Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #9
SOLOMON, I HAVE RETURNED!
Man, when is the last time I wrote one of these stupid posts? And the last one isn't even anime. But hey, since the new-gen is all about either disappointment like Watch Doge or HD remaster of games that wasn't even that old and tons of games that you are waiting for won't be out until like centuries later, I guess it's time for another one of these. Special thanks to our fellow Polynaut Darknightgotham for making me enthusiastic about anime again with all his talk about new anime in Plight. You might not be the Polynaut I deserve, but definitely the Polynaut I need.
By the way if you don't know what Plight is, it's the thread where we just talk about anything that are comics, animu and mango or alike, which I thought you might be interested since you have already clicked on a thread titled "Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #9".
Here is the link for the latest one in case you can't find it in the forum.
Just kidding, it's this one.
Also, like I had said in Plight, I most likely will add a small section introducing a Japanese voice actor since I enjoy talking about them so much. I haven't decide yet, I make things up as I write.
Maoyu
Year: 2013
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Episodes: 12
Studio: Arms (Elfen Lied, Queens Blade, Ikkitousen)
Director: Takahashi Takeo (Spice and Wolf, Yosuga no Sora, Aki Sora)
Adaption: Light novel by Touno Mamare (Log Horizon)
Localization: Madman Entertainment (AUS), Sentai Filmworks (NA), Anime on Demand (EU)
Cast:
Koshimizu Ami as Demon King
Fukuyama Jun as Hero
Sawashiro Miyuki as Female Knight
Saito Chiwa as Chief Maid
Story:
"Become mine, Hero!"
"I refuse!"
The world was torn by a war between two factions, the humans and the demons. As the war goes on, the Hero decided to end the war once and for all by storming into the Demon King's castle alone. However, as he finally meet the Demon King in person, in front of him is a woman who looks just like a human, and instead of fighting back, she requested an alliance with him. As Hero refuses, Demon King explained that ending the war right now with one side being victorious will not bring peace to the world, as the economy and unity being supported by the war will collapse and eventually cause the whole world to fall. However, she believed that there is a new possibility for the world, a world people can live in peace without a conflict ironically supporting them, and she needs him to make this world into reality. Convinced by Demon King's words, Hero decided to join force with her in order to create a world where humans and demons can live peacefully in harmony.
Impression:
Ever seen Spice and Wolf? It's like that, but replace the merchant with a hero and the wolf with a demon king (same voice actors too). But in case you haven't seen Spice and Wolf, it's a generic fantasy world with a hero who is trying to slay the demon king in Dragon Quest style, but with a twist in the story that goes in the totally different direction. Instead of having the hero defeats the evils and save the world, it had the hero and demon lord join hands and actually brings up a lot of problems that aren't touched upon in typical fantasies, as the world is not going to fix itself after a victory, like what if there is another war within human afterward? And what about the economy? What makes this anime unique from other fantasies is that it actually tackles on problems like these. Another thing that makes this anime a different experience is how the characters are not named. Not sure what's the reason behind it, but it is kind of an interesting way to tell a story. The characters themselves are quite interesting too, I particularly like the character development of the Big Sister Maid and how she becomes a "proud human being", you will see what I mean if you watch it.
As for the flaws, I kind of find how the romance starts between the two a bit awkward, I mean, they literally just fall in love with each other after they first met. But that isn't really a big issue, they are quite sweet as the story goes on, the big issue here is that the story is not finished, and it probably never will, at least not in the form of anime.
But other than that, it's worth your time nonetheless, especially if you like either Spice and Wolf or Log Horizon.
Conclusion:
Good:
-An interesting twist in a generic fantasy world
-Interesting characters
-A bit educational too
-Sawashiro Miyuki
Bad:
-How the romance starts
-Most likely won't have a second season
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Year: 2012
Genre: Fantasy/Action
Episode: 26
Studio: David Production (Inu X Boku SS, Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation)
Director: Tsuda Naokatsu (Inu X Boku SS)
Adaption: Manga by Araki Hirohiko
Localization: None yet
Cast:
Okitsu Kazuyuki as Jonathan Joestar
Koyasu Takehito as Dio Brando
Sugita Tomokazu as Joseph Joestar
Sato Takuya as Caesar A. Zeppeli
Story:
In 1800s England, Jonathan Joestar, or Jojo, had been living a happy life as the son of a noble family until Dio Brando, his new adoptive brother, came to his house. Dio, unlike Jojo, came from a very poor family in the slum, who grew up learning that the only way to survive is to snatch everything by his own hand, and he was planning to take everything the Joestars had. Jojo's life has been hell since Dio arrival, and as the two grew up together, he became friend with him, while Dio himself was still secretly planning to snatch everything Jojo had. However, Dio's plan was eventually foiled in front of everyone. Out of desperation, claiming that he will reject his humanity, he put on a stone mask that turns him into a vampire and killed everyone in the house. Jojo, who survived from Dio's massacre, met a man named Zeppeli. Zeppeli informed Jojo that Dio was still somewhere out there doing whatever he pleased with his new power, and he possess a martial art known as Ripple that can counter Dio's vampirism. As Jojo starts with his training with Zeppeli, the battle between Ripple and the Stone Mask that will continue throughout Jojo's bloodline begins.
Impression:
I don't even know why Jojo is even here when the title of the post is "Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of". I mean who haven't heard of Jojo other than stupid people?
Nah, just kidding, don't feel inferior because you haven't. I actually don't know much about Jojo until I watch this anime, which is one thing I am going to praise about it. Jojo is a 20+ years long series that is still on-going, and this anime, which is just made last year, actually serves as a very good introduction to newcomers. For those who have absolutely no idea about Jojo, this anime follows the story of the first arc from the very beginning, and it's totally safe to watch it with no knowledge about it beforehand. Of course, that doesn't mean that old fans will not like it, in fact, if you are a long time fan of Jojo but have never watch this anime, do it now, it has everything that makes you love Jojo, from the sound effect text to dem fabulous poses, it literally translate what was in the manga perfectly into animated form. I mean, seriously, just look at all those references to the original source in the opening.
But of course, you are probably already aware that it's a shounen manga written more than 20 years ago, if they are bringing everything on the table intact, then some part of it such as pacing are bound to not age too well. But that doesn't mean that is a bad thing, since the good part is good enough to overshadow it, and if you are jumping in expecting the manga you love back in the 80s, you will get exactly what you are looking for (probably even better).
Also, did I mention the soundtracks are amazing? The soundtrack in the first part, Phantom Blood, is composed by Matsuo Hayato, which goes along very well with a story that takes place in 1800 England. The second part, Battle Tendency, is composed by Iwasaki Taku, who you might have already heard of in Gurren Lagann and Gatchaman Crowds, has a totally different style, but equally amazing.
To cut it short, if you don't know anything about Jojo, want to get into it but don't know where should you starts with, here is this anime for you. If you are a long time fan that has never watch this anime, here is your enhanced version of what you have already read once before.
Conclusion:
Good:
-Great for newcomers of the series
-But also great for old fans
-Everything you love about Jojo being perfectly translated to anime
-Amazing sountracks
Bad:
-Might not age well in some part
-No Sawashiro Miyuki. Well, not yet...
Buddy Complex
Year: 2014
Genre: Sci-fi/Romance/NTR
Episodes: 13
Studio: Sunrise (Mobile Suit Gundam, Code Geass, Mai-Hime)
Director: Tanabe Yasuhiro
Adaption: Original Story by Yatate Hajime(Sunrise)
Localization: Funimation
Cast:
Matsuoka Yoshitsugu as Watase Aoba
Uchiyama Koki as Junyo Dio Weinberg
Hayami Saori as Yumihara Hina/Hina Ryazan
Story:
Watase Aoba is an ordinary high school boy, he plays basketballs with his friends, have a crush on Hina, a girl in his class, just probably the most ordinary teen you can find, until one day he was pursued and attacked by a giant robot, and Hina rescued him with another robot of her own. In the heat of the battle between the mysterious robot and Hina, a time tunnel appeared and as they got sucked in, Hina told Aoba that "Dio is waiting" before she disappeared. After waking up, Aoba was transported to 70 years later and found himself inside of the cockpit of another one of these robots known as Valiancers, Luxion. Caught in between the battle between the Free Pact Alliance and Zogilia Republic, he met Dio, the pilot of Bradyon, a Valiancer similar to Luxion, and the fateful encounter of the two becomes the key to change the world.
Impression:
Well it's not anything epic or ground breaking, but I do find it very enjoyable from start to finish for a time traveling story. Make no mistake, it didn't do anything new, but it did do it right and it's not afraid to show it. It's quite predictable, and the story is not even finished, but it still manages to deliver a rather satisfying conclusion. I also like how the main character is not like of those dorks you see most of the time, he actually turns out to be a rather calm and intelligent guy and manages to adapt to the new environment he is in rather quickly, instead of just overreacting in every situations like most anime protagonists do. Though I do find the relationship between him and Hina a bit underdeveloped.
Presentation wise, there is one thing not many people had mentioned about this anime surprisingly, which is the animation. While most of them are in 2D, there are few scenes that used a little bit of 3D CGs blending into the 2D animation, especially during the mech actions scenes, and here is the surprise, it actually looks amazing. You can tell which part is 2D and which is 3D, but they blend in together that they don't feel awkward at all and you can tell that they spend quite some effort into it to get it right. I would say this is one of the best examples of how 3D CGs can actually look good in anime. And the soundtracks are great too. they are composed by Katou Tatsuya, whom you might have heard of from Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Future Diary and Prisma Illya. It's definitely not his best works unlike the three I mentioned, but pretty good nonetheless. In case you are going to watch this anime, you will probably be looking for this particular track, so let me link it for you here.
Well, if you are going to watch it, prepare for the bad news. Like I had said, the story is not finished, and the anime didn't do good enough to warrant a full sequel, so what we are getting instead is a two eps TV special coming out soon next season, which kind of worry me, since there are still a lot left unexplained and I doubt they can do everything in just two episodes. Let's just hope that I am wrong.
Conclusion:
Good:
-A solid and well paced story
-Main character that's not a complete dork
-Pretty good soundtrack
-Animation
-Story is not finished, but still managed to deliver a satisfying conclusion
Bad:
-Well, it's not finished
-And the sequel is probably going to suck
-It's nothing new
-No Sawashiro Miyuki
Outbreak Company
Year: 2013
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy
Episodes: 12
Studio: feel. (Mayo Chiki!, Yosuga no Sora, Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!)
Director: Oikawa Kei (Minami-ke Okaeri, Minami-ke Betsubara)
Adaption: Light novel by Sakaki Ichirou (Scrapped Princess, Chaika - the Coffin Princess, Magician's Academy)
Localization: Sentai Filmworks
Cast:
Hanae Natsuki as Kanou Shinichi
Mimori Suzuko as Myusel Foaran
Fuchigami Mai as Petralka Anne Eldant III
Story:
Kanou Shinichi is an otaku who is neither in school nor out there working, in other word, a NEET. But because of his knowledge of anime, manga and video games, he was offered with a job that's related to it. After the interview, he was drugged, kidnapped, and woke up in a fantasy world full of magic, dragons and such, and his employer explained that his new job is the general manager of Amutech, a joint company from both from both world which mission's is to spread the otaku culture in this new foreign world.
Impression:
Well that was one anime that surprised me, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would (thanks to Livingtarget, or was it solowing? To me they are the same person anyway). At first it seems like your typical fantasy/harem that you have already seen many times, but it turns out to be much deeper than that and something that had never been done before. What the anime is actually about is exploring the otaku culture, as well as comparing the discrimination towards it with the racism happens in the fantasy world, while in the same time not afraid to show the bad side of it as well.
And of course, that doesn't mean that everything in here is serious. Since the anime itself is about otaku culture, do expect tons of comedy moments involving parodies of other anime, Berserk, Madoka Magica, Inazuma Seven, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Attack on Titan, you name it. Though if you are not too deep into the otaku culture, you might miss a few jokes here and there.
Overall, it's an anime that's something a little deeper than you expected, but in the same time a very light-hearted comedy as well, and it can be enjoyable in either way.
Though I have to say, I still doesn't like the art style too much. I like the original art from the novel, just not the anime.
Also, Myusel is the best girl.
Conclusion:
Good:
-Exploring the otaku culture
-Some light-hearted comedies and parodies
-Enjoyable no matter what you are getting into it for
-Myusel the best girl
Bad:
-If you are not familiar with otaku culture, you might miss some jokes
-It's personal, but I can't get used to the art style
-No Sawashiro Miyuki, that's not personal, that's universal
Golden Time
Year: 2013
Genre: Drama/Romance
Episode: 24
Studio: J.C. Staff (Shakugan no Shana, Toradora, Little Busters!)
Director: Kon Chiaki (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni)
Adaption: Light novel by Takemiya Yuyuko (Toradora, Evergreen, Watashitachi no Tamura-kun)
Localization: Sentai Filmworks
Cast:
Furukawa Makoto as Tada Banri
Horie Yuri as Kaga Koko
Kayano Ai as Linda/Hayashida Nana
Ishikawa Kaito as Yanagisawa Mitsuo
Kido Ibuki as Oka Chinami
Hikami Takahiro as 2D-kun/Sato Takaya
Story:
Right after his high school graduation, Tada Banri was involved in an accident and ended up having an amnesia. With no memories about his life and even himself at all, he decided to attend college in Tokyo and start a new life. On the day of the college's opening ceremony, he met Yanagisawa Mitsuo, a guy who goes to the same college but got lost on the way just like him, and the two became friends quickly. Very soon, a beautiful woman appear in front of them and proceed to slap Mitsuo in the face with a bouquet of roses in her hand. As it turns out, she is Kaga Koko, Mitsuo's obsessive childhood friend who had been stalking him since he said he will marry her when they were little. Unlike Mitsuo, who was terrified by the fact that Koko managed to find him even after he went all the way to move to Tokyo, Banri was charmed by Koko. With his new crush and new friends, the time Banri spend in this college becomes the golden time of his life new life.
Impression:
such college
very romance
much feels
wow
Seriously, I like romance, but I didn't expect that it can emotionally hook me this much.
Well, first, let's talk about the setting, college. It's nothing new, but it's still something rare. Of course, just being not usual isn't enough to make a good setting, but the story and characters go along very well with it, and it just fleshes out the whole charm of college so well that you wish you can restart your college life. And since the characters are in college as oppose to other anime of the same genre, the relationship between Banri and Koko, two characters who are technically adults, but still young and inexperience, is also portrayed in a more mature yet int he same time innocent manner. Of course, I am not saying I hate romance set in high school with a more innocent and pure relationship, but in that aspect, Golden Time really set itself apart from many other anime of the same genre.
And speaking of the characters, they are very likable. Like Koko, she is obsessive and selfish, but also a very charming girl that you just can't hate her. Unlike many of the same genre, the relationship between the two is also constantly progressing as the story goes on. Instead of just watching them doing the same lovey-dovey thing, you will be eager to see where will their relationship go next in every episode. And of course, other than the whole romantic drama, there is also Banri's forgotten past, which can be pretty heart-wrenching at times, but I am not going to spoil it for you.
If there is a flaw I want to pick, well, the ending. Let me tell you now, the ending is terrible, and I am sure many will agree. However, on the plus side, it's not terrible enough to ruin my whole experience with it. Even with the ending, I find the series to be very enjoyable and I certainly don't regret watching it.
Seriously, if you like romance and drama and you haven't seen Golden Time, go watch it, like, now.
Conclusion:
Good:
-The college setting
-Likable character
-A relationship that's constantly progressing
-Terrible ending, but not enough to ruin your experience
Bad:
-Well, the terrible ending
-No Sawashiro Miyuki
Yeah, let's just stop here. I am still trying to keep the genre more diverse, and the few I wanted to write about are actually either mechs, romance or fantasy, which are already here, so let's save them for later.
And about the voice actor part, yeah, I guess I will do it.
No, it's not Sawashiro.
Featured Voice Actor: Toyosaki Aki
Noticeable Work:
K-ON! - Hirasawa Yui
Heaven's Lost Property: Forte - Chaos
Knights of Sidonia - Shinatose Izana
Medaka Box - Kurokami Medaka
To-Love-Ru - Momo Bella Deviluke
Well if you know me, and have some knowledge about Japanese voice actors, you might probably be surprised that I decided to talk about her, since I have never mention her at all in Plight. But the truth is that she is indeed one of the voice actress who impressed me a lot simply because of the sheer voice range she has. A lot of people know and remember her as Yui from K-ON!, which is a shame, because the reality is that she is capable much more than that.
I once only thought that she can do that cutesy voice from K-ON! too, but then I saw that Pokemon B/W2 trailer, in which she voiced the female protagonist, and this is when I was beginning to be impressed by her. She just sounds so different that I didn't believe it was her even after I looked it up, which happened twice more when I heard her voice in Medaka Box and Knights of Sidonia, in fact, I'm still having a hard time to believe that Medaka and Yui have the same voice actress. As I am writing this, I am really scared that I am actually making a mistake here and all of those characters are actually voiced by different people who just happen to have the same name...
So far the type of characters she has voiced include the cute and innocent type like Yui from K-ON! and Uiharu from Railgun, the more hotblooded type like Medaka from Medaka Box, young male characters or characters with boyish voice like the young Popo from Anohana, as well as the "third gender character" in Knights of Sidonia Shinatose Izana, and even psychotic villains like Chaos from Heaven's Lost Property and Manaka from Fate/Prototype.
Though unfortunately, seems like many still remember her as Yui from K-ON!, as she had voiced characters similar to Yui more than anything. To be honest, I would like to hear more of her voice as different type of characters, as I firmly believe that she is really one of those rarely talented voice actress who is capable playing ten different characters and they can all still sounds different.
A little fun fact outside of her career, the kanji of her name "Aki" means "love life", it's a name her parents gave who wished that she can live a life being loved by everyone.
Also, she has the same birthday as Bill Gates.
Well that's all for now. If you are interested seeing the old ones, here are the links.
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #8: Not Anime Edition
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #7: New Season Edition
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #6: P.A. Works Edition
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #5
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #4
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #3: Ufotable Edition
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #2: Kyoto Animation Edition
Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #1