Spring 08 Season First Impressions Act I

Author: nova

After a long wait the Spring season is at hand again with a bucketful of promising new series. Most notable of these are inarguable the two mecha series riding on big names of their predecessors: Macross Frontier and Code Geass. Not that these two would be the only ones, but we are also presented with quite a few interesting action series. After a winter of almost nothing but romance and harem, this surely sounds like a gift from heaven.

I was going to use the watched-expected-got-formula here, but unfortunately I didn’t really have much expectations to start with. So bear with me as I’m going to utilize the old and boring text to convey my opinions on these titles.

Code Geass – Lelouch of the Rebellion Season 2

Inarguably the most hyped show of the season, which after the phenomenal success of its predecessor hardly can be said to be a surprise. The second season appears to stick with the good ol’ formula from the first season, so I guess that it’s quite safe to say that if you liked the first season, you will like this one. And if you absolutely hated the first season, you most probably won’t enjoy this one either. Personally I find Code Geass enjoyable because of its guerrilla-warfare aspect full of cunning strategies and tactical use of the few assets the rebels have in their disposal. It’s thrilling to watch how Lelouch manages to weasel his way out with merely his quick wits and Geass, a special but very limited power.

However I must express my concern over the fact that most of the battles still seem to be ending up in more or less defeat to Lelouch due to some deus-ex-machina-ish event that cannot be predicted in any way (Rollo in this case). I hope that the show will not lose its focus on intelligent battles and turn into overpowered experimental mecha/superpower-showdown. In any case CG s2 is a piece of solid animation and will undoubtedly be one of the most influential anime series this summer.

Macross Frontier

Another big name of the season is another addition to animated Macross saga. As the only Macross-anime I have previously watched is the 5-episode Zero, which still manages to amaze me with its incredibly beautiful and intense combat scenes. Naturally I was expecting at least somewhat the same level of presentation and looks like Frontier isn’t going to let me down. The CG-work and background art are amazing for a 13-episode TV-anime, well making up for the somewhat choppy character animation. If the story and its execution are even half as good as the graphical work, Frontier will provide Code Geass s2 with a strong rival in the mecha genre.

Soul Eater

I had no idea what to expect of this show, but the OP-animation didn’t really leave much room for doubt. Soul Eater is an action show with colorful and fluid animation style that reminds me of the legendary Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann more than just a bit, with focus shifted from mecha to supernatural/fantasy. Although I think the first episode attempts to cram too many aspects in one 25min sequence, the animation is very fluent and action is a pleasure to watch. Soul Eater will hardly be the among the deepest anime of the summer, but seems like a strong provider of good looking action without complicated storyline to slow the pace down.

Kurenai

I honestly have no idea what to think of Kurenai. The show has action but could rival gondola in slow pace. The character art is good in a way and bad in another. There appears to be a story, but then again not. Kurenai is a bag of controversies and confusiveness and gives me the feeling that it doesn’t know which way it wants to go. However I can recognize strong potential, if the story just gets on track and provide the viewer with at least some solid point to cling to. Also, I didn’t really like Murasaki. Yeah, she’s from a high-class family and all but a 7 year old does not talk and think like that no matter what her origins are.

Nabari no Ou

While Soul Eater provides us with fluent, flashy action without too much babbling in the mix, Nabari no Ou takes more conventional approach by bringing us some shounen-style ninja-action combined with a bit more brain. A young boy with a powerful force sealed within him, sound familiar? However the male lead at least seem quite different from your usual big-mouthed I-want-to-grow-stronger-shounen hero. I don’t think Nabari no Ou will be among the masterpieces of the season but hardly in the mud league either.

Kanokon

Some people pointed out flaws in my post about this show, so I decided to rewrite it. There isn’t really much to say about Kanokon. The series is nothing but blatant fanservice and a bunch of clichés harvested from other titles. I don’t classify Kanokon as a comedy because frankly it didn’t manage to amuse me at all. Unless you’re into shouta and/or furry, there really is no reason to waste your time on this. To-Love-Ru has superior animation, hotter fanservice and is actually funny – as for animal spirit guardians, Wagaya no Oinari-sama and steaming-hot manga Omamori Himari both do it a lot better.

I guess we’re done for now, look forward to Act II. I apologize for the lack of updates recently, as I have been keeping busy with a ton of other matters.