New in Japan

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).

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Skie

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.

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New in Japan

Gargantia on the Verduous Planet: First Impressions by Miki

Coming from the mind of Gen Urobochi, the creator and scriptwriter of recent fan-favorites Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet has big shoes to fill, and in its first episode does an admirable job of doing so. Ledo is a pilot for a group of humans that have built a space colony far, far away from Earth, which now only still exists as a rumor (Battlestar Gargantia?)

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Skie

Gargantia on the Verduous Planet: First Impressions by Skie

It begins in deep space where soldiers are taught through dream sequences and peaceful life is the reward for duty well done in the face of an all-consuming war. The Hideauze are a race of aliens locked in mortal combat with humankind and Ledo is an Ensign of the Galactic Alliance of Humankind tasked with piloting a Machine Caliber in a last ditch effort to end the war. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned and the show drops you into the last few moments of the military fleet with spectacular space combat, nonstop action, and a flurry of information delivered in in-world communications.

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New in Japan

Attack on Titan – First Impressions by Miki

The Titans have largely been dormant, or have stayed away from the city, for a century. The city guards are ridiculed as freeloaders, but at least the Recon teams they send out to observe the Titans have some respect… until one day, a Recon team returns battered with several missing members.

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Zettai Boei Leviatan

Zettai Boei Leviatan – First Impressions

Based on a mobile game by GREE in Japan, Zettai Boei Leviatan is set on the water planet Aquafell and is populated by elf-eared dragon people. So far, in this first episode, it appears to be setting itself up as a magical girl adventure story, introducing the world, the world’s Creation Myth, and three main characters who wield staves and call upon elemental magic. Leviatan is a water magic user with a…

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Skie

Zettai Boei Leviatan

Leviatan is a water wielding mage with a missing brother living in a quiet village populated by dragon-scaled, elf-eared people. It is during her daily magic lessons that Leviatan meets a fairy named Syrop bearing dire news: the planet is being invaded by monsters bent on world destruction. To counter this, Syrop invites Leviatan to join the Aquafall Defense team and repel the invading insectoid creatures. Along the way she meets fire mage Bahamut and the axe wielding Jörmungandr. Together they embark on adventures, befriending Guardians, restoring temples, and pondering ways of getting stronger.

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Alaska

Red Data Girl: Initial Thoughts

I just started watching Red Data Girl. It seems really cute. It’s about a young girl by the name of Izumiko Suzuhara who has a strange power – whenever she touches an electronic device, it breaks. Because of this, her guardian recommends that she attend a new school in Tokyo. Accompanying her is his son, Miyuki Sagara. Miyuki has been asked to watch over Izumiko during her stay at this new school.

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