New in Japan

Karneval: First Impressions

Suffice to say, the ringleader and his sidekick, a blonde martial artist with a bulletproof cloak, are members of a secret defense organization called “Circus,” butts are kicked, the hostages are freed, and more is discovered by the viewer about the organization the Lady in the beginning was working for, which Circus was sent to investigate in the first place but arrived too late. The first few minutes were interesting, gripping, excitingly scored, and all-in-all a very fine piece of directing, and the rest of the episode tied itself up plot-wise with the absolute neatest of bows, while still leaving the ends of the ribbon trailing off for you to follow for later episodes.

Sparrow’s Hotel – First Impressions

First, the animation was just plain awful. Its only possible mark of quality was that it was in color. The movement was terribly awkward and the character designs did not fit the environment. The musical opening was also pretty unmemorable and did nothing to even remotely explain the anime. Once I regained my composure from the animation and accepted it, the plot – if we can even call this a plot – kicked in.

Arata: The Legend: First Impressions

One boy named Arata is tasked by the matriarch of his tribe to stall for time at the ceremony to become the next princess of the fantasy world of Amawakuni so a more suitable candidate can be found. The other is a first year high school student bullied and betrayed by his “friends,” first back in middle school, and now by someone else he trusted.

Ketsuekigata-kun!: First Impressions

A narrator begins the Blood Type Quiz and asks which blood type doesn’t show their feelings when in love. What follows is a series of VERY short scenes, giving each anthropomorphized blood type a chance to show their characteristics.

Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live: First Impressions

I picked up this anime not expecting a whole lot from a show about rainbows, dancing, and singing featuring a thirteen year old. Set in modern day and very much geared for the pre-teen or teen demographic, Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live (PRRL) is a show blending the magical girl and music idol genres with a bit of a twist. It’s bright, it’s happy, and it’s fun, but it lacks much depth which means one must be content with the what-you-see-is-what-you-get sparkles, copious amounts of rainbows, and numerous hearts.

Flowers of Evil: First Impressions

I initially agreed to pick this up because of the director, Hiroshi Nagahama, who directed two of my favorites – Detroit Metal City and Mushi-shi – and the premise sounded interesting – psychological slice-of-life teenage drama. There’s a lot here to turn off potential viewers – the art style contrasts highly detailed backgrounds with character designs

The Severing Crime Edge: First Impressions

This is a tricky series to classify. From the name, The Severing Crime Edge, as well as the font that the title is in, you’d think it’s a horror show. From the artwork, something lighter and sweet. From the description, a romantic comedy. I mean, come on. A guy who loves cutting hair a little too much and a girl with supposedly cursed hair that can never be cut? Match made in anime heaven.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: First Impressions

I’ve gotta admit, this was the show I was most looking forward to this season. I’m a big Shin Megami Tensei fan, and I’ve always been disappointed in myself that I never got around to playing Devil Survivor 1 or 2. The fact that the anime is an adaptation of the second game might be a little off-putting to people, making them think that they missed something or need to have played the first game. However, it actually stands alone, so there’s no reason not to jump in.

Oreimo Season 2 – First Impressions

The epic bro-meets-sis romantic comedy continues on in Season Two. When we last left our heroine, Kirino had returned to Japan with the encouragement of big bro Kyosuke after a brief time attending to a track camp in America (for anybody keeping score of things from season one, this is a continuation of the season one True Route Ending, NOT the Good Ending).

Attack on Titan – First Impressions by Skie

Shingeki no Kyoujin comes out of the gate strong. Its style, design, and sound are all superb, as is the attention to detail in animating even highly dynamic sequences. There are a few odd choices regarding what doesn’t get animated but that’s a minor bump in the road for the first episode. The story begins with the reveal of a titan more than 50m tall and the decided lack of sound that fades into eerie music is a fantastic choice to develop instant foreboding.