Month: February 2011

SPRINGPOCALYPSE: Your guide to the anime of Spring 2011

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 19/02/2011
2 Comments on SPRINGPOCALYPSE: Your guide to the anime of Spring 2011

Spring 2011 brings an unprecedented influx of anime series. I haven’t seen numbers like this in my (limited) time as an anime watcher. As far as I can tell, over 30 anime series will air in Spring, and this is EXCLUDING OVAs. Which is why I have termed it SPRINGPOCALYPSE.

SHAFT are doing two shows, and so is Production I.G. With the return of Gintama, Sunrise will also be doing two shows. In fact, Manglobe, Toei Animation, A-1 Pictures and MADHOUSE are all doing two shows. KyoAni returns after a well deserved break after the end of K-ON! Truly, this is SPRINGPOCALYPSE.

20110127_spring_guide — Image sourced via moetron, created by cowboybibimbop.

To help you decide what to watch, I’ve separated the shows into the following categories: unique and notable, slice of life and comedy, romance, action and mecha, and one last special category. Not every show is listed here, as I’ve skipped some I don’t think my normal readers will watch. At the end I’ll also be listing what I will probably be watching.

Disclaimer: some of this information may prove to be mistaken or false.
Note: abbreviations for show names are listed in brackets after the title if available.

Tags A Channel, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, Appleseed, C, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Hanasaku Iroha, Hidan no Aria, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, Lotte no Omocha!, Maria Holic, Moshidora, Nichijou

Gaming

A short time with Katawa Shoujo

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 14/02/2011
No Comments on A short time with Katawa Shoujo

Seeing as it is Valentine’s Day, I thought I might as well play a game I’ve heard a lot about and have wanted to try for quite a while. Katawa Shoujo is a bishoujo-style visual novel (in plainer terms, a visual novel with a focus on romance) set in a private school for disabled children. The full game is going to be an eroge, but from what I have played they will either be tastefully done or skippable. You play Hisao Nakai, a boy who is diagnosed with serious arrhythmia, meaning that serious stress or exercise can cause cardiac arrest.

But apart from the premise, there is something else unique about Katawa Shoujo.

Tags Katawa Shoujo, Visual novels

Anime and Manga

Surprises of all kinds

Kore wa Zombie desu ka?

Warning: very ero images.

Now normally when you start a gag humour anime episode with two girls sounding ero, it usually ends up being something far more innocent. Which is why it was such a surprise to see this.

Tags Content warning, Kore wa Zombie desu ka?

Anime and Manga

Kara no Kyoukai: Epilogue

I was not expecting this. That being said, my expectations were based on some false rumours that it would be based on Mikiya’s and Shiki’s child.

I was also not expecting it to raise more questions than it answers.

This epilogue is a conversation mainly about psychology between Mikiya Kokutou and ‘Shiki Ryougi’, set on an empty snow-covered road in the middle of a winter night. The visuals are both wonderful, and also inconsequential for the most part. The focus is almost solely on the conversation.

Tags Kara no Kyoukai

Anime and Manga

Lampshades and Despair

Oh Infinite Stratos. You are such a rewarding guilty pleasure. Which is good, because Madoka Magica is dripping with despair and dread.

Infinite Stratos

This episode was all about the harem. Which makes sense because with the transfer of another ‘male’ student to the school all the girls are going crazy. Hormone overdrive.

Tags Fractale, Infinite Stratos, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Yumekui Merry

Anime and Manga

Houkago no Pleiades Impressions

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 03/02/2011
No Comments on Houkago no Pleiades Impressions

[Ayako-Himatsubushi]_Afterschool_Pleiades_-_01-04_[720p][C3ABB735].mkv_snapshot_15.44_[2011.02.04_00.36.36] — Yuri shippers on your marks... get set... go!

This was essentially a full season of a generic magical girl anime show compressed into 25 minutes (four mini episodes). In fact it is admirable that they hit all the bases for a generic magical girl anime in those 25 minutes. Here is my summary.

Tags Houkago no Pleiades

Gaming

PSP additions to my game library

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 02/02/2011
No Comments on PSP additions to my game library

Disregarding MGS Peace Walker and Gran Turismo PSP, which I already had…

IMG_20110202_003939 — Valkyria Chronicles II! and Space Invaders EXTREME

I hope I have enough left to get Pokemon Black.

Tags Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, Space Invaders, Valkyria Chronicles

Anime and Manga

Gigantic blue whales and 1000% cute males

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 02/02/2011
No Comments on Gigantic blue whales and 1000% cute males

Kore wa Zombie desu ka? is going from strength to strength. Let me present just one of the several crazy elements of this week’s episode.

[HorribleSubs] Kore wa Zombie desu ka - 04 [720p].mkv_snapshot_17.01_[2011.02.02_01.56.26] — A giant flying clothed blue whale.

Tags Kore wa Zombie desu ka?

Gaming

Summary review: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 02/02/2011
No Comments on Summary review: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Platform: Nintendo DS
Single-player, puzzle solving, visual novel

Ghost Trick comes from creator of the widely beloved Ace Attorney series of games, Shu Takami. It’s very much in the vein of those games. However, rather than presenting evidence and identifying contradictions, the puzzle solving is much more grounded in the everyday task of identifying what inanimate objects can do. As for the story, you’ll fall in love with a dog with a heart of gold amongst the large cast of personalities in this game.

Tags Ghost Trick, Summary review

Anime and Manga

Kouji Kumeta’s “Katte ni Kaizou” to be adapted by SHAFT

Post author By Benjamin Lay
Post date 01/02/2011
No Comments on Kouji Kumeta’s “Katte ni Kaizou” to be adapted by SHAFT

YES! SHAFT are returning to a Kouji Kumeta work, after three and half brilliant seasons of Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei. Katte ni Kaizou was serialised before SZS, and influenced much of the art and style of SZS. As usual, Akiyuki Shinbo will be the director.

I really can’t wait. Luckily Puella Magi Madoka Magica is proving to be more than enough SHAFT for this season.

Tags Gokicha!! Cockroach Girls, Katte ni Kaizou, Tamayura