Anime Preview: Spring 2008 First Impressions – Batch 1

Batch 1 of my quick first impressions on some of the Spring 2008 anime series. As usual, these will be divided into a series of entries.

In this batch: (1) Itazura na Kiss; (2) Blassreiter; (3) The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk; (4) Kanokon; (5) To-Love-Ru; (6) Vampire Knight; (7) Kure-nai; (8.) Soul Eater.

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(1) Itazura na Kiss
More info – Official Site

Also known as Mischievous Kiss, It Started with a Kiss.

- Heh, what an obnoxious guy! What Kotoko had to go through was very embarassing. If that were me, I would’ve never shown my face in that school or neighborhood ever again out of embarassment . She has guts being able to tolerate such cold treatment. The OP sounded okay. I kinda liked it. I began watching this one hoping for something to fill the void that Lovely Complex left when it finished airing (the other series I’ve high hopes for is Toshokan Sensou). I suppose that was a bit high of an expectation considering how much I enjoyed watching LoveCom… after watching the first episode, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Despite the remarks about the “crappy” character design, it didn’t bother me that much (the colors seemed a bit light for me though, that it seemed to appear a bit “blurry” to me). Don’t get me wrong, I did like the episode, but somehow I find that it lacks something. I guess the storytelling felt a bit rushed. Either way, I’m curious how Irie will do the turnaround and see Kotoko in a different light, ending up liking her despite the disastrous “confession.” xD

• Watch it? Yes, though not in an OMG-I-can’t-wait-for-the-next-episode kind.

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(2) Blassreiter
More info – Official Site

- Loads of CG animation. It kinda felt like watching a video game. The whatchamacallit demonic robot-like thingies somehow reminded me of The Terminator. When the whole drama of what’s probably the backstory of the lead guy ended and the action started when he turned into some sort of avenger, it was pretty cool. I’m also a little curious about that trenchcoat-clad guy who keeps popping up suspiciously. I don’t like the character design, though. The ED sounded okay, a typical ballad kind. I sort of liked it.

• Watch it? I’m not drawn towards the character design nor the story, so that would be a no.

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(3) The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk
More info – Official Site

- The OP is quite catchy ["Swinging" by Muramasa]. The episode, well, not as I was expecting it to be. I thought it was gonna be all serious and action-filled but it was the opposite. It was comical and full of parodies . The dialogue was just plain ridiculous that I can’t help but laugh. Oh, and after 20 minutes or so of watching it, I find out that it was just a dream and that the actual story is yet to begin in episode 2. Heh. I wonder what it’d be like. I don’t mind the funny stuff but I hope it’d be a bit more serious this time. **Edit: Saw episode 2. It has gotten a bit more serious and the main characters have been introduced. In the end, poor Jil has bad timing. He has to clear his name now.

• Watch it? I‘ll check out the next episode, but I don’t think I’ll be following this one.

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(4) Kanokon
More info – Official Site: Anime, Light novel

- Typical upbeat sort of OP. It’s obviously a series filled with fanservice, you can tell by the OP sequence. Suffocating boobies, pantsu shots, more boobies. They sure didn’t look like high school students to me, especially Kouta. LOL. It’s not something I’d usually watch at all, but surprisingly, I found myself laughing out loud and enjoying the first episode, for some weird reason. O_O The ED is also upbeat and cutesy, which sounded similar to the OP to me, although I’m sure they’re different songs. Not something I’ll follow, there’s just too much fanservice for my liking.

• Watch it? It’s a shock to me that I’m actually considering watching this, but no, I won’t.

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(5) To-Love-Ru
More info – Official Site

- The OP rocked! ["Forever we can make it" by THYME] I really liked the song. From the opening sequence, you’d have obviously seen how much fanservice is waiting for you when you watch the episode. Skin, boobies and pantsu shots galore. LOL. Poor Rito, trying his best to confess to the girl of his dreams but can’t due to unforeseen circumstances that just keeps popping up whenever he gathers enough courage to actually confess! I guess when things like that happen, it might be a sign that it’s not meant to be (^_^’) I did have some laughs here and there, I mean, it was pretty ridiculous, but it’s really not my cup of tea.

• Watch it? Nope. The OP song still rocks, though!
  

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(6) Vampire Knight
More info – Official Site: Anime, Manga

- *sings* Akaku, akaku, akaku yurete… *hums*… The OP song ["Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi" by ON/OFF] is nothing extraordinary but it’s quite catchy and I can’t seem to get it out of my head! I think the repetition of words played a big part in that. xD The “parade” of the night class bishounens students somehow reminded me of HanaKimi (the Japanese drama version). Anyway, I haven’t read the VK manga at all but I’ve been a fan of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, so this one being a series with vampires sort of caught my attention. Might I add, they’re bishielicious vampires too. This is one of the series that I’ve been anticipating this season (the other one being Toshokan Sensou). Saw the first episode and totally liked it! It had funny moments here and there despite the dark setting, and the funny lines don’t seem to be out of place or forced. It also has an interesting storyline. I still can’t choose whether I like Zero or Kaname more…but they are both so pretty but have different personalities which makes each of them interesting! I’m probably leaning towards Zero, though, considering my weakness for broody and tsutsun sort of characters. I also seem to be drawn towards Headmaster Cross. xD Heh. He must have a secret past for establishing such a school. I think Cross’ backstory will be interesting when it comes. The ED song ["Still Doll" by Wakeshima Kanon] sounded like a waltz with a haunting vibe to it and I thought it was quite fitting for the series. Oh, I’m watching this one alright. This time probably the OMG-I-can’t-wait-for-the-next-episode kind of anticipation every week. Considering how awesome I found the first episode to be, I’ll most probably be marathoning the manga during the weekend and eagerly follow each release.

• Watch it? Yes! I want some more. ^^

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(7) Kure-nai
More info – Official Site

- The OP song was okay ["Love Jump" by Minami Kuribayashi]. I found the OP sequence cute and different with the comics sort of style to it. Hmm, somehow Shinkurou’s voice came across as a little girly for me.I don’t quite get what happened when he suddenly felt some pain in his arm while confronting the person in the beginning part of the story. Actually, I don’t quite get a few more other things than that. Obviously the little girl came from a prominent family. I’m not sure why she was taken away exactly. It had pretty good animation, though. I’m a bit curious about what happens next, but I just can’t seem to get into it.

• Watch it? No, but maybe I’ll marathon it later if the second episode gets my attention.

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(8.) Soul Eater
More info – Official Site

- After loving Darker than Black from last spring season, I was curious about this one since it was going to be animated by Bones. The OP ["Resonance" by T.M. Revolution] sounded like a typical shounen kind of song, which sounded alright to me. The soul-eating demon thing that they were chasing looked a bit like one of The Joker’s henchmen (yes, I did watch the animated series of Batman). Let me ask, why do girls being chased by killers always seem to trip at the crucial time when they’re running away for their dear life? xD Anyway, thanks to her being cornered by the evil soul eater that we get to see some action. Cue the kicka$$ girl, Maka, with her partner, Soul, who’s taking on the appearance of a boy who transforms into a cool scythe weapon. There are some really cool fighting moves by these two (well, mostly Maka since Soul becomes a weapon). We learn that they have acquired 99 souls already and is just one short for Soul to be able to transform into a “Death Scythe.” For this, the last one is required to be a witch’s soul. Unfortunately, they find out that the one they defeated was not a witch at all but a cat with extremely strong magical powers. LOL, therefore, this makes the 99 souls they already had void since they screwed up the last soul. Basically, they have to start over to reach the necessary amount of souls, so I guess that’s where the story starts? The character design and background seem a bit unusual and may put off some viewers – the sun and moon has a face and can be pretty creepy looking.

• Watch it? Probably yes, but not exactly anticipating it every week. I read there’s going to be 51 episodes! I’ll take my time, thank you very much. xD