Fall 2013 Anime Season First Episode Impressions, Part 1 of 5
A new season of anime has sneaked up behind us again, sucker punching us with new shows! As always, I will only be reviewing new shows, so if it was out in the summer, you’ll have to look back at my previous reviews. The good stuff is red. So-so stuff is blue. The crap is brown. You can catch most of this anime on Crunchyroll, while others can be found on Hulu.
Kill La Kill – “If only I had Thorns Like a Thistle…”
Honouji Academy is under hard control by a ruthless student council. A big brute named Ira Gamagoori enforces the laws put down by Satsuki Kiryuin. The power comes from special uniforms, the Goku. The more starts on a uniform, the more powerful it is. So into the equation walks Ryuko Matoi, a transfer student who has no idea what challenges she is about to face. All Ryuko wants is revenge, and she’s going to use weapons from her tragic past to get it. This is definitely in my top three shows of the season. Its energy is boundless, the action is great, and it’s so silly. Only studio Trigger could mix such a concoction, and I’ll be drinking every drop. If you enjoy the pace of shows like FLCL or Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill is just your speed.
Golden Time – “Springtime”
This one’s going out to all the lovers. Aww yeah! Tada Banri a new student at Fukurai university. As he bumbles through his first day of law school, he happens to meet Mitsuo Yanagisawa, someone as clueless as he is. Everything seems to be going well until Mitsuo’s past comes to slap him in the face. Her name is Koko Kaga, and she does seem to be loco. Even though the relationship between Koko and Mitsuo is bizarre, I felt like there’s enough to like about Golden Time to maybe watch more. We get introduced to many characters, and there are some secrets to learn about Tada’s past. Maybe it’ll be worth it to know who that missed call is on his phone, or why a motorbike looked like it was about to hit him. In his present, who is Tada going to fall in love with? Will he actually fall in love with Koko? Hey, if I was writing this show, that would make for an interesting turn. Golden Time feels like a dating sim, but not like a lazy translation from game to anime.