April showers bring [Spring 2011] anime

[blkmage]

Aaaaand, the rest.

Times in JST

FRIDAY April 8
0140 - A Channel (MBS)
0159 - Kämpfer für die Liebe (TBS)
0210 - Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera (MBS)
0215 - Maria†Holic Alive (TV Tokyo)
0230 - Sofuteni (Tokyo MX)
2300 - Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san (AT-X)
2315 - Hen Zemi (AT-X)

MONDAY April 11
0900 - Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (AT-X)

TUESDAY April 12
0130 - The World God Only Knows II (TV Tokyo)

WEDNESDAY April 13
0129 - YuruAni? (NTV)

FRIDAY April 15
0045 - C (Fuji TV)
0115 - Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutaschi wa Mada Shiranai. (Fuji TV)
0125 - Hidan no Aria (TBS)
0155 - Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (TBS)

SUNDAY April 17
0100 - Deadman Wonderland (TV Kanagawa)
0500 - Ao no Exorcist (MBS/TBS)

MONDAY April 25
2255 - Moshidora (NHK)

[Falx]

Sket Dance seems interesting... it's the first time I've seen a club dedicated to just being kind and helpful instead of various ways of relieving their own boredom.

[TWWK]

Sket Dance was fun...and some of it was funny. I especially liked the computer voice guy character, hehe.

[blkmage]

A Channel: four panels, four girls, one of them extremely irritating. Beyond that, I don't think there's anything particularly interesting or noteworthy about it, and it certainly wasn't laugh-inducing.

Dororon Enma-kun, on the other hand, was really, really good. The style of it was really 80s with modern production values. As a result, it looks really vibrant instead of old. Some things to keep in mind: the 80s-ness of it goes beyond the visuals and into everything else, like the writing, where some of the humour is, uh, eyebrow-raising. It might be because Go Nagai wrote the original manga? Or I've heard that part of it is because of Japanese mythology. I have no idea. But it is crude (and I have to stress, in the weirdest way) so if you're easily offended, you'll probably want to pass. If it doesn't weird you out, it looks like it'll be one to keep. Also, Masaaki Endoh song, yes. Oh yeah, and it's being directed by the GaoGaiGar director. I like this show.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Dororon Enma-kun, on the other hand, was really, really good. The style of it was really 80s with modern production values. As a result, it looks really vibrant instead of old. Some things to keep in mind: the 80s-ness of it goes beyond the visuals and into everything else, like the writing, where some of the humour is, uh, eyebrow-raising. It might be because Go Nagai wrote the original manga? Or I've heard that part of it is because of Japanese mythology. I have no idea. But it is crude (and I have to stress, in the weirdest way) so if you're easily offended, you'll probably want to pass. If it doesn't weird you out, it looks like it'll be one to keep. Also, Masaaki Endoh song, yes. Oh yeah, and it's being directed by the GaoGaiGar director.

Torrenting the first episode as we speak, so it's good to know that my favorite studio has not let us down.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Dororon Enma-kun was awesome. Definitely not getting dropped. Still need to watch some other stuff, but that first episode was awesome.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

...really 80s... Go Nagai wrote the original manga...

OK, OK. Nice.

directed by the [SIZE="5"]GaoGaiGar director[/SIZE]

...Gotta get that.

[Fish and Chips]

I can't believe nobody in here is talking about the best ED of the season.

[blkmage]

Didn't have time to go through Zawa Zawa season 1 yet, sooooo...

[ich1990]

I can't believe nobody in here is talking about the best ED of the season.

And that is why I watch Kaiji.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Tiger and Bunny episode two warmed the icy corners of my /m/anly heart.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I accidentally watched an OVA from about a year ago for Azazel-san but definitely not watching this. It's wayyyyyy worse than Enma-kun as far as crudeness goes, but even ignoring that I didn't really find it engaging.

Edit:Dog Days episode two is better, though it's definitely going to have to sell me on this one. It isn't quite as bland, though it's still pretty eh. Pretty animation, though, and the ED is nice.

[MightiMidget]

Episode 2 of Tiger & Bunny sold me on it. I am with Doc...minus the manly heart bit. xD That was one of the most refreshing and genuinely sweet things I've seen in forever. Much love already. <3

[Mouse2010]

I'll tritto the Tiger & Bunny praise. I still dislike Barnaby, but I am starting to really like the Tiger guy. It's nice to see a hero who is a) still idealistic about doing good and b) actually has family responsibilities, instead of being a single young man.

[blkmage]

Yeah, I think Dog Days saved itself there from being a 'lol no' to a 'well, I guess'. If it strings together at least mediocrely, then it may be enough to get through. At least the main character is having a blast knocking out cats like it's Dynasty Warriors or something.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Dororon Enma-kun, on the other hand, was really, really good.

Dororon Enma-kun was awesome. Definitely not getting dropped.

I was disappointed with Enma-kun. I dunno...it just didn't click for me. I wasn't really compelled at all. Maybe I'll watch another episode? Big maybe.

So, as much as I like Gaogaigar and Final, Kometani also directed Brigadoon, so he's far from golden.

[MightiMidget]

I must ask. Doc, do you just keep a Pictures folder of screencaps of applicability for later on? Or do you go look for them for the specific response? xD They always amuse me so.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I must ask. Doc, do you just keep a Pictures folder of screencaps of applicability for later on? They always amuse me so.

Yes I do, and thank you =). I like to be prepared.

...

[MasterDias]

I'm still not sure where Dog Days is heading. Is it actually going to play the tournament thing straight, or will it introduce "real" enemies at some point?

Anyway, Steins Gate is interesting, but the first episode didn't really make a lot of sense. It needs a few episodes for any sort of judgment to be made on it. Although, lol at the John Titor reference.

Sket Dance's first episode was decent. Not much else to say, really.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Steins;Gate has ambition. It could end up being quite good, or it could turn into a total mess. I think I want to see how it turns out either way...

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I watched the first episode of Hanasaku Iroha and Nichijou, both of which promise to be pretty solid. I wasn't quite sold on Nichijou until they had lunch, at which point I was laughing hysterically and loved it. Hanasaku Iroha is pretty interesting and has set itself up for something I want to see.

Both are worth your time and free.

[blkmage]

Well, I feel like Steins;Gate is already better than Chaos;Head at this point (in the anime), although it does give me a hankering to go and continue playing Chaos;Head.

[Cadence]

So if I was to pick a single show to follow this season, what would everyone recommend so far?

Hanasaku Iroha looks like it might be pretty good but I'm a bit reluctant to give it a chance...it being P.A. Works and all...

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Hanasaku Iroha or Nichijou, since you're opposed to fansubs. I haven't seen any other P.A. Works stuff, so I can't say anything about that, but I think it looks like it could be really solid, and Nichijou was really fun.

[blkmage]

PA Works tends to have trouble with their writing, but there do seem to be a few things that may mitigate that this time. The first is that it's an original, so the problems with having Maeda Jun or Kinoko Nasu write a 13-episode series aren't there anymore and the second is that it's two cours. There's also the genre; it's not actiony like CANAAN or Angel Beats! and is a lot closer to True Tears (but not quite), which was probably the best out of the three they've done so far.

[Cadence]

Thanks!

Hmm, I guess I will give Hanasaku Iroha a try then. To be fair, I never actually finished watching True Tears or CANAAN, so I'm basically judging P.A. Works off of Angel Beats! (oh, I am so bitter).

And Nichijou looks like it could be pretty fun. I might give that one a try for the first few episodes as well. Finals are coming up soon, anyway, so I might have time for two shows after that.

And if anything unexpectedly starts approaching Madoka levels of awesome, someone should let me know. =)

[MasterDias]

[quote="blkmage (post: 1471021)"]Well, I feel like Steins]

Yeah, I think Steins Gate episode 2 sold me on it. Still plenty of mysteries and suspense, but it felt more coherent and not as rushed as episode 1. It's a shame Chaos;Head didn't receive a better adaptation.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

So Funimation has announced its simulcasting Toriko. Is this their only simulcast this season? Seems like their deal with noitaminA is over? Boy did that end with a sad, fizzling whimper...

Anyway, here's a quote

Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Toei Animation Inc. and FUNimation Entertainment will stream the official English-subtitled episodes of “]www.hulu.com[/url] as well as http://www.funimation.com/video . A new episode will be rolled out weekly as “Toriko” continues its Japanese television run.

“Toriko” is an anime series based on the popular manga written by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro and published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Toriko is a legendary gastronomic hero chasing rare ingredients across the world to realize his dream: completing the ultimate full-course menu.

In North America, the manga is published by VIZ Media, LLC. A digital preview of the first chapter is currently available at http://www.ShonenJump.com/. VIZ Media will release the next volume, Volume 5, on June 7th.

[MasterDias]

Is this their only simulcast this season? Seems like their deal with noitaminA is over?

Not necessarily. If I remember correctly, they started simulcasting Kuragehime several weeks into the season after a few of its episodes had already aired.

[MightiMidget]

Yay! Funi is streaming C!! Now if only people would pick up Hidan no Aria and I'll be legit for a whole season.



[C]-Control