First Impressions: Senkou no Night Raid

Boasting high production values and a cool 1930's style, Senkou no Night Raid had the potential to be one if the season's best releases. Unfortunately, a confusing story and uninteresting characters caused me to lose interest immediately. The first episode takes place in 1931 in post World War I China, where Japanese military operatives with supernatural abilities are trying to rescue a Japanese leader from a kidnapping. From what I've seen, one of the operatives has the ability to repel bullets, another having the ability to read minds. While this may make them sound interesting, the characters are bland and largely uninteresting. Each character is so unimpactful, that it makes it impossible to give a damn about them and the story. it also doesn't help that the plot is also confusing, as I didn't even know the names of the characters or even details regarding the organization by the end of the episode. While it may have stellar production values and a sense of style reminiscent of Baccano, Senkou no Night Raid is just plain boring. If you can get over uninteresting characters and have the patience of a saint, then Senkou no Night Raid may be worthy of your time depending on how the story turns out later on. Unfortunately, I don't have that patience.

Bamboo Blade Volume Three

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Black God Volume Eight

 

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News on the Japanese Pop Culture Club Released

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Black God Volume Seven

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First Impressions: Mayoi Neko Overrun!

Mayoi Neko Overrun is the most generic title I have seen this season. It's so cliched, that you will probably forget about it a few minutes after watching it, as it offers nothing new to the romantic comedy genre. The story has your stereotypical male harem protagonist, Takumi Tsuzuki and his childhood friend Fumino Serizawa, your stereotypical tsundere character, running a confectionary store called "Stray Cats". One day, Takumi's sister-in-law Otome, finds a girl named Nozomi, an orphan with cat ears (WTF!?), bringing her home, resulting in the typical harem situations to begin.

Mayoi Neko Overrun's main problem isn't that it's generic, but the fact that it doesn't even implement those cliches and stereotypes correctly. Jokes are very awkward, characters aren't interesting and the majority of the first episode is insanely boring, not to mention confusing. Judging by what I've seen, it's safe to say that I will cease to follow Mayoi Neko Overrun this season, as it fails at delivering a decent, if generic, romantic comedy, a feat that isn't really that hard to accomplish.

Black God Volume Six

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Black God Volume Five

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First Impressions: Angel Beats!

Upon reviewing a list of anime coming out this Spring season, Angel Beats was the one that seemed to hold the most promise. The concept of rebelling against god in the afterlife to avoid passing on seemed like an interesting idea that would lead to many interesting fights, moral conflicts among characters and a satisfying story overall. After finishing the first episode, my expectations were surpassed, as Angel Beats will probably be the best title of 2010.

The plot to Angel Beats revolves around Otanashi, an amnesiac who has been sent to the afterlife. Upon entering, he meets a girl named Yuri, who is aiming a sniper rifle at a white-haired girl. He stops her from doing this and warns the girl about Yuri, discovering her name to be Tenshi. She is vey grateful for Otanshi's warning, showing her gratitude by stabbing him in the heart with a knife that magically appears on her arms. Fortunately for Otanshi, he is soon to realize that dying in the afterlife is impossible, as he regains conciousness in a school located in the afterlife. Upon searching the premise, he is promptly attacked by a crazy guy with a sword and sets off a trap in front of the principal's office which promptly causes him to lose conciouness again. He awakens to find himself at the homebase of the Shinda Sekai Seven (also known as SSS), a group who's leaders, Yuri, has a strong resemeblance to Haruhi Suzimiya and has the primary goal of taking over the afterlife by rebelling against god. After being asked to enlist, he is unwilling at first, but after being confronted with the idea of being ressurected as a barnacle, he agrees. The rest of the show chronicles the ongoing war between the SSS and god's servant, Tenshi.

A few cliches aside (amnesia and Haruhi-clone), Angel Beats is an extremely refreshing experience, as it offers a unique story, interesting characters and exceptional writing. Dialogue between characters is very humorous and fast paced, making it a very enjoyable experience. The animation and art are superb, as the anime includes fast-paced and energetic gunfights and appealing character models. Backgrounds also look nice, as they are very colorful.



The opening is also something worth mentioning, as the song does a great job of fitting with the mood of the show. It starts off with possibly the most epic piano playing scene I have ever seen in my life, mostly due to this scene being beautifully animated. The logo then appears and the characters and their names are shown, first the two main characters, then showing the other members of the SSS. The opening does alot to remind me of Clannad, as I believe the same people who were responsible for the Clannad After Story opening, were also responsible for this.

Angel Beats is a show that holds much promise, as the first two episodes really show how great this series is. I have much confidence that this series will be the best of the Spring season, as the overall quality has yet to be matched by anything else coming out this season. Angel Beats is definitely worth a watch.

First Impressions: Ichiban Ushiro no Daimauo

Ichiban Ushiro no Daimauo begins by introducing us to our male protagonist Akuto Sai, a transfer student being sent to Constan Magic Academy. While trying to assist an old lady with her baggage at a train station, he is mistaken for a mugger and gets his face beaten down by Junko Hattori. After clearing up the misunderstanding with he, the two quickly become friends and after hearing of Akuto's aspirations of becoming a grand priest, decide to make a friendship pact which basically has Junko vowing to help Akuto achieve his goal. Unfortunately, everything falls apart in the course of one day, as Akuto's aspiration test predicts he will be the "Devil King", resulting in everyone, including Junko, to fear and hate him. Thus beginning for what has got to be the most chaotic and severe school life ever.

While the story has MANY cliches (pantie shots, blushing, tsundere, misunderstandings, etc...), the concept alone is enough to keep me invested in the series. Other pros included the fast paced humor, a great example being a scene where Akuto tries to convince his peers that he isn't the demon king, as I noticed that dialogue was quick and jokes were thrown at the viewer constantly. The characters are also likable, if insanely moronic.The stupidity of the characters are both a pro and a con, as hilarious misunderstandings occur, but at the cost of characters being reduced to plot devices. Fanservice also harms the series, as it's shown obsessively and at very inappropriate times, such as a girl simply standing up or walking up the stairs. Flaws aside, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimauo is a decent series that I will definitely continue watching.

Top Five Bleach Openings

I have just watched many episodes of the addicting (albeit generic, cliched, stupid and painfully slowpaced) anime known as Bleach. The second most popular anime on MAL(MyAnimeList.com), Bleach is a series that people either love for its engrossing main story and interesting fight scenes, or hate for its slow pacing and annoying filler seasons. One of my favorite aspects of Bleach is the openings, which are stylish, epic and enjoyable to listen to. The following is a list of my favorite Bleach openings.
Warning: The following contains an opinion, meaning people are going to get pissed off. You are welcome to make your own list in the comments section.
Note: Bleach is not my favorite series of all time, as the filler episodes are causing me to REALLY hate the series.

#5-Rolling Star-By: YUI (Opening 5)

With a great song and nice visuals, the fifth opening coincidentally makes it into fifth place. The opening does a great job of expressing the style of Bleach, as we see a few characters wearing stylish and colorful clothing. The opening begins by panning across the city that Ichigo lives in, then showing Ichigo with his Zampakutō glowing red. The Bleach logo then appears engulfed in gray smoke. While stylish, the reason this opening makes fifth on the list, is due to the song. Rolling Star is a great song, but it YUI's voice isn't exactly appropriate for the show. Other than that, it's worthy of being on the list.

#4-Velonika-By: Aqua Timez (Opening Nine)

The ninth opening gets fourth place due to a solid song and an outstanding visual style. It begins by showing off Ichigo with his bankai activated, then showing the Bleach logo engulfed in flames, which is probably the best appearance of the logo on this list. Many will notice that the opening is very colorful, making it great eyecandy. The only flaw is that the theme song  is solid, but nothing more. The tune does little to enhance the visuals, with the exception of the logo, making it a bit low on the list. Visuals and style alone are the only things that make this opening stand out from the rest.

#3-D-technolife-By: UVERworld (Opening Two)

In third place is the second opening. A great track and intense action scenes go a long way to make this earn a spot on the list. The opening begins with Ichigo sitting upright against a Zampakutō in a field of Zampakutōs. The camera pans around him and on the other side of the sword is Rukia sitting upright against the same sword. The Bleach logo then appears in black and white, then flashing to appear in color. The song is epic and the action scenes, such as Ichigo fighting Kenpachi, Orihime actually being useful (which doesn't actually happen in the main story) and Ichigo fighting Renji, are fast-paced and just plain awesome. The only major flaw is that the art is dated, evident from the shadow lines that appear on some of the character models, making it look a bit messy.

#2-After Dark-By: Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Opening Seven)

With an exceptional track, the seventh opening to Bleach gets ranked second on the list. While the visuals aren't extraordinarily creative, they look nice and polished. The opening starts by showcasing the weapons of the main characters, the music then building up to show the Bleach logo, with its flames actually on fire. Aizen also makes an appearance holding a cup of...beer?(WTF!?)

#1-ALONES-By: Aqua Timez

This is the greatest opening ever created! Utilizing a satisfying rock song, a superb black and white visual style and an epic feel throughout the whole entire opening, it's hard to hate it. While it does start off oddly (Kon singing the song along with Ririn, Nova and Kuroud dancing in the background), the song then builds up to an epic rock tune. It then pans around Ichigo in hueco mundo with the Bleach logo flashing on the screen, then zooming into his hollow mask, where we then see a cloud for no apparent reason. Did I mention that Aizen looks insanely badass in this opening?

So there. These are my top Bleach openings. Please tell me what you think and post your favorite Bleach openings in the comments section.

Animes I Plan on Seeing

Here is a list of the animes coming out on the Spring of 2010 that I plan on watching. I will release a first impression later on. Hopefully, the animes will be released on Crunchroll, as I want to do this legally.

• Working!!
• Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
• Angel Beats
• Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou
• B-Gata H-Kei