Because of the long weekend, this week’s post is super-sized.

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This week, we are covering:

A-Channel (Episodes 1 – 3)
Ao no Exorcist (Episode 1)
Astarotte no Omocha (Episodes 1 – 2)
Bleach (Episodes 317 – 318)
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (Episodes 1 – 2)
Deadman Wonderland (Episode 1)
Fairy Tail (Episode 76)
GOSICK (Episode 13)
HenZemi (Episodes 1 – 2)
Hidan no Aria (Episodes 1 – 2)
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hoshi (Episodes 1 – 2)
Kaiji (Episodes 2-3)
The World God Only Knows S2 (Episodes 1 – 2)
Maria+Holic Alive (Episodes 1 – 2)
Nichijou (Episodes 1 – 3)
Ore-Tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai (Episodes 1 – 3)
Seikon no Qwaser II (Episodes 1 – 2)
Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~ (Episode 2-3)
SKET Dance (Episodes 1 – 3)
Softenni (Episodes 1 – 3)
Steins; Gate (Episodes 1 – 3)
Tiger & Bunny (Episodes 1 – 3)
X-Men (Episodes 2 – 3)

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A-Channel (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
Well if I had to summarize this point into 1 sentence, it would be this: “This season’s K-ON! S1 for me”.

A-Channel features 4 girls: Nagi, Tooru, Run and Yuuko. Nagi, Run and Yuuko are the classmates while Tooru is the kouhai (underclassman), overprotective of ditzy Run. In just 3 episodes, I’ve already grown attached to most of the main cast.

Yuuko has that sexy kansai-ben and NICEBODY. Not to mention, she exhibits the timidness of Mio-sama(from K-ON!).

Tooru kinda reminds me of Chiaki (from Minami-Ke) mixed with Azusa (from K-ON!). She has genius level intellect to boot.

Nagi is unique I would say. She’s a joker, playing pranks on the group, especially Yuuko. Kinda reminds me of Ritsu (from K-ON!).

Lastly, Run. This is perhaps the character I’ve totally no connection for, plainly because she reminds me all too well to Yui (from K-ON!) which I totally couldn’t stand. Reallll ditzy.

The seiyuu cast is pretty mellow, with Yuuki Aoi, Fukuhara Kaori and most notably Kotabuki Minako who does an awesome job projecting a kansai-ben.

The art has been decent so far and the jokes, while there were hits and misses, the overall experience after 3 episodes has been good. A nice show to watch to distress on a lazy Sunday.

Here’s the OP to end off:

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Ao no Exorcist (Episode 1)

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This is 1 of 3 shows I was eagerly awaiting coming into this season. This show has been severely hyped up by my friend in Japan who kept watching CMs of it during Star Driver’s run. After watching the CM myself, I became ecstatic.

And how did the first episode go? Splendid and awesome.

Okumura Rin is the main protagonist who at the age of 15, does not want to study and want to work instead. However, he tends to find himself in trouble, as seen very clearly in the first episode.

This is a far cry from his brother, Yukio, who is extremely studious and won a scholarship.

They both grew up in a church with their father who is the priest and exorcist.

But all this ain’t even the brunt of the story yet. Long story short and spoiler free, strange monsters start appearing in town and Rin is shocked at their existence. At the end of the episode, he learns a shocking revelation.

The animation is perhaps one of the better works of A-1 pictures.

Truly awesome. can’t wait for the next episode.

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Astarotte no Omocha (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
Sigh. 2 episodes into Astarotte no Omocha!, I’m seriously thinking of dropping this for good.

The plot is about Astarotte-hime, who is a Succubus and needs to form her….harem as for her to survive she needs to ….. suck the life essence of men. Sounds pretty kinky no? Problem is, Astarotte is a 10-year old girl. Yeah. While I get that because of her age, that would definitley be nothing NSFW, but that isn’t the point. It’s just wrong and morally disturbing to watch the ecchi scenes if any. Heck. First episode in there was a bathhouse scene which was well, disturbing despite censors.

Well, if anyone wants to look for a saving grace, the show has a pretty stellar main seiyuu cast with Yukarin, Rina Satou and well, Kugimiya Rie.

Here’s the main cast:

Astarotte hime (Seiyuu: Kugimiya Rie)

Touhara Naoya (Seiyuu: Rina Satou)

Touhara Asuha (Seiyuu: Yukarin)

Here’s the OP to end things off:

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Bleach (Episode 317 – 318)

- M -
Moving away from the canon material of Kubo-sensei, Bleach has yet again moved into another anime original ‘filler’ arc. I am however not complaining. It is usually tiring for one to blog about shounen series, such as Bleach or OnePiece. However, I decided to limit my exposure to just this arc alone and see how things progress.

This new arc is pretty interesting. From the get go, the new OP is pretty spoileristic, showing many Taichou vs. Taichou action scenes as well as Ichigo vs. the Shinigami in Soul Society. Sounds familiar? This sounds like the very best of the Invasion into SS Arc. More fast paced battles like in the OP would be highly appreciated.

2 episodes into the arc, I am still hooked. My first shout out, is that the story seems to borrow from Marvel Universe’s Secret Invasion storyline where the heroes on earth were replaced with Skrull imposters. In 2 episodes, it is clear that some of the Shinigami in SS are no longer who they were before, displaying new personalities and new power levels.

What’s more, Ichigo is being pursued by SS, for attempted attacks on 2 Taichous. Wow. There really is no fair trial, innocence until proven guilty in SS is there. More than once this ‘doohickey’ has happened and Ichigo just takes it as time well spent. -.-

There’s also this mysterious new girl, exclusive to this arc, which seems to be on the run from the main antagonist. Pretty exciting stuff as Kon is the one protecting her while Ichigo is stuck in SS.

To sum up, this new arc is a keeper. Just hoping that it isn’t dragged out intentionally just so they can prolong catching up with the manga. If need be, make a new story arc after 6Months because a filler arc that’s longer than 6months is just asking to be jeered.

Anyway, here’s the new OP. It’s pretty awesome:(Sorry, it’s been mirrored for copyright reasons)

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C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
The 2nd one of the 3 shows I was seriously looking forward to this season.

When I first read the synopsis of C, I couldn’t believe it. It was as if they had taken Money & Intelligence (one of Ashirogi Muto’s works from Bakuman), and turned it into a real anime. While in Bakuman the plot wasn’t covered fully, the title of C clearly caught my attention.

1st episode in, I was enthralled with the visually appealing work of Tatsunoko Productions.

Also in the 1st episode, after being introduced to The Financial District, we get introduced to the main lead, Yoga. Yoga is a dead-broke university student, working 2 jobs after school just to make ends meet. His dream? To graduate and have a steady job in the government sector and lead a normal life. But we can’t have that now can we. One day, Yoga ends up with a mysterious ATM card that lets him borrow money in exchange for his future possibility.

While initially refusing to go on the path, he manages to get lured into the Financial District. In the 2nd episode, he meets his Asset, Myusu. An asset is like the human’s familiar while in the Financial District. They used them to battle much like how Pokemon does it. The stakes at hand? Win and you win big. Lose and you go bankrupt and lose the future possibility wagered.

At the end of 2 episodes, Yoga wins his first Deal in the Financial District and meets up with Mikuni, a veteran who apparently like Yoga, won his first Deal despite being a total novice. The plot thickens as more deals are to be expected.

Summing up, the show has not led down my expectations yet and I suspect it won’t. Honestly an interesting show to watch and I urge everyone to watch it.

Anyway, to end off, here’s the OP:

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Deadman Wonderland (Episode 1)

- M -
Mm. This show is weird. I guess because it’s only been 1 episode, but I honestly don’t get what’s going on.

In an un-elaborated plot point, Tokyo became uninhabitable and some private corporation decided to build a prison/theme park in Tokyo to revitalize the area. The protagonist would be Igarashi Ganta, who becomes sentenced to death for his mass slaughter of all his classmates. But was that what really happened?

In the first few minutes of the anime, we see Ganta in class with his classmates, when a mysterious man in a red hood suddenly massacres everyone in the class but Ganta, but not before blasting some sort of seed into Ganta’s chest. However, the cops don’t see it that way and through some twisted events and a corrupt lawyer, Ganta gets sentenced to death in Deadman Wonderland.

In it, he meets his other inmates and jailer. The chief jailer, Makina is a brutal woman, not hesitating to slash the prisoners square in the chest should they retaliate.

Another interesting person Ganta meets would be Shiro, a girl totally clad in white who appears to know Ganta, but not the other way around.

As I’ve said earlier, I’m still pretty foggy on what’s happening in the show but if my gut is anything to go by, it’s about to get more and more interesting.

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Fairy Tail (Episode 76)

- M -
This would be the 2nd shounen series I’m covering this week. Fairy Tail is one of my favourite shows, what with the dynamic, diverse cast and the well paced story arcs.

Entering Episode 76, it marks the prelude into the new arc that was strongly hinted at in the OP. This episode features the introduction of Gildartz into Fairy Tail. Gildartz is the strongest mage in Fairy Tail, strongly hinted in the manga that he is more powerful than Erza, Mystogan and Laxus combined.

Having left 3 years earlier to complete a 100-year quest, Gildartz came back to the guild, missing out lots of the key events that happened since Lucy’s arrival. He came back, having failed the 100-year quest but not without bring a specific piece of news for Natsu. He met a dragon. A black dragon more specifically that caused Gildartz to be severely injured.

The episode was also heavy on Lisanna, Mirajane and Elfman’s sister. Having read the manga, I already know what’s happening next, but the whole episode gave off a very strong foreshadowing vibe on the events that would happen after this episode.

All I can say, the new arc starts next week. Those new to the show, this would be a good time to join in.

Enjoy the new Fairy Tail OP:

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GOSICK (Episode 13)

- M -
There really isn’t much to talk about GOSICK when you think about it. There isn’t much of a place to start because of how fluidly the story flows. But, Episode 13 would be a good place to start I guess.

As Guuzen mentioned 2 weeks back, Victorique does wear the same lilac-colored dress. It’s nice really. Not so gothic-loli like her original dress. The week’s episode embarks on a new story. One about the legend of Leviathan, the alchemist.

Kujo and Avril, caught a movie about Leviathan during the last day of their Summer holidays only to realize that the movie was based on a fable of the school. Victorique too, becomes entangled in this matter through a book she found that came with a challenge from Leviathan.

All I can say is that the Leviathan story arc looks promising. While the last story we had, the one about the girls for sale, was lackluster without Victorique going puffy every 5 seconds, here’s the hoping she will play a bigger role during this story.

Oh, there’s a new ED starting Episode 13.

And did I mention how much I went WTF went I saw Grevil in this episode. HILARIOUS!

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HenZemi (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
Blogging about HenZemi would be wrong because there are just certain boundaries you can’t cross when publishing stuff online. HenZemi is one of them. 2 Episodes in, I finally understood the meaning of the title. HenZemi = Weird Seminar. It is a bunch of weirdddd kids with a weirddd professor and they have weird experiments.

There was one where one of the girls, Matsutaka, recounts a weird experiment of hers when she farts underwater, leave it for a while and smell it. Oh yes, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Even with each episode at 12 minutes wrong, it still feels weird watching it, what with all the scat-themed jokes. So yes. This is dropped. Especially after that whole pee masquerading as tea incident at the end of Episode 2.

Just so that you see how weird it is, here’s an example. The words ain’t pretty.

Yeah. Nuff’ said.

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Hidan no Aria (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
So what does Hidan no Aria, Fairy Tail and Astarotte no Omocha have in common? Plot? Nope. Characters? Nope. Seiyuu? Pin Pon! Welcome to Hidan no Aria, the 3rd home of Kugimiya Rie this season.

My first impression of the world of Hidan no Aria was a pretty good one. Beautiful animation and excellent pacing. Great J.C. Staff work. Story wise, I could see this work out well. After all, the butei(most of the characters in the show), are mercenaries for hire. Give it 3-4 big arcs over 24 episodes, we could have another Shakugan no Shana in our hands.

But then I learned that this was only scheduled for only 1 cur, so that had me pretty down, cause this was probably going down the path of Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi, rather than SnS. What a waste really, because the chemistry between Aria and Kinji felt good. Oh well, let’s just see how the rest of the season pans out slowly.

Here’s the main cast:

Aria

Kinji

And as usual, I’ll end off with the OP for the show:

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Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
Ahh, the visual novel harem anime of the season. It is after all based on the game of the same name by feng. We have Hoshino Kazuma, the misunderstood protagonist who will most probably, by the end of the season, snag the hearts of 6 girls. I kid you not, that’s how all these shows pan out.

Boy moves to new town, accidentally kisses girl. Girl’s best friend gets enraged at him for taking advantage of friend. In the end, enraged girl falls for the boy. Sound familiar? Yeah, cause this was how Princess Lover turned out as well. Well, it’s not really surprising that things panned out this way really cause it’s a tried and tested formula that works. No reason for game makers to up the ante and revolutationze the industry at the expense of failing now is there.

Anyways, I will not be actively covering this because well, I more or less can guess what’s happening in the show before it happens, so there really isn’t much excitement to share.

Anyway, Here’s the main cast as of now:

Kazuma, the main lead

Ui, the princess-like girl of this show

Ibuki, the overprotective friend

Here’s the OP:

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Kaiji (Episode 2 – 3)

- M -
Ah Kaiji, the loveable loser. By the way, remember that picture of a girl in this segment 2 weeks ago under the Kaiji banner? Yeah. I still have no idea who she is. Anyway, on to the story.

Episodes 2 and 3 cover the Underground Chinchirorin game that Kaiji joins while working in the underground area after finding himself in more debt from the Teiai company. The game is pretty easy actually. Roll 3 dices. The objective is to get either a) A pair + any number (winning number is the highest number aside from the pair) b)A triple c)4.5.6

These are the only 3 type of dice rolls you need to get in order to qualify for something. Well, you would figure that in normal life this game wouldn’t last longer than 20 minutes right? You’re right. It does not. Yet, this is the world of Kaiji after all. It is not a gambling scene without the ‘Zuwa, Zuwa’ sounds and without the intense long glances and epic faces.

I wouldn’t call this psychological per se, but it would keep you guessing how Kaiji would do each round. Watch it to believe it.

Oh, the Underground Chinchirorin game is still going after the events of Episode 3. After reading the manga, I predict the match will last till around Episodes 5 or 6.

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The World God Only Knows S2 (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
Finally, Kami nii-sama and Elsie are back!!

I started off reading the manga back around ’09 and fell in love with it. When S1 came out, I was ecstatic. When the special announcement of S2 came at the end of S1, I was burning in anticipation. After all, my 2 favorite captures were missed out in S1.

2 episodes in, they started and finished 1 arc already. Pretty fast pacing but it’s all good. Before I continue, a reintroduction to the characters are in order. And the 2 of them are:

Katsuragi Keima (KAMI NII SAMA!!)

Elucia de Lute Ima (ELSIE!!!)

Also, this was HI-LARIOUS!

A quick look on the 4 heroines of last season

Anyway, S2 kicks off right off the bat by starting on a new arc. And who better to start off with, than Kusonogi Kasuga-sama. KYAAA!!

The heir to her family dojo, she hates everything cute and weak. As such, she desires to rid herself of everything that is cute and weak and as with this show, whenever something like that happens, you know for sure Elsie’s kaketama sensor is gonna go beeping off the roof. True enough, a kaketama formed a house in Kasuga and Keima embarks on his quest to clear the route.

2 episodes later, he gets Kusonogi to understand that she can be both cute and strong all at the same time. Cue the magical kiss and Kasuga is free from the loose soul, but not before forgetting everything that transpired over the past few days.

Well. It’s sad that Kasuga’s arc was so short. But then again, there wasn’t much that could have possibly happened. Ah well. We might get to see her again sometime in the future. Anyway, the end of the episode had a snippet that acted as a lead in to the next arc. HAQUA desu!

New OP:

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Maria+Holic Alive (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
I must say, I’m disappointed. Maria+Holic used to be funniest thing during its season. Yet, coming into this season, it is clearly outclassed by shows such as Nichijou and SKET Dance.

I’m not sure if it’s the lesbian jokes running old already, but the entire show’s premise is just plain ridiculous. Also, why does Mariya’s role this season seem so…. small. It’s like we don’t get to see enough of Mariya. The main reason S1 worked, was because Mariya and Kanako were a comedic duo with Mariya being S and Kanako being M.

Ah man, I’m disillusioned. Oh well, here’s the only saving grace after 2 episodes in. Special Cameo!

Tada!!

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Nichijou (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
Mm. Nichijou is funny. It ain’t over the top funny like SKET Dance, but it’s funny in its own ways. The show works by having 3 mini episodes in one, with small micro episodes between each mini episode with side characters.

There are 2 batch of characters: 1st batch being the combi of  Yuuko, Mai and Mio.

Mai’s the quiet one,

Yuuko the flamboyant one and

Mio the one caught in the middle.

2nd batch of characters are Nano and Hakase. I would say that out of the 2 main batches, Nano and Hakase are my fave. Why? The mid-episode mark clip, where Nano and Hakase play Jan-Ken-Pon. Hilarious.

There’s really not much I can say about the humor aspects of each Nichijou mini episode without spoiling the story, so I won’t. I honestly recommend Nichijou. Well worth a watch to satisfy your comedy fix.

Instead of the usual OPs, here’s something better. The mid-show Jan-Ken-Pon:

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Ore-Tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
Hmm. A tale about 3 different young men who on their life journey are changed by girls in their life. Yea. I got that from wiki. The 3 main leading men are: Shuusuke (the freelance writer), Hayato (the one who can never keep a proper job) & Takashi (the schoolkid).

I’m going to level and say that I’m pretty confused on the plot. There’s this TV thing that switches channels showing the different scenes of the 3 main characters. Then there’s this DJ Condor radio that pops up every now and then. And while we are told that all of this happens in 1 city, I’m not exactly seeing how the 3 main leads are connected to one another. Maybe this is just one of those series where you have to watch it all at one go to get the story, but I don’t know. For now, I am shelving this for other shows.

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Seikon no Qwaser II (Episode 1 – 2)

- M -
Seikon no Qwaser is back!!! Now, truthfully. How many of you actually watched S1 and finished it. Next question, how many of you actually waited for the crappy quality but uncensored version each week for S1. Pinpon!!! I’m one of those people.

The storyline of the first Qwaser is actually pretty good, if you can ignore all the ‘soma extraction’ scenes. But yeah. If you actually watched S1 with a censored stream, I would suggest you grab the uncensored version. Cause seriously, the censored version cut out wayy too many scenes that made it unwatchable. S2 fixed that problem by making censorship much less apparent, utilizing smoke and muting the volume of moans instead of just shifting the whole screen.

2 episodes in, we see Sasha being split up from his main partner Mafuyu and his maria Theresa to infiltrate a new all-girls school with his new maria, Hana. If you recall, Hana was the irritating masochistic girl working for Katja in S1. Because it’s an all-girls school, Sasha has to cross dress into a girl. Yea. Pretty disturbing I know, but it somehow works I guess. But then again, ITS A TRAP!!

In S1, Mafuyu was the main target as she had 1 of the 5 elemental circuits and she was already identified. Now in S2, another circuit, the Magadalena of Thunder has been located in the new school and it’s up to Sasha to well…. protect it. The quality has improved since S1 but I have just 1 main gripe. Where is Mafuyu and Katja?!

Anyway, you hardly need any knowledge of S1 to watch S2. Just read up a wiki on the main characters of S1 and you’re set.

Here are the new-new characters:

Seta Miyuki; victim of Sasha, the SOMA SNATCHER

Tsubasa, the holder of the Magdalena of Thunder

Back to OPs again to end things off:

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Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox (Episode 2 – 3)

- M -
Episode 2 covered how Hideyoshi made her spot on Oda’s army. By redecorating her room in an outlandish style, by dancing around like Sun Wukong. It was hilarious. However, by the end of the episode, nothing much progressed regarding her passage back home. However, we did see a familiar face in Date that popped up near the end of the episode.

Episode 3 covered Hideyoshi meeting Ieyasu and Yoshimoto to help Oda retrieve a piece of the Red Armor that would help Oda conquer and unite the lands. It was a pretty hilarious episode that did not have any violence. Both sides played Recreation to help determine who would control the piece of Red Armor in Yoshimoto’s control.  In the end, Oda’s side won, but not without Hideyoshi and Ieyasu blasting off into the sky.

I know it sounds pretty ridiculous here without the actual video, but that’s about all that happened. There were just so many Recreation activities that the most obvious would be the last 1, the Kite Fighting one which led to humans being tied to kites and fighting in-air.

The show is still pretty hilarious despite my initial jabs at it. However, until there is significant happenings, there is nothing much to write, so I may or may not cover this weekly.

Anyway, I don’t think I showed all the characters before (other than Hideyoshi), so I’ll just do it now:

Oda Nobunaga… with tits.

Akechi Mitsuhide.. without the killing aura. Damn

Date Masamune with oppai desu~

Yoshimoto-dono that ain’t an old jiji

Ieyasu…. kawaiii

It’s OP time:

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SKET Dance (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
The 3rd show I was really looking forward for coming into this season.

SKET Dance is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name that has been running since 2007 in Weekly Shounen Jump. Unlike the BIG3 of the WSJ, SKET Dance opted to go for the more comical route, rather than stick to a pure battle setup. And in a way, it works. Just like how To-Love Ru~ and Bakuman aren’t battle oriented, SKET Dance is another in those leagues.

The SKET dan are the main characters of the show with Bossun as their leader, Himeko as the muscle and Switch as the brains. Oh, did I mention? Himeko has a kansai-ben. :love:

Unlike Haruhi’s SOS Dan that moved only with supernatural incidents, the SKET Dan helps anyone and everyone regardless of the request. Episode 1 was based off the one-shot in which they helped the new transfer student. Episode 2 handled 2 requests. First being the Kendo Taichou needing help winning and the 2nd part helping the Cheerleader look after her pet monkey.

Episode 3 moved on to assistance of the Baseball Club as well as dealing with Momoka-chan who had impersonated Himeko’s old moniker, Onihime.

As can be seen, there isn’t much of a recurring theme or arc that occurs in SKET Dance, probably until the ‘antagonists’ show up, but I don’t expect them till later. Overall, if you want something to laugh at with over the top humor and gags, this is the show to go to.

Here are the characters:

Bossun aka. LEADER

Himeko or previously known as Onihime.

Switch. yo yo!

Enjoy, SKET Dance’s awesome OP. Sorry about it being reversed though.

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Softenni (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
Gosh, I never really liked Sports-themed anime. Mainly because it tends to center around a fixed area and there isn’t much that can happen in the 1 same area. The 2 exceptions were Bamboo Blade and Saki. Both had intense ‘battle’ scenes that kept me going. Not to mention, they both had kawaii girls in their teams which was a plus point.

Now let’s talk Softenni. Softenni is about a group of 4 girls (later joined by another in Episode 2), who are in their school’s Softenni club. In case you didn’t know what Softenni is, it’s Soft Tennis. Tennis with soft rubber balls instead of the normal circulation type used in Wimbledon.

Now on to the main episode. I’m not sure if they’re trying to appeal to as big of as audience as possible by lumping every possible genre into Softenni but it’s mix of moe-nudity-pervese jokes just does not work.

In episode 1, Asuna’s jokes were hilarious, adding some twisted humor into the show. By episode 3, it was old and seriously a hindrance. We have not even seen them play a proper game yet! This is just ridiculous. Oh did I mention how ridiculous the show is with its need to highlight nudity whenever possible? Cause that happened in Episode 3 where a whole scene was blacked out due to extreme NSFW. Brilliant.

I don’t know about you, but tennis is my favourite sport and it wouldn’t do me well to watch a show like this that does not take it seriously.

Anyway, here are the ridiculous characters of this show:

Asuna. The perverted farmer girl

Kotone. The karate prodigy

Chitose. The eternally hungry buuchou

Kurusu. The pro.

Elizabeth. The gaikokujin.

Softenni’s OP is here: (sadly, this too is inverted)

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Steins; Gate (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
I actually watched the 3 episodes twice each in 1 day to try and make some sense of the show. The end result? A jumbled mess in my head. Yeah.

I’m probably not intellectually prepared for a show like Steins;Gate because really, I’m not seeing how anything is flowing. In the first 3 episodes, there were talks of SERN(aka. CERN), Time Machines, Alternate Realities, Dystopias. It was all confusing.

It didn’t help the fact that the lead character seemed like a whack job. However, I do appreciate that the show isn’t the run of the mill brainless action flick. I actually did enjoy watching it and getting lost in the mystery that is Steins;Gate. Well, it’s way better than Chaos;Head if that’s one way of putting it I guess.

Overall, I don’t think it be productive for me to check-in this series weekly, but maybe I’d do a post about this when the show is complete.

But for those who want a lil’ more information. Here are the ‘main’ characters that will be appearing throughout the series.

Okabe Rintarou (our resident eccentric scientist, Future Gadget Research Establishment Member #001)

Shiina Mayuri (Future Gadget Research Establishment Member #002)

Itaru Hashida (Daru, Pro Hacker, Future Gadget Research Establishment Member #003)

Makise Kurisu (Famous Scientist, Future Gadget Research Establishment Member #004)

Suzuha Amane (Worker at Mr Brown’s shop)

Yuugo Tennoji (Mr BROWN)

Moeka Kiryuu (Weird Girl)

Ferris

Urushibara Ruka (It’s a TRAP)

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Tiger & Bunny (Episode 1 – 3)

- M -
The most unexpected winner of this season. Much like how I did not pay Star Driver much attention last season and it turned out spectacular, the same thing has happened with Tiger & Bunny. For the first 3 weeks it aired, I chucked it one side for it’s bulky mecha that looked more like Super Sentai monsters and megazords.

The moment I watched Episode 1, I was hooked. The storyline, ‘Heroes for hire’-esque, Heroes run by Major corporations. Oh yes. In T&B, plain ol’ superheroes fighting for the good of humanity are no more. Everyone now fights for a paycheck by their endorsement company of choice. I know, I know. I’m supposed to be repulsed by this. But when you see a hero endorsed by Pepsi being endorsed by a hero of USTREAM, you know you have gold.

Episode 1 covered the 7 main heroes of the city and how they compete in a Hero GP, earning points for doing different tasks to inflate their sponsor company’s stock. Each of the heroes are a special type of human known as NEXT. Simply, they are mutants who aren’t feared by the general public. At the end of Episode 1, Wild Tiger is bought up by another company and teamed up with a brand new hero, Barnaby (Bunny) to form the city’s first crimefighting duo.

Episode 2 covers their first mission together as they save the town from a rampaging giant statue that moves around the city. The episode highlights include Bunny saving Tiger’s daughter when he was almost too late to do so, as well as Tiger calming down the perpetrator of the statue incident; a small NEXT boy confused about his powers.

Episode 3 covers 2 key points. The first would be an expose of the city’s newest hero pair by means of a video diary of a day in their lives. The second part hovered around a bomb ploy to terrorize a new building in which Tiger & Bunny save the day.

As you can see, the plots are pretty fluid with 1 clear goal. That makes the storytelling very constant and steady which is good. The pacing is good. Animation is above average and the characters are likable. A true win.

Tiger(Softbank) & Bunny(Bandai)

Sky High (USTREAM)

Blue Rose (PEPSI NEX)

Rock Bison (Gyu-Kaku)

Dragon Kid (Calbee and DMM)

Fire Emblem (FMV)

Origami Cyclone (.ANIME)

Another awesome OP that this season has:

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X-Men (Episode 2 – 3)

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Episode 2 covered the X-Men’s continued search for Hisako and it eventually leads them to the U-Men facility. They tend battle a berserk mutant who had been genetically modified beyond repair. The group made the hard choice in putting him down. At the end of the episode, they find Hisako but not before finding another person, Emma Frost.

Episode 3 centers around 1 objective. Getting Hisako out of the U-Men facility and saving the other captive mutants. Through battles with the odd U-Men, the team safely managed to extract Hisako and everyone else out from the building, as well as destroying the Cerebro-blocking mechanism over the area. However, shocked revelation at the end, Hisako is about to be blasted by a remnant U-Man when Emma step forward in front of her, fate unknown.

As I’ve said before, I’m a pretty big X-Men fan, so my review would be pretty biased. That being said, the pacing is still nice, but I do question the villains of choice. The U-Men. Really? They couldn’t have used the Brotherhood or the Acolytes? The U-Men were a horrible part of the New X-Men comics. Ah well, it looks like the U-Men will stick around the rest of the season, will just have to see how the rest of the show pans out for now.

And because I did not share this 2 weeks back, here’s the awesome OP:

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And with that, this is the end of this giant size check-in. Took a little over 7 hours with breaks here and there to write this, but hey, it’s finally done. Can’t imagine if I had procrastinated this to next week. Madness ensures. The easiest part was perhaps pasting the youtube links, but finding the links. Hoo boy, I hate youtube and I can’t seem to access nico nico anymore. Sigh.

Anyway, next week’s issue would not be that big as I have a pretty clear idea now on which shows I want to talk about. So yes, till next week. :D