summer 2015

Rule of Three Review: GANGSTA. – Episodes 2-3

You’ll want to check your expectations at the door, but that should by no means stop you from coming in.

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I did this one a disservice in my Panning post by comparing it to Black Lagoon and Jormungand, when really the only thing they share in common is an interest in the less-than-legal underworld and the personalities that live there. GANGSTA is also not going to be the next Michiko & Hatchin or Cowboy Bebop (although it’s probably closest in tone to that last one’s more somber episodes)—although I want to stress that that is in no way a knock against it.

GANGSTA is damn good and has the potential to be damn great, but it’s also its own thing, and a much quieter show than any of the shows you’ll be inclined to compare it to. The tone is less grandiosity and more… well, melancholy, I suppose. But then, in a city called “Ergastulum,” named for the Roman buildings used to imprison or punish slaves, I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else.

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My Love Story!! – Episode 15: “My Girlfriend”

The Takeo Fan Club really ought to have its own membership cards at this point.

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Yep, our protagonist gets a new admirer this week thanks to the school’s sports festival! After the 300m runner in the co-ed Swedish relay (which we learn all about thanks to Suna’s smart phone) sprains her ankle during practice, the class has to pick one of its less-than-stellar athletes to take her place, which is how we (and Takeo) get to know Saijou Mariya.

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Panning the Stream: Sequels and Carryovers Edition (Summer 2015)

Styles keep a-changin’, the world’s rearrangin’, but some shows are timeless to me.

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As is custom, I’m popping in to let everyone know the sequels and carryovers on my calendar. We’ve got (re)meet ‘n’ greets for those who’ve returned to the anime schedule (some from a very long absence), and a quick blurb for the rest. Hit the jump to welcome them all back.

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Panning the Stream: SCHOOL-LIVE, Prison School, Himouto! Umaru-chan

And so the summer 2015 premiere week ends with a resounding: “Da fuq?”

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I’ll have a “sequels and carryovers” panning post come out later, but this’ll be my last post for new shows this season (if the delayed God Eater makes the watch list, I’ll hit it up in a Rule of Three Review). Very few shows jumped out and grabbed me by the throat, but a whole lot caught my attention and suggested there were reasons to stick around. As of right now my “at least come back for Episode 2” list contains 18(!!) series. That number’s gonna have to go down at some point, but for now, I’m kind of… excited, actually. I feel like a kid in a candy store: Most of this stuff is sure to rot my teeth, but dang, I’m gonna enjoy munching on it.

Fittingly, we end with a trio of shows thick with WTFery, two of which (I am only slightly ashamed to say) are getting full meet ‘n’ greets, and one that didn’t make the cut. Hit the jump and know the depths of my poor taste.

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Panning the Stream: Overlord, Castle Town Dandelion, Seiyu’s Life, Sky Wizards Academy

The waters are getting choppier.

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I sat on a lot of mini-reviews because I didn’t want to do a Panning post without at least one full meet ‘n’ greet, but the list was getting longer and the shows weren’t getting better, so I finally decided to buff my one “maybe” into a full-length blurb and chuck the latest batch up. The weekend’s “unpolished but potential-packed” series have been swiftly replaced with nopes and sighs, but feel free to hit the jump for some thoughts on ’em, at least.

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My Love Story!! – Episode 14: “My Jinx”

MM Land: The happiest place on earth?

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Okay, maybe not, but it does have a certain magic to it, existing in a world slightly removed from our own—much like My Love Story itself, perhaps. That’s the theme running through this episode, from Oda’s encouragement that Ai try on a goofy hat because she’s taking a break from “reality” to Suna explaining that jinxes aren’t about magic but hard facts, as it’s “more common for relationships to not work out.”

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Panning the Stream: Snow White with the Red Hair, Chaos Dragon, Actually I Am, Monster Musume

Love is in the air, but the sparks ain’t always flying.

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We come at last to my most anticipated new series of the season—and no, it isn’t either of the ones about dudes with monster harems. Animation studio BONES is doing a shoujo for the first time since—geez, Ouran High, I guess—and the results are predictably lovely. As for the rest… well, it wasn’t all bad, it just wasn’t all my cup of tea. Of course, some of it was rull bad, too. Hit the jump for some goodies, some not-so-goodies, and of course, some dudes with monster harems. Only in anime, I tell you what.

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Panning the Stream: GANGSTA, Ushio and Tora, SHIMONETA

It’s okay to be a little GARish sometimes.

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Summer shows continue to run the gamut in terms of genre and content, and so it’s unsurprising that today we turn to series that look nothing like anything else we’ve seen so far this season: A criminal underworld drama and a classic shounen action/adventure. Oh, and a weak attempt at satire which earns a spot as my first official dropped show of the season. But mostly the first two. Hit the jump for even more summer series that caught my eye and popped with potential.

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Panning the Stream: Rokka, Charlotte, Aoharu x Machinegun

‘Tis the season of well-executed fluff?

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While I haven’t had a true “wow” moment yet this season, I confess that I’m enjoying way more of these premieres than expected. There’s a lot of energy so far this Summer, and while that may not translate into good series, it’s led to solidly entertaining pilots that have at least sparked my interest and made me want to see more.

This time around we’ve got a snazzily directed fantasy epic, a supernatural school tale, and an Ouran High ripoff that I liked in spite of myself. Hit the jump for the messy but enjoyable details.

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Panning the Stream: Ranpo Kitan, Classroom Crisis, GATE

Gather round, gang. It’s time once again to meet the new crowd of anime.

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As a reminder, I watch every licensed premiere and do at least a brief writeup about them. I’ll do full meet ‘n’ greets for shows that caught my interest enough to warrant it. Everything else gets a blurb explaining what I liked, didn’t like, and why the show might not or didn’t make the cut.

Happy one-year anniversary to these Panning the Stream posts! The summer season has returned, and with it a slew of new titles. It also happens to be Fourth of July weekend here in the states, which means grilling and beering and other friend-related activities, so you’ll have to excuse me if these get posted a bit later than intended. But get posted they shall, starting with our first trio, which all managed to surprise me to more-or-less pleasant degrees. Hit the jump to shake hands with our first batch of new shows!

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