English: “The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat” 

Here’s a good example of another light novel adaptation. For the most part, this is a comedy series dominated by the interpersonal relationship between the main character, who is an ah, let us say, enthusiast about the female physique, but not someone who would hurt a single hair on a girl’s head, and a pair of unfairly adorable younger girls who acquire crushes on him. The broader plot is very deeply about “be careful what you wish for“.

Quick note: No porn, nothing hardcore, not even close. Plenty of teases and suggestive situations, but they never cross the line into actual “hentai” territory. I thought you’d like to know that early on.

Wishing upon statues of the Cat God has both comic and very serious consequences for the characters of this show. The most long-lasting consequence that we see on the surface is the leading heroine, depicted above, who surrenders her on-the-surface emotion and becomes a “stony cat” herself in that sense, which lends fuel to the entire show by making her so adorable it hurts.

There’s other girls worth noting, though I’m not actually going to note them here; there’s some nice girls involved and that’s sufficient for a quick review. More importantly, I want to note that the plot is zany, a sort of “truth and consequences” theme with a lot of very weird situations and people in between, and those expecting a coherent plot expect in vain. This is character exposition, interpersonal conflict, and a lot of eye candy, which makes me rate it a solid 8 out of 10 for keeping me entertained and having cute girls without so much sugar one gags on it, which is actually an impressive feat.

Nonetheless, the limitations of a 12-episode anime run are evident in spades here and one has the feeling that the novels might be a tad more fascinating, but obviously well beyond the reach of most anime viewers. There’s also a very strong sense that more could have been done with this material, and could have been, but we’re not going to see it here. That’s a shame in some sense, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

“Translating” a video game to anime is always risky business because the experience cannot but be different. In the first place, players with a given video game generally have a wide number of choices, or at least a few highly critical ones, which shape the direction of the ending. Directors therefore must choose one option, stick to it, and try to make the viewing public like it. Full disclaimer: I have not played the game. I have heard complaints from those who have, though.

Devil Survivor 2: The Animation takes thirteen episodes to tell its story, charting its own independent path, killing off characters just to show they can be at times (since the people who have played the game say such-and-such can’t be killed off in the game itself, for instance). This is part of a certain tradition in anime, an end-of-the-world story where people fight for the opportunity, not to prevent the end, but to shape the new beginning. However, in this case, our protagonist, Hibiki, given power he did not ask for (but deep down wanted when it came down to saving others), is the boy standing astride the apocalypse yelling, “Stop!”

Essentially a narrative is shaped, filled with fixtures of the Shin Megami Tensei game series such as “demonic” beings summoned by humans, such as the Godzilla-sized, “evil” version of the cutsey series mascot, called (in English) Black Frost, whose picture graces the top of this post. Such is the symbiotic supernatural power that is used to combat the “monsters” that assail humanity, part of a trial by a being/ system that views humanity as unworthy of continued existence. The real conflict is still man vs. man, between one iron-willed individual who thinks that humanity as it stands now truly isn’t worthy of continued existence, and Hibiki, who wants to save not just the world, but also Yamato, the strong-willed individual in question who tries to take the whole world on his shoulders (even as it is consumed by the void).

So does it work?

I found the show to be tolerable because the varied core characters were mainly worth watching, and because the high powered battles were, broadly speaking, done well with a lot of action. Thirteen episodes wasn’t enough time to slow things down and take one’s time. While I’m not as big a fan of the mouthpieced philosophical debate at work – you shouldn’t have to try this hard to justify stopping global universal genocide – my bottom line is, the protagonist and antagonist are both well-acted (so to speak) and carry their crosses convincingly. You don’t have to agree with both of them – or either of them – to take away the sense that the characters believe what they’re saying and believe that they’re right. Any show that can’t produce a credible conflict is difficult to watch, and this show does have a conflict, and does resolve it. That’s important.

I would not nominate this show for true greatness, so I’ll give it a 7 out of 10 with a nod to the animation and song work, but as much as I think the character designs were mostly outstanding, this is a conflict that has been done before and which was handled in a way that feels heartfelt to the main character (at least), but certainly not original. There are also minor characters who were “weakly acted” and deficiencies in the writing, but hey, video game adaptations are hard, and decency is something we should be grateful for. I enjoyed my time and that is that.

Better Than I Expected

When I first started watching “Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai,” which I mentioned before in saying that “haganai” as a nickname had to do with reading “wa” as “ha” (though in this grammar role it is NEVER pronounced anything other than “wa”), I expected simple zany comedy. It became more than that.

While this certainly is a comedy, the characters are not one-dimensional, though they act like it a lot of the time. The characters are… well, the expression, “She’s a real character,” comes to mind. As in, these are oddballs. They know they’re oddballs. We know they’re oddballs. And yet somehow it works. We feel relieved of the obligation to gauge them against the actions of normal human beings, not because they shoot fireballs from their fingertips, but because their personalities vary so wildly.

At its core, this show is about a bunch of oddballs who don’t fit anywhere normal, and so, as if reeled in by force of gravity, become part of a club ostensibly about “making friends”. There’s quite a lot of comic conflict between the girls involved. One girl in particular, Sena, fits the anime fan role of a pin-up model on the Internet. But never mind that. The strength of the show is that ostensibly ordinary things go crazily, horribly wrong, but relationships still manage to deepen as the club members become a tight-knit little community.

Having said that, without spoiling, this series can’t be truly enjoyed without making it all the way to episode 12 (the final one). This episode essentially rewrites the first episode and manages to leave a good taste in the viewer’s mouth. A good ending is a truly valuable thing.

Rating: 9.5/10 for characters and situations I actually found quite funny, extremely high production values (cel/ voice/ sound), and pacing that manages to work. – J

“Bodacious Space Pirates” 

I’m not sure whose idea it was to translate the title as “Bodacious Space Pirates,” and perhaps it’s from the Japanese studio, but that’s OK. “Mouretsu” usually stands for something more like marauding, or at least that’s what I’d use. Episode 8 just aired, and it’s a really good show.

Before getting a bit more into the meat, here’s the quick hits so far:

• Endearing characters and lots of them
• Very funny in numerous places
• Serious and deep science fiction when it wants to
• Pacing allows viewer to ease into a deep, complex world
• Excellent production values
• Intelligent writing
• Nothing ecchi; safe for sensitive viewers

That last part is important for some people so I mention it prominently. I’m really enjoying this show, though some have accused it of having a “slow” pace to start. I address that a bit below.

Plot & Premise

This show has received such hype that it has the confidence to start in a way some may call “slowly”, with the main character, Marika, discovering in the middle of Episode 1 that she is the heiress to a pirate ship captained by her father, who she knew basically nothing about. In this futuristic environment, pirate ships must still operate by a variety of public laws, and piracy is partially tolerated, but dangerous in the wrong circumstances. Only blood heirs can inherit. Marika’s new status as a potential captain, for she hasn’t decided yet, makes her a target, while her new homeroom teacher – a member of the Bentenmaru crew, who served under her father – arranges for an “education” to test her mettle and prepare her for the job.

Marika

The girl in the image at the top of this post is Chiaki, who is very good at denying her interest in seeing Marika in her outfit at a maid cafe in a part-time job. Chiaki obviously has some pirate involvement herself, but I won’t spoil exactly what. She’s capable, smart, prideful, and has a secret soft spot for Marika, in spite of Marika starting out as a girl with big, glaring holes that call into question her fitness as a potential captain.

What Marika does have is amazing decision-making capability and a massive amount of drive and effort. This is demonstrated by the end of the first arc in Episode 5, where a “school trip” in an actual spaceship (a former pirate ship converted to a training vessel) results in a cat and mouse game of electronic warfare and other festivities with a vessel trying to take their ship over. Marika leads a student counter-attack, which takes an unexpected turn as the other side, seeing their computers about to be taken over, simply turn the computers off and start taking beam gun potshots through manual, optical aiming. I won’t spoil more but, seriously, why can’t you do just that and pull the plug? People with thinking caps on wrote this script.

By the end, Marika has found her calling and agrees to push to become the full captain of the Bentenmaru. This isn’t a spoiler, since without this, there wouldn’t be much of a show left.

By episode 8, Marika has engaged in a couple of “pirate takeovers” with a really funny twist: namely, that she appears before the passengers who must surrender their valuables like a sort of rock star. (It’s a bit difficult to explain out of context, but man is it entertaining.) At the end of her second “raid”, a stowaway comes aboard: a real, live princess who becomes the engine for the plot for the foreseeable future.

In Episode 8, “The Princess and the Pirate”, our lovely princess becomes a transfer student at Marika’s high school. (That goes a way towards shutting up any notion that she was kidnapped, I imagine.) I don’t have a picture I can upload yet, but the girl has a schoolgirl look that greatly resembles Usagi from Sailor Moon except with four thin braids instead of two thicker ones, both sets dangling from twin “dango” (meatballs) in a very blond hairstyle with blue eyes, as represented. (In anime, even Japanese girls can be shown with all sorts of hair and eye mixes for differentiation; it’s useful to tell people apart, you see. Everyone just goes along with it.)

The show’s shaping up to be quite something, with a lot of characters who add to it, lots of good science fiction, and we get to feel like we’re learning about the world along with Marika. It’s a good feeling and I expect great things from the show as it continues. – J

My name is not "Bunny-chan". It's BARNABY.

An Impressive Show

Long story short, Tiger & Bunny is an unlikely “bromance” anime viewed through the “Amerikomi” (American Comic Book) superhero genre. Superheroes capture crooks and save civilians live on HeroTV, all sponsored by major corporations. Yet a strong current of real heroism animates the show itself.

Story & Premise: The core pairing is Kotetsu a.k.a. Wild Tiger, an idealistic “hero” with old-fashioned notions and a long, long list of fines for property destruction in the course of saving lives. In recent years his rankings have fallen, but he has to put up with sponsor requests because someone has to pay his fines and keep a roof over his head. This culminates in being paired with Barnaby Brooks Jr., who violates “hero” tradition by combating crime under his real name. The pair share a similar power – 5 minutes of greatly enhanced strength, speed, and endurance – and get along famously poorly.

Barnaby is younger, smarter, and reeks of competence, whereas Wild Tiger is something of a goofball. Kotetsu receives a new armored suit to go along with Barnaby’s, complete with new corporate sponsor logos, and has to ride in a sidecar while Barnaby does the cool motorcycle driving. To top it off, Kotetsu plays off his partner’s name and the pointy ears of the suit (see picture at top) to dub him “Bunny,” which really, really annoys him.

Plot W/O Spoilers: Trust between the two goes through several stages of rising and falling. Barnaby has a tragic past and a revenge-oriented mission; in another universe he might have put on a Bat cowl. Kotetsu has a young daughter who lives with her grandmother and a long list of broken promises due to his ever-busy life as a “hero”. Yet through the show’s camp, brilliant action scenes, and ratings-hungry HeroTV spectacles, it manages to not only hold interest, but be itself, build at its own pace, and create an ever growing mythos.

The other “heroes” of HeroTV make a lot of difference. We slowly delve into their stories and find out, in a well-paced sequence of episodes, what makes them tick and where and how they shine. People who were once costumes and stage names – to us real-life viewers, not just the citizens of the city – turn “real” before our very eyes. All have their flaws, but we know them through their deeds; they truly, genuinely care about the lives they save. (Even Barnaby, whose on-the-surface emphasis is saving lives to earn “points” and his Hero Ranking.)

The plot thickens as someone’s going around and killing bad guys instead of capturing them, very against the hero code, and the criminal organization involved in the deaths of Barnaby’s parents raises its ugly head. Any more would spoil, and you don’t want to be spoiled. The intended pace of exposure of information is important for full enjoyment.

Production Values: The show’s production values are very high. Sound, color, sharpness, Japanese voice acting, and overall scripting and feel are all top notch. The show simply leaps out at you. You never feel like the studio is letting you down; you can enjoy the show on its own merits, ride its foibles and great hits, and appreciate it for not being a one-trick, one-tone pony. I really enjoyed watching this show.

Trivia: One thing to point out: it’s not just about the superhero stuff. All the “heroes” above are NEXTs, essentially the Tiger & Bunny world’s version of comic book mutants. You know, like the X-Men. These powers are simply applied to heroism or, as the case may be, criminal endeavors. Some people are causing havoc because their powers have awakened and they don’t know how to control or use those powers productively; others are genuinely mean and nasty people. In the end, it’s the human factor that makes the difference, and that’s clearly the theme of this show.

Rating: Let’s say 9.5/10 with excellent entertainment value, and the only reason I can’t give it a 10 is because some of the late show plot, I could see coming. And some I couldn’t, and I really enjoyed a few “Oh! So THAT’S IT!!” moments as things came to their big climax.

Incidentally, what finally sold me on this show – and I was a late arrival to it – was that it makes comfortable viewing for young adults. It’s not a “kiddie” show at all. It’s mature in a good way, treats itself and its viewers with a lot of respect, and feels like a high quality effort.

Bonus Points: You know, the corporate logos, especially prominent in the opening sequence, are at least partially from real companies, like Bandai, Softbank, etc., which are most definitely getting privileged advertising space in the process.

Summary: Tasty, but pack your suspension of disbelief and a thick skin with your lunch box.

Ben-Tou ostensibly refers to bentou lunch boxes, a staple in Japan with an incredible amount of variety. The title’s style of display makes it sound like sentou, i.e. “combat”, and this may be intentional; I’ll never know because the title’s in katakana, not kanji. (^^;)

Ben-Tou is about a hidden world of food fights: hungry “wolves” (okami) who battle for dibs on half-price tasty bentou boxes at stores and restaurants of various kinds. These battles have highly evolved customs, with the most notorious of combatants being known by noms-de-guerre. The main character picks up the “second name” of hentai, which is partly his own fault, and partly just bad karma and things inflicted by his friends and acquaintances.

So is it good? Yes, actually, it’s very enjoyable. The show stays true to itself until the very end, never lets up in animation quality or characterization, and has an overall strength to it. I must mention some important caveats, however.

This is a show that requires a thick skin for two things: violence and fetishes. In particular, this show is written by people who worship dominant female figures of various sorts and revel in showing them in what can only be described as sexual teases. The teases go far beyond any ecchi content actually shown, but nonetheless, mature viewers are recommended. (As in, don’t be too immature when you watch this stuff in spite of its absolute hilarity.)

On that note, this show’s very funny. You must have a thick skin and not worry too much about pesky details (like, where are the cops!?) in order to ride the wave and appreciate that this show is very funny and highly entertaining. Of course there will be tropes of various kinds, but it’s in the quality of the presentation that these things must be measured. Ben-Tou excels in presentation and deserves credit for that.

It wounds me to have to slap a rating to this, because it’s not for everyone but is great for those who can appreciate it, but I enjoyed it 8.0/10 because the “human spirit” and sincerity to oneself themes, hot girls and overall humor didn’t get stale. So get your Ben-Tou when it’s hot and appreciate it before it’s all gone. – J

Literally Action-Packed

Episode 2’s last part was a lot of foreshadowing for an explosion of violence punctuated with mobile suit combat in space. Episode 3 is that explosion, with very little character-to-character time away from mobile suits. This reflects a transition as the plot thickens, with nothing resolved, but with a lot of beautifully animated action.

Frankly, there’s no point in a long review. You cannot legitimately watch this episode without having seen eps 1 and 2; there is absolutely no hand-holding and you are plunged directly into the action (which I find somewhat refreshing). Having watched eps 1 and 2, you know that there’s a big picture plot afoot, the main character has some connection to it, but he doesn’t understand what that is. He is a pawn in a larger game, trying to do the right thing in a world that does not support such a principled, neutral choice.

And so, he is drawn into more and more conflict, and makes a mistake he cannot take back. That should have a familiar ring to it. Even so, a fair viewer can’t exactly blame him. He is trying to navigate an impossible situation where there is no right or wrong clearly announced by the proper road signs, and either way, people are going to die.

However, I can unreservedly praise the quality of the action, the outstanding animation, and the pure thought and attention to detail that went into all this. The moral ambiguity is not preachy, and is a lot more “real” than most of what we get to see in the franchise, and more to the point, we are given a gripping experience that does nothing to detract from the future plot.

I have not read the novels, so I have no idea what will happen. I’m cool with that. I’m enjoying this at the pace it is coming out, and I think you should, too. – J

Due to older experiments with spoiler tags, I’m using “more” tags now. Just go to the main link for my short, concise, minimum spoilers assessment of anime that ended at the end of the Winter 2011 season (not just the 12 ep quick runs). All aboard!

Infinite Stratos

This anime was highly inconsistent. Sporting modern CG assistance for the mecha action, it has a serious underpinning and a thick layer of camp all over it. Things like weapon safeties aren’t taken that seriously in this “guy surrounded by girls at a mecha pilot academy” type of plot, and really, you have some idea what you’re getting. It has high points, but some characters grate on me in ways that don’t come off, and… the animation and characterizations suffer from inconsistency. I’ll give this a 6, because it’s not like it was horrible, but it will never achieve greatness.

Incidentally, by far the best episodes come in the middle, when the pilot from France comes onto the scene. Anything else will be a straight up spoiler.

The flashes I’ve seen of what would seem to be more “novel” type content (IS was started in novels) suggests that I might personally care for the novels far more, and they probably have less campy slapstick level stuff, but at any rate… not worth dwelling on.

Freezing

There are those who are saying that this show, based on a Korean writer’s manga published by a Japanese publisher (in Japan, Korea and elsewhere), improved on the manga version. I bothered to look over the manga version several episodes before the end to find out if the manga was better. At the time, that statement would not have been true. By the end of the 12th and final episode, the answer is a clear yes, the anime was better because it modified a few things for a strong sense of closure (while not a finish to the world of Freezing) that is eminently rare with a) a 12-ep series, b) a continuing manga.

Anyway, the problem with this show is that the first episodes are the weakest and do not do a good job of conveying how eminently enjoyable the later episodes are, with face time for characters that should get it and a much more satisfying ending. However, this isn’t Shakespeare either, so I will give this a gentlemanly 7 because while it pleased me in the end, the weak start will stop a considerable amount of people from even seeing the better stuff.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Incomplete)

I include this show because I have seen ten episodes and people considering this deserve something very unusual from me: content warnings. Not about nudity or profanity; you’ll only see the small level of OP sequence nudity one comes to expect from a magical girl show (denoting purity). No, it’s not about that.

People, this magical girl show is dark. I mean, seriously, seriously dark.

A person watching the OP simply may not have any warning of how bleak and nightmarish the whole magical girl thing is under the surface. I’m not going to spoil about it, because it would annoy me even to relate the details with my own ten fingertips, but ten episodes in, there is no joy to be had in Madoka-ville. (Madoka is the main character’s name, to be precise, but anyway.)

Eps 11 and 12 have been delayed by the studio. The stated reason is sensitivity. That is, something viewers know is coming – massive urban renewal, or rather, simple naked destruction of a city – would seem a bit much this soon after the tsunami. The studio was working to push out a different show on time (which aired a short time ago) so, who knows if that was also a factor. Either way, even if there’s a happy ending – and I’m not betting on it – the journey is a particularly bleak and desolate one.

So be warned. And hey, some people think it’s great for the genre. But be warned first.

No rating yet, as it is incomplete.

To Aru Majutsu no INDEX II

(A Certain Magical INDEX II)

This sequel finally ended. When you’re animating a novel series, you are stringing together “arcs” in a way that is shorter and more decisive than say, long manga arcs in continuing series. If you’ve seen the first Index and “A Certain Scientific RAILGUN” (Railgun being the codename of a certain character who controls lightning psychically and can fire a common coin with the power of, you guessed it, a railgun), this show gives you more of the same with high quality animation and great faithfulness to the characters, which I commend.

The problem is, seeing this in a series form rather than separate novels jams some things together that may not really have been meant to be jammed together quite so. It also gets us too used to Touma’s FIST OF JUSTICE schtick (or as I like to call it, the Touma Paanchi (Touma Punch)). Women? Children? Old men? Touma’s an equal opportunity evildoer puncher. He doesn’t discriminate based on silly categories.

Having said that, the last two episodes are… special, in that they show that Touma may be a brave, idealistic kid with a power that is a massive equalizer against people with “real” powers, but a bunch of dudes with guns and he’s in danger of a short and violent death. His idealism is a poor match for a killing war. There are some acts of “heroism” which are better served by a brutal, violent, sadistic psychopath who’s somehow fallen through the cracks and wound up on the side of good guys.

Yes, that means you, Accelerator. You may bow.

I’ll give this show a 9 because it’s delivering on everything it intends to, but leaves a certain much loved character with very little face time, and Index herself gets a lot less involvement than she should, so there’s some plot muddling as a result of the novels’ zig-zag… but fans are getting served, and there will be more of this, I’m sure. The creativity is there. That’s important.

Star Driver

So, Star Driver ended. This show was… well, Bones is known for the high quality of its animation. Here, the problem was the plot. It went all over the place, did a lot of “character exhibition,” worked for a lot of predictable and unpredictable twists alike, showed us a lot of characters (ones to blink hard at, and ones to like), and was one of those “character porn” type shows, sacrificing plot in favor of a human interest story punctuated by earthshaking pocket dimension mecha action in the “super robot” style, with a possible-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it type background.

OK, so that was a mouthful.

I’m going to give this an 8, in spite of the animation being clearly deserving a 10, but the fact is, I can’t get over the plot being a mess. It is, in the end, a “friendship conquers obstacles and barriers” type of show, without being all kiddy about it, but even so, this whole… shall we call it… “friendship triangle” (rather than love triangle?) setup is just weird, it’s distracting, and while this show had a lot of peaks, it also had valleys that could be lived without. That’s what you get for being artsy and “pretty boy” about it.

Super Robot Taisen Original Generations – The Inspector

(a.k.a. OG Season 2)

Let me put this in its proper context: Season 1. This second season is far better, with vastly improved mecha/ combat animation and much more satisfying resolutions. This is not the style of show that will get a 10 for being a masterpiece, but I give it a strong 9 because by the end of the show, and even by the middle one might say, it’s hitting on all the proper cylinders and is one continuous stream of awesome.

Note that it is not a perfect clone of what’s in the games, but that’s fine, and it has a huge helping of faithful and spectacularly done game content, so hey, it’s fine. It really is.

One thing to note is that this show started with three animation directors, and one was in charge of character animations. And he was bad and really had to go. I mean, insultingly bad. The lazy “comedy faces” he used well, I don’t want to even think of them. ^^;

That was long forgotten when the continuous stream of awesome was in full bloom. Besides, the mecha stuff never suffered. Best of all, just like the original Original Generation 2 game, a lot of characters get tossed up (including from Season 1) and a lot of plotlines got resolved appropriately.

Fans should be happy.

Content at the start of the final episode makes clear there will be a third season.

Wolverine

This is the version of Logan we saw in a cameo in the Iron Man anime last season. He’s in control of himself, on the cynical and worldly side, and in civilian clothes, not in his classic X-Men uniform ever. (For that, please see the brand new and glossily animated X-Men anime that just started.)

Long story short, Logan is in love with a girl and finding peace in Japan, and well, we know there’s no way that can last, so the girl gets nabbed by minions of her father, a huge crime boss with super samurai skills, and she’s slated to be married to a different crime boss who’s the current big cheese of an island nation of hardened criminals… and much, much mayhem ensues.

This is a good Logan story. People who know the comics should know what I mean. For a good Wolverine story, check out the X-Men anime. This is a Logan story, a good one, but still… not an overly complex one. The best part is absolutely the characters; it’s like a crime drama, and that works here, but the animation, while not flawed, has lowered aspirations that the X-Men anime is absolutely smashing past. So, an 8 without any regrets for watching it. Logan/ Wolverine fans shouldn’t hesitate. Watch, enjoy.

Dragon Crisis

This series was memorably described to me by a friend as “cute-service” (as opposed to fan-service). In Japan, a “service” is a freebie. Fan service means free panty shots or such things. Here, we don’t get a lot of that – rather, we get a lot of cute and a lot of colorful characters, with the amusing straight man (or boy) at the center being the most overtly boring, but a “comes through when the chips are down” sort who is no total loss.

This series is very nicely visually presented for the most part, but the problem is, this show is at its best when it’s ignoring any concept of big plot. It’s novel-based, and like other novel-based shows, this exposes it to the ups and downs of particular arcs and results in a short of “jumping around” problem that can be… choppy. More to the point, the ending was weaker than what preceded it, though it ends on a fine note; it’s just that what leads up to the ending was the sort of artificial crisis that these 12 ep shows often manufacture. This one just includes dragons.

I’ll give it a 7 because, hey, I liked the characters for the most part, it was amusing… but let’s not reward a plot trail-off. And yet, this is far from a bad show to me.

Koreha Zombie Desu Ka

That’s the official romanization. Of course, it should be “kore wa” but.. who cares, right?

This is another show that was really well presented visually, well, I’d say even more so than most, but far more importantly, the pure craziness of the character designs was awesome and the plot was very appropriate to such a setting. You can get the basic skinny from just watching the OP but, the main character is a zombie (who looks his normal plain self superficially) brought back to life by a necromancer after his own murder. So he starts out in a world more mysterious than that in which he resided before, hoping to find his own murderer, but… eh, well, it gets much crazier after a sort of magical girl shows up.

Who hunts demons with a pink chainsaw and a frilly magical outfit.

What happens next cannot be properly described. It must be seen.

This show is… awesome in a lot of ways that would be spoiled in multiple senses of the term if I tried. It’s not a show afraid of fan service, but it’s not as… cheap? as in some places. The bottom line is, the plot feels more meaningful than most and deserves the rating of 9 that I will give it, for high overall entertainment value and not sucking or leaving a bitter aftertaste. I appreciate such things.

GOSICK (ongoing)

Just to mention, GOSICK is still airing (and it’s still pronounced like “Gothic” in Japanese as I’ve explained on this blog). The animation is absolutely wonderful, the characters are very memorable, the “detective” type work is a joy to watch, and even though these are very much fallible characters, well, what’s wrong with that? Watching perfect people can be boring, and the fact is, our leading hero and heroine, who aren’t physically imposing people in the slightest, have a lot of genuine courage and a lot of genuine feeling for each other (as thick as the denials of how deep it runs might go).

It’s ongoing, but I think this show is a shoe-in for a 10 on pure win.

One quibble: this is probably from novel stuff and also from time constraints, but some of the mystery stuff, on occasion, happens at breakneck, whiplash-inducing speeds. This is occasionally necessary but, still, the more reasoned pace this show usually sticks to is far better for the viewer.

The real bottom line is that Victorique is, as her name implies, pure win, and is a treasure to be enjoyed.