Wakaranai

 

Although this series continues to get the job done in its role as an ecchi/harem/comedy anime, with ample amounts of fanservice, and consistently impressive production values, I personally feel like it’s lost a bit of steam since the first episodes. Since the first couple of eps, this series has lost a bit of its comedic edge. I originally compared it to Seto no Hanayome with its well-timed punchlines and great visual humour, but that comparison has now expired because it no longer really makes me laugh. I think episode 2 has to be the pinnacle of the show so far in terms of entertainment value, with the ero-value of Mitsuki in handcuffed nopan mode and the general craziness. Maybe it’s because this series has been gradually leaning more and more toward a dramatic tone. Mitsuki’s childhood-friend love story is coming more and more to the forefront and the real plot behind the pet angels is beginning to surface. The result is a more serious feel for the series, even if it still features plenty of sexy eye-candy and ecchi gags. While I am somewhat interested in the origins and purpose behind these angels, I’m not sure the series should start taking itself too seriously. The odd bit of drama is good to flesh out the characters and make them more likeable, but this series works best when it embraces its ridiculous and perverse premise.

So I think this episode could have been a lot more entertaining that it was. I mean, even if it was a beach episode, most of the fanservice was just crammed into the ED! The beach episode is a staple tradition of anime, and usually just a thin excuse to get a bunch of girls in bikinis for a concentrated dose of fanservice. It’s kind of ironic then that the beach of episode of this series, marketed as an ecchi series, actually had less focus on fanservice than most of the previous episodes! There was still a good amount of eye-catching swimsuit shots I guess.

But the strangest thing was the way that this episode was used as the introduction point for Nymph. I’ve been eagerly awaiting Nymph’s appearance since the very beginning (largely because I find her to be the most attractive of all the character designs, but either way two pet angels are better than one, right?), but just slipping her in like this without any explanation kind of stole her thunder. Even though she’s now a part of the cast, she hasn’t really made an impact yet, or changed the dynamic between any of the characters. I guess they were just trying to be different, but it didn’t feel right. I almost thought that I’d missed an episode! So I can’t really say I like yet because so far she’s just hung around pointlessly and been rude to Tomoki. I really hope the next episode gives her a bit more of an opportunity to capture my heart. I really want to like her!

Overall it was a pretty good episode. The series remains one of the most attractive of the whole season. Mitsuki’s romantic feelings were delved into with a little more sincerity, Icarus and her master are gaining a bit of chemistry (do I detect the hint of an approaching love triangle or harem?), and the mystery behind these strange angels is starting to be explored. But personally, I like the show when it’s wild and unhinged.

● I love how Icarus’s response to Tomoki getting attacked is invariably to start glowing, make wind blow around the place, and tear up some rocks and shit. It always strikes me as a strange way to react. Is she charging up some devastating attack or something? In that case it’s pretty ineffectual if it takes that long. Surely she has the strength to just beat the crap out of 3 guys rather than concocting some kind of spirit bomb attack.

● So Nymph is a newer model of pet angel devices, huh? That’s what I assume if Icarus’s model is alpha. The biggest difference between the two models appears to be the fact that Nymph is a lot more self-conscious and has the ability to make decisions on her own. When Mitsuki was in danger, Nymph flew in to save the day while Icarus just stood around looking concerned.

✘ I have to call Tomoki an idiot again because he should have just told Icarus to go save Mitsuki rather than trying to swim out himself. The writers are making a habit of ignoring Iacrus’s abilities to serve their own stories.

 

 

‘The flock of panties have returned!’ sums up this bizarre but frivolously fun episode of Sora no Otoshimono. They’re back by popular demand! Well, maybe not, but I have to say I didn’t expect them to make a comeback after their teary departure only a few episodes ago. When peace-loving Tomoki opens his window to take in the tranquil morning, he is soon mobbed by the returning panties. And that pretty much sets the tone for the remainder of the episode; much like their departure their arrival heralds an episode overloaded with underwear and pantsu-related humour. Only this time they stretched the ridiculousness to a new peak of absurdity - including exploding panties, and porn magazine defence pantsu-robot. As a self-prescribed pantsu-fanatic I am always delighted with the prospect of such an episode. Unfortunately, I was let down in a couple of ways. The main problem was that, despite being drenched in epic quantities of panties, there was very little in the way of girls wearing any. You know, actual fanservice, like panty-shots and girls undressing. Somehow pantsu strategically distributed around a house just isn’t as exciting. There was enough hotness for the episode to pass, but for an episode with a premise like this in a show that relishes its ecchi status, I expect a little more.

The other problem I had was a shortcoming in the humour department. I can’t really put my finger on why I found the previous pantsu-saturation episode more entertaining (and titillating) than this one, but it lacked that usual oomph that Sora no Otoshimono had. The jokes kind of fell flat. The episode was still fun from a fanboy perspective, but it didn’t have that Seto no Hanayome-esque edge of riotousness. By the time Tomoki was fighting his way through the projectile-pantsu onslaught of his own robot creation I was leaning more towards cringing rather than laughing. I think my issue with the episode boils down to it just being a bit too silly without having the sharp humour or self-ridicule to pull it off right. On the upside, the production on the show remains consistently great, and it was still pretty enjoyable even if it wasn’t as funny or fapworthy as it could’ve been. As a bonus, the long-awaited Nymph finally made her entrance (although it was a fleeting cameo in the epilogue).

✘ I felt they kind of undermined their own plot, thing though it is, by having Icarus spend the day with Mitsuki while her master, Tomoki, was delegated the punishing task of fighting his way out of his explosive house. It calls into question whether her loyalty to her master is conditional or by her own choice. Anyway, I thought she was connected to Tomoki by her chain (even though it’s invisible), so he surely could summon her and use her powers to get out of the situation. Unless I missed something it just seems like a bit of a lazy way to write this little sidestory. I mean, they don’t have all that much of a plot, it couldn’t be too hard to stick to what they’ve established..

♡ The best fanservice moment came when Mitsuki took Icarus underwear shopping. The underwear she picked out for Iacrus really WAS super-cute and fitted her angel status perfectly. The wings on the bra and panties are lovely!. I thought that scene was cut a bit too short (extension saved for DVD releases perhaps). I wanted a good look at Iacrus wearing them! Well, that might come later in the series. Mitsuki is good at picking underwear for others, she should refine her own choices a bit. Her striped panties this episode were and improvement, especially the pink-striped ones (sadly now-deceased ;_;). Lucky Tomoki got a mouthful of them..

♡ Mitsuki ended up in a nopan predicament yet again! Poor girl ^^ We don’t get any good flashes, sadly. For those who’ve seen how GAINAX played the nopan episode of Abenobashi for maximum eyecandy should agree.

✔ Finally! Nymph! And her role is kind of interesting. She might mix things up even more than I thought. I wonder if she will be an addition to Tomoki’s pet angel collection, or perhaps she has a different master? I’m intrigued. And the scene where she appeared definitely had an air of mystery to it.

✔ Have to admit I loved the boner gag at the end. Something had to ruin his hero status. Poor Tomoki got a crushing Mitsuki-chop. His body is just being honest!

✔ I really appreciate the fact that each episode has its own ED relevant to the episode. It’s something anime should do more often as it’s a last bit of fun to finish the episode off with instead of the same old song. Also, I have to say Tomoki has an enviable dirty magazine collection.

 

 

Sora no Otoshimono is one of those anime that has nudged its way into an already overcrowded genre but which effortlessly stands out and pleasantly surprises by reaching past people’s expectations. I think everyone had reservations that this would be another mind-numbingly generic ecchi anime, but with every episode it has proven its ability to entertain. Last week, with the all the panties and, well, all the no-panties, I thought the best thing abut the show WAS the fanservice. It delivered copious amounts of droolworthy fanservice scenes and, most importantly, delivered it in a fun way and with top-notch production values. But this episode shows it has strength beyond maneoucering its cute girls into embarrassing/sexy situations. There was practically no fanservice at all and yet it was still really enjoyable. I can’t even really explain why anymore, except to say that this episode demonstrated the show’s ability to do comedy more than the others have so far. There’s a surreal element to the series that stops it from feeling too generic. The manliness factor also increased in the form of Eishirou, as did the moe levels with some dramatic development for the stoic but earnest Icarus herself.

♡ I definitely gained a strong moe attraction for Icarus this episode! Before she seemed like a pretty empty, large-breasted vessel for fanservice, but now she has definitely developed some cute character traits. I certainly wouldn’t say she’d a deep or complex character, and her personality is largely defined by the typical moe palette: submissive, childish, pure of heart, wants to please, etc. But, as someone easily ensnared by the trappings of moe, I find her utterly adorable! I want one! A pet-class angel in chains .. it’s the ultimate fetishism! SUGOI SUGOI!

♡ Tomoki patting her head was just too cute. She just loves it <3 <3 HHNNNNNNNNNGGG.

● Still waiting for Nymph to show up. Is she going to be Tomoki’s servant as well? I ask because this guy doesn’t even deserve one, let alone two. He hasn’t been abusing his powers nearly enough (although he still gets fanboy kudos from me for handcuffing Mitsuki!).

✔ And every series needs a bit of arbitrary GAR. I’d previously pinned Eishirou as a freaky nerd type of character but apparently he is a badass outdoor dude, a highly intelligent scientist and an all-round man of win. I cracked up when I saw his ‘house’. Sorry Eishirou, I misjudged you! Not sure about you’re taste in Pretty the 2nd though. You can use one of my figures if you want!

● That watermelon is creeping me out.

✔ Why are the productions values so fucking awesome? The soft-style shading, which reminds me of parts of Macross Frontier, just gives the show such a unqiue and attractive finish. But the animation is great, the backgrounds are well-done, and details like the sunlight gleaming of the water - it all adds up to a very well produced series. The studio, AIC A.S.T.A., really surprised me with this one. I assume they’re betting on some good DVD sales for this one, and I hope they get them!

✘ I have to admit to being a BIT disappointed by the lack of ero content in this episode. A shot of Mitsuki in wet and transparent clothing is nice (especially as she had some nice underwear on this week), but it doesn’t compare to last week!

 

There’s no denying the fact that Sora no Otoshimono deserves the label of ‘ecchi series’, and it doesn’t stray far from the standard magical girlfriend/servant formula. What’s great about the series is that it revels in its genre. There’s no pretence at being a drama or action series with some fanservice thrown in - it’s all fanservice, and very very good fanservice at that. From what I’ve seen so far it is the best ecchi series I have seen in a long time, because not only does it let loose an unyielding barrage of panty-shots, dirty jokes and partial nudity but it does so with disturbingly good production values and with a frenetic and sharp sense of humour akin to comedy anime Seto no Hanayome. The tone of the service is also especially racy, because counter to the norm the male protagonist actually has a very strong pervert mindset. His subconscious raises havoc this episode by wishing away his classmate’s panties and then later handcuffing her, rendering her totally at the mercy of the wind! I hope for more sexy situations like this in future episodes.

The music and animation quality are exemplary for this type of series, and the visual humour motifs such as the frequent use of chibis gives the show a very fun and quirky look. The type of fanservice is geared more towards the crowd who appreciate cute/moe girls rather than the traditional style of huge-breasted women in a perpetual state of undress. Fans of the latter can stand by the likes of Queens Blade *shivers*. But for fans of the former, this is one of the hottest series around, and it fends off monotony and mediocrity with fun characters, a brisk pace, a good sense of humour and vibrant production qualities. Superb mindless fun!

♡ I should say that this was the ultimate nopan fiasco! There’s something about the scenario of girls getting stuck without underwear that is massively hot, especially when it gets them into increasingly embarrassing situations! Just the thought of them not wearing any is better than actually showing it! And here it happens on a school-wide scale! *nosebleeds* This beats Natsuki’s nopan adventure in episode 4 of Mai HiME and the classic pantsu-swapping episode of Strike Witches. Though it might have trouble topping the episode Arumi spends not wearing any in Abenobashi!

♡ It may have been the ultimate episode for no-panties but it could also be the ultimate episode for panties in general! Although other anime have managed to rack up a pretty massive volume of panties in a single episode, I think this episode tops them all when you combine all the underwear Icarus stole and the vast quantum of pantsu she later purchased. And it’s always great seeing such a wide variety. Personally I was disappointed in Tomoki’s final choice. The white, frilly ones were superior. But at least it’s an upgrade from Mitsuki’s original selection. It’s almost as bad as Misaka’s taste in underwear!

✔ I’m consistently surprised by just how shiny and polished the animation work on this series is. The soft shading on the cels really makes the show look attractive and the animation doesn’t seem to falter at all. It’s unusual to have an ecchi show look this good, but it really does make a difference, elevating it above it’s competition!

● Unlike last episode I’m kind of surprised Tomoki isn’t making good use of the wish powers granted by Icarus and the card. Unless I’m missing something he basically has the power to do whatever he wants. I mean, so far he’s done some pretty great things (peeking, panty-theft, etc), but I’m surprised he wants to go back to his regular school life. He could be ruler of the world by now! I guess he really does love peace and quiet ..

● I quite like all the characters we’ve got now, but I just can’t wait for the second ‘angel’ to come along, the blue-haired, lolirific and aptly named, Nymph. Hopefully she gets into some exciting ecchi situations too.

● The ED is gloriously strange. It flutters between retarded, funny and sentimental leaving me totally confused and unsure what to think of it. Flying pantsu. Is this awesome? Y/N.

● Did any one else get entranced by Sugata rhythmically shaking that pigeon at the start of the episode?

● Mikako is great as the classy girl with a perverted mind. I love her comments about other people’s “interests”, her commentary on the panties Mitsuki was trying on, and her reaction to having her pantsu stolen was great - she seemed strangely happy!

 

 

After an eternity of waiting, the new Negima OAD series, again animated by the enigmatic studio SHAFT, has sprung up, released with the limited edition volume 27 of the manga. The release itself is really impressive, accompanied by an assortment of drool worthy extras on top of the actual OAD disc. As usual, the cover for the manga volume has been tweaked to make it superior (although this cover didn’t receive nearly the upgrade that 25 did - battle-stripped Setsuna <3); the packaging features a heap of stunning artwork of the girls in the typical desirable style of Negima (you’ll be holding your nose after seeing Ken Akamatsu’s lovely girls in swimsuits, nekomimi and loli forms~); and the ultimate bonus comes in the form of a set of bookmarks featuring Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Yue and Nodoka, all with cat-ears and all seductively posed in swimsuits - it’s sexiness overload of the best kind, enough to satisfy almost any fanboy! With all of these amazing extras it would be understandable for oversees Negima fans to be gripped by powerful jealousy. Apparently Negima has a larger fan following oversees than it does in Japan, which just shows how mistreated us outsiders are. Despite the extras licensing issues, the non-existent extras offered by US publishers is truly a sign of laziness. We deserve our dosage of Negima hotness too!!

Well, for now, all of this can be seen bellow. These delicious photos are taken from CartoonWorld blog, the author of which was privileged enough to get his hands on a copy.

 
Continue reading Negima OAD ~Another World 01 - Review/Preview

Based on a popular manga title currently serialised in Shounen Ace with 3 volumes currently released, Sora no Otoshimono is a fanservice-comedy shounen receiving an anime adaptation this October. Now, let’s get this straight, I normally don’t get excited or even mildly interested in series like this. For someone, like me, who’s unfamiliar with the manga, a shallow appraisal of the anime is enough to nudge it into the ‘generic harem - ignore’ corner. A quick glance at the website and promotional images gives off that cliché ‘look’. A common-looking high school boy unjustifiably surrounded by bishoujo of the typical archetypes: ‘childhood friend’ and ‘supernatural [goddess/demon/spirit/whatever] who somehow or other becomes the lead’s servant’. The ‘based on a H-game’ flag is up and being waved furiously. But luckily it isn’t.

The premise is as follows:

Tomoki Sakurai often encounters a strange girl in his dreams asking for his help, but he can’t remember her face when he wakes up. When an Unidentified Mysterious Animal (U.M.A.) falls out of the sky, his life of pacifism suddenly becomes complicated. The animal turns out to be an angel, Ikaros.

There are basically three things that can save a cliché harem-ish setup like this:

1. Bishoujo who are actually cute
2. Actual fanservice
3. A sense of humour

With these 3 powerful attributes, even the most horridly cliché pile of crap can quickly blossom into something wildly entertaining. One only has to look to GONZO’s Seto no Hanayome as an example. I almost dropped it after the first episode because it was the same kind of done-to-death harem-esque setup as this. But then it quickly turned into an uproarious comedy. After checking out the trailer for this series I was pleasantly happy to see that at least 2 of these attributes were present.

It looks like this series will certainly have a sense of humour (although whether that sense of humour is on the same length as mine remains unknown). You get the feeling that the director and staff behind it are trying to pour in a fun and energetic nature to the series, from the fact that the PV is so unusual, starting off with a serious, atmospheric tone before descending into the usual anime routine of playing the OP/ED over a highlight reel of the first episode. I’m so used to that PV format that when a studio dares to try any variation on this it’s a monumental shock. There were also some really funny-looking snippets in there, from the use of chibis to the naughty joke of how having a girl wake you up in the morning can turn out badly. There also seems to be a good amount of fanservice, not nearly enough to make it just another girls bravo or Queen’s Blade, but enough to get your attention. In fanservice terms, it’s always a good sign to see a cute panty-shot in the PV (also, I hear the lead character is a high-level pervert). I have to admit the chain-collar look is kinda hot and the first thing that caught my eye - it’s a bit different XD. Mind you, the wings are a nice moe item as well. And my moe drive really starting spooling up when Icarus said ‘my master’. The blue-haired loli character looks pretty cute as well, even though she didn’t get a spot in the PV. Check out the character designs more here.

The production values look pretty good too, with attractive and fluid animation. It’s being handled by Studio AIC A.S.T.A. I’m not really sure if that’s a good thing or not as I’m not very familiar with their other works. They’re best known for Bamboo Blade, which was pretty successful. The director was also the director for that anime (and hasn’t directed a lot more). So nothing in the staff list really strikes me as being especially promising. In terms of cast, Saori Hayami has the role of the wing-bearing Icarus. I really fell for her voice playing the sweet and soft role of Saki from Eden of the East, so I’m pretty keen to see what she can bring to this character.

Solely in the hopes that it delivers strong entertainment values and some appreciable fanservice, this is on my list of things to check out next season.

 

Updates

● 13 Aug .. A new scan for the series has shown up, showing off Ikaros’s assets in a sexy beach shot. I just love the pantsu-mask Tomoki’s wearing, it should be the official pervert battle mask! This shows promise as a bit of an ecchi series..


● 16 Aug .. I stumbled upon a couple more scans. This series seems pretty heavily promoted in the otaku magazines. I guess that generally happens when they’re trying to appeal to the otaku kind of audience. I can’t say I’m complaining - these two images certainly appeal to me. We get a nice quality pic of the epic panty-shot from the PV. Just what the hell is that thing on her panties anyway… More importantly the scans give us a good look at the loli girl, Nymph. She looks pretty cute. Her expression is at least less vacant than Icarus’!



● 27 Aug Airdates have been revealed (http://www.presepe.jp/soraoto/archives/294) and they’re bloody soon. First episode will apparently be the 4th of september - 8 days from now!!

● 8 Sept .. (source) Although it was originally announced as a 14 episodes, Anime Newtype Channel reported that one of the episodes will not be aired and will become a DVD-only episode because it is “dangerous”. Unless they’re going to show the Ring video and cause actual physical harm, I can only assume that by dangerous they mean dangerously HOT! The last time a show I watched came out and said they had a too-hot-for TV episode was Moetan. Personally I don’t mind, as long as it really is as fanservice-filled as they’re letting on and not just a disappointing marketing tactic. This show is shaping up to be a real delight in terms of sexiness.

● 29 Sept .. Another PV has surfaced. This one’s pretty cute. Saori Hayami’s voice comes through really well here. She’s got such a cute voice! I really like Chibi-Ikaros..

 

 

After the slow and confusing affair last week, Eden of the East jumps back on track and actually delivers well beyond my expectations. I’ve been crying about the lack of ‘impact’ this show has with almost every post, but I can’t rightly complain after this striking and memorable episode. It wasn’t perfect - a few comical moments felt out of place and, most dissapointingly the downbeat conversation following Akira’s confrontation with the sadistic Kuroha was anticlimactic and awkwardly written. I think it’s about time Akira called up Juiz and asked her to find a synomymn for the term ‘johnny’, because of the over-use of the term makes it hard to take conversations like that one seriously. But despite these flaws, the episode was a powerful turn for the series, finally delivering some gripping tension, absorbing drama, action, suspense, and a finish that will leave you baffled as well as shocked. The music was almost up to scratch in this episode. Either that, or the stellar visuals made up for it. Beyond anything else that went into this episode, it is the animation that was the most remarkable. Almost every scene left me profoundly impressed, from the flawless use of 3D cel-shaded models in the truck crash, to the fluid and vital cel animation that depicted Saki running through town to find Akira. The level of detail in the background was as great as ever. I’ve said it before, but I will say it again: the degree of depth and detail crammed into the background of each scene, particularly the ones depicting streetscapes is far beyond what TV-anime can usually achieve. Production I.G are an innovative force that really have set new standards for anime tv production, in integrity, storytelling and artistry. But it is the final scene that really shows of the fantastic animation. This scene, in which Kuroha, using some kind of illusion technology, spawns crow wings and flys out from a penthouse hotel suit, could easily have come of feeling stupid, but it was rendered with such beauty and vibrancy that it was enchanting and surreal. The smooth movement of Kuroha’s wings, the subtle and careful motion of the airbourne feathers as the air in the room was churned by her beating wings, the rippling of the bed-sheets beneath her - this scene was executed with an eye for detail and an absorbing elegance.

But it wasn’t all the animation either. This episode was written sharply for the most part, a welcome recovery from the messy dialogue of last week. The battle of wits between the two selecao was really fun to watch and handled very cleverly. It was exciting to see how they could best each other using Juiz, and how Juiz herself can be indirectly exploited to undermine other selecao. Like I said before, it’s a bit of a shame that the excitement of the first part of the episode didn’t really pay off when Akira and Kuroha met face-to-face. Akira was far too soft and compassionate with her, given that she was clearly a psychopath. She justified her actions from the perspective of a vigilante, but her twisted self-serving quest didn’t pose a convincing moral quandary. But at least they tried to give her a moral dilemma unlike the permanently upright Akira. The other thing I enjoyed about the way the episode was written was the way that it didn’t unfold predictably. Although we know from the OP that Kuroha isn’t going to die (at least not before selecao 10), I didn’t expect her to escape like that. Ans the other twist was that her captive was in fact, not Oosugi! That’s a really awesome twist because myself (and others) noticed that the masked suit-man was wearing a blue tie last episode, whilst Oosugi was last seen wearing a red one. It was a nice little clue they threw in. It really makes me wonder what other twists are in store relating to Akira’s memory wipe and the careless monday plot. While I’m on the plot though, I should say that I am finding it dissapointing. Although individual components of it are quite interesting, it feels as though the story is too large and ambitious for the show to handle. Things like Careless Monday are mentioned and then lie dormant, whilst we traverse tangential plot points and themes. It isn’t episodic, but it lacks the focus to have a strong ongoing plot either. But the show still has time..

。。 A little plot hole that gnawned at the back of my head was the question of why didn’t Akira just ask Juiz, once he’d found the room’s location, simply ask Juiz to send someone up to the room and retrieve the captive? He can interfere with other selecao as he did when he had Kuroha stopped by a police officer. It seems like that would have solved the situation a lot faster.

。。 Interesting that Akira has been mistaken as the Supporter twice now. It does make you wonder, but I still think selecao number 1 is probably the Supporter. If it does turn out to be Akira it’d be a bit of a predictable twist.

。。 Someone pointed out something interesting on animesuki in regards to the real identity of Kuroha’s captive. Although I’m convinced that the blue tie meant something, but they pointed out that Kuroha’s reveal of her victim’s identity could, in fact, have been part of the illusion. It would certainly be easy enough to trick Saki with that if she can pull off such an elaborate illusion as spawning wings and flying out of the building.