Fall Anime Review: Part 1

My first big fall anime review post is here with reviews for Magic Kaito 1412, Denki-Gai no Honya-san, Log Horizon 2, and Sailor Moon: Crystal.

Magic Kaito 1412

Magic Kaito 1412 is a series that follows Kaito Kuroba, whose father died under mysterious circumstances when Kaito was a child. After discovering that his father was not just a famous magician (as in stage magician), but also the infamous phantom thief, Magic Kaito, Kuroba takes up the mantle of Magic Kaito from his father to unveil the mystery surrounding his father’s death by finding the legendary "Pandora Gem," which is somehow connected to his father's dead.

Magic Kaito 1412 is also a spinoff of the insanely popular Case Closed (Detective Conan) anime/manga that literally has more than 762 episodes. However, as I can attest, aside from very basic knowledge of the Detective Conan franchise, the viewer does need to have watched Conan to understand what is happening in Magic Kaito, although Detective Conan does make a cameo.

As for the series itself, Magic Kaito 1412 is one of the more fun and entertaining anime of the fall season. It is not dark, with it being in the shounen demographic, but watching Kaito outwit the cops and others is a lot of fun. Halfway through the series' 24 episode run, it is an entertaining weekly thief romp that is simple fun. It does throw in a few unexpected twists and elements to the world, and both the opening and ending are great. Plus, the theme played when Kaito steals things is perfect for the show!

A-1 Pictures' animation is clearly attempting to mimic the style of the Magic Kaito manga, so it is certainly not their best work, but it fits the retro style well.

Earlier this week, the series was finally licensed by Crunchyroll, so now we will not have to wait for the fansubs! And Crunchyroll is working to translate the early episodes, while also showing the most recent on a regular schedule.

Thus far, Magic Kaito 1412 is worth watching if you want to watch something lighthearted and fun, but also something with likeable characters and clever writing.

Watch if you like: Detective Conan/Case Closed, Thief stories, Shounen adventure comedies,

*7.6/10*

Denki-Gai no Honya-san (The Electric Town's Bookstore)

Denki-Gai no Honya-san (The Electric Town's Bookstore) follows the wacky antics of the Umanohone Bookstore where they sale manga, doujinshi, and other Otaku content. Denki-Gai is a seinen (adult male) oriented comedy that makes references to parody versions of popular manga and anime, like Attack on Uncle as a parody of Attack on Titan. As with all comedies, humor is subjective, and during the first few episodes of the series, Denki-Gai was rather hysterical! It made me laugh a lot with its fanservice- parody humor. In fact, Otaku comedies in general are one of my favorite sub-genres, so this should have been a slamdunk for me. Unfortunately, after the first few episodes, the series reused so many jokes that by the halfway mark, only a few of the jokes actually hit the mark, most of which involved the characters Sommelier and Fu Girl. Another aspect of the series is the romance, and typically romance mixed with a comedy is a good thing that I enjoy, even if it is clichéd. Again, the series failed in the romance aspect, with the exception of Fu Girl, due to the romantic comedy humor becoming so repetitive that it was just not funny anymore. In fact, six episodes in, I almost decided to drop the series due to the repetitive humor. All in all, Denki-Gai no Honya-san is not a horrible comedy thanks to a few genuinely funny episodes. However, the repetitive jokes and general lack of originality makes Denki-Gai difficult to recommend. With so many superior Otaku comedies out there like Genshiken, Outbreak Company, even and Oreimo, Denki-Gai is only recommended to those who have already seen the aforementioned series, and are in desperate need of more Otaku comedy, although there are probably other better series that I have not even seen yet.

Watch if you like: Otaku comedy,

*4.5/10*

Log Horizon 2

The exploits of the genius Shiroe and his guild, Log Horizon, continues in Log Horizon: 2nd Series. Log Horizon's first season is one of my favorite anime from 2014 (you can read my review of it here), and the second season continues the greatness. The first half of Season 2 focuses on two story arcs that are taking place simultaneously. One arc centers around Shiroe’s attempts to fix the economic problems of the city by fighting through multiple raid bosses over the course of several months to take the world's bank. The other arc follows Akatsuki trying to hunt down a Player-Killer inside the city. Both arcs feature Log Horizon's brilliantly written use of strategy and economic thriller elements to solve the conflicts in the story. 

Studio Deen's animation is not bad, nor is it anything special. With season two having a slightly heavy focus on action, the animation does do its job at portraying the action sequences well enough, although I still prefer Statelight’s work on the first season more.

Halfway into the season, Log Horizon is more of the smartly written video game series that we all know and love. If you liked the first season, you should be watching season two.

Watch if you like: Log Horizon's first season, Video games, MMOs, Fantasy, Economic thrillers, Smart writing, Spice and Wolf,

*9.1/10*

Epic Air Glasses

Sailor Moon Crystal

Finally! After both the fall and summer seasons, we are nearly halfway through Sailor Moon Crystal, aka Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, the Sailor Moon remake that more closely follows the original manga, or at least that is what the creators have intended. Airing biweekly, Sailor Moon: Crystal continues to take its time; however, considering how easy the story is to follow, the biweekly schedule is actually not that bad. 

As I have said in my previous reviews of Sailor Moon Crystal, I did not watch Sailor Moon as a kid, therefore I harbor no nostalgia for the franchise. The main two reasons that I am watching the series is to become familiar with the popular franchise and to watch the anime that created many of the mahou shoujo tropes. 

After a slow start, the series' plot has expanded into something different than I had originally anticipated. It is not incredibly complex by any means, but the direction the series has taken contains elements that intrigue me to a degree. There have even been a few emotional moments concerning the backstory of the Crystal. The plot is far from amazing, but it is certainly better than how the series started with the storyline being a bit more mature, although still containing occasional moments that are clearly aimed at a younger audience. 

Toei Animation's work on the series continues to be solid, despite the noticeable drops in budget at times, and the CGI transformation sequences are still annoying.

My current verdict on Sailor Moon Crystal at the halfway mark is that it is good. I am not sure if I could watch episodes consecutively and still enjoy them, but as biweekly viewing, it is an easily enjoyable series.

Watch if you like: Mahou shoujo, Sailor Moon,

*6.9/10*

More Fall Anime Reviews:
The Fruit of Grisaia
In Search of the Lost Future
Terra Formars

Are you interested in any of these anime? Have you seen any of them? Please comment below and let know me. Also, do not forget to check out my other fall anime reviews in the link below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.