Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 - Episode 1

As far as ambitious anime projects go, I doubt anything will beat the plan set out by Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 this season. With the promise of a faithful and scientifically accurate depiction of an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hitting Tokyo, and a place in the noitaminA block previously occupied by Eden of the East, expectations are bound to be high for this particular series.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though - Despite it's stunning black and white depictions of an earthquake-hit Tokyo in the opening titles, and an opening scene that suggests we've already missed all of the carnage, we're soon returned to a pre-earthquake state to allow the series to introduce some of the characters we'll be following during the course of the show.


The centre of attention for this episode is Mirai Onozawa, a middle school student with bad grades and a bad attitude who appears to be going through one of those teenaged rebellious streaks that we all know and "love". Despite her typical teenage girl attitude towards life, and the fact that she's constantly glued to her mobile phone throughout the day, to some extent you can't blame her for her attitude, with an excitable younger brother named Yuuki who is frequently left in her charge, and parents who are apathetic to both their children and one another, appearing more interested in their careers and the like than giving their kids the love that they need. In other words, they're your typical dysfunctional nuclear family.

With the summer holidays beginning, Yuuki wants to visit a robot exhibition in Odaiba (a name you might have been hearing a lot of recently on account of its life-size Gundam statue), and of course Mirai is the one tasked with taking her younger brother on his day out. So, off they trot for a day at said exhibition, before leaving us hanging in those final adrenaline-pumping few seconds where we see the huge earthquake hit Tokyo, and begin to get an early taste of its massive destructive powers.

If you tuned in to this show looking for a straightforward disaster movie then you'll probably have been left disappointed by Tokyo Magnitude 8.0's opener, but this first episode was always going to be about building the individual characters and story of the show rather than simply knocking down famous buildings - This isn't a Michael Bay movie, you know. With that in mind, it actually does a pretty succinct job of fulfilling its aims, bringing us close to the brother and sister around whom the series revolves without becoming tedious or overly burdened in any sense of familial discord. The animation quality here is similarly straightforward but effective, with most of the nice touches coming from the mannerisms and reactions of Mirai rather than her "look".

The real hook, of course, is that final minute or so I just mentioned, with the beginning of the massive earthquake that will shake up that series, and quite honestly got the adrenaline pumping on my part a little - So far so good on that front. Now the scene is set and we're ready to go, I really can't wait to see what the next episode brings, and it'll certainly be interesting to see how this series attempts to blend the science of a natural disaster on a massive scale with the more human story of those who the earthquake effects. Could this be anime's answer to the BBC's fantastic 80's nuclear apocalypse drama Threads? Here's to hoping.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Season 2 - Episode 5 (aka Episode 15)

"We've entered an endless recursion of time" Koizumi tells us.... Well, no fucking shit Sherlock, I think we've pretty much noticed that by now! Ahem, sorry, amuse yourselves for a moment while I take a deep breath....


Okay, that's better. So, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya episode fifteen. Or was it fourteen? Or thirteen? It's so hard to tell these days, when every episode is almost exactly the same. Once was fine, twice made sense in the context of the story, three times was pushing it, but four times? Four times repeating the exact same course of events, with only some different animation and a couple of other little changes to hold our attention? Sorry KyoAni, but you haven't so much dropped the ball on this one as filled the ball with lead and dropped it directly and repeatedly onto your own heads until you were struck stupid.

With pretty much any series I watch, I can usually see or at least comprehend some kind of counterpoint to the criticisms I make about a given episode or show, but I honestly can't this time - Why would any production team think their viewers want this? Why would they even want to do it to themselves? I can only imagine how bored the voice actors, animators and script writers are right now. To make things worse, as we're reminded about how poor old Nagato remembers every instance of this endless summer, there seems to be no comprehension that we're suffering from the exact same thing as viewers! Perhaps that's the point in KyoAni's mind, but immersing yourself in a show has its limits - That's why I'm not running around naked outside the White House with a gun right now, although heaven knows this episode has me tempted.

Still, let's try and take something positive out of this, right? Kyon's deja vu is now stronger the ever, and an aeroplane makes a continuous appearance throughout, so we must be getting closer to a resolution of this time loop. Maybe. Hopefully. Let's just hope that the "eight" in Endless Eight doesn't refer to the number of episodes this story arc will fill.

So, there you have it, another week goes by and once again I feel as though this series has utterly wasted my time. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is rapidly turning into the equivalent of a little brother who endlessly asks "Why?" to everything you say. Only less interesting. Plus you can't punch an anime series in the arm to make it stop.

Spice and Wolf II - Episode 1

After having some initital misgivings about the change in production company for this second series of Spice and Wolf, my mind was well and truly put at ease thanks to the "episode 0" OVA released a few months ago, which suggested that Brains Base knew exactly what made the original series so great and how to continue in a similar vein.

Thankfully, that preliminary episode was an almost perfect representation of the Spice and Wolf we get here, acting as an excellent precursor to the series proper - Horo is still preoccupied with dreams that leave her torn between the companionship of Lawrence and her own kind, together with the knowledge that her lifespan is far, far greater than that of a mere human. Meanwhile, as she talks of her home town so Lawrence starts to consider the fact that their journey together might be coming to an end, giving him worries of his own.


While this episode does introduce us to a young, new trader named Fermi Amati, and deal with some of the usual trading and bartering that has become a staple of the series, it's hard to care too much about how much you can sell nails for in this medieval world when you have vast quantities of sparkling conversation between the two stars of the series to enjoy. Yes, once again the dynamic between Horo and Lawrence is absolutely gorgeous, with the former teasing and flirting while reacting in a beautifully animated and revealing way to the retorts and comments of the latter. These two play off one another fantastically, and I have to say that I don't think I've ever watched a series that is so entirely drive by a pair of characters, which speaks volumes of the qualities injected into these two individuals. Indeed, in a scene where Horo discusses how Lawrence's attitude has changed since they first met, it really did strike me as to how much the pair's relationship dynamic is constantly changing, shifting and switching, and how much it has evolved since that tender opening episode of the first series - We've been able to watch them grow both alone and as a couple (in whatever way you want to use that word), and perhaps it's that which makes this such a wonderful show to watch.

All in all then, this opening episode of Spice and Wolf II proper has left me with a huge smile on my face, a true grin from ear to ear. I honestly don't care if nothing else of note happens for the remainder of the series, eleven more episodes of Horo and Lawrence sat in a room chatting and drinking is quite alright with me. As character driven anime goes, this was simply magnificent.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 1

It's not very often that I get ridiculously excited about the return of a particular anime franchise, but I have to confess that the initial news of a return to our screens of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei brought forth a whoop of delight from me. Whether it's in manga or anime form, this is a series that seems capable of drilling directly into my brain to extract whatever surreal forms of hilarity hide within it before bringing them to life with artistry and flair.

It probably goes without saying that Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is looking to bring more of the same by picking out some of the best bits of the manga, and so this episode gives us cause to question the efficacy of lucky charms, a state of affairs which leads to Nozomu being incarcerated as a bringer of bad luck (you know, they might actually have a point). Of course, his students soon leap to the rescue in their own inimitable fashion, setting him free in the most aesthetically stylish segment of an episode that perhaps wasn't always at its best in terms of art quality - I can't help noticing that SHAFT really have a thing for the use of first-person perspective this season though.


Anyway, I digress... We then move on to discuss the joys of springtime and the common occurences which mark it - Beautiful moments of celebration such as seeing shops go bankrupt, an upturn in the number of divorces, and having embarassing photos of yourself posted on the Internet. Yep, that sounds like a Zetsubou Sayonara Sensei springtime to me. Finally, Nozomu dismisses the idea of going on holiday to "find yourself", in the belief that it will only eventually lead to your exposing yourself and your true nature. Nonetheless, he hops on the bus to Hokkaido to watch those who are off to find themselves to see how they expose themselves, and... well you can probably guess the punchline to that skit if you know all the show's characters. Who says this series has no punchlines?

It is perhaps hard to separate my overall excited delirium regarding the return of this series from the actual quality of the episode itself, but after a slightly slow start its second half certain had laughs aplenty for me, all the way up to the "drawing song" which makes one of its occasional appearances and never ceases to be utterly hilarious. Welcome back Zetsubou sensei, for the next thirteen weeks I shall despair no more.

Basquash! - Episode 14

At long last we reach the finals of the OCB Championship with a chance to travel to the Moon at stake, but despite this all of Team Basquash's members seem somewhat preoccupied, with Sela, Iceman and Dan all finding their minds wandering elsewhere.

However, all of that is (to some extent) forgotten once the action and the much-anticipated final against King of Kings tips off, giving us rare chance to enjoy a single, pure, unadulterated episode of Basquash! focused almost singularly around the giant robot, basketball playing goodness that drew me to the series in the first place. Of course, what seems likely to be just a routine match is turned upside-down as the skies turn black and the rain begins to pour down, but even as Team Basquash struggle in these conditions, there's still one final trick left up Haruka's sleeve...


Never mind the subtleties of the plot for once, episode fourteen of Basquash! is all about the... well, the Basquash basically. And rightly so too, giving the tournament's final game the time it deserved to work as a spectacle in its own right. It proved to be a spectacular one too, with the Bigfoot animators seemingly on top form, and the addition of driving rain to the proceedings making for some great visuals. Of course, the entire thing also seemed like a great advert for Nike too but hey, that's product placement for you.

Given it's slightly unique nature, I suppose I shouldn't take this particular episode as proof of a return to form for Basquash! after some decidedly torrid weeks of late, but hopefully if nothing else it's served as a reminder of what's fun and entertaining about this show, and even the political machinations which were given some air time during this episode couldn't get in the way of the sport itself, which is exactly how it should be on this particular occasion. So, with the series aim now naturally moving towards the Moon, where next for Basquash!? Hopefully the only way is up.

Bakemonogatari - Episode 1

Generally speaking, making a start with 'Blogging a new series is pretty easy - Just cover the basic points of the plot and concept, discuss what you thought of the episode et voila, you're off on your merry way. However, occasionally a series comes along that isn't quite so easy to succinctly sum up, and judging by the blank canvas that is my brain right now I get the feeling that Bakemonogatari is just such a show.

Really, where do you start with a series like this? Mere seconds into the episode we get some particularly intricate fan service, before being whisked off on a fantastic and brutally surreal opening title sequence which pretty much sets the tone for what is to come. From here we meet Koyokmi Araragi, who we first see running up a flight of stairs before having to catch a falling girl... a girl who turns out to be almost weightless despite falling from such a great height.


We soon learn that this girl is Hitagi Senjougahara, a smart girl with a weak body... or so the story amongst her classmates goes. In fact, she's a rather violent girl with a penchant for stationary and a weight problem caused by a mysterious crab. Oh, and Araragi isn't exactly a normal, run-of-the-mill human either, while also keeping the company of some decidedly odd friends. See, this is why I'm having trouble putting together a coherent explanation of this stuff...

Anyhow, surreal and bizarre or not, this opening episode of Bakemonogatari grabbed my attention in all of the right ways. As you'd expect from a SHAFT series, it's a visual tour de force which is artistically more Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei than Natsu no Arashi, although to be honest it goes of in its own direction in terms of animation, with lots of CG and clean lines. It really is sumptuous in its own way, and if the animation quality can keep to this level for the remainder of the series then I'm hooked already. These qualities extend to the direction of the show, with some great use of first-person perspective to put us into Araragi's body at times coupled with some of the more traditional SHAFT-esque visual devices to keep things interesting.

Beyond mere aesthetics I'm equally drawn in by the first episode however - The dialogue is razor sharp (and not to mention funny when it wants to be, with a great little sarcastic take on Fullmetal Alchemist later in the episode), the characters are instantly both fascinating and endearing as required, and the entire production oozes quality from beginning to end. How the series will progress (given its source material's gestation as a number of short stories) I have no idea, but as of right now Bakemonogatari is absolutely dripping with potential to be my favourite show of the season. Roll on episode two!

Taishou Yakyuu Musume - Episode 1

It's time for another dose of new season anime goodness, and this time it comes in the form of Taishou Yakyuu Musume. In all honesty, this isn't the kind of series that would normally be "my bag" as a matter of course, but I like to pick up the occasional series that stretches my interests somewhat, and thus this is my choice for the summer season.

Anyhow, Taishou Yakyuu Musume takes us back in time to the mid-1920s, and a Japan coming towards the end of the Taishou period. This makes for an interesting subject matter right off the bat, placing us in an era where the infamous sailor uniform was just starting to make its way into Japanese schools and the country as a whole was enjoying a period of relatively liberal rule and thought.


Of course, said liberal thinking in the 1920s only gets you so far, and this is particularly true if you're female, with the general consensus remaining that ladies should only do "ladylike" things while proving themselves suitable as a future housewife and little more. It's this sexist thinking that really drives the core premise of the show as we meet Akiko, a girl deeply hurt by a comment than educating women and expecting them to do anything beyond housework is pointless, leaving her determined to prove that there's more to the female form that simply looking pretty and cooking dinner. As the man making the sexist remark in question is a baseball player, Akiko sets out to form a female baseball team at her school, choosing her first "victim" as the show's protagonist, Koume Suzukawa. While the initial number of girls interested in playing seems good, any enthusiasm is quickly wiped out once they see a men's team training, but Akiko refuses to give up and carries on with her drive to recruit new team-mates.

As opening episodes go, this series certainly doesn't waste any time in getting down to business - After a brief musical introduction to 1920s Tokyo, we dive straight into following Koume to school where she's propositioned about joining her little project almost immediately. We then race through losing and then gaining some members what could almost be argued to be altogether too quickly, leaving us with no time to really get to grips with the characters that we're dealing with here. Hopefully that will all come in time though.

That slightly rushed pacing aside, I actually rather enjoyed this episode, if only for getting to see something a little different from the kind of school-based anime that we're used to - A series where a sailor uniform is still a big deal for the pupils and running is strictly prohibited for the girls is a pretty big leap from the modern-day norm as it is. Unfortunately, this quick building of the plot and era has left the characterisation on the back burner for this opener, but here's to hoping that Taishou Yakyuu Musume can build this aspect of things over the next few episodes. For now though, it certainly has my attention on account of feeling fresh and new in a world packed full of modern-day slice of life and school-centric shows.