Mahou Shoujo Quest Part II
Remember that quest I started last summer? Well, I'm technically not done with it, but I figure just to get it out of the way, I'll post my thoughts on the last anime that beloved on that list.
So a quick recap:
1. Earth Maiden Arjuna - Watched it for the music, finished it for the story.
2. Fresh Pretty Cure! - Owie??
3. Heartcatch! Precure - Picked it up for the seiyuu. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. I have plans to complete it.
4. Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne - Tanemura needs to improve her art style, and there's a lot of cliches and bits of it are a bit Sailor Moon-esque.
5. Kore wa Zombie desu ka? - Why did I believe wikipedia when it told me that this was mahou shoujo. It lied. From now on, I'll only consult MAL for genre accuracy.
AND ON TO THE NEW STUFF.
6. Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto
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Just look at this picture and you will understand. This was just...I don't even. I know guys into shit like this that probably wouldn't watch it. So yeah, that's really saying something about this. I was supposed to watch Magic Knight Rayearth, but couldn't find it at the time so I had to go with my back up, which happened to be this monstrosity. I don't even know what the story behind this was. Taruto (pictured above) is like, this cat princess who can do magic, but sucks at it. Or something.
I lasted: 3 episodes of pure torture. I didn't even want to continue to figure out the plot.
For a mahou shoujo: Someone shoot the guy who thought this was a good idea, then burn whoever approved it over at the studio.
Rating: Mathematicians haven't come up with a number to convey just how horrible this was.
Comment: UGH.
7. My-HiME
So, My-HiME is about a girl named Mai, who thinks she's totally normal. She's going to a new fancy private school alone with her little brother. But she doesn't know that she's actually a HiME, a special girl capable of using powerful magic. Her power awakens - rather predicatbly - in the first episode, but when else is it supposed to happen? It turns out that the school actively brings HiME's to the school to keep them safe from an evil organization that's out to use the HiME's for their evil purposes. The plot is a bit overdone, the characters are a bit on the flat side, with the exception of a few. The romance is set up in the most predicable way, character development is pretty good, and in some cases, heart wrenching (yes, I cried). There's mentions of lesbianism, which will always be cool with me. Also, lost of Hinduism and Buddhism in this one. And Kajiura Yuki.
I lasted: 8 episodes in and I plan on finishing it.
For a mahou shoujo: Not bad. A bit more original in terms of the concept of the magic. I'd give it an 8 for that.
Rating: For right now 8. Could go up, could drop, depends on how the rest of it pans out.
Comment: LESBIANS.
8. Princess Tutu
So, a duck that turns into a human and back. Interesting. The ballet dancing was wonderfully animated, the soundtrack was great. The saving people through dance was a little weird, but I can overlook it. Ahiru's voice grates on my ears a little, but it's supposed to do that, I guess.
I lasted: 2 episodes, and more to come.
For a mahou shoujo: it successfully brings in another genre without it sounding utterly stupid.
Comments: Quack.
9. Sailor Moon
The very first mahou shoujo I was exposed to at the tender age of four. I don't remember much about it anymore, it's been too long. Like many mahou shoujo, it begins with an ordinary girl gaining extraordinary powers. In this case, Tsukino Usagi, saves a talking cat named Luna from some bullies and Luna then bestows magical powers on her. Usagi then fights the evil army of Queen Berel to protect the world from devastation - wait wrong anime. But that's basically what she does.
I lasted: 8 episodes. I will complete the whole franchise! That's right, all of it. Eventually.
For a mahou shoujo: It's not too bad. Seeing as it's so much older than anything else I've seen, it's hard to not compare to newer works.
Rating: 9
Comment: "Moon Prism Power Make-UP!"
10. Uta Kata
At the beginning of her summer vacation, Ichika meets a strange girl who gives her magical powers in exchange for doing her summer homework for her. Yeah, seriously. It's a little on the ecchi and moe side, but so far it does sound interesting. The art is nice, and so far the characters are at least somewhat interesting. And there's more hints of lesbianism in this on. I'm sensing a pattern here.
I lasted: 2 episodes. Still on the fence on whether or not I'll finish.
For a mahou shoujo: at least it isn't a talking mascot animal.
Commets: Lesbians. Again.
So a quick recap:
1. Earth Maiden Arjuna - Watched it for the music, finished it for the story.
2. Fresh Pretty Cure! - Owie??
3. Heartcatch! Precure - Picked it up for the seiyuu. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. I have plans to complete it.
4. Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne - Tanemura needs to improve her art style, and there's a lot of cliches and bits of it are a bit Sailor Moon-esque.
5. Kore wa Zombie desu ka? - Why did I believe wikipedia when it told me that this was mahou shoujo. It lied. From now on, I'll only consult MAL for genre accuracy.
AND ON TO THE NEW STUFF.
6. Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto
Just look at this picture and you will understand. This was just...I don't even. I know guys into shit like this that probably wouldn't watch it. So yeah, that's really saying something about this. I was supposed to watch Magic Knight Rayearth, but couldn't find it at the time so I had to go with my back up, which happened to be this monstrosity. I don't even know what the story behind this was. Taruto (pictured above) is like, this cat princess who can do magic, but sucks at it. Or something.
I lasted: 3 episodes of pure torture. I didn't even want to continue to figure out the plot.
For a mahou shoujo: Someone shoot the guy who thought this was a good idea, then burn whoever approved it over at the studio.
Rating: Mathematicians haven't come up with a number to convey just how horrible this was.
Comment: UGH.
7. My-HiME
So, My-HiME is about a girl named Mai, who thinks she's totally normal. She's going to a new fancy private school alone with her little brother. But she doesn't know that she's actually a HiME, a special girl capable of using powerful magic. Her power awakens - rather predicatbly - in the first episode, but when else is it supposed to happen? It turns out that the school actively brings HiME's to the school to keep them safe from an evil organization that's out to use the HiME's for their evil purposes. The plot is a bit overdone, the characters are a bit on the flat side, with the exception of a few. The romance is set up in the most predicable way, character development is pretty good, and in some cases, heart wrenching (yes, I cried). There's mentions of lesbianism, which will always be cool with me. Also, lost of Hinduism and Buddhism in this one. And Kajiura Yuki.
I lasted: 8 episodes in and I plan on finishing it.
For a mahou shoujo: Not bad. A bit more original in terms of the concept of the magic. I'd give it an 8 for that.
Rating: For right now 8. Could go up, could drop, depends on how the rest of it pans out.
Comment: LESBIANS.
8. Princess Tutu
So, a duck that turns into a human and back. Interesting. The ballet dancing was wonderfully animated, the soundtrack was great. The saving people through dance was a little weird, but I can overlook it. Ahiru's voice grates on my ears a little, but it's supposed to do that, I guess.
I lasted: 2 episodes, and more to come.
For a mahou shoujo: it successfully brings in another genre without it sounding utterly stupid.
Comments: Quack.
9. Sailor Moon
The very first mahou shoujo I was exposed to at the tender age of four. I don't remember much about it anymore, it's been too long. Like many mahou shoujo, it begins with an ordinary girl gaining extraordinary powers. In this case, Tsukino Usagi, saves a talking cat named Luna from some bullies and Luna then bestows magical powers on her. Usagi then fights the evil army of Queen Berel to protect the world from devastation - wait wrong anime. But that's basically what she does.
I lasted: 8 episodes. I will complete the whole franchise! That's right, all of it. Eventually.
For a mahou shoujo: It's not too bad. Seeing as it's so much older than anything else I've seen, it's hard to not compare to newer works.
Rating: 9
Comment: "Moon Prism Power Make-UP!"
10. Uta Kata
At the beginning of her summer vacation, Ichika meets a strange girl who gives her magical powers in exchange for doing her summer homework for her. Yeah, seriously. It's a little on the ecchi and moe side, but so far it does sound interesting. The art is nice, and so far the characters are at least somewhat interesting. And there's more hints of lesbianism in this on. I'm sensing a pattern here.
I lasted: 2 episodes. Still on the fence on whether or not I'll finish.
For a mahou shoujo: at least it isn't a talking mascot animal.
Commets: Lesbians. Again.