Spring 2010 Recap

Well, I have finally wrapped up my Spring 2010 shows, and I was pleased for the most part, with only two shows I didn’t finish.  At the beginning of the season, I decided upon watching Angel Beats, K-On!!, Mayoi Neko Overrun!, KissxSis, Working!!, B Gata H Kei, and Arakawa Under The Bridge. The two dropped shows ended up being B Gata H Kei and Arakawa Under The Bridge.  Out of the other shows I did finish, all will be definite purchases when and if they are licensed in the U.S.

Angel Beats:

This series started extremely slow for me, and after the first episode I questioned if I would even be able to finish the series. Much to my surprise, it took a very good turn for the better. The characters had a lot of personality to them and many with excellent back stories.

The show began with the main character Otonashi arriving at a High school where teenagers go when they didn’t lead a fulfilling life. It is basically Purgatory. Otonashi immediately is introduced to Yurripe who is fighting against Kanade, whom is referred to as Angel. Otonashi quickly learns that he can’t be killed, at Kanade’s hands.  He joins the battle against Angel and is introduced to the rest of the cast. As the series progresses, you learn more about certain characters’ lives they lead prior to ending up in Purgatory, and how difficult their lives were. Once they find the happiness they didn’t have in their lives, they pass on and are reborn.

The series does an excellent job with humor, action and drama elements. I found myself laughing out loud many times, but there were some moments that had my eyes watering. Episode 10 and the finale were especially tough to hold back the tears while watching. While the show had these great characters and a solid, emotional story, it unfortunately lacked the length it needed to fully flesh everything out. Many times the story was rushed from various plot points, and the majority of the supporting cast didn’t even have their back stories told.

If Angel Beats could have had a 26 episode run, it would have easily have been one of the best anime series to date, but don’t get me wrong in this analysis. The show is still one of the best shows from this spring season, and I absolutely recommend everyone watching it.

K-On!! (episodes 1 – 13):

The moeblob goodness is back for a second season with Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Tsumugi, and Azunyan in more adventures and antics. As a huge fan of K-On!, I have to be completely honest here, in the fact that the first episode was not that good. I was shocked, and immediately worried that the second season was going to be a sophomore slump. Thank goodness my fears were put to rest immediately with the second episode. The show quickly regained its stride, and what made the first season great was back in full effect. Much to the surprise of fans, it was also announced that K-on!! will be going for 26 episodes, instead of the initial 13 that was announced.

The second season focuses on the Yui, Mio, Ritsu, and Tsumugi in their senior year. Azunyan from the get go is worried about losing the elder 4 to graduation. The highlights of K-On!! are the senior trip, which sees Mugi-chan starting a pillow fight, Yui and Azunyan performing live, an Azunyan episode, Sawako performing, and the girls taking a trip to Summer Fest rock festival.

Unfortunately music hasn’t had as much of a presence in the first half of K-On!! as the original season did. There is still another half, so we will see if they are able to showcase music more. Fans of of K-On! will absolutely want to watch this second season, but for those who didn’t like it the first time around, will surely hate it even more this time. As for me, I can’t wait for the second half of season 2.

Mayoi Neko Overrun!:

This is a show that covers all the stereotypes of present anime. There is moe, a tsundere character, a flat chested, rich girl trying to control people, a crazed otaku, a ditsy woman with big breasts and your average male character that all the girls want. So why should anyone watch what comes off as a generic anime? One word: Nyaa~. The draw of this show is the cat-girl Nozomi-Chan, whose hair is shaped like cat ears, and puts any moe fan into Nyaa~ overload.

The first six episodes has plenty of ups and downs, which left me wondering if I would even finish the series. At times I was bored and just felt uninterested, while other times I would be laughing out loud. I almost gave up on the show altogether after episode seven, which was an awful mecha filler episode with no relevance to the series at all. Yes folks, it was that bad.

Thankfully, episode 8 kicked the second half of the series into high gear. It was like the creators finally figured out what they wanted to do with the show. The show finally put so much more focus on Nozomi, and for me the Nyaa~s were coming left and right, leaving me all giddy after each episode. The development of who Nozomi is and learning about her feelings and emotions is where the show shines. I can’t stress enough as to how much her character means to the show.

I think this is a show that fans of moe should check out for Nozomi-chan alone. Somehow her character by itself takes the show from being mediocre to very good. An interesting note is the fact that Nozomi is voiced by Ayana Taketatsu, who also voices Azunyan from K-On! and Ako from KissxSis. In all three series, each character says Nyaa~ at least once.

KissxSis:

The premise to the show will send many anime viewers searching for something else. Twin step-sisters, Ako and Riko, love their younger step-brother, Keita, and basically want to become his lovers. The show is set around Keita’s final year of Junior high and his attempts to get into the same high school as his sisters. Keita must deal with his two step-sisters advances, tricks, and constant bickering with each other while trying to study for his exam.

As if that isn’t enough, he has unfortunate run ins with a fellow classmate, Miharu, which always end up in rather precarious situations. He also has an underclassmen after him, named Mikazuki, who will do anything necessary (and usually perverted) to get Keita’s attention. Keita also has to worry about Ako and Riko’s teacher Yuzuki, an otaku who loves eroge and is Mikazuki’s sister, who wants to keep the siblings from being together.

While the show is definitely full of perversion, I found there to be many moments and even full episodes that come off as cute and sweet instead. This is the redeeming quality of KissxSis. The show can switch from being over the top and perverted to being just downright cute. There is plenty of ecchi for those looking for it, with many borderline hentai moments. I was definitely shocked with how far this show could go considering it was being aired on TV in Japan. Many will be turned off by the show based on premise alone, but for those willing to give the show a chance, there are plenty of redeeming qualities to be found underneath the perversion.

Working!!:

SOMEONE ONE ONE!! Sorry, couldn’t help myself. First off, the opening to this show is extremely catchy and I find myself still yelling “SOMEONE ONE ONE” at random. This was a show I had no clue of what to expect. Based off a 4-koma, Working!! is set in a family restaurant and deals with the crazy antics of the staff that works there. Main character Takanashi begins working at the restaurant after Poplar, an undersized upperclassmen, asks him to work there.

Pretty soon after working there he runs into Inami, who is afraid of men (androphobia), and attacks them if they get too close. Which is what exactly happens at their first meeting, Takanashi getting clobbered by Inami. The rest of the staff include Kyoko, a manager with no interest in doing her job; Todoroki, a waitress who carries a katana and loves Kyoko; Sato, whom is always picking on Poplar, yet is in love with Todoroki; and Soma who knows everyones secrets, and constantly uses the info against others. We are eventually introduced to Yamada, a young run away who is also a constant liar and troublemaker, as well as Maya who wants to consider herself normal compared to the rest of the staff.

Takanashi is always ending up on the short end of the stick when it comes to most plot points. Whether he is trying to hide his family from the restaurant, getting stuck cross-dressing, or trying to cure Inami-chan of her androphobia. Nothing ever seems to end well, and instead ends with hilarious outcomes and circumstances.

Like most anime based off of 4-koma, the gags typically play out as such, and Working!! does it with excellence. Jokes come quickly and with great timing. The characters are full of personality and expressions. This is a show that anyone can easily get into and just enjoy. This was easily my surprise hit of Spring 2010 and I highly recommend watching this series. As for me, I’ll be waiting for the second season, so I can laugh even more.

B Gata H Kei:

This show is about Yamada, who is looking to have 100 sex friends now that she is in high school. Only one problem, she is still a virgin and really has no idea of how to go about starting her conquest. She meets a young man who she immediately deems as her starting point. Wacky hijinks ensue as she tries to seduce but always bails before it goes to far.

I only made it through 4 episodes, but I couldn’t really get into the show. I felt the humor tries too hard and it just doesn’t come off right. The show has its moments and shows potential, but I just couldn’t continue at this point. I do plan on finishing this series at some point, but I can’t recommend this series to anyone.

Arakawa Under The Bridge:

This show started great! I loved it and was very intrigued in the characters. I found Recruit a great main character and Nino perfect as his love interest. The way their relationship is built and plays out is sweet and eccentric.

Unfortunately around episode 4 or 5, a character named Stella entered the show and I was immediately just turned off. I just couldn’t maintain interest in the show with her character seeing so much screen time, so I just gave up. Maybe I’ll go back one day and continue, but as of now it sits in my list of dropped anime.