Winter 2012 First Impressions: All of the Rest That I Haven't Covered

I can honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt, that the new season is probably one of the most solid that I’ve seen in awhile as far as first episodes go. None have really scared me away or repulsed me, even when I expected them to (Looking at you, Highschool DxD) and every single one has kept my interest throughout its runtime. However, on the flipside, very few of these series have flexed their creative muscles thus far and even fewer have impressed me. Here are my thoughts on the eight other shows that I didn’t feel it was worth making new posts dedicated to.

Brave 10

I want into Brave 10 not expecting much of anything; a little bishounen bedazzlement here, some unnecessary brooding from said bishounen there, a lead character who often took the role of the damsel in distress… it was far from encouraging. While it had the damsel in a shit heap of distress throughout the episode, it had more substance than I gave it credit for, and action that was far from bad. I wouldn’t say it has me looking forward to the next episode, but I liked this much more than I expected to.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (Daily Lives of High School Boys)

This show got a ton of hype from those who watched the teaser skits. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to download properly, so I was left out in the cold, wondering if it was really as good as everyone said it was. Lo and behold, it lived up to the hype and ended up giving me the heartiest laughs I’ve had at a comedy anime in a very long time. The timing’s perfect, the jokes are excellent, the reactions are appropriately over the top… it just works. Out of the entire lot, it’s probably the best as far as making a good first impression goes. And, while I don’t dislike it, the same can’t be said for…

Kill Me Baby

If there were a patron saint of lukewarm comedy, KMB would probably be it. It isn’t nearly as mediocre at its job as the likes of Nekogami, but I very rarely cracked more than a smile for its first episode. The second fared a little better, but I won’t get my hopes up for something that’ll set my world on fire. The only bits that consistently get that smile are the ones with the ninja scams, with the rest just not doing much for me. Other than the perplexingly catchy ED, there’s not much else to talk about here. So yeah, the ED is perplexingly catchy. Moving on!

Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai! (Listen to Me Girls, I’m Your Father!)

Again placed in the “First episodes I thought I’d loathe much more than I did” list, PapaKiki is one predictable series with an uncomfortable amount of implied incestuous lust. It follows a college student as he takes care of his three nieces while his sister is on a trip… and that’s it. What it does wrong is it tries to shock with well worn ecchi clichés (Holy shit, he walked in on a girl just in her towel! Never seen that before!), trying way too hard in the process. It’s tolerable, if little else.

Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki

Poyopoyo is about a cat named Poyo. He’s round and cute, but acts just like a regular cat does. Truly, it’s one of the deepest, most profound offerings in years, with the message that being round is much better than being rectangular. Why? Because Poyo is. If you don’t have an epiphany in the first five minutes regarding your own life, you just can’t appreciate the mastery of art and stupendous story that Poyopoyo has to offer. And for that, I pity you.

Recorder to Randoseru

An 11 year old boy who looks like a grown adult and a 17 year old girl who looks like a grade-schooler easily snapped in half by a gentle breeze? Hilarious! Or it would be if that weren’t the only joke. It worked well enough for the first three minute segment, but it just isn’t a broad enough joke to hold up episode to episode.

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 2

If the first series was a zany whirlwind of sight gags, nipples that move of their own accord, and unbelievable idiocy on part of the core group of characters, the second seems intent on doubling the kookiness. And I must say, it pulled it off well, making me laugh and furrow my brow in confusion more than any other moment in the previous season. Viewing the first isn’t really necessary to enjoy this since character development is hardly present (Milky Holmes actually made an effort to become detectives again in the previous series), but it wouldn’t hurt.

Thermae Romae

Thermae Romae is the epitome of public domain: Flash animation more stilted than two stilts delivering soliloquies, well known classical music, and a plot that’s so goofy it somehow works (A Roman finds himself in Japan and takes several aspects of Japanese bathhouses to apply in Roman ones). Really, that’s all there is to say; not great, but for what it is, it’s pretty good.

I think that’s all there is to say about this season’s offerings, since I’m not giving the Amagami sequel a look and I’m too tired to think of anything else. May it improve, so I don’t end up completely apathetic toward it by the end.

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