I just watched Hataraku Maou-sama ep 1. I’d read a few chapters of it, so I knew what it was about, but the execution on the first episode was really, really good.
*I hope it doesn’t have too much cheesecake in it, i’m not into anime with a reliance on cheesecake.
@maxx: I’m completely agree. In fact I hear we’re going to get a new Gatchaman series this summer or fall but no one knows if it’ll be a proper series or one of the short vignette shows. *
hmm anyone got a Space Battleship 2199 sub/torrent they can pm me? i apparently d/l a chinese sub…having trouble finding the new series…keep walking into the 2012 movies.
New season is off to a pretty strong start, surprisingly.
Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) - The animation quality for the first episode was astounding and was every bit as good as the trailers made it look. I’m wondering if it’ll be able to keep up that level of quality for the entire series, which should be doable since the series isn’t non-stop action though the first few episodes are going to action intensive.
The art for the manga is pretty rough, especially in the early chapters, so it made the giants look especially creepy but the anime somehow managed to make them look even more creepier. So far the anime is pretty faithful to the manga but it seems like the violence is tone downed or at least censored for the tv airing. I’ll have to wait for the BD release in order to find out if this is censored or not.
Hataraku Maou - The beginning was a complete tease with an almost epic fantasy war between humans and demons and then shifted to a comedy. It’s actually pretty funny and turned out much better than I thought. Definitely worth watching this season.
Ginga Kikotai Majestic Prince - The first mech show of the season and it’s pretty balls. It’s like really old school OAV mecha plot lines from the 70-80’s and that shit doesn’t fly nowadays. The pacing is erratic with the main cast being the ass team of their military school to all of a sudden being thrown into specialized mechs to fight some battle, which they somehow managed to excel at. The only redeeming factor to the show is that there’s a few really cool mech designs in there.
Suisei no Gargantia - The second mech show of the season and it’s miles better than Ginga Kikotai Majestic Prince. The story is written by Urobuchi Gen (Psycho-Pass, Madoka) so I’m expecting something good from this series. Apparently, this is going to be a 12 episode series so I’m hoping there’s enough time to properly do this. The beginning space battle had a good sense of scale and I really enjoyed that they didn’t focus on ace pilots and focused on battle formations. Past that sequence and the rest of the episode was standard for the given scenario. I’m a little bit weary of the premise because not many shows were able to execute it properly.
Red Data Girl - Same studio that did Hanasaku Iroha and TariTari. The story is a bit weird but the character dynamics make the show interesting down the road. I know this series started earlier than the others so I got to play catch up with the rest but so far it’s enjoyable.
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[]As Chihaya tries to build more momentum in her favor, Megumu is unfazed by Chihaya’s enthusiasm, which causes Chihaya’s composure to break, something that her teammates notice when she has to contest a card. Sudou and Nakayama (of Mioka) also take note of the match between Chihaya and Megumu and comment about it.
[]Komano recalls the notes that Sumire took and makes use of it by taking a card that is of particular significance to his opponent.
[]Chihaya displays some exemplary skill in taking the next couple of cards from Megumu, recalling some teaching/tactics from both Nishida and Komano, but it continues to be back-and-forth between the two Aces.
[]Megumu takes notice of Chihaya’s efforts and makes a comment of herself, saying that she isn’t really interested in becoming Queen, unlike Chihaya, whose every action ‘says’ her intention of wanting to become Queen.
[]Chihaya’s precision is on point in the next exchange and she makes a comment about how Megumu is how she would have become if not for Harada (and others) teaching her how to play and improve.
[]Megumu’s demeanor changes; where she would usually be the one to rally her team, she remains silent and focused. Her team members pick up on the change, thinking that her opponent (Chihaya) is of exceptional strength. It appears Megumu feels burdened by the team’s want for her to become Queen. Though she says that she isn’t interested in becoming Queen, Megumu feels inclined to win against Chihaya, as her card lead over Mizusawa’s ace is now somewhat all but gone now.
[*]Another of the Akashi girls is the one to rally her teammates, with Mizusawa also rallying to push forward. The Mizusawa/Akashi match grows more intense as the onlookers realize that this is the semi-final match to watch.
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The contrast between individual/team stuffs is nicely shown with both teams, relative to each team’s Ace.
Chihaya ‘decisively’ taking those cards with her skill/ability was a highlight moment.
lol @ Chihaya and Megumu contesting the second time they touched a card at the same time.