The Summer '13 Anime: 1st Episode Impressions, Part 2!
Let's continue to wade through the waters of the summer anime season, shall we? As in part 1, you can find all of these shows on Crunchyroll.
Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen- "Tale 1"
I've never watched the original Rozen Maiden, but this is a reboot of the series, so I believed I don't have to. After watching this episode, I think Rozen Maiden might be the exposition dump champion of the summer season. There is so much background information being thrown about that It's difficult to digest what is going on in the moment. Rozen Maiden is primarily about these magically formed dolls who are engaged in a competition to kill one another, thereby uniting their power and becoming one. That simplifies the story, but I'm not going to rattle your brain with the details the way Zurückspulen did mine.
All of these dolls battling to the death with incredible powers, even while they don't have the ability to open a human-sized door on their own, seems fascinating, but I wonder if too many people will be left dumfounded after the first episode. There is so much Rozen Maiden specific jargon, characters, and relationships that are already established right in the beginning. It might be worth watching, but I feel as bewildered as the young boy, Jun Sakurada, was once dolls started flying around and causing chaos in his bedroom.
WATAMOTE (No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys Fault I’m Not Popular!) - "Since I'm Not Popular, I'll Change My Image a Bit."
I'm so glad that the name of the show was shortened to Watamote beforehand. PHEW!
I'm sooooooo down with this show. This is beyond the shows I've seen about NEET or otaku. This is the story of a hardcore dork , and it breaks my heart as much as it makes me laugh. I have a feeling that Watamote's creator has some insight into how it is to live in the shoes of this extreme of a person. Maybe the creator has some sort of relationship to a real life Kuroki Tomoko. The hypocrisy of hating people, yet wanting to fit in, the awkwardness in social situations, basically living in your own world- it's harshly real.
You may have no interest in watching someone be awkward, frustrating, and embarrassing, but I am totally sold. I'm tired of show after show full of pretty, well adjusted people. Let's mix it up a bit!
Silver Spoon -"Welcome to Ezonoo"
Does anyone actually ever pray for a show about agriculture to come along? That's why you have to be open about shows that don't look great on paper. I might not have watched Space Brothers, one of the most delightful anime I have seen in at leas a decade. Silver Spoon has a real Spce Brothers vibe, even sharing music from the same artist.
What Silver Spoon does well is that it authentically replicates agricultural living, and doesn't skimp on any detail. This looks like genuine farm living, and it's funny to boot. I can't call this a meh show, but I was very grossed out by a few scenes in this episode. When you want reality, sometimes reality is nasty. Will you find this show enjoyable? I don't know: how much do you like chicken anuses?
