Low on Hit Points: Shikabane Hime is Gainax without the gar, and it works

Gainax is back baby! Where as Gurren Lagann was a knockout punch of manly testosterone, we're treated to something completely different on this next go 'round. Delicately paced and moody, Shikabane shows the promise of a good story, strong characters, and measured execution. It's such a shame then that season 2 is being handed off to a different studio.

It's hard to get too excited about an anime that probably won't end well, seeing as splitting up the show like this can't be a good thing, can it? I may be selling studio Feel short -- I honestly haven't seen anything they've made on their own -- but if it starts with Gainax, I want it to end with them. But enough of that, let's talk about the show itself.

The orphanage background of our lead character Ouri delivers honest emotion right from the get go. The story progresses not in the overly bombastic way you may be expecting, but in a more calm and reserved way. Big brother Keisei can provide moments of humor, but the somber tone of the 'corpse princess' herself, Makina, steals the show so far.

Cue in the opening camera swing past an airplane up to our heroine on a power line tower, and I'm already in love with the OP. Whether it's a harem-killing rockstar basked in purple neon light or a dead child slowly emerging from her own coffin, the show itself never fails to grab your attention. Animation holds strong two episodes in, but it's visually striking scenes like the aforementioned that set Gainax apart from other studios.

Michael is Low on Hit Points

Shikabane Hime is Gainax without the gar, and it works

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