fly-by anime post
For the first time in well over a year, I managed to stick with a new anime all the way to the end. (Unless we count Thunderbolt Fantasy, but I'm still unclear as to whether or not it's considered anime.) There were other series that I started, and some I enjoyed more than the ones I finished, but everything else I watched for anime ended up feeling like a chore to continue with. Moving on:
Sakura Quest: The latest "slice of life/unusal-in-anime-career" series from PA Works. The backgrounds and cinematography were as gorgeous as all their other series, though the character designs for their female characters are getting less distinctive (Nowhere near as bad as some other studios though. I feel I've checked out a number of series lately where hairstyle is the only way to tell characters apart.) This time, a country girl who wants to work in the city accidentally signs a contract to spend year as the "queen" (pretty much public face of) a failing tourist town. A bit slow at times, but nice and relaxing, and certainly a bit different from most slice of life series. Blessedly light on fanservice given that it's a series about a bunch of young women (and a cranky old man) pulling all sorts of stunts to boost tourism.
Grimoire of Zero: Kinda-stereotypical fantasy anime about an anthromorphic white tiger who ends up the bodyguard of a witch who promises to make him fully human in a world where witches are outlawed. TBH, finished it a few weeks ago and have already forgotten half of it, but I was entertained throughout. The big downside is that it joins the legion of series with an adult female protagonist who gets sexualized despite looking like an adolescent. (Why must you keep doing this, anime)
Princess Principal: My favorite of the bunch. One of the many pseudo-early 20th century Europe anime, this time about a young princess who aspires to become queen of her small country, aided by a group of female spies, all but one of whom is an agent of a foreign country initially sent to work against her. If an action series about teenaged female spies with tons of angst and baggage and secrets (Princess has all those too) could be called an introspective slice-of-life series, this one would qualify. 99% certain there were no panty shots despite the premise, which includes on girl who flies with the aid of an anti-gravity device, and another (older) girl who regularly seduces guards to distract them.
Mahou Tsukai no Yome OVAs: A leadin 3 part series for the anime that started airing this week. This was a backstory about Chise's childhood bookended by scenes in the "present". I don't know if the story is from the manga or an original for the anime, since I've only read the first few volumes of the manga, but I am always here for stories about lonely kids stumbling across magic libraries.
This season looks promising to me. The Mahou Tsukai no Yome is pretty much a sure deal for me, as is the Kino no Tabi reboot/sequel (not sure which) unless they end up being just badly done, and there are several other series that I plan to check out.
Sakura Quest: The latest "slice of life/unusal-in-anime-career" series from PA Works. The backgrounds and cinematography were as gorgeous as all their other series, though the character designs for their female characters are getting less distinctive (Nowhere near as bad as some other studios though. I feel I've checked out a number of series lately where hairstyle is the only way to tell characters apart.) This time, a country girl who wants to work in the city accidentally signs a contract to spend year as the "queen" (pretty much public face of) a failing tourist town. A bit slow at times, but nice and relaxing, and certainly a bit different from most slice of life series. Blessedly light on fanservice given that it's a series about a bunch of young women (and a cranky old man) pulling all sorts of stunts to boost tourism.
Grimoire of Zero: Kinda-stereotypical fantasy anime about an anthromorphic white tiger who ends up the bodyguard of a witch who promises to make him fully human in a world where witches are outlawed. TBH, finished it a few weeks ago and have already forgotten half of it, but I was entertained throughout. The big downside is that it joins the legion of series with an adult female protagonist who gets sexualized despite looking like an adolescent. (Why must you keep doing this, anime)
Princess Principal: My favorite of the bunch. One of the many pseudo-early 20th century Europe anime, this time about a young princess who aspires to become queen of her small country, aided by a group of female spies, all but one of whom is an agent of a foreign country initially sent to work against her. If an action series about teenaged female spies with tons of angst and baggage and secrets (Princess has all those too) could be called an introspective slice-of-life series, this one would qualify. 99% certain there were no panty shots despite the premise, which includes on girl who flies with the aid of an anti-gravity device, and another (older) girl who regularly seduces guards to distract them.
Mahou Tsukai no Yome OVAs: A leadin 3 part series for the anime that started airing this week. This was a backstory about Chise's childhood bookended by scenes in the "present". I don't know if the story is from the manga or an original for the anime, since I've only read the first few volumes of the manga, but I am always here for stories about lonely kids stumbling across magic libraries.
This season looks promising to me. The Mahou Tsukai no Yome is pretty much a sure deal for me, as is the Kino no Tabi reboot/sequel (not sure which) unless they end up being just badly done, and there are several other series that I plan to check out.