Fire at the heart!There is just so much one can ask of a series, and the most hearty request I’d have to KimiKiss regards the airing quality. This is a meager issue. My score with KimiKiss is Kiss 1, me 0. Why? I feel bad leaving it out of my priorities, when I was definitely taking it in. I must attest to the good points I find in the series.
Yuzuki-sensei has a good sense about her.I’ve rooted through the willy shakers, the perilous evils of the mind, and found my way to light! -_-,
One thing M;Y lacks is a strong story thread. I don’t want to be negative about it, but it makes the series more like a slice-of-life main dish, though it originally felt like the story would be progressive. The downfall to the way M;Y is presenting is that it just doesn’t connect the characters as strongly as say…. Kanon, where the connections between Yuuichi, et al. were built like a beach house on the Florida coast (for reference, that means very strong).
As Kana’s plots the greatness of episode 6…It’s nice having solid subs.. Right!? Minami-ke has proved highly enjoyable through the half, and there is hardly anything I do not like about the series. The comedy is good, but it holds my interest even in the daily “struggles” and interaction among the 3 sisters (Haruka-Oneesama, Kana-chan, Chiaki-sama). The slice-of-life actually feels progressive because Minami-ke isn’t a laid back setup like say, Sketchbook; Minami house has spunk!
Like many bloggers, I’m not one with a lot of time on my hands, and I’m sort of glad to be in this situation of dropping some series this season. Doesn’t it feel like it just started? Well, It’s been over a full month, and that’s adequate time for me to realize I will not continue or hold off on some series.
This was probably coming because at episode 4 it already feels like a Shounen Jump filler-type. I may come back to this if it turns some good reviews, but I’m dabbling in muddy water if I continue aimlessly. The character designs are okay, and the basis is somewhat interesting, just I need to free some time.
Episodes watched: 4.
The flow of this series is cataclysmic. The pattern looks to alternate between plot and backstory each episode, its distracting. The characters are nice, but the overall premise and mystique about Rental Magica is so-so.
Episodes watched: 5.
I’m definitely not dropping this one, but since the wide-screen versions have been airing I’m going to go with their flow. I really enjoy quality animation, and seeing it in wide-screen on a sharp display is slightly more impressive (the “ooo aaah” effect). I love the series, but allowing some buffer and possibly storing up some episodes to mini-marathon. That wouldn’t be bad at all.
Short meaningless post, but I’m down to 14 seasonal followings so that’s a plus. Autumn is fantastic, btw, the variety is solid, and it seems like there’s more uniqueness to the season than last year’s (even though it was a good season). Yup.
Ryan A
What’s pink and frilly? Its Wilhelmina! This episode of Shana II delivers Wilhelmina, plenty of her, and it’s love.
Minami-ke is such a fun series to watch, I’m still festive about watching episode 4 earlier this week. Well, I was browsing in my screen capture directory for an entry on Shugo Chara! and found some Minami-ke shots instead. It reminded me that the scene where Kana and Chiaki “battle” is such a clever play on their innocence which brought me some laughs.
I recently was pondering my anime watching habits and ideals, when it occurred to me that I’m not very good at following seasonal series; I’m inefficient. Part of this handicap stems from my acceptance of a wide variety of styles, genres, and themes, and my lack of dropping, but alas I am trying to improve… for my sake.
I bring up left field because it is the source (figuratively) of grandeur and distress when experiencing most series. Left field being the source of unforeseen occurrences which strongly alter the situation, not solely in terms of comedy aspects. Standards usually include death (Kamina), misfortune (Washimine Yukio), intro to split-personalities (Kogami Akira), suppression of morale (Makoto), accidents (Akiko jam-u), etc. Personally, each of the characters’ situation noted, added to the glory of the anime, except Makoto (School Days), because I couldn’t tolerate his lack of sense, but also in left field lies the potential to modify the flow in a way the viewer rejects.
It comes into question, when does left field really persuade me to backlog, even drop, a series? This cannot be answered objectively, for each person takes a plot shift differently. Some viewers may have hated the fact that Kogami Akira”-deeesu” was violently bipolar, I found it amusing, particularly the change in vocal tones.
Touka Gettan is a personal example where the surprises didn’t help. I viewed 20 episodes of TG before I completely knocked it out of my priorities. It was not really interesting anymore after “Curtain” (episode 19), when the every girl’s nightmare startling back story of Yumiko was acted out via play. Obviously the characters of TG are messed up, they have issues, but their issues weren’t interesting, and the story I was wishing would amass, never started. After 19 episodes, the viewer is rewarded with an unexpected past, but it doesn’t pay, it isn’t a shift in the right direction, the boat of hope, sinks. Hell, if it would have continued the slight slice-of-life + bishis style it had going from eps 12-18 I may have finished it, no matter the rubbish slice-of-life elements.
Now, I do not have extensive examples where a change in plot hit for the worst and dramatically changed my priorities, because I don’t often drop stuff, but here are a few things that didn’t entice me (off the top of my head, viewed this within the year):
I believe there is a way to protect myself from left field run-down, and it is quite simple; slice-of-life. The slice-of-life genre is such a self-explanatory realm, and a true slice-of-life lacks significant plot line. Hence, eliminate the plot line, eliminate the threat of left field! In fact, I’d venture to say that slice-of-life is the most stable of all genres. It is probably difficult to thrive on slice-of-life alone, but as a seasonal staple I enjoy a few of these.
So that’s my bland write-up, how does this help make me a more efficient seasonal viewer? Be familiar with left field, and be true about new plot developments that arise. That’s my self-development. If I’m not entirely comfortable with the new direction of a series, feel it out, think it through and ask “Is it worth watching this right now, in the stream of the season?” I shouldn’t pounce on the next episode of a separate series and forget my thoughts on whatever I just watched. Really, there are 16 series I’ll be trying to follow this Autumn. Rather, I’d like to have 6 or 8, so I’m hoping this idea will help me drop or backlog some of them. As for the slice-of-life, they’re basically immortal to this method (Sketchbook and Minami-ke are worthy at this point anyway).
Ryan A
Melative Current Anime