Suicide Squad First Impression

It feels so good to be bad. Yes, I've seen Suicide Squad. Like usual, I did not see a single review, rating, or opinion prior to viewing it. And I am really glad that I did. There is so much to talk about in regards to this movie and everyone else’s opinions. But that will be saved for my review. And boy, this is going to be one difficult movie to review. Regardless of the quality of the movie, it was a fun experience. Half the audience clapped at the end (I didn't), and DC FINALLY HAS AN AFTER CREDITS SCENE. About time DC! Hopefully, that will be out in a few days. In the meantime, you can post links to your reviews in the comments for myself and others to see your thoughts. 

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

X-Men: Apocalypse First Impression

Update: My full review of the film is up. Please click here to see it, and if you reviewed the film, let me know in the comments.

Finally, I got to see Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse! Unlike my usual experience, I actually saw the review scores. For some ridiculous reason, the Rotten Tomatoes score is a mere 48%. Sure, it might not be the masterpiece that Days of Future Past, but it much better than that rating would suggest. My reasons will be explained in the review on either tomorrow or Saturday. Also, definitely avoid any trailers if you have not seen it. Apparently, one of the later trailers spoils one of the best surprises of the movie. If possible, I recommend re-watching some of the other X-Men films to refresh your memory because much of the character building ties into what happened in the precious films. Please check back soon for my full review tomorrow!

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

Pixar's Lava Review and Inside Out First Reaction

Preceding screening of Inside Out, Lava is Pixar's short film that was originally screened at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival last year, but is now being screened to the public. The film is a simple musical love story about a lonely volcano singing about he wishes that he would have someone to love. Essentially 7 minutes of singing, the short does seem to drag on longer than its runtime. However, it manages to convey an emotionally manipulative short film that tries its hardest to make the audience feel something. Does it succeed? A little, but not too much because I knew exactly what it was trying to do. 

Overall: 7.5/10- With that said, the animation is simple, yet good, and as a whole, it is worthwhile enough to recommend that you make it to your seat before it starts. Being Pixar, it will probably win the Oscar for an animated short film...

Now for my Inside Out First Reaction, I had a surprisingly good time. In fact, for the first time is more than a decade, I watched an animated film in theaters. The last one I watched was Finding Nemo back in 2003. I wanted to see The Lego Movie last year, but things did not work out, and I was glad to see Inside Out in theaters. Being so late in its run in a relatively small town, there were not many people at theater. Surprisingly, there were only 5 or 6 kids and about 20 adults, which shows how Pixar movies truly appeal to the adult audience as well. Before my review of the film tomorrow, here are a few reviews by fellow critics, and let me know if you have reviewed the film and I will include it below.

Review by Jordan

Review by Daniel

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

Jurassic World First Reaction

I finally got to see Jurassic World! Wow, I always open my reaction posts like that don’t I? I really need to think of something else, anyway.... First Reaction: I had a fun time. It is definitely worth seeing in the theater just for the spectacle alone. Otherwise, please check back for my review of the film tomorrow. Until my review, you can read reviews by fellow critics in the links below and if you wrote a review, please leave a link in the comments.

As for my moviegoing experience, it was good for the most part. After moving to a place where two kids were not behind, everything went fairly well until.... Apparently, some teens (between 14 and 16 years old) in the back of theaters were making so much of a raucous and cursing that the owner came out in the middle of the movie and told them to stop. At the end of the movie, someone else told them off too. Thankfully, I did not even hear them until before and after the movie, so it did not affect me at all. but it is something somewhat interesting. Has anything like this happened to you? Please let me know!

Review by Jordan

Review by Sarah

Review by Child of the 70s

Review by Rick (mild spoilers)

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

Tomorrowland First Reaction

Hello again everyone, I have just gotten back from seeing Tomorrowland, the latest Disney film starring George Clooney and directed by Brad Bird. As with all First Reaction posts, here's my first reaction: if you are already planning to go see the film, go for it; otherwise, wait for my full review tomorrow to help you decide whether it is something you want to see.

You may be wondering why I am not reviewing Mad Max: Fury Road. That's because the local theater only shows one film every two weeks, and Mad Max was, unfortunately, not one of them. Otherwise, I would have definitely gone to see it. However, I will definitely be able to see Jurassic World in a couple of weeks, so look for that review.

Oddly enough, Tomorrowland is the first PG rated film that I have seen more than a decade. Spy Kids 3 and Finding Nemo were the last ones back in 2003 if I remember correctly, and of course then, I was a kid.

Thankfully, almost everyone was quiet, and only one person used a cellphone one time, so that's always a plus. I am curious, at the theaters you go to, how often do people use their cellphones during the film? It is becoming more common of late for me.

As always, if you reviewed the film, let me know in the comments, and please check back tomorrow for the review.

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

Avengers: Age of Ultron - First Reaction

I have now seen Avengers: Age of Ultron! Now those spoiler-trolls cannot ruin the movie anymore! Anyway, I have seen Age of Ultron! As usual, I will save my main thoughts for the spoiler free review tomorrow, but needless to say that I had a ton of fun at the movie theater, and everyone should go see the film. Well, at this point, going to see a Marvel flick is a given, but if you have not seen it yet, just go watch it. Also, if you have written a review, please let me know in the comments if you so wish, because I plan to caught up on everyone else's thoughts on the movie.

As for my moviegoing experience, almost everyone was quiet, including the one kid. My one issue is that THREE people in a theater of about 30 people used their phones during the movie. It was like someone lit up the theater at one point. Why do people do this? My "rage-against-the-machines" aside, I had a blast while watching the film! Other than that, I did not watch it in 3D this time.

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

Gonna be the Twin-Tails!! Review

Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu (Gonna be the Twin-Tails!!), or OreTwi for short, is a perfect example of how bizarrely fun anime can be. The anime is about Sōji Mitsuka, a twintail obsessed high school student, and after the Ultimegil, humanoid-dinosaur like aliens attack earth, a mysterious woman, Twoearle, tells Sōji that the Ultimegil are from a parallel universe and that they freed off of the "attribute power" of humans, specifically traits like a girl's love of twintail hairstyle or other similar things (seriously, you cannot make this stuff up). To combat the Ultimegil, Twoearle gives Sōji the Tail Gear, that when activated, transforms him into Tail Red, and in this form, he changes into a girl. 

Crazy concepts like this is one of the reason why I love anime. Where else are you going to find a series about aliens stealing the love of twintails from the hearts of humanity!? OreTwi excels in capitalizing on the absurdity of the concept for comedic effect. Many elements of the plot can be considered dumb, but it somehow all works to create one incredibly enjoyable package, providing this is your type of anime. Somehow, OreTwi manages to look like it is taking itself seriously, while not taking itself seriously, which sounds like an oxymoron, but if you watch it, you know what I am talking about.

As for the characters, Sōji's obsession with twintails often produces a lot of great comedy with how he cares more about twintails than almost anything else. Usually, when a guy turns into a girl in a series, you expect him to do certain things, and the series actually makes fun of the norm due to his obsession with twin tails. Later in the series, he even goes through the classic hero's struggle, which is strangely reminiscent of Spider-Man 2, and it is resolved rather humorously. Aika Tsube, Sōji's childhood friend, is a fun twist on the tsundere archetype since, instead of punching/kicking the protagonist for doing things, she beats up the other female character, Twoerle, for making advances towards Sōji, which produces often hilarious results.

The rest of the characters like Twoerle and Erina Shindō are entertaining to watch interact. However, I do have to give a shout out to Sōji's mom for being the most hilariously understanding anime mom ever. Also, the villains are absurdly over-the-top in their love of various weird things.

Production IMS' animation is all around solid, except for episode ten, which is oddly out of place among the rest of the episodes due to horrendous animation quality. The action sequences, while not special, get the job done, and the background art is slightly above-average. Also, the character designs are quite good. The only problem is that OreTwi is technically an ecchi anime, and as such, there is fanservice and ecchi humor.

Overall, Gonna be the Twin-Tails!! is one of the most strangely entertaining anime of the 2014. It is the type of anime that is so weird and wacky that it just works. Even though it might not be thought-provoking or well written, OreTwi succeeds at being off-the-wall ridiculous fun. However, it is certainly not for everyone.

Watch if you like: Comedy, Ecchi comedy, Mahou shoujo, Wackiness, 

*7.4/10*

More Fall Anime Reviews:
Fall Anime Review: Part 1
Fall Anime Review: Part 2
Fall Anime Review: Part 3
Amagi Brilliant Park Review

The Fruit of Grisaia
In Search of the Lost Future
Terra Formars
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Yona of the Dawn
Yuki Yuna is a Hero

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

Amagi Brilliant Park Review

Yet another fall anime review is here with Amagi Brilliant Park.

Amagi Brilliant Park

After being forced to visit an amusement park, Amagi Brilliant Park, by the mysterious Isuzu Sento, Kanie, a former child star and perfectionist, is asked to become the manager and save the park, which will be closed if the park does not reach a certain number of visitors in three months. He is also told that the park is run by the refugees of the magical realm of Maple Land, who live on the happiness of others, so without the park, they will likely die.

Amagi Brilliant Park is a fun anime with an original concept. Even though reaching a certain amount of visitors and one other element revealed later in the series are constant themes throughout, many of the episodes are episodic with each one being about either Kanie's schemes to get more visitors or something related to the park, which often produces great comedic situations.

In terms of comedy, it is most definitely funny with most of the humor relying on slapstick. However, unlike other comedy anime, like Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Amagi Brilliant Park does not seem to focus primarily on the comedy. This is not a bad thing per se, but if you are expecting something like Gekkan or D-Frag, then Amagi Brilliant Park is not it. With that said, the series is still very entertaining and amusing.

As for the characters, Kanie is driven to make the park reach its goal, and while not a deep character, he is fun and not particularly archetypal. Isuzu Sento is the female lead that waves around her magic musket, and even though a romance between her and Kanie is hinted at in the series, it does not go very far, unfortunately. Amagi Brilliant Park’s supporting cast is full of colorful (in more ways than one) and wacky supporting characters that produce a lot of the humor. 

As expected, Kyoto Animation's work on the series is beautiful! Finally, we get to see what KyotAni's character designs in Free would look like for female characters, and the results are stunning. With that said, this is also the first time KyotAni has had true fanservice, and while it is not a major issue, it is still there. However, the rest of the animation from the background art to fluidity is truly top notch.

On a side note, for some reason, the final episode plays out more like an OVA that is disconnected from the main narrative with the second to last episode being the true finale, so do not expect a real finale while watching the series.

Overall, Amagi Brilliant Park is a fun and entertaining anime with an original concept. While it might not accomplish anything spectacular and the conclusion might be a tad disappointing, the stunning art style and slapstick comedy made it more than worth my time.

Watch if you like: KyotoAni, Amusement parks, Fantasy, Full Metal Panic,

*7.6/10*

For another opinion, check out Sleepy Otaku's review of it over on Otakuverse by clicking here!

More Fall Anime Reviews:
Fall Anime Review: Part 1
Fall Anime Review: Part 2
Fall Anime Review: Part 3

The Fruit of Grisaia
In Search of the Lost Future
Terra Formars
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Yona of the Dawn
Yuki Yuna is a Hero

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

Winter Anime Overview

Now that my winter anime impressions are finished and that we are halfway through the season, it is time to take a look at all the anime of the season and decide whether or not you check them out based on how good they are at the mid-season mark. Instead of ranking each one individually, I am categorizes each anime by quality with the score range beside the category. Of course, this is my opinion, so let me know your thoughts in the comments. Also, sequels and two cour anime from last season are not listed among the main group. 

Must-Watch (9.0-10)

Death Parade

Highly Recommended (8.0-8.9)

Saenai Heroine no Sodate-kata (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend)

Yoru no Yatterman (Yatterman Night)

Worth Your Time (7.5-7.9)

Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (Assassination Classroom)

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! (Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!)

Koufuku Graffiti (Gourmet Girl Graffiti)

Rolling☆Girls

Good not Great (7.0-7.5)

Junketsu no Maria (Maria the Virgin Witch)

Slightly Above Average (6.0-6.9)

Kantai Collection: Kan Colle

Average/Mediocre/Not bad for a Harem (5.0-5.9)

Absolute Duo

Isuca

Juuou Mujin no Fafnir (Unlimited Fafnir)

Seiken Tsukai no World Break (World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman)

Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (The Testament of Sister New Devil)

Dropped Anime (0.0-4.9)

Sengoku Musou (Samurai Warriors)

Unrankable (Watch only if you are a Kunihiko Ikuhara fan)

Yurikuma Arashi

Sequels I'm Watching

Aldnoah.Zero 2

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Battle in Egypt

Kamisama Hajimemashita◎ (Kamisama Kiss Season 2)

Kuroko no Basket 3

Tokyo Ghoul √A

For my impressions of each series listed (well, most of them), you can click on the links below.

Assassination Classroom: First Impressions
Death Parade Episodes 1-3 Review
Kantai Collection: KanColle: First Impressions
The Rolling Girls: First Impression
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 1
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 2
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 3
Yatterman Night: First Impression

Please let me know what you think of the season's anime in the comments and if you want to see this overview concept used again. 

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

Winter Anime Impressions: Part 4

My final winter anime impression post is here with reviews for Koufuku Graffiti, Isuca, Kuroko no Basket 3, and Miritari!

Koufuku Graffiti (Gourmet Girl Graffiti) 

Koufuku Graffiti, translated as Gourmet Girl Graffiti, is an anime about food that follows Ryō Machiko, a middle school girl who lives by herself after her grandmother past away. Ryō loves to cook, but feels that her cooking does not taste as good as it could, until her she meets her cousin, Kirin Morino, for the first time, and thus begins a pleasant slice-of-life anime with artistic visuals.

From Studio Shaft, the masterminds behind the Monogatari series and Ef: A Tale of Memories, Koufuku Graffiti mixes the moe "cute girls doing cute things" genre with their stunning visual style and kinetic editing, and the results are surprisingly entertaining. Even though a lot of people do not like Shaft's style, I absolutely love it! Therefore, if you already dislike Akiyuki Shinbo and Shaft's style, Koufuku Graffiti might not be for you.

With that out of the way, Koufuku Graffiti is one of the more entertaining anime of the season. The food in the series looks absolutely amazing! It is like fanservice for food, or rather "food-service," and you it makes you want to reach into the screen and eat it! 

The main source of criticism that the series gets is that the way the girls eat the food is overly "suggestive," and while it might go too far on occasion, it is not that nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it is overly stylized for some, but it is such a fun and relaxing series to watch that also makes you hungry.

As for the characters, Ryō, Kirin, and the other characters are not especially complex. However, they are likable, and the series focuses a lot on how Ryō changes from being a loner thanks to Kirin. Her progression is not the most compelling thing ever, and episode six was basically all filler, but it is hard to dislike Ryō and Kirin. 

Ultimately, Koufuku Graffiti is a standard slice-of-life anime with a ton of style that elevates it above the rest, and if you are interested in Japanese food or Studio Shaft, then this is a must-watch.

Watch if you like: Food, Shaft, Moe, Akiyuki Shinbo,

*7.6/10*

Isuca

From the illustrious studio Arms that has brought us such classics as Ikki Tousen, Queen Blade, and Master of Martial Hearts comes Isuca, and if you know anything about the anime I just mentioned, you know that I am being sarcastic, because Studio Arms is known for delivering utter fanservice garbage, with the possible exception of Elfen Lied, and Isuca is no exception or is it?

Isuca is about Shinichirou, a high school guy, and after encountering Sakuya, a girl that hunts supernatural creatures, Shinichirou discovers that can transfer massive amounts of power to whomever he kisses. A cat girl and Sakuya's cousin gets thrown into the mix and you have an utterly terrible anime that is so bad that it is almost good. The first episode is straight up just bad, even for an ecchi. It has every bad ecchi cliché, and it is portrayed is worst way possible. However, the following episodes actually goes so far that it turns from being just bad to so absurdly bad that it is almost good in that weird kind of way. Everything about the series is terribly written, but it is just so poorly written that it is entertaining to just laugh at. Other than, the show is just not good. Studio Arms' animation is a little below average, and nothing to write home about.

Isuca is only good for one thing: laughing at how bad it is, and unless you are dying for something this bad, just do not watch it!

Watch if you like: Ecchi,

Warning: Recommended for 18+ mature audiences.

*4.0/10*

Kuroko no Basket 3 (Kuroko's Basketball 3)

There is not much to say about Kuroko no Basket 3. It is the third season of Kuroko no Basket, and it picks up directly where the previous seasons left off. As for the previous seasons, Kuroko no Basket is the sports series that got me hooked on sports anime. Each basketball game is absolutely intense! Even though it is a sports series, it is more suspenseful than most action anime, and I dislike basketball as a sport, so the fact that this is one of my favorite anime ever is saying something. The characters are likable, the comedy is great, and the animation is beyond amazing! If you want to get hooked on the sports genre, watch Kuroko no Basket!

Watch if you like: The previous seasons, Sports anime,

*8.9/10*

Miritari!

Miritari! is a comedy short where Yano Souhei's father is caught up in a conflict between the fictional countries of Krakozhia Dukedom and the Grania Republic, and to protect Souhei, First Lieutenant Ruto and Second Lieutenant Haruka are sent to protect him from enemies like Shachirofu. What ensues is a series of comical explosions and gunfire! 

What makes it a comedy is that the soldiers protecting Souhei are cute moe lollies, and the same goes for the enemies. With only three minutes for each episode, you can quickly watch a comedy skit, often with the lollies fighting each other and destroying Souhei's house. Most of the episodes are very funny, while a few are only mildly funny. The lollies characters are a lot of fun to watch, but, as with most shorts, there is nothing beyond the comedy, so whether or not you will enjoy Miritari! will depend on how funny you find the humor. The jokes are not all that smart, but it is good random fun, and with such low time investment required, I am going to finish the series!

Watch if you like: Comedy, Lollies, Shorts,

*6.5/10*

More Winter Impressions:
Assassination Classroom: First Impressions
Death Parade Episodes 1-3 Review
Kantai Collection: KanColle: First Impressions
The Rolling Girls: First Impression
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 1
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 2
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 3
Yatterman Night: First Impression

What winter anime are you watching? What do you think of the ones that I reviewed? Please comment below and let me know.

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

Winter Anime Impressions: Part 3

My winter impressions continue with Junketsu no Maria, Durarara!!x2 Shou, Unlimited Fafnir, and World Break, although, due to some delays, these are more like mid-season reviews. Anyway, let’s do this!

Junketsu no Maria (Maria the Virgin Witch)

Set in France during the Hundred Years' War, Junketsu no Maria, aka Maria the Virgin Witch, follows Maria, a powerful witch, who adamantly tries to stop the war by using her magic and succubus servant to interfere with the warring factions. However, as word of her interference spreads, certain higher powers take notice and try to stop Maria. I will stop the plot summary there as to not spoil the series.

Due to the impressive visuals and a classic fantasy setting, Junketsu no Maria was one of my most hyped anime of the winter season, and while it has moments of brilliance, it is, unfortunately, not living up to what it could be. 

Classical fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and Junketsu no Maria's setting of using a real war from the past with elements of magic intertwined is very interesting. Even though the first episode is all around excellent, the series takes a turn for the worst in episodes two and three with an oddly heavy focus on crude humor that clashes with the rest of the series, almost to the point of ruining the entire experience; a lot of the material just falls on its face. Fortunately, episodes four and five seem to be taking a better direction, and maybe the series' plot can become more focused, because the concept and world are fascinating. 

As for the characters, Maria herself is very likable. She only wants to help, and her banter with the other characters is usually a lot of fun. The other characters are okay, but not terribly memorable.

A big selling point of the series is Production I.G.'s beautiful and unique art style. The animation brings the fantasy world to life with a lot soft round edges vibrant colors, which makes for an appealing world to just experience for 20 minutes every week. Maria's character design is particularly well done and is actually unique as it almost mixes Kiki's Delivery Service's designs with modern anime for great blend of the two styles. Unfortunately, along with the crude humor and dialogue, there is quite a lot of fanservice.

Junketsu no Maria has a lot of potential, and while it seems that it will not fulfill said potential, the characters, art style, and fantasy world will keep me coming back until the series' completion.

Watch if you like: Fantasy,

*7.2/10*

Warning: Recommended for mature audiences.

Durarara!!x2 Shou

Durarara makes it triumphant return in Durarara!!x2 Shou! Set several months after the events of the first season, Durarara is right back to what made the first season so much fun with its large cast of characters and relentless pace. As for the first season, it is a ton of fun, and after you watch Baccano, which is based on light novels by the same author that wrote Durarara, you should definitely give Durarara a watch. It is way too much fun, and the style is just the right amount of zany, without reaching Kill la Kill levels.

Going back to Durarara!!x2 Shou, it is just absurdly entertaining! And even though Brains Base did not return to animate the series, the new Studio Shuka matches the Brains Base’s perfectly. Of the sequels this season, Durarara is right up there with Stardust Crusaders 2 as the best. Apparently, the rest of the light novels are set to be adapted into an anime in the summer and next year’s winter season, which means there will be plenty of Durarara greatness to come, so there is no better time to catch up on the series than the present.

Watch if you like: The first season, Action, Fantasy, Unique style,

*8.5/10*

Seiken Tsukai no World Break (World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman)

Seiken Tsukai no World Break (World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman) is yet another derivative ecchi harem that in set in a fantasy world where certain people have the memories of their past lives as heroes (or villains) that can use magic to defeat monsters. Of course, the series is set in a high school where the characters learn how to use their powers. Despite being clichéd in setting, the characters are a little different than the norm.

Moroha Haimura, the main character, is the typical guy with special powers that make him better than everyone else. However, the supporting harem, especially, Shizuno Urushibara, do not fall into the overly shy or violent clichés that annoy me. Urushibara is surprisingly nonchalant whenever Haimura ends up in an awkward situation with her, which is nice, and despite being a tsundere-esque character, Satsuki Ranjō is very open about her affection for Haimura. The series plays out more like a love-triangle since the other girls having no real shot, even if one of the other girls harasses Haimura with an ear of corn (I cannot make this stuff up, but it is played for comedy).

Diomedéa’s animation is average, or slightly below, although it does not have a ton of horrible CGI, and the fanservice is not that bad for an ecchi.

World Break is just barely above average as an ecchi series that has an interesting concept that is likely to be pushed to the side. However, it is not a bad viewing experience, so I am going to keep watching.

Watch if you like: Ecchi, Fantasy,

*5.2/10*

An intentional kiss in the first 10 minutes, that's actually impressive for a harem.

Juuou Mujin no Fafnir (Unlimited Fafnir)

Unlimited Fafnir is set in a fantasy world where large dragons attack the world, and girls with the powers of dragons, referred to as “D,” appear. The series takes place on a special school for the “D,” and of course, being an all girls’ school, the world’s only male “D,” Yuu Mononobe, goes there and the plot for a typical ecchi/harem begins!

Honestly, there is not much to say about Unlimited Fafnir other than it is exactly like every other ecchi/harem that you have ever seen, although with a little less fanservice than most. Some of the concepts are relatively interesting, but as a whole, the series does nothing original. Studio Diomedéa’s animation is a little below average, and the 3D used is worse than something out of the 90s.

With all that said, Unlimited Fafnir is not a bad anime, just a completely average one, and it does provide a little entertainment. Having already invested the time to watch six episodes, I suppose I will go ahead and finish the series, but it is not recommendable.

Watch if you like: Ecchi,

*5.0/10*

What are you watching? Are you interested in any of the ones that I have reviewed today?

More Winter Impressions:
Assassination Classroom: First Impressions
Death Parade Episodes 1-3 Review
Kantai Collection: KanColle: First Impressions
The Rolling Girls: First Impression
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 1
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 2
Yatterman Night: First Impression

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

Assassination Classroom: First Impressions

My winter impressions continue with Assassination Classroom.

Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyoushitsu)

In Assassination Classroom, aka Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, the earth is threatened by a yellow tentacle creature, who is later named Koro-sensei. Koro-sensei has already destroyed most of the moon, and he promises to destroy earth within a year if he is not killed. However, for some unknown reason, he agrees to teach the students of class 3-E, a class of misfits and troublemakers, and they are given the task to kill Koro-sensei by the end of the school year before he destroys the earth. Of course, Koro-sensei is fully aware of the kids trying to kill him. He almost encourages well thought-out attempts, and since he is so absurdly fast and nearly unlikable, almost every attempt results in complete failure. Also, Koro-sensei is a fantastic teacher as he helps the students not just in academics, but also in life problems, much like Great Teacher Onizuka. 

Despite the somewhat serious premise, Assassination Classroom is a comedy, which seems to be a trend this season. It is mostly about Koro-sensei teaching the students, with each episode focusing a specific character, and the students' assassination attempts, which often result in humorous "punishments" by Koro-sensei as he does things like painting a guy's fingernails at superspeed before he realizes it. 

Episode 1 sets up the premise effectively and delivers some good laughs. Episode 2 made me think the series would become repetitive with a less than impressive episode; however, the series improved the quality with episodes 3 and 4, which were often very funny and featured some fun new characters. 

Nothing about Assassination Classroom is groundbreaking, but it is just a lot of fun to watch. Thus far, the characters are generally interesting, and while the humor is not on Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun levels, the series' story and concept keeps it from becoming boring. 

Koro-sensei himself is a very interesting and unique character. Even though the "Great Teacher" aspect is a trope, his other characteristics are something that I have seen in anything else. Also, we have been given glimpses at a tragic past, which is apparently the reason he wants to teach these students, so maybe that will provide strong character development later in the series (or not, since this is a comedy). 

On the other hand, the main student character, Nagisa Shiota (left), is a bit of an enigma. The character has a generally feminine name, somewhat of a girlish character design, and is voiced by a woman, yet Nagisa is a guy. He never acts like a girl and the other characters never bring it up, so I assume this was done to make the character somewhat gender neutral. Regardless, as a character, Nagisa is not given a lot to do other than observe, but he is a decent character. 

Studio Lerche's animation is simple, yet unique, with pronounced outlines similar to Danganronpa: The Animation, which was by the same studio, so it works and the quality is usually consistent. 

With 24 episodes, hopefully Assassination Classroom can keep up the good humor and fun characters throughout the entirety of its run. Of the season's anime, Assassination Classroom is one of the better ones, and while it is not exceptional in any category, it is just all around entertaining to watch.

Watch if you like: Comedy, Great Teacher Onizuka, Shounen,

*7.8/10*

More Winter Impressions:
Death Parade Episodes 1-3 Review
Kantai Collection: KanColle: First Impressions

The Rolling Girls: First Impression

Winter Anime Impressions: Part 1
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 2
Yatterman Night: First Impression

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

Kantai Collection: KanColle: First Impressions

My winter impressions continue with Kantai Collection: KanColle.

Kantai Collection: KanColle

Based on the popular video game of the same name, Kantai Collection: KanColle is set in a world where the, presumably alien, abyssal fleet has taken over the seas, and to combat this threat, special human girls that possess the spirit of historical naval vessels, who are known as kanmusu, use weaponized outfits to battle the abyssal. The series is from the viewpoint of a kanmusu named Fubuki, as she trains and fights the abyssal. While KanColle might sound like some epic sci-fi battle anime, it is more of a moe-fluff series with the battles as a backdrop. Seriously, all of the kanmusu are either cute moe girls or their older superiors. As of now, there are literally no male characters either (not that this is a bad thing). 

Moe slice-of-life anime, aka "moe-fluff," is not a bad genre, providing that is what you are looking for, and while most settings for such anime are generic, KanColle manages to set itself apart with the mix of action and sci-fi. In fact, the third episode introduces some surprisingly serious war elements and consequences. Unfortunately, the execution of said element is rather poor, but it makes me hopeful that maybe the series can do it again, except with better execution. 

Overall, KanColle has me conflicted. In one sense, it is different than a lot of other moe-fluff thanks to those original elements, and the concept of moe-girls with the spirit of battle ships fighting for humanity is really out there, in a good way. Plus, the moe antics, while not special, are fun to watch for the most part. On the other hand, the poor execution of what could have been something akin to the next Madoka Magica is disheartening. But then again, no one expected anything more than fluff from this series and that is what we got. With that said, episode five changed the status quo a bit, so it makes me interested to see how this new team of ship-girls will interaction.

Diomedéa's 2D animation and character designs are all around excellent. It has the perfect type of designs for moe characters, and the background art is generally beautiful. On the other hand, the series often switches to 3D animation for the characters during combat, and occasionally, it switches animation style during the same scene! Considering it is CGI, the animation is not that bad and the action sequences are above average considering that this is a moe show. However, when the animation changes mid-scene, it is terribly jarring.

Whether or not you will enjoy Kantai Collection: KanColle entirely depends on if you enjoy moe, and if you do, KanColle's additional elements change the formula enough to make it something a little more than the typical moe series. Maybe, just maybe, the series can throw in some serious moments to mix things up later in the series.

Watch if you like: Moe, Girls und Panzer,

*6.8/10*

More Winter Impressions:

Death Parade Episodes 1-3 Review
The Rolling Girls: First Impression

Winter Anime Impressions: Part 1
Winter Anime Impressions: Part 2
Yatterman Night: First Impression

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