2014 Spring Anime First Impression Part 2

Here's part two of my 2014 Spring Anime First Impression. This is the first time that I've watched almost 30 new anime in a season. Sometime the first episode of an anime doesn't tell much of the story at all or it just make you give up on the show completely. Let's continue on the impression and I'll try to make them short. ^O^

Akuma no Riddle

Watched: 1 ep

I don't venture into shoujo-ai genre that much but the plot sounds promising. The character design is cute and lots of pretty bishoujo with dysfunctional character. Supposedly the boyish looking Tokaku Azuma (a girl) is an assassin who will try to protect the bubbly and innocent Haru Ichinose (who has a secret..) from the rest of their classmate. Looks dark and interesting.

Verdict: Maybe.

Majin Bone

Watched: 2 ep

It's about this teenage boy who found that he's compatible with the mecha outfit called Majin Bone that has super powers. Then there are these alien suited creatures that are trying to destroy the Earth and the main guys and three other teenage boys will have to fight to save the world. They warp into this virtual reality world when they fight and it looks like their suit doesn't last that long before they have to transform back. The premise is nothing new. Also the guys all uses a card to help them transform. The mecha outfit is so so. The character design is ok. I'll try watching a few more episode to see how it goes.

Verdict: Maybe.

Selector Infected WIXOSS

Watched: 1 ep

The first thing that comes out of my mind when I started watching this is that it's pretty much kind of like Madoka but if the girls were battling in a card game. It looks like the show's gonna get darker and probably each girl have their own problems. The card battle was nice. The animation was decent. Will watch more eps to see what happens next.

Verdict: Probably.

One Week Friend

Watched: 1 ep

Looks like a really interesting slice of life series. The main guy wants to be a friend and ever more with this girl but she has a problem. She's always alone and not sociable. Also the part of her memory of people important to her only last for one week. She can only remember family but not new friends the next week. I'm curious to see how the story will develop and how the main guy will make her fall for him over and over again.

Verdict: Will continue.

Black Bullet

Watched: 1 ep

I think this was a light novel before it became an anime. Rentaro, a promoter, and his Curse Children initiator partner, Enju, fight evil viruses that can manifest in human and spread throughout Tokyo. It's an interesting story. Rentaro's past looks like a sad one and I'm interested to see other Curse Children who they might be fighting in the future. Animation and character design looks good.

Verdict: Will continue.

Mahou Shouji no Taisen

Watched: 4 eps

Short 3 min episodes done about magical girls by Gainax. The animation is high quality and it looks like each girls gets a few episodes of their own. It's cute and there were some funny moments in there.

Verdict: Will continue

Blade and Soul

Watch: 1 ep

It's suppose to be based on a Korean online games. The character design is ok. It looks like there'll be lots of blood and violence too. It'll probably take more episodes to get the story moving. It's the typical assassin's girl running away from the bad guys type of story.

Verdict: Maybe.

Soul Eater Not!

Watched: 5 eps

I adored Soul Eater in both its anime and manga form so I was looking forward to watching Soul Eater Not! as a spin off series from the same world. Looks like it's starting around the same time as the Soul Eater series. The three main girls are cute. It's cool to see some cameo from the original series popping by too. This series feels more lighthearted but I'm sure it'll get more dark later on. The animation is great and the character design is awesome as always. You'll find out later what the NOT is suppose to be.

Verdict: Definitely will continue.

Captain Earth

Watched: 4 ep

Another mecha anime but with a twist. Looks like there are aliens on Earth and the main character befriended one. Then he was separated from his friends and years later the main character found out that he can pilot this super awesome robot in order to save the Earth. It's a promising start for a series. I like the character design and the animation. I'm hoping there'll be more character development and an awesome story to add to it.

Verdict: Will continue

Seikoku no Dragonar

Watched: 1 ep

This boy who lost his arm when he was young got it replaced with a tattoo arms and became a dragon rider of sort. However, everyone had a dragon except for him. He has been waiting for it to be born. The weird thing is that he can command other other people's dragon which made his classmate fear and ostracized him.. Later in the episode we get to see that dragon was born and it's a girl. I feel that the animation went downhill for this episode after the first scene. Their faces looks great but everything else was not as good. It didn't peak my interest that much.

Verdict: Don't think so

Bokura Wa Minna Kawaiisou

Watched: 1 ep

Based on a light novel, this involves a teenage boy who has a crush on this girl and found out she was living in the same apartment complex as him. With a bunch of corky apartment tenants and a weird roommate, the boy will learn to live his everyday life and maybe find love. The premise has been done in other series before but I like the character design and the animation. It looks like it'll be funny and I'm hoping the story will be interesting.

Verdict: Will continue

Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka

Watched: 1 ep

A girl move into a new town and stop by a cafe. She later learned that the cafe is the place she'll be staying at so she'll help work at the cafe. The character design is cute. It looks like this show will have cute story.

Verdict: Maybe. When I feel like watching something lighthearted

No Game; No Life

Watched: 4 eps

Based on a light novel, then it became a manga, and now it's an anime. No Game No Life had these two NEET brother and sisters who are game addicts and they got warped into a strange world where a game can decide everything. Madhouse studio did an excellent job with the animation and I really like the character design. Sora and Shiro are a messed up bunch of siblings and they are quite comical. I'm hoping to see how the story develop since there are so many races and countries and I'm curious to see how they siblings will bring back human territories by playing games.

Verdict: Yes. Definitely

L'Corda d'Oro Blue Sky

Watched: 2 eps

Based on a manga, this is a new L'Corda d'Oro series with new casts and lots of bishounen and classical music. It has great music and good character design. The animation is not bad. I'm hoping there'll be a good story with it too.

Verdict: Will continue.

Kamigami no Asobi

Watched: 3 eps

This series is based on an otome game of the same name. It has a human girl who got warped into a different world and she has to teach the different gods about human life. Lots of bishounen and great character design. The magical girl transformation scene on the first eps done by a guys is just weird but other than that it's pretty good so far.

Verdict: Will continue.

Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara

Watched: 1 ep

The main guy can see flags on top of people's head. Different flags suggest different emotion and black flags means they are about to die. Therefore, he tries to change people's faith by saying things to effect their flags. Looks like it's gonna be a fan service type of series with lots of girls and one guy. Animation is ok. Not really my thing.

Verdict: No.

Brynhildr of the Darkness

Watched: 2 eps

It's gonna be dark and gory with a sci-fi elements. The main character find the new transfer student resembling his dead female friend who died several years ago. He's trying to figure out if she was his friend or not and weird things started happening at school. He later found out that she's not human but a witch. These witch has ports in the back and they have super powers. There are many girl who are witches and they have escape from this secret lab. The story is interesting. I'm hoping to see some eerie and psycho thriller feel from this show. The character design is nice and the animation is solid.

Verdict: Will continue

Escha & Logy no Atelier

Watched: 1 ep

Yay! Atelier game turn anime. I'm playing this game right now so I'm hoping to continue the anime once I'm done with the game. Escha and Logy are alchemists who are working for the a development department in a small town. They'll use their ability to help solve problems and maybe help unravel secrets of their own. The series has really nice character design. The animation is fluid. The first ep was a good intro to the series. I'm hoping to see more character development because Escha and Logy seem to have really good personalities.

Verdict: Will continue after I finish the game.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Nana's Buried Treasure)

Watched: 6 eps

I really like this show. It turn out to be different than what I expected. Nanana, is a ghost that haunt the apartment that the main character is living in. She use to be an adventurer before someone stabbed her to death. Now the main character is trying to find out who her killer was and help her move on. It's great to see that the people in this island are not who they appeared to be. There's betrayal and lies in this show too. I like the unpredictability of this show and I'm hoping to see how they find different Nanana Collection.

Verdict: Really like it. Will continue.

Ok. That's it. Hope this gives you all a few ideas of the new show in Spring 2014. Some series may need a few episodes to develop the story. This were just my first impression of them. Also we all have different tastes of what we like so why not try watching some of these and see if you'll like them.

2014 Spring Anime First Impression

Spring is here again and there are tons of new anime to watch. There're quite a bit of mecha related show for Spring 2014 anime. Once again the boom of light novels turned anime is here this season too. There were a few sports ones and a little bit of reverse harlem too. I've watched quite a bit of new anime this season. There were some good, some bad, and some ... Here're my first impression of them.

Mushishi season 2

Watched: 2 eps



I love the first season of Mushishi. It was one of my favorite anime of all time. The second season did an awesome job of bringing back the Mushishi world. If you love anime with solid storyline that's interesting and a little bit of Japanese urban myths, then this anime is for you. Ginko's journey continue as he helps people to get rid of the mushi(ubiquitous creatures)that harms them. I felt like the essence of the first season wasn't lost and the animation is much better. I do suggest those who haven't seen the first season to watch it and also watch the OVA just to set you up to date with the second season.

Verdict: Definitely will continue to watch.

Haikyuu!!

Watched: 3 eps

Sport manga turned anime about volleyball. I love the character design of this show and Hinata, the main character, is just really likeable. It's entertaining and the animation is really good. The story is about Hinata joining the high school volleyball team so I can't wait to see the team assembling and they playing actual tournaments. This is what I pick up watching since Kuroko season 2 has finished.

Verdict: Definitely will continue to watch.

Baby Step

Watched: 1 ep



It's a manga turn anime. It's about tennis but it doesn't have bishounen like Prince of Tennis. Baby Step is a story of a teenage boy who keeps things neat and doesn't have much motivation in life. He then decided to join the tennis club. It had an ok character design. Not much of the story is pulling me in. The main character is ok. The main girl is kind of blunt and mean. Maybe the store gets better later on but I don't think it was for me.

Verdict: Don't think I'll continue watching.



Dragon Collection

Watched: 1 ep

Short 15 min shows of a boy getting sucked into a card game fantasy world called Dragon Collection. The character design is cute. It's definitely aiming toward younger audience. The animation is not bad. First episode was fun.

Verdict: It's cute. Maybe.

Oreca Battle

Watched: 1 ep

Another card game turned anime. This one has Fire the main character and his friend Data fighting in the Oreca Zone to bring back the missing monsters from their card. The character design is similar to Dragon Collection. Also a lot of the monsters are in chibi form and looks really cute. It's also a 15 min show. Also aiming toward younger audience.

Verdict: It's also cute. Maybe.


Hitsugi no Chaika (Chaika-The Coffin Princess)

Watched: 2 eps



This one was good. Don't let the title of this series scare you. It doesn't have to do with the cemetery and the morgue at all. The character design is really well done. It's a light novel turned anime. It's action-fantasy story of a young loli girl, Chaika, hauling a coffin containing a magic sniper rifle and she late meets the Saboteur guy, Toru, in a weird situation. They later met his sister, Akari, and the siblings were hired to do work for Chaika. It's a very interesting story. Chaika is really cute. She speaks in incomplete sentences, which makes her adorable. Toru and Akari are a funny sibling too. Episode 2 give more info of who Chaika really is and that may be why she's hauling a coffin. The animation is top notch and the fighting scenes are really nice.

Verdict: Looks good. Will continue watching.

Dai-Shogun

Watched: 1 ep

Historical x mecha anime. Why do I feel like there's a lot of Nobunaga The Fool type of anime coming out. This one has a trouble maker teen who has royal blood in him which able hime to pilot a robot that's hiding in a bath house. The character design is good but the animation sucks. They animation flow is just horrid in this one. It felt rough and the characters barely moves. You can definitely tell that there's fan service in this show.

Verdict: So bad. Nope.


Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

Watched: 3 eps



Another light novel turn anime. This one has both sci-fi and magic element in it. It's about a brother and sister attending a prestigious magic school and they are trying to find some truth. There's something off about Tatsuya, the older brother. The younger sister, Miyuku, has a brother complex too. There's a segregation between two group of student mages(the blooms and the weeds). The blooms are those with the high test score and the weeds are the one with the lower test score. Tatsuya does horrible at practical test but awesome at written so he was assign to the weeds. The younger sister, on the other hand, did really well and belong to the blooms. The story is interesting. The character design and animation is ok. It look promising.

Verdict: Will continue.

Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii

Watched: 2 eps



Manga turned anime. It's funny how I was reading this manga a few months ago and then I found out it was going to be an anime series. The manga is awesome and they did an excellent job with the anime. The first episode give you a look at Nike the youngest princess of the Rain clan who was chosen to marry the king. Who would have known the king is a young boy. Thus their love story begins. The animation is gorgeous. The character design is a bit different from the manga and they kept the story like the manga, which is good. I'm curious to see how this anime will go.

Verdict: Will continue.


Mekaku City Actor

Watched: 3 eps



I honestly don't know what this anime is about. It looks like a bunch of teenagers in this series has special abilities and they are trying to form a group. Episode one doesn't give much information but once you watch ep 2 and ep 3, you'll see the connection of many of the characters in the story. I like the artistic feel of this show and the animation is pretty cool. The characters design is nice. I'm hoping to see what happen next.

Verdict: Will continue.


This will be part one for now. There's a few more shows that I'd watched. Part 2 of Spring Anime 2014 first impression will be coming soon...

Tales of Zestiria Trailer 1 and 2

As a fan of the Tales of series, I was really happy to hear that they've announce the game for the 20th Anniversary. It will be called Tales of Zestiria. It looks really cool and battle systems looks really interesting. I'm hoping they continue with the two main character trend in this one too. Also Ufotable is the animation studio for this game. It'll be coming out on the PS3 but no release date quite yet. Hopefully it'll come out in Japan by the end of this year.


Here are trailer 1 and 2 for Tales of Zestiria from the Bandai Namco youtube channel.

Trailer 1




Trailer 2



You get to hear the voices of the main characters. They sound pretty good. I'm curious to see how the main antagonists for ToZ will look like. Can't wait for it to come out. \(^O^)/

ONE OK ROCK Concert LA February 7th 2014 Recap

The Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK had their first U.S. concert in Los Angeles, CA last night and my friend and I got a chance to see them perform. I wanted to recap some of the awesomeness that happen at the concert for you all. The venue was at Club Nokia in downtown LA so it’s much cozier and we can actually see them up close. There were lots of male and female fans there. I think I heard more male fans screaming and cheering than female fans in this concert.^O^

We got there two and a half hour early before the door opens and there was already a long line of people ahead of us. Also there was a group of fans who were walking around with a large ONE OK ROCK banner. We got to write messages on the banner before they deliver it to ONE OK ROCK. They started moving us in at 7 and we went upstairs and went through security check. We got the floor section tickets so we got to stand not too far from the stage. It was so worth it. I got a pretty good view of all the band members since we were in the middle.

Sound check took a little bit longer than normal but when ONE OK ROCk came out, everything was all good. There was so much screaming when they came out. Taka had such a good vocal. He was singing on his red microphone with red cord which was pretty awesome. Toru was really cool with his green guitar. Ryota was pretty build for a bassist. He perform shirtless throughout the whole show. Tomoya was so cheerful and he was smiling a lot throughout the whole concert. They brought so much energy in their performances. They were also really interactive with the crowd. Their member introductions were really cute. For a band that’s not fluent in English they were pretty good in the introductions.

Their live music sound so much better than the CD. They did about an hour and a half session. They sang a lot of the songs from the Jinsei x Boku album and a few of their famous songs from their previous albums. I got to hear them sing one of my favorite song “Kanzen Kankaku Dreamers” and the last song for the night was “The Beginning”. They came back for encore with a beautiful rendition of “Wherever You Are” This was definitely a great live concert. ONE OK ROCK concert was so much fun. I hope they come back to LA again.


I'll leave you with ONE OK ROCK video of the Yokohama Performance of "Wherever You Are" ^O^

Favorite Anime of 2013

The anime premiered in 2013 were pretty good. I've chosen to talk about them by categories rather than by ranking since numbers means nothing to me. I watched a lot of shows last year and many of them were quite impressive. There was a lot more light novel to anime adaption which is pretty cool. There were also the usual fan service shows, manga turned anime shows, and slice of life shows. I also notice the decline of original series. A little bit of everything for everyone.

Before we start, here's a quick recap of my 2012 Favorite Anime:

Best Anime of 2012: Fate/Zero (I adored this show so much. Ufotable please have the FSN remake out soon.)
Best Sci-fi: Psycho-Pass
Best Comedy: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
--> Honerable mention: Daily Lives of High School Boys and Tsuritama
Best Educational: Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers)
Best Slice of Life: Sakamichi no Apollon ( Kids on the Slope)
Best OVA: Thermae Romae (time travel, Japanese bath house/onsen and Roman architect..stuff happens)
Best Horror: Another (The last episode is crazy.)
Best Mystery: Hyouka (I Really enjoy this show.)
Best Shoujo: 3 way tie My little Monster, Kamisama Hajimemashita, and Suki tte Ii na yo (Say "I Love You")
Best Short Episodes Anime: Recorder and Randsell
Best Sports Anime: Kuroko no Basuke
Best Light Novel Adaptation: Sword Art Online
---> Honerable mention: Accel World and Kokoro Connect
Best Anime Movie: Wolf Children


Now to My 2013 Favorite Anime ^O^

Note: Some shows started in 2012 but ended 2013 so I'll count them for 2013.


Best Light Novel Adaptation: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi

I didn't know what to expect because I thought this was a magical girl anime. O! I was so wrong. There are many story arcs in this show. I really like the depth of the story. It's unique and interesting. It's great seeing Ai's adventures in the outside world. Also her traveling companions were entertaining too. The series has many arcs that had its own strong point and it made me feel the feels toward the end of the series. It's a really well done anime.


Best Educational Anime: Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon)

Gin no Saji is a completely different feel than Arakawa sensei's FMA. Her new agricultural manga got an anime adaptation in 2013. It's funny and I find it really informative. I love the quirky characters and the strange agricultural situations they dealt with. It makes of think of animals and bacon differently. Its second season starts this year too ^O^


Best Horror/Drama/Sci-fi: Shin Sekai Yori

This was a strange show. I wasn't really sure what was going on until later in the series. The mole rat people are creepy and when you find out the truth of everything, it's just very sad. The show gets better as the story progress and its complexity kept me wanting more.


Best Comedy: Hataraku Maou-Sama

I just love seeing extraordinary characters in ordinary setting. Episode one threw me off. It started out really serious and became more lighthearted and comical later in the episode. I love Mao's character. His assistant is funny too. His fight with the hero Emi is really fun. I really love the characters' facial expressions in this show. It's a great comedy with a unique storyline. There were still so many unanswered questions. It definitely needs a season 2.

Honerable mention: Blood Lad-It was funny and it was short.

Best Paranormal/Slice of Life: Kanata no Kyoukai

Combo of slice of life with paranormal and a moe megane bishoujo. It has loveable characters and awesome fight scenes. It's strange. It's different. It's fun. I'd also give this show the best bishoujo award too because of the megane moe Mirai-chan.

Best Original Anime: Kyousougiga

Based on original ONA and 5 more ONA eps that came out in 2011, this anime expand the Kyousougiga world. It's really good. Kind of like a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass in alternate universe with a bit of Japanese culture. The coloring and animation reminds me of FLCL but the story here actually make sense.

Best Game Adaptation Anime: Devil Survivor 2: The Animation

I don't know what happen to Devil Survivor 1 anime but Devil Survivor 2 anime stands on its own. It has an excellent casts and great animation. Hiroshi Kamiya and Sakurai Takahiro ❤❤❤. The story was really well written and dramatic in a way. Overall an excellent anime.


Best Shoujo Anime: WATAMOTE (Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!)

O man. How I laugh so much in this anime. Not the typical series I'd choose for best shoujo anime but it should be considered one. It stands out and is really different. Kind of sad in a way but she's just trying so hard.

Best Short Episode Anime: Senyuu

A mess up RPG world with crazy character. So funny.

Best Fantasy: Red Data Girl

It's a different type of anime that's hard to describe. The story is really well written and the animation is really good.

Honerable mention: Log Horizon-It brought the usual stuck in the MMORPG world type of anime up a notch. Very promising title.

Best Sport Anime: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

Is it because of the manly triceps and biceps? Maybe. All in honesty, Free! is just one of those show that is fun to watch. It involves high school swim club, teamwork, and friendship. Perfect combo.

Honorable mentions: Yowamushi Pedal, Daimond no Ace-these two are really fun so far.

Best Sentimental Anime: Uchoten Kazoku

This show came out of nowhere. It's about a tanuki(raccoon) family that lives normal lives posing as human. It focused on four tanuki brothers with their incompleteness and their mother living everyday while trying to find out how their father died. It's quirky and had lots of build up and lots of feels. A really great show.

Best anime episode: Episode 8 of Uchoten Kazoku
Watch the show and you'll find out. Lots of feels.T0T

Best Sci-fi: Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

The premise of this show is really interesting. Seeing a teenage boy from a different world trying to live in a dystopian less advance Earth filled with his giant mecha is really interesting. Can't wait for the sequel.

Best Anime Movie: Garden of Words

It's so beautiful. It may have a strange set up since it's about a high school boy who wants to make ladies' shoes who met an older office lady during a rainy day. It's the conversation and the relationship that builds up that turn this anime into a great film. It has a really wonderful music and beautiful story that made me feel the feels.

*Note: I haven't seen Studio Ghibli's Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises)yet so I'm not sure how this will compare to that film.

Best Animated Short: Little Witch Academia

It's cute. It's short. It's solid. The story has potential.

Best Anime of 2013: I chose two series as my favorite show of the year. Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)and Psycho-Pass

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

I don't have to say much about this show. I'd give it best manga adapted into anime too because the anime did the manga justice. It has beautiful animation, great fight scenes, the giants are as creepy as ever in animated form. This show has a great storyline and great casts. It's not for the faint of heart but it's just an amazing show. I can't wait for the next season. (I would recommend for those who wants to know what happens next to read the manga ^O^)

Psycho-Pass

Although Psycho-Pass premiered in Fall 2012, it didn't end till Winter 2013. It was my favorite sci-fi series of 2012 and it continues to become my favorite of 2013 too. After I finish watching the last episode, I'd would have to say this is one of the most fascinating sci-fi/psycho thriller series I've ever seen. The story was written by Nitroplus + the character design by the manga artist Akira Amano who did Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn. This means gorgeous characters and awesome/complex sci-fi story. There may be some loopholes in this series I just adored it so much. I love both the protagonists and the main antagonist in this show. It also had an excellent casts. It's really nice to hear Seki Tomokazu voicing a cool guy gain. Also Sakurai Takahiro voice a great villian. This serie went above and beyond by expectation. Love the fight scense and the suspense in this show. The cycle begins...Can't wait to see what season two is going to be about.


That is all my favorite anime of last year. What were some of your favorite show of 2013? Feel free to comment below ^O^

My Top Anime Songs of 2013

Hope everyone had a Happy New Year. Here's a little post summing up my favorite 2013 anime songs. Some are Opening song (OP), some are Ending (ED), some are insert song, and some are theme songs.

Log Horizon ED1- Your Song by Yun*chi- It's super catchy and cute.



Free! Iwatobi Swim Team OP-Rage On by OLDCODEX and ED-Splash Free by Style Five



Devil Survivor 2: The Animation OP- Take Your Way by Livetune feat. Fukase -Upbeat and catchy



Devil Survivor 2 Episode 10 Insert Song-Each and All by Oikawa Rin-A beautiful song



Garden of Words ending song-Rain by Motohiro Hata



Kyoukai no Kanata ED-Daisy by Stereo Divine Foundation



Kyoukai no Kanata insert songs-Yakusoku no Kizuna



Kyousougiga ED-Shissou Giga by Teppan



Toriko ED8-Akai Kutsu by Salley



Psycho-Pass OP2- Out of Control by Nothing's Carve in Stone



Shingeki no Kyoujin OP1-Guren no Yumiya by Linked Horizon-I'd be crazy if I don't include this epic opening song.




How about you guys? What were your favorite anime song for 2013?