Spring '09: I'll miss Hinagiku in the spotlight and other good anime, but I certainly won't miss the K-ON! haters
Tagged: otaku . impressions . final look . K-ON! . Haruhi Suzumiya . Hayate . Bleach . Sengoku Basara
Source: unknown
Eden of the East leaves us hanging. K-ON! delivers some surprising slice of life goodness at the end. Hinagiku is the real star of Hayate no Gotoku. I'm waiting 'patiently' for the last episode of Hatsukoi Limited. Bleach returns to filler hell. Sengoku Basara is a strangely mixed bag. And then there's Haruhi Suzumiya. And then there's Haruhi Suzumiya. And then there's Haruhi Suzumiya...
K-ON!
I enjoyed the change of pace for the 'extra' episode. KyoAni moved away from the slapstick style and pace of the series proper and took a more relaxed, slice of life approach. It was a calming way to say goodbye to a good series, and I really like the idea behind going out like that.
In the end, the anime was excellent. While it certainly played the genre by the numbers, the overall production and execution were above average. I can't be too melancholy about K-ON!'s ending, as I'm sure there's plenty more moe goodness coming from whatever the studio is planning next. And that's always a comforting thought.
Eden of the East
The end of Eden got its own post here.
Hinagiku no Gotoku
Let's call a spade a spade. This cour (13 episodes) was all about Hinagiku. It's no surprise then that this has been my favorite run of Hayate yet. It follows that I'm suddenly not as amped for the rest of Hayate as the series continues on to the summer season. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure the anime will still be good. JCStaff has done a fine job so far.
But I root for more Hina!
Hatsukoi Limited
I'll update this section when the last episode finally rolls off of the m.3.3.w production line.
Bleach
Just as the manga gets good (or at least as good as Bleach is capable of being lately), the anime goes back into filler. It had to happen, obviously. With Studio Pierrot blowing all their money / time on the Shuuhei's shikai reveal episode, they probably were in no shape to produce the quality animation that Ichigo versus Ulquiorra deserved.
So for the time being, goodbye Bleach anime. You were -- as of late -- not that good but surprisingly a solid time killer. When I wasn't in the mood to watch better anime, I inexplicably watched you instead. I guess mindless shounen has its charms.
Sengoku Basara
After 6 episodes (I'm behind), I'm not sure how I feel about Basara. The production is over the top, but not in a constructive way like with Gurren Lagann. Usually, I would categorize this as mindless action entertainment, subpar at even that. However, the backing of the story is quite good. It is a tumultuous and interesting time in Japanese history, with its fair share of intriguing characters... err, real people.
It's a strange mix. I should be consuming this story in a better adaptation. But the goofy action has its plus side, as much as I hate to admit it. So I'll continue on, for no better reason than it merely being not bad enough to easily dismiss.
Haruhi Suzumiya
I'm enjoying Endless Eight to a certain degree. At first, I wasn't entirely sure where I came down on KyoAni's decision to repeat the same episode four (or more?) times in a row. Usually, this sort of thing would be simply a nightmare. But there's too many good things about the move to ignore.
#1 -- On a directorial angle, the unnecessary repetition of content best conveys to the viewer exactly what Kyon & Co. are going through at the moment. Well, it more accurately puts you in Yuki's shoes (now go rewatch this arc a few thousand times). In that way, it's sort of an avant-garde approach to storytelling this type of event... it's artistic!
#2 -- On a more emotional / 'how I feel' angle, is it really something to get up in arms about? Seriously, I like this episode. I wouldn't mind watching it more than once. Therefore, watching it more than once isn't really all that bad. If I were to bitch up a storm about having to rewatch this content, I couldn't say that I'm being 100% honest. I'm really not all that offended by watching this episode again. Fun times, really.
#3 -- It's superb marketing. Everyone is talking about Haruhi. The hotly debated first episodes of both the first series and Lucky Star also put those anime in the forefront of otaku conversation. The trend continues, for good or for... no, actually there is no such thing as bad publicity (as much as I wish that wasn't true).
#4 -- KyoAni flexes its muscles a bit. Can you think of another studio that would bother re-animating the entirety of the material over and over? Even when they do something considered 'bad,' they go all out with the quality of the 'bad' production. Some credit is certainly due to the studio for that.
#5 -- The haters bitch on; eat it!
So in the end, the whole thing is a bit of a wash to me. There's the obvious downsides associated with the move. But there's enough good for me to roll with it. It's certainly an intriguing and daring decision, and that in and of itself is pretty damn good.
July 4th, 2009 at 5:36 PM ET
Comments
1) Seantaku
I'm not just saying this because I live/breathe anything Haruhi, but I have to say I'm really enjoying Endless Eight. I was confused watching the 2nd episode because I thought "Didn't I just watch this...?" but it's animated from different angles and at a faster pace then the last episode. Then once the gang realizes what's going on my head starts spinning. Really?? That's awesome. The episode basically made me re-watch the first episode and then half way through...BAM. We're introduced to a time loop.
Then Yuki says how many times it's been repeated. lol. WOW. Poor poor Yuki.
The 3rd episode even dives further into the whole thing! Only a show like Haruhi could get away with something like this. I find it to be brilliant! I can see how some people would be annoyed but I am so driven by the story I don't even care that I see so much repeated. Each episode gives us a little more to think about.
Just what is it that Kyon needs to do for Haruhi to break this cycle?? The one thing missing from the list? The suspense is killing me. lol
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ Seantaku
I really like KyoAni's style in general, so whatever they put out usually works well for me. Even if they go back over previously covered ground, it's still a pleasant experience. But I don't think it's fanboyism either, and this isn't simple laziness or lack of originality. It is a very clear and confident move on their part, and I quite like it both conceptually and in practice.
Of course, I can truly appreciated what must be a ballsy decision on their part. Going for something never done before -- as well as something that goes against common thinking with a direction that certainly is not the easiest to pull off -- gets a ton of points in my book.
2) Gargron
On Haruhi Suzumiya: As Seantaku above, I first thought I opened the wrong file when I've seen the almost completely similar beginning. But I don't mind watching it again either. And, where's a difference between the elevator scene in Eva that lasted sort of forever, and the repeating of the (almost the) same plot? It are, exactly as you called it, artistic maneuvres.
On Sengoku Basara: Now when you campare it with Gurren Lagann I suddendly get the desire to watch it. (I am even more behind, 'on-hold' after the 1st ep).
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ Gargon
I'm glad I'm not the only one to see Endless Eight that way.
As for Sengoku Basara, comparing it to Gurren Lagann was a bit unfair by me. Basara has a certain 'flair' to it that is comparable to Gurren in decibels, but not in depth, execution, or overall quality. I don't mean to say that Basara's 'manliness' is bad... it just can't measure up, obviously enough.
3) Omisyth
I love how Studio Pierrot ramped up the animaton quality just before the series descends into filler hell. "Hey, hey, we can still animate fights well! Please keep watching our show even though it's going to be awful!"
Also, we've entered an endless recursion of time.
Re) Michael is LoHP
I will give Studio Pierrot a nod, in that they know which fights are the most important to animate best. And when they do step up their game, the result is certainly well done. But then, imagine if all of Bleach looked that good. Then take out all of the filler. And then take out the non-filler material that is really just filler anyways. The potential makes me weep.