Summer 2015 First Impression

 

 Mamoru & Sierra in Until Death Do Us Part

     Yoshha!! And, we're back in action!!

 ..........again.

Ahahaha....ha. *Ahem* Sorry for the long hiatus. 

ANYWAAYYY! Let's move on to the real important matter: The Summer 2015 First Impressions! >Yaayyy!!<

The Summer series are in their mid-season episodes now so we thought we do some first impression rants on some of the series at hand. I prefer to do first impressions after I have watch at least 4 episodes of any series. You know, to give it some time to expand a little. Can't go judging on 1 episode alone (I mean, you could, but isn't it a bit bias?)~

Well, without further ado, let's move on to the review!


First up, we have.......!!!

Aoharu x Kikanjuu (Aoharu x Machinegun)

Ahhhh!!! The bishies <33

"The story follows high school student Hotaru Tachibana, a girl disguised as a boy. Through strange circumstances she finds herself drawn into the world of survival games by a host, Masamune Matsuoka. The two form a team with ero-manga artist Tooru Yukimura and aim to be the best in Japan." - ANN

 

This is the second survival game club theme anime series I've had the pleasure of watching. The first being, Sabagebu! I was hook on the whole BB guns survival game thing so I'm very excited for Aoharu x Kikanjuu. The gender-bender is a bonus, so yeah *thumbs up *

So far, the anime has a very nice mix of slap-stick comedy and action sequences. It's still a bit rough and short but it will do. The female lead, which is also the MC, is very likable and strong. You'll grow an attachment to her even though her speech is a bit annoying sometimes. 

Episode 1 reminds me of a certain old fav....
Ouran High School Host Club, anyone? 
 

See what I mean?

We have a strong, masculine female lead now, place her beside the mischievous male lead and his best friend/ otaku side-kick.....BAM! You have yourself a fast-paced series with chokes full of comedic situation waiting to happen. Oh, yeah, with some gun fights in between, of course!

If you like Ouran, then I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this little series. 

No high expectations for this one. We won't get to see in dept character developments or plot development or anything of that sort. It is a 12 episodes series so the story moves really fast. This one will probably be a B-rated series for me. However, I do believe I'll enjoy it to the very end. High possibility of re-watching. (Do it for the bishies!!) This one will be a keeper. 

TEDWIN-

It is not the first BB gun theme anime but this one definitely takes the cake. I am so glad it is not cute girls doing cute things club type anime….it is so overused by now. I say it is the complete opposite LOL. Handsome guys doing cool things with lot of bromance moments in between. What won my attention are the characters and their interaction with each other…it is just ridiculously funny. Although this is considered a reverse harem, the main lead is not a weakling and not exactly a bishoujo either.  I wished the action scenes were longer but what is there is super exciting and awesome. I picked this up without knowing anything about it and it didn’t disappoint me at all. A must watch for this season if you want comedy, action, and bishies!

Chaos Dragon ( Sekiryū Sen'eki ) 

Sounds and looks epic but.....

"The story takes place in Huanli (the Year of Dazzling) 3015. Donatia and Kouran, two countries fighting for supremacy, are causing the world to be torn apart due to the constant war. Amidst the strife is the island country Nil Kamui, which has lost its independence. Red Dragon, the guardian god of Nil Kamui, goes out of control. Will the island country be able to regain its independence?" -MAL News

Based on a RPG game, Red Dragon by Makoto Sanda, which features characters created by Gen Urobuchi (Fate/Zero), Kinoko Nasu (Kara no Kyokai), Izuki Kogyoku (Mimizuku to Yoru no Ou), Ryogo Narita (Durarara!!) and Simadoriru. The results from their light tabletop role-playing game sessions, became materials for a 7 volume light novel series, a RPG game and, now, an anime series. 

Now, hearing these great names, I had very high expectations for the story.
Then came the first episode...........
Yup, this one gonna be a 12 episodes series. Whatever greatness it has, are slowly going down the the drain.


This is another story of a young prince from a fallen kingdom, who just wish to spend his days in peace with his friends. But, of course, fate has other plans for him....or shall I say, his subordinates has other plans for him. The whole episode 1 was really just a massive info dump. They dump all this background info on us, and before we can digest anything the plot is already in motion..... rolling away at the speed of light. Leaving behind a sea of confusion.

After 5 episodes, I still have no attachment or feels for any of the characters. They throws in characters after characters and take them out before you can even care to remember their names, let alone feel anything towards them. 

I have very little hope for this series. It is a potential drop for me; D-rated, as of now. 

 

 OverLord
  

Too Much Fan Service!! If only he didn't tamper with the settings....

"The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down one day; however, the protagonist Momonga decides to not log out. Momonga is then transformed into the image of a skeleton as "the most powerful wizard." The world continues to change, with non-player characters (NPCs) begining to feel emotion. Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary young man Momonga then strives to take over the new world the game has become." -ANN

YES! Another fantasy RPG anime!!
Reminds me of Log Horizon and SAO, but unlike those two, this time only the MC is stuck in the game. We don't know his real name, but he used to go by the name Momonga up until he takes up his Guild's name (Ainz Ooal Gown). Thus, his days in the world of self-aware NPCs began. 

Very interesting twist on the whole genre here. You got a MC who's really not the typical hero - not good looking (he's a skeleton....), ruler of this evil Guild/Castle, started out with insane powers, got a bunch of demons who hates human as his underlings and instead of saving the world, he plans to take over the world. But of course, you still got a tactician mind behind that skeleton - since he is a gamer and all. 

Right from the first episode, I knew I'm gonna enjoy this series. It might not be up to pars with its predecessors, but the series has its own charms. Of course, the fan service could be turn down a notch, and I would have liked if the female lead didn't act in such a way....but, ultimately it adds to the humor and we do get some good laughs out of it. So it's okay.

Animation is quite nice and it is somewhat violent. Not kid-friendly, definitely. Opening sound sounds very similar to Log Horizon, pretty awesome beats that pumps you up. So far, this one is a keeper. I believe it's going to be a good B-rated series.
Can't wait to watch more :)

Gakkou Gurashi!

 

Cute girls doing cute things

"Takeya Yuki is in love with the school. For her, it's a wonderful place, where she enjoys her school activities, especially the activities of her club: School Life Club. The club has Rii-chan as the president, Kurumi-chan as another member, and the teacher, Megu-nee." -MyAnimeList

   
I know….cute girls doing cute things….but the only difference is that school life is deconstructed with post-zombie apocalypse. I love deconstruction, gives old genres a new awakening. If T-Na didn’t mention zombie, the show would had not been in my watch list. While watching, I was anticipating the brain-craving monsters but didn’t see anything! I was like, what am I watching here?! This is another club thing with girls…Boring!! But things turned real dark at the end….I was so thrilled to see the dark twist! So the mix of cuteness, fun, comedy compliments the dark, serious, psychological threats in the anime really well. I see great things for this series in the future!

I was very excited for this anime, like c'mon who could say no to zombies? So when we clicked play for episode 1, I did not expect this:

                                                          See?! So misleading!!! 

Honestly, our faces was pretty much like this initally:

WTF am I watching??

Did we stumble upon the wrong anime or something? This is no zombie flick! False advertisement much?! Yea, I was pretty upset. We sat there through the whole opening, and it was nothing but cutesy girls every where. Anyway, first episode flow by like the usual clubs anime....until it reached the end. OMG, my mine was blown! Rewind it and we picked up some pretty neat clues that the director threw in there. All the characters are obviously cute and likable, but they all carry their own dark secrets. I cannot recommend this series enough! Go watch it and I promise you'll love it!

Totally recommending this series. If you like dark twists and deconstruction anime, you will enjoy this one. This is deconstruction at it's finest! This one is a keeper.

Rokka no Yuusha

"When the Majin awakes from the depths of darkness, the deity of fate selects six heroes and bequeaths them with the power to save the world. Adlet, a boy who proclaims himself the strongest man in the world, has been selected among "The Heroes of the Six Flowers". However, as the heroes gather, they soon begin to suspect that someone among them is an imposter." -ANN

This anime is not what ppl will expect it to be. I jumped into this blind and the title made it to be some kind of adventure and fantasy anime. Man, I was so wrong…not an adventure anime but a mystery. It was so misleading because I thought the main plot of the story was defeating the “dark lord” but the overall plot never reached that point. However, the mystery is intriguing that pulls the viewers to continue watching it. I really like the character because they are unique and each has their own cool skills and ability. It has some pretty decent action scenes but it is more on the talking. Some episodes feel like not much had happened…most likely due to the massive talking and break-down of solving the mysteries. I can tell you I was trying super hard to gather the details and try to make my own conclusion of the mystery. Nonetheless, anime is good and different. Mystery anime with a straight fantasy setting, nothing ever seen before.

Himouto! Umaru-chan

I don't care what you say, this scene is still creepy.

"Umaru is a renowned beautiful 16-year-old girl in town, living with her elder brother Taihei. She acts a perfect sister with a kind heart, intelligence and popularity, who everybody admires. So who would believe how true Umaru is at home? Sleeping, gaming, watching TV, eating junk food, drinking cola… that's almost all she does at home, leaving all the housework to her brother." -Crunchyroll

To tell you guys the truth, the cover was a big turn off for me. I thought it was for kids, you know those small exploration and adventure anime…not my cup of tea at my age. But I gave it a try and its wasn’t bad and not what I thought it would be. I actually enjoyed watching it. It is slice of life with comedy. It is quite cute with the main girl whose live 2 different lives at home and school: miniature lazy spoiled chibi at home and the smart, elegant, pretty student at school. Did I mention she is a big closet otaku so there will be parody of anime, games, and manga. I just love the characters interactions with each other, especially the siblings. Great anime for those who want something chill and relaxing. I do recommend this.

GATE 

Seriously. Tell me that there's not at least 1 thing wrong with this picture....

"In August of 20XX, a portal to a parallel world, known as the "Gate," suddenly appeared in Ginza, Tokyo. Monsters and troops poured out of the portal, turning the shopping district into a bloody inferno. Youji Itami, a JSDF officer as well as a 33-year-old otaku, was appointed as the leader of the Team. Amid attacks from enemy troops the team visited a variety of places and learnt a lot about the local culture and geography" -BakaTsuki

The Japan Ground-Self Defence Force immediately took action and pushed the fantasy creatures back to the "Gate." To facilitate negotiations and prepare for future fights, the JGSDF dispatched the Third Reconnaissance Team to the "Special Region" at the other side of the Gate.
It all started a sudden invasion from a different dimension…modern warfare vs. fantasy/ medieval warfare. I saw a few animes that share similar qualities of this one however this one did a great job tho because it builds on the mystery of the other world beyond the GATE. Its give a lot of info on politics and economics  including the minimal actions scene where one will be wishing for mawr!!. It is so interesting seeing the two worlds collide in culture. The 3 support casts from the other world is the best, generic characters at best but I love their personality and how they interact with the foreign culture. I do recommend this anime but be warn that it is a mix of fast and slow scenes.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

Yet, ANOTHER Red-Hair hime

"Shirayuki was a young girl born with unique apple-red hair. She meets a famous but foolish Prince Raji, who falls in love with her at first sight and orders her to become his concubine. With nowhere else to go, Shirayuki cuts her hair and escapes to a neighboring country. While traversing through the forests, she meets a young boy, Zen, who helps her after she boldly cures his wounds but then gets poisoned by an apple given to Shirayuki. Meanwhile, Prince Raji sends out henchmen to search for her. What will happen to Shirayuki? What is Zen's true character? A refreshing fantasy story between an optimistic heroine and a prince who constantly stays on her watch." -Aerandria Scans

A great take on Snow White story. I wished ppl do this more often to create fresh original stories. I’m glad because I am getting tired of seeing school-life romance shoujos stories…getting old. Unlike a typical shoujo story, the main heroine is not a completely useless weak character. She is intelligent, has a skills of her own, and know what she wants. A first I thought it would be a reverse harem but I was wrong. I believe it will one a 1 single romantic relationship if not a weak triangle. If the action scenes were more refined and detailed, it would be pretty awesome. I also recommend this for ppl to try, especially if they are like me, tired of the usual romance. However, please do not binge watch it because it will get dull due to lack of excitement.

Charlotte

 "Very few adolescent boys and girls have an onset of special abilities. Yuu Otosaka uses his ability unbeknownst to others in order to lead a satisfying school life. And then, a girl named Nao Tomori suddenly appears before him. Their encounter reveals the destiny for wielders of special abilities." -Official Website


This anime is a pleasant surprise. First episode started out with this bad-ass MC Yuu Otosaka, who is unlike any other MC you see in this type of anime. If anything, he reminded us of Lelouch from Code Geass....

*evil smile*

 Lucky for us Yuu have a healthy sense of humor. Making him a well like bad-ass MC.

Don't worry, I came prepare!

My first initial thought was, "Hey, this is like Angel Beats!" Surprisingly it IS from the same creator of Clannad & Angel Beats! Wow. Right on point past Me! Knowing that, I have very high expectations for this one going into episode 2. So far (6 episodes in), Charlotte did not disappoint at all. Every episode is touching and so much impact. In the past, media have portrayed superpowers as something amazing and one would be considered "lucky" to have such gifts. Superhuman are exaggerated into the point where people won't consider them as "human" at all. This anime deconstruct the idea of "how great it is to have superpowers"; giving you the cruel reality where those gifted beings, are nothing more than lab rats for human scientists. To the super human, it is not a gift, but a curse and there are so many dangers out there for people like them. I highly recommend Charlotte! And as you can probably tell, this one is a keeper for me! :)