would rise again, but Daikon is really goddamn ridiculously impossible to translate. I think we might anyway, though. It's too bad none of us are good at song localizing.
REC ep 01 raw
Lower than average guy gets dumped, meets very young girl who wants to be a Voice Actor, they part, they meet again, they fall in love, they make love.
Love story. 12 min long.
Hard to say where this is going from 1 ep. Probably a "love can overcome all obstacles" type of story.
Binchou-tan_01 subbed:
We follow the frugal daily routine of Binchou-tan at her house in the forest. Sleep, wake up, get ingredients, make rice, sleep.
Slice of (peaceful) life anime.
The scenery is pretty to look at, and (IMO) the best part.
Binchou-tan herself is a cute-ified absurdity. Why she has that log on her head makes no sense, unless she's travelling, which she's not. That bowl of rice she's eating is bigger than her body. The kimono is very short but the ribbon is way too long. And why anklets but not shoes?
Also, that burnt hole in her blanket is never explained. But we had a voice over explaining the obvious. This voice over was probably unnecessary. Oh well...
Binchoutan（備長炭）is a brand name of prestigious charcoal.
http://www.rekishikaido.gr.jp/time-trip/gengo/eng/21brand.htm
>>34
I'm surprised you didn't mention how the ribbon is asymetrically tied.
Are you by any chance the kind of person that actually questions why some Watanabe Akio-designed characters have a bandaid on one of their stockings?
>I'm surprised you didn't mention how the ribbon is asymetrically tied.
No that was explained in the episode: she has short arms and couldn't reach well behind her.
>Are you by any chance the kind of person that actually questions why some Watanabe Akio-designed characters have a bandaid on one of their stockings?
How can a band-aid stick on a stocking? It should fall off I would think. :)
I'm a logical person. When I spending 12-20 min. watching a anime where nothing of importance is happening, my mind wanders and dissects the surrounding details, to use up the wasted processing time I suppose.
> >>35 So.... it's a commercial? :P
No, it's a kind of fan-made mascot, like OS-tan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os-tan
Afghanis-tan is also a kind of them.
http://www.yukai.jp/~timaking/COMIC/01af/ep01.htm
Neither Binchou-tan nor Afghanis-tan are "fan made" in the sense that the OS-tans are. Binchou-tan and Afghanis-tan are created by individuals - Exa's Picata (http://picata.net/) and Timaking (http://www.yukai.jp/~timaking/) respectively. Both are also licensed to commercial production companies now. They're essentially no different from any other manga or anime characters in that respect.
The OS-tans, however, are created by the Nijiura community as a group effort, and are not really under any kind of central control or copyright. Well, the original creators of the characters, who are pretty much anonymous, do retain the copyrights but these are mostly only used to prevent others from claiming copyright on the characters, or using them commercially against the wishes of the community (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os-tan#Movement_against_Netrunner, for instance).
WATANABE AKIO MUST BE STOPPED
Papillon Rose New Season 01 raw
A few years later. Papillon has lost her memory, and is now working in a maid cafe for otakus. A new thread is appearing, what's a big girl to do?
Magical girl anime.
Ugh, it's censored to hell and beyond. Even simple groping has been taken out of the tv version. We get buildings pans, still pictures and voice-overs instead of the juicy bits. WTF?
Ergo Proxy 01:
Copied from animenewsnetwork:
Plot Summary: In a world where humans and robots live together, there exists a domed city named "Romudo". Under the implementation of complete management control, it is a paradise where feelings are literally discarded. But this utopian landscape is soon broken by a series of mystifying murders. Ril Meyer, a female inspector from the Citizen Information Board, is tasked to solve the murder cases. As she digs deeper, she is soon entangled into the mystery of the "Awakening", an event which will change her life, and the lives living in Romudo...forever.
Blade Runner anime with a girl as replicant's hunter.
I liked Rick (Deckard/Harrison Ford), I didn't care for Ril.
Also, it's very dark and the colors are subdued. Blade Runner was colorful in its darkness.
Ep01 was boring overall. Ep02 preview shows some flying spinners, er, flying machines, 'may be more interesting.
Actually, it's not just Blade Runner, it's also 70s-emotionless-utopia-or-is-that-dystopia.
Well there was an unemotional angle in Blade Runner too.
I don't recall if Blade Runner was supposed to be a paradise/utopia, tho... Probably a rottening, decadent utopia?
dystopia
state in which the condition of life is extremely bad as from deprivation or oppression or terror [ant: utopia]
I'm not sure about the "terror" part.
Conditions of life were not that bad, hi-tech and all that stuff.
Morals were rotten, yes, but that's no terror.
Yes, but Blade Runner was more about urban alienation, whereas the theme I was referring to (which was apparently popular in seventies sci-fi) is that of utopias specifically constructed along strict guidelines, which end up making them dystopias. The world in Blade Runner has just been left to itself to decay.
On the one hand, you have Blade Runner, Neuromancer, and Ghost in the Shell (the movies more than the TV series). On the other, Brave New World, Logan's Run, and apparently Ergo Proxy. Not that I've seen enough of it to tell for sure, but that was the imperssion I got from the trailer.
Blade Runner, Neuromancer, and Ghost in the Shell: cyperpunk. Mechanized worlds, where the human is rebelling against the Machine.
Brave New World, Logan's Run, Eightron: artificial societiess, using drugs to maintain order. Humans reduced to be machines.
Ergo Proxy: A few no-feelings humans surrounded by lots of pseudo-sentient robots. One robot is created and escapes who has emotions and can induce emotions into others, and will probably become some sort of emo messiah. I dunno why the humans lost their emotions, maybe because they have been surrounded by robots for so long. IF the no-feelings state is because of drugs, and someone is using this to control, then it's a Brave New World/etc universe. But I think it's a cyberpunk, with a twist: the robot will bring the emotion, and the girl will fight society/the status-quo for this.
Ah, but you're focusing on the details there. I was referring to the larger themes: That of dystopia through urban alienation, versus dystopia through deliberate and often well-meaning but misguided design. Ergo Proxy seems to be a designed society, in this subdivision.
The citizen crap makes me think we might have some interesting anime-style Brazil-type society. (the film not the county)
This could either turn out really good or more of the same. I really hope this is good.
Shinigami no Ballad: momo the girl god of death_01 raw
Copied from animenewsnetwork:
Plot Summary: A girl wrapped in white, her name is Momo...in her hand lies a blunt yet shiny scythe. By her side is a wingged black cat by the name of Daniel. Carrying the souls of humans, the girl's existence parallels to that of a "Death God" or "Shinigami". At the instant when this white Death God touches the hearts of humans, the world is filled with kindness and grief..
Magical girl anime with a shinigami and her sidekick as protagonists.
Looks like a kiddies' show, everything is bright, things happen slowly and are slightly over-explained, designs are simple and clean. Looks like it's gonna be episodic, with a new death-of-the-week every episode. Boring so far.
>Magical girl anime
>Looks like a kiddies' show
>slightly over-explained
Did you watch the same show I did?
http://www.ufotable.com/coyote/
The plot is likely "lol ufotable", and it looks kind of like a Bebop imitator, but there is an all-star cast!
There isn't much good animes out lately..
()() /0 0 \ z
/ | z
( __ ) z
| |
(.) (.)
( )
( . )
(^)~~~~(^)
btw does anyone know how trip codes work?
>>54
I have to say I agree with Sling so far. I pegged what was going to happen in the episode immediately. Then even if you couldn't figure it out they put even more foreshadowing. It is rather somber but that doesn't preclude it from being a kiddie show.
I just watched the xxxHOLiC - A Midsummer Night's Dream movie. It was decent, but maybe a bit more geared towards people who are already familiar with the manga. Some nice dreamlike bits, and some nice really creepy bits. Also, Yuuko. You could tell she was in a fierce fight because she flinched, once.
is there sub that I can find from that?
Do you have an internet?
>I pegged what was going to happen in the episode immediately.
Yes, the storytelling paradigm it uses assumes you did.
>It is rather somber but that doesn't preclude it from being a kiddie show.
The fact that it airs at night, however, does.
Really though, while there are seinen series that could be easily mistaken for a "kiddie show" to the unobservant eye (e.g. Bottle Fairy), Shinigami no Ballad is not one of them.
>>61
I am unfamilar with this literary techinique, what is its common name? It makes the everything after the first 5 minutes seem like beating a dead horse until the end where they actually involve the protaganist. I do not take it as a good sign when I know a character is going to die 10 seconds after they are introduced. How am I supposed to develop a connection with them?
>>62
Let me put it this way: The show is called Shinigami no Ballad and features a shinigami. That pretty much settles it that someone is going to die at some point (though ep. 2 was a bit of a surprise as far as that is concerned). If you cannot predict at all who's going to die, then you watch the episode wondering just that - "Who's gonna croak this time?". However, if you know beforehand who will die, you'll be worrying about Kouta and Mai instead. Well, in theory, anyway. Whether it actually succeeds at making you do that depends on the execution (which was pretty solid IMO) and the person watching, but it's not a flaw in its design - it's purposely made this way.
>I do not take it as a good sign when I know a character is going to die 10 seconds after they are introduced. How am I supposed to develop a connection with them?
Each episode is a self-standing story with different characters, other than Momo and Daniel, so you have to develop connections with the characters quickly. Mai died fairly late in the episode. If you didn't connect by then, I'd advise you to avoid episodical series like these.
>>61
even though i'd agree with you about bottle fairy's audience (you really can define these things by the time of night they air), i sort of think you could show it to a kid without issue. from the episodes i watched, there was only the vaguest hint (sensei-san's existence and function) of the show's intended audience. i dunno if you'd have to be unobvserant to miss who this show's really aiming for. anyway! here's my question to you: how do you know it's seinen specifically?
>>63
I'm just saying let them have more than 10 seconds of screentime before you give the audience horribly obvious clues that they are going to die.
>>64
It is based on a novel serialized in a seinen novel magazine.
>>66
That's inaccurate info.
regardless of everything else, momo is just a very cool lookin' character
>>67
How so?
>The genre of "seinen novel magazine" doesn't exist.
What about Dengeki Bunko?
I actually liked Shinigami no Ballad 2 and 3. My only qualms of them are using the same character design constantly and ... who the fuck names their daughter Tomato?
Dai Mahou Touge 01-02 raw:
Magical girl is sent to Earth for training. She meets wonderful friends and makes people happy and sings happy songs... except NOT! She's bent on Total World Domination and will stop at nothing to achieve her nefarious goals! Blood, broken bones and vicious destruction ensue while Tokyo is soon to be engulfed by flames... "Oopsie! Did I do a boo-boo?" Oh, and she has a split personality, too.
By the same ones who did Dokuro-chan. 'Nuff said.
Do you know Dai Bosatsu Touge?
>>74 Who?
...searching...
'Daibosatsu Touge' (aka 'Dai-bosatsu toge') trilogy based on Kaizan Nakazato's unfinished long series of novels (41 books, written from 1913 to 1941). Set in the last period of Tokugawa Shogunate, 'Daibosatsu Touge' tells the story of Tsukue Ryuunosuke, a cool, nihilistic swordmaster who doesn't hesitate to kill anyone, bad or good.
This guy? What about him? Is he the pun of the anime's name?
Ar Tonelico OVA [RAW]:
Green knight sets out to save the world meets self-loathing brunette priestess sulking about her failed powers. Dragon appears and threatens to destroy the city. What's a hero and heroine got to do?
RPG anime, one guy enrolling many girls (and maybe a guy or two) to fulfill his glorious quest.
Probably based on a much longer game, it feels like there is a lot of exposition omitted in the anime to get straight to the hot action -- which is pretty good, even if at times a few things don't make too much sense.
Cream Lemon New Generation 1-2 raw:
Each episode is about the life of a different young guy/girl.
Ep1 is about a schoolboy, his sister and a jealous girl classmate.
Ep2 is about a guy living in an apartment in the big city, his just-add-hot-water-and-it's-ready girlfriends, and a real girl.
Bittersweet slice of life anime.
Very uninspired voice acting brings this show down in flames as far as I'm concerned, compounded by the very slow-going directing. The short sex scene in ep2 happens in pitch darkness, and is not erotic. The singer in the ED is not very good. The background theme music is quite lively but often doesn't fit the scenes' mood. It's not a total lemon, there is some sort of (bad) plot, and the art is pretty good, but that's about it.
Keisatsu Sensha Tai TANK S.W.A.T. 01 [subbed]:
Dominion Tank Police, version full 3D.
Police vs Thieves in the big city anime.
I couldn't watch more than a few minutes. The faces are ugly (eyes too close to each other), the charas move all the time like if they had some attention deficit disorder, motions don't look natural or even believeable, there's no humor. Plot is so dumbed down it hurts.
Gokinjo Monogatari 01 raw
Plot Summary: The protagonist, Kouda Mikako, is a student of "Yaza Gaku". Specialising in fashion design, Mikako dreams of becoming a fashion designer with her own brand. Living next to her is her childhood friend, Yamaguchi Tsutomu. Even though they have been close since young, they share a platonic friendship. However, Tsutomu has been gaining popularity after he was recruited as the vocalist for a band and somehow, Mikako begins to see him in a different light. This is a story about how youths cope with dreams, love and friendship.
Shoujo anime.
Not my cup of tea, I'll pass.
>>80
Why is this in the New season (early 2006) reviews thread? Gokinjo Monogatari is over 10 years old.
>>81 Ah, true. Darn! I downloaded a raw of an old show. Woe be me!
Yoshinaga-san Uchi no Gargoyle 01 raw
A young girl wins against her will an annoying sentient gargoyle in a lottery. Thieves try to steal in a home nearby. Best friend of the girl gets trauma. Emo ensues.
Drama anime with gag elements/Gag anime with drama elements.
I liked the gag sections; the drama didn't do much for me, too much rubbed in.
Gakuen Heaven 01 raw:
Yaoi anime. Not a single girl in sight.
Soul_Link_-_01 raw:
"Aizawa Ryota was in the preparatory course of Central Military Academy. AD 2045, he went to a space station, Aries, for the training with his classmates. However, the station was attacked by a terrorist group. Can they escape from the station to go back to the Earth?
Based on a game by NAVEL." [animenfo.com]
Scifi harem anime.
I could not watch more than a few minutes of this. Cheap animation, stuffy directing, lots of sequence errors (e.g. the guy comes from one direction then goes back where he cames from, it makes no sense), voices not always matching the animation, not very appealing chara designs, unsympathetic characters, empty backgrounds... ugh.
Dai Mahou Touge 01-02
Funny. Being a silly and violent magical girl parody, comparisons with Dokuro-chan are inevitable, but Dai Mahou Touge has the potential to be the better one of the two, mainly because it's less of a one-joke show than Dokuro-chan.
However, wait for Triad's sub. Kyuuketsuki's version is not very good.
Kiba 01 RAW
"Zedd is a 15-year-old boy frustrated by his daily life. One day, a mysterious wind invites him to a time-space crevasse. He lands in another world where Shadow Casters have been fighting against each other endlessly. Shadow Casters use magic to create fighting monsters." [loosely copied from animenfo.com]
Fighting fantasy anime.
No girls in the intro, boys with too much mascara, one mean witch that appears briefly, one ambiguous "girl"(?), men with wings... mild yaoi? Probably aimed at prepubescent boys who are looking for something more adult than Pokemon, maybe at the fangirl scene too.
Production values seem to be high. I may need to see one more episode to make sure where this is going.
so whats the new hit anime everyone will love this year?
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu ep 01 raw
"At her entrance in school, Suzumiya Haruhi introduced herself in a strange way: “I’m not interested in ordinary people. If you came from outer space, or from the future, or you have a supernatural power, come to my place”. And so she became famous among the students." [edited from animenfo.com]
Ep01 shows a parody of a very very very bad movie filmed by a school team. Utterly boring and painful to follow. May be funny for people who have seen those kind of movies...
Genre: school life anime?.
I'll need to see ep02 to get an idea of what this anime is about.
Ep02 preview looks promising tho.
Akubi Girl 01 raw
"Akubi-chan is a cute magical girl. She is good at magic, she can turn into any form by tapping a tambourine, and she can grant any dream or wishes. Akubi-chan is in a vase, but when Ruru-chan, the owner of the vase, yarns (akubi), Akubi-chan pops out. Ruru-chan loves secretly her classmate Itoshi-kun living next-door. Akubi-chan uses various magic to make them good friends." [edited from animenfo]
14 minutes.
Feel-good/cute anime.
Chara noses and eyes look like done by Scooby-Doo, plot by Dexter's Lab, backgrounds by PowerPuff Girls, shadows by Mickey (no shadows whatsoever).
Well, it's cute.
>Chara noses and eyes look like done by Scooby-Doo
Don't tell me you've never seen Bob in the Bottle (Hakushon Daimaou).
High School Girls 00 (joshikousei)
I loved it for the same reason everybody here will hate it. At least 20 panty shots in that 10-minute ep. Somewhat funny, too, but shows like this are better when they are genuinely stupid.
Utawarerumono 01 raw
"One day, Eruru, a half-human girl who lives in a village saves a masked young man lying injured. He recovers, but has lost his memory. Tuskle, the grandmother of Eruru, names him Hakuoro.
Based on a game by LEAF/Aqua PLUS" [edited from animenfo]
Epic fantasy with half-beasts.
Pleasant animation, nice chara designs, good voices, unobstrusive music, simple story -- it's looking good so far.
>>92 I'll tell you, I have never seen Bob in the Bottle/Hakushon Daimaou.
Fushigi_Hoshi_No_Futago_Hime_Gyu_01_raw
Our two princesses are back, and they go to school! Good-natured havoc ensue, but in the end they save the day. Oh, and they gain two fairies in the process.
Children anime for girls.
Fighting Beauty Wulong Rebirth 01 raw
Second season.
Girls fighting, in a ring and in dark alleys, anime.
Looks more polished than the ep01 of the first season I saw back then. The weak boy of before has grown some. Almost no fan service any more, tho ep02 preview showed some promise of skin.
Still not my kind of anime, tho.
Simoun_01 raw
"The story takes place on a planet different from the Earth. There, they are born as female. When they become 15 years old, they go to the "spring" and choose their sex.
A war breaks out; the country where the main characters live is invaded by the next country aiming at their superior engine." [edited from animenfo]
Lesbian sci-fi.
Looking good overall, music is pleasing, chara design is nice.
Many characters so I'm not sure who is/are the heroine(s) yet.
Gintama 01(-02) raw
"End of Edo period, aliens invaded Earth, Earth lost.
The story takes place around a samurai and his buddies who live in Edo." [edited from animenfo]
A mismatched group of youngsters helps various people fighting yakuza-like groups in an anachronistic Edo, in exchange for food and money. Pseudo-hilarity ensues.
Gag-scifi-pseudo-historical-samurai anime.
Somewhat entertaining (lots of "samurai movies" jokes I'm not familiar with). Art and plot are simple. Watchable.
Glass no Kantai - La Legende du Vent de l'Univers - 01 raw
"At the center of the galaxy, the war between the Aristocrat Alliance and the New Aristocrats breaks out. The war that affects the fate of the universe ends by the victory of the New Aristocrats. However, this isn’t the dawn of peace, but the beginning of tyranny. Michelle and her People’s Army decide to stand up against this tyranny." [edited from animenfo]
Swashbuckling science-fantasy.
Woah, woah. We go from chivalrous-style fighting to betrayal-style fighting to guerilla-style tactics within 15 minutes? Now that's compressed time. And how come they fight with swords and arrows while the spaceships use advanced propulsion engines? Lost technologies or what?
I need to see more before I can evaluate where this is going, ep01 is merely a fast prologue of things to come.
Ohran_High_School_Host_Club_-_01 raw
"Ohran Academy is a high school where only rich people go to, but Haruhi is there because of a scholarship. One day, Haruhi happens to enter the Host Club(*) room, and breaks a 8-million yen vase. Because Haruhi is not rich, Haruhi cannot afford to pay for the vase. The leader of the club orders Haruhi to gather 100 guests as setoff against the debts.
(*) Nightclub for ladies where male staff serve guests while sitting next to them." [edited from animenfo]
Ugly-duckling-becomes-swan shoujo anime.
Ep01 was much fun. High production values.
Love Get-Chu ~Miracle Seiyuu Hakusho~ ep 01 raw
"Five girls came to a training school to become voice actresses.
Based on a cellular phone game by ARIKO." [animenfo]
Girls coming to the big city to study/work/get married.
Way too predictable story. It reminds me of Mahoraba: pretty, colorful, lively... and utterly boring.
Magipoka_01 raw
aka Renkin San-kyuu Magical Pokaan
"The four princesses, Uma the witch, Pachira the vampire, Liru the werewolf, and Aiko the android, came to the human world from the magical land. One week has passed since they began to live in a house on a big tree. Because they are not accustomed to the human life, daily life causes problems." [edited from animenfo]
Children anime.
The chara designs are sexy, but things happen a bit too slow for me. It feels like "Mahou Yuugi" played in slow motion.
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni - 01 (RAW)
"Every year in this small village, on a fixed day, one person dies and one person disappears. It is a death chain from the fight related to a big dam construction plan. The hidden tragedy revives." [edited from animenfo]
Part 0: gruesome murder. Part 1: guy and his girl friends at school. Part 2: finding clues.
Murder-solving anime.
Art is cheap, animation as well. Low budget? Tho sometimes it's animated/drawn better when things become serious.
Most of ep01 was mainly about making fun of the hero in front of the girls, I didn't like it too much and I ended skipping most of it. The number 1 girlfriend comes across as a happy-go-lucky retard. I'm not a big fan of murder-solving stories either.
Witchblade ep 01 raw
"Six years after the big earthquake, Amaha Masane and her daughter Naoko are coming to Tokyo. They ran away from the asylum to live together. But what are those dark powers waiting for them in the shadows?" [loosely copied from animenfo]
Violent thriller using bio-weapons.
Good animation, good art.
AIR GEAR 01 raw
"The Air Trek is a roller-skate with an engine. This is the story about a boy, Baby Face Itsuki. When he is invited into the world of Air Gear, his legend to become the Air King began." [edited from animenfo]
Turbo roller-skates anime with babes.
The transition from the manga to the anime isn't as bad as I feared, except maybe for the music, I would have expected something with more tempo. Still fine tho.
Bakegyamon_-_01 raw
School is over, boy goes on holidays, fights with people on the boat, falls in the water, goes to Monster World, gets a "gameboy" with a sliding slot to summon monsters, fights monsters.
Pokemon anime.
Nice animation of the characters, nice backgrounds in the real world at the beginning, crappy backgrounds in the Monster's World, crappy monster's designs. Kids' show.
Strawberry Panic ep 01 raw
"On Astraea Hill, there are three girl schools: St. Miatre Academy, St. Spica Academy, and St. Le Rim Academy.
Aoi Nagisa is transferred to St. Miatre Academy. On the very first day, she met Etoile, Hanazono Shizuma. Etoile is the leader of the Students of the Tree, overlooking all schools. Nagisa is mesmerized by Sizuma's beauty and faints." [adapted from animenfo]
Lesbian school anime.
I thought it was boring, and skipped most of it. ^^;
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya ep 1
This must be the gutsiest opening episode of any series in years. As >>90 noted, it is very, very difficult to watch. It is, however, worth it just to experience the super plot twist that will scare your pants off.
Episode 2 will be The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 1, according to the preview. The preview also promises some nice-looking art.
This show has the best title of the season.
RAY 01 raw
"A beautiful surgeon Ray was transplanted eyes that could see through objects by a genius surgeon named B.J. With her eyes and genius technique, she has succeeded in difficult operations.
However, she has a terrible past that she wants to forget but can’t." [animenfo]
Ninja surgeons anime.
Medical stuff bores me, but (X-)Ray is pretty, and the kung-fu flying nurses are funny, so I was entertained by this episode. Not sure if this will continue tho.
Spider Riders ~ Oracle no Yusha Tachi ~ 01 raw
"In the Inner World, there are braves who fight with large spiders, and they are called “Spider Riders”.
Following his grandfather’s diary notes, a boy, Hunter Steel, is traveling around. He happens to enter the Inner World thru a pyramid. Oracle, the fairy of the Inner World, has summoned Hunter because she thinks Hunter will be the messiah of the inner world." [ed. from animenfo]
Fighting robots anime.
Cool music, girl is cute, animation is decent. Ep01 was entertaining enough but I doubt I'll follow this children show.
Dot Hack Roots 01 raw
"Haseo arrives in The World. He doesn’t have any real desire to play, and ends up cornered by player killers. However, his encounter with Ovan, a top player who saves his life, may change him. Ovan says to him, "You have a talent". What kind of talent does Haseo have?" [loosely based on animenfo]
Virtual reality anime.
As usual, lots of talking, little fighting.
About everything is rehashed, even dumbed down: the music, the designs, the scenery... Art is so-so. I get the feeling that .hack//roots is gonna be inferior to the original .hack//. ^^;
Inukami! 01 RAW
"Lecherous Kawahira Keita is a descendant of a famous Inugami (powerful half-dog half-human beings) tamer family. However, because he lacked in ability, he was forsaken by his family. One day, an Inugami named Yoko came. She looked graceful, obedient, and above all, beautiful. Soon he contracted with her. But, she was a problematic Inugami that no one had been able to control before." [edited from animenfo]
Urusei Yatsura clone.
Good animation, good art, humor... didn't work on me. Let's see ep02.
ZEGAPAIN 01 raw
Boy meets girl, boy gets sent to a parallel world, goes into mecha, battles robots, defeats them all, goes back to his world.
Adaption of a generic giant robots game?
High quality art+animation, ugly robot's colors (I see XBOX360 in the sponsors, must be an MS creation. ^^;) I don't have much hope for this anime but hopefully it'll be better than IGXP...
Nishi no Yoki Majo / The Good Witch Of The West - Astrea Testament - 01 raw
"When Filiel received her mother’s necklace as a memento from an obstinate astronomer Dee, her common and tedious life was turned into a life of conspiracies. Soon she realized it was herself that could save important things." [verbatim from animenfo]
Fairy tale. The Cinderella tale told without any magic sugarcoating but with real betrayals, tortures and murders.
Pretty!
it's not an adaptation, technically, but a 360 game is indeed coming.