First I want to talk about is Fairy Tail. I just received my volume 4 copy and watched it all in one part. This one closes out the Tower of Heaven story arc (Thank freaking goodness. Too much emo kids in that one) and the entire Fantasia/Loxas Takeover story arc which I found more engaging. In fact, I found I prefer the arcs that take place in Magnolia rather than ones that don't.
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I won't make the obvious Super Saiyan comparison to Dragonball here, but I will imply that he looks seriously constipated here. |
However, I do have some reservations about the series as well. For one thing, it is like a typical Shonen Jump series in several aspects. Some episodes focus a ton on the combat aspect of the series, and every time it seems to push the characters to their limit. Also, the last arc includes a tournament of sorts, which also screams typical Shonen title. Looking ahead, I know there is just more of the same coming down the pike, but I can tolerate it, for now.
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It's like they are begging me to make a Dragonball reference here, but instead I'll sing a line from a favorite AC/DC song of mine. "I've got big balls, they're such big balls.,," |
Next is a series I think a lot of people on both sides of the giant puddle are crazy about. I landed the first Limited Edition run of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and holy monkey was there a lot of stuff in that set. Now as for the series itself, it is the first third of the series and honestly it seems a little slow in a few places. Now I preface that by saying that I saw the first four episodes subbed before this was released so there wasn't much in the way of new things aside from a shiny English Dub and extras, and I have yet to see the final eight episodes and have kept myself vigilant in being non-spoiled about what happens, so the next volume may get a better appraisal than just a mention.
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Character art by Jin Kobayashi, creator of School Rumble, a personal favorite series of mine. I literally squeed when I saw this. |
I was disappointed when I heard Bandai was not going to be releasing a series I looked forward to watching called Nichijou. If you were a fan of Azumanga Daioh and/or Pani Poni Dash, then you HAVE TO CHECK OUT THIS SERIES! It is school comedy/slice of life at its finest. The series involves a group of girls in a high school who all have some kind of quirk, but try to live lives as normally as they can anyways. One is a robot with a crank sticking out her back, another is basically Tomo from Azumanga Daioh, another is like Ichijo (the class rep) from Pani Poni Dash, and the final member is a girl who likes to draw Yaoi manga, but otherwise is the most level-headed of all the characters of the series. There is also a professor who is actually a kid (Becky from Pani Poni Dash) and a talking cat (Um...Pani Poni again?), as well as a large supporting character list that would take too long to type out.
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The main cast at the dump. Why? Because someone can draw it, that's why! |
The artwork and animation are superb. Don't let the simplicity of the picture fool you. Kyoto Animation did a fantastic job keeping the series style simple, yet complex when the script calls for it. Just check out either of the opening sequences (Especially this one) to see what the animation is like for this series. The background music is orchestral and a welcome addition compared to the dullness some series use. The plot is not really engaging and once in a while is quite predictable for a seasoned veteran that watches this type of series, thus my suggestion to watch it in small chunks. Also, SOMEONE LICENSE THIS SERIES IN AMERICA! PLEASE!
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Fairy tales and moe. This really should not have caught my attention, but it did. |
And that's it for recent anime activities from myself. What have you checked out lately?
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