{"id":41,"date":"2011-01-13T16:34:33","date_gmt":"2011-01-14T00:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/someaniblog.wordpress.com\/?p=41"},"modified":"2011-01-13T16:34:33","modified_gmt":"2011-01-14T00:34:33","slug":"winter-2011-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/2011\/01\/winter-2011-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"winter 2011 part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have a confession to make: I liked this part in Beelzebub. \u00a0Alain-Delon is just so big and so stupid that it’s impossible not to laugh. \u00a0Everything else I said about the show still stands, though.
\n<\/p>\n

God Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

I don’t think God Tier shows exist anymore. \u00a0IMO, the <\/em>only <\/em>God <\/em>Tier anime<\/em><\/p>\n

in the past two years has been Gintama. <\/em>I guess Spring 2011 will be great, huh?<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

Top Tier shows are generally really, really freaking good. <\/em>Not God<\/em><\/p>\n

Tier-good, but still better than most shows out there. <\/em>Thank God this<\/em><\/p>\n

second half of the season introduced Kore wa <\/em>Zombie desu ka to the<\/em><\/p>\n

mix. \u00a0I was losing hope that a Top Tier s<\/em>how would ever appear…<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rocket punch!<\/p><\/div>\n

Kore wa Zombie desu ka<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The shocker of the season! \u00a0Awesome, awesome, awesome stuff. \u00a0The opening scene was brilliant. \u00a0The main character seemed almost evil, what with the gray hair and reddish eyes, and it seemed like it was going to be another crap harem show. \u00a0And then it hit. \u00a0Man, oh man. \u00a0Man oh man oh man oh man oh man. \u00a0I’m a crazy fan of this show already.<\/p>\n

Parody is one of my favorite genres (if it even is one?), but great parodies are seldom seen in anime. \u00a0Gintama was\/will be insane, Hayate the Combat Butler was pretty good, and Dokuro-chan and Punie-chan were great, but that’s about it. \u00a0Here, we have another great parody in the vein of these shows… only better (with the notable exception of Gintama). \u00a0It’s more focused. \u00a0Hayate the Combat Butler is a series that can’t decide between romance or comedy and ends up good at both individually but bad when put together. \u00a0Dokuro-chan and Punie-chan throw away any and all seriousness to give a pure parody experience, but that ends up with too little substance and the show become forgettable.<\/p>\n

Kore wa Zombie desu ka takes the action-shounen-harem-mahou shoujo route and blends moments of seriousness with comedic parody moments together seamlessly – much like Gintama. \u00a0For example, the battle between Zombie protagonist-with-a-strange-name and the crayfish antagonist was both action-packed and hilarious: something that many, many shows try and fail to achieve.<\/p>\n

I’m loving this show.<\/p>\n

P.S.: Scamp makes a good point<\/a> about this show, though. \u00a0The self-referential style of this show may damage it. \u00a0But you know what? \u00a0Madoka Magica was a hell of a lot worse at this. \u00a0“Moe? \u00a0Is this moe???” \u00a0When you reference “moe” in a show, you know you’ve gone too far down the wrong road. \u00a0And don’t even get me started on Onii-chan no something something.<\/p>\n

High Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

You know, I really should’ve taken Infinite Stratos and Madoka Magica<\/em><\/p>\n

out of this tier. \u00a0Fractale is just so much better than those two shows…<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

You betcha!<\/p><\/div>\n

Fractale<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If Kore wa Zombie desu ka is a shocker, then this is a… well, it’s another shocker. \u00a0I put Kore wa Zombie desu ka in there just to make the sentence longer. \u00a0To be honest, Fractale isn’t really even a shocker. \u00a0My first sentence is all but useless, but at least it got me this paragraph.<\/p>\n

I love Fractale. \u00a0I love fractals too. \u00a0Last semester in CS class, we had to generate the Mandelbrot set. \u00a0The end result was pretty damn cool, but we were basically given an equation and told to put it into Python form, which really isn’t hard or interesting. \u00a0I think that’s how Fractale was made. \u00a0Despite all the doppels and mahou shoujo-like characters popping in, it’s a peaceful show at heart. \u00a0The end result is a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and a sense of peace and realism… but I know, from my experience with Mandelbrot sets in Python, that the animators and producers and etc. must have been bored out of their minds doing this.<\/p>\n

\n

B-But fangzhao, that’s the same for all anime!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yeah, so what? \u00a0“All” covers Fractale, so it’s okay.<\/p>\n

I would never want to work at an animation company. \u00a0Cel-shading sounds like a gigantic waste of time and CG always turns out like shit (see True Tears). \u00a0Hayao Miyazaki must be a slave driver to have his works all done by hand. \u00a0At least, that’s what I think other people have said. \u00a0The done by hand part, I mean.<\/p>\n

P.S.: Why is there an “e” at the end of “Fractale” anyway? \u00a0What’s so special about that stupid e? \u00a0That’s the most common letter in the English language, and you’re putting it there?<\/p>\n

Wandering Son Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

For any and all anime that are both great and disturbing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

oops<\/p><\/div>\n

Wandering Son\/Hourou Musuko<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wandering Son is a very peculiar show. \u00a0I’ve watched many great anime and I’ve watched many disturbing anime. \u00a0I’ve even watched some greatly disturbing anime and some disturbingly great anime, but Wandering Son is both great and <\/strong><\/em>disturbing. \u00a0Though it’s not like I wasn’t expecting something very strange. \u00a0Winter 2011 sounded all nice and stereotypical, and then I got to the bottom of the chart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Shuichi Nitori is a 5th grade student who has always been something of a feminine boy. \u00a0When he transfers to a new school, Shuichi is mistaken for his 6th grade sister on his first day. \u00a0Then he ends up sitting next to Yohino Takatsuki, a tall, boyish girl.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That sounded mildly disturbing, so I decided to google the show. \u00a0I ended up reading the plot summary on Wikipedia, and boy, was it bizarre.<\/p>\n

On another note, almost nothing in the synopsis Scamp gave was in this first episode. \u00a0Nitori is not mistaken for his sister, and I don’t even remember where he was sitting. \u00a0Hell, I didn’t even know his name was Shuichi Nitori until I looked at the chart just now. \u00a0I didn’t know the girl’s name was Yohino Takatsuki either.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yep, Wandering Son certainly got the wandering part down. \u00a0I don’t remember a single person’s name… or even their gender.<\/p>\n

Middle (Mid?) Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

It seems like Winter 2011 is going to be mostly Mid Tier. \u00a0The season of averageness!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

This looks like something I made in MS Paint.<\/p><\/div>\n

Onii-chan something something something<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Haha, oh man. \u00a0Just when I thought Ore no Imouto was finally done and over with, we get version 2 coming right at us. \u00a0And just like its predecessor, it’s surprisingly decent. \u00a0The first episode was, anyway.<\/p>\n

Unlike Ore no Imouto, the main idea this show has going for it is: “Sister likes brother.” \u00a0With that one change, we get out of the stereotypes of tsundere and stuff and into the stereotypes of crazy little sister. \u00a0The thing is, this show sacrifices character design in exchange. \u00a0Every character in the show is ridiculously lanky and unattractive. \u00a0There is no moe in this show. \u00a0Pantyshot all you want, but I’m more disgusted than anything else.<\/p>\n

It’s a real pity, too, given the humor Onii-chan something something something offers. \u00a0The scene above, with Nao’s friends wearing “unamused” faces, was hilarious. \u00a0Or maybe it’s just the faces. \u00a0God, they look stupid. \u00a0It’s just that dumb oval tool in MS Paint, with thick borders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I didn't like the subs. They're too fancy.<\/p><\/div>\n

Level E<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Level E is… well, a E-level show. \u00a0There’s not much to say about it, other than it’s not particularly interesting and it seems pretty… gay. \u00a0The first episode didn’t have much sci-fi in it, which is what I was really looking for. \u00a0Instead, there was some kind of entertaining humor and a character who pretty much makes the whole show look like it’s directed at girls. \u00a0I’m still not quite sure if the alien[‘s human form] is male or female, and that bothers me quite a bit.<\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/p>\n

This is just so uninteresting. \u00a0It’s the kind of anime I would only watch if at least fifty people recommend it to me (kind of like Planetes!). \u00a0Maybe it’s because I watched it right after Kore wa Zombie desu ka. \u00a0That show is so great.<\/p>\n

Low Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

Oh, poopy. \u00a0I was hoping there weren’t going to be any more <\/em>shows<\/em><\/p>\n

in this tier, but Rie Kugimiya pulls it off again! \u00a0Stereotypical harem<\/em><\/p>\n

fantasy with occasional high-pitched squeals by Rie Kugimiya!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

"Hi, we're twins!"<\/p><\/div>\n

Dragon Crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Maybe I took “don’t judge a book by its cover” too far. \u00a0After seeing the Winter season chart, I didn’t bother to look at MAL or ANN for the staff or the animation studio of any series, figuring that that would make me less biased. \u00a0I should’ve known better.<\/p>\n

\n

Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!\u00a0Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Is it possible for Rie Kugimiya to get any more annoying? \u00a0God damn it. \u00a0The first half of the episode was pretty cool, albeit a little stereotypical. \u00a0The main character and his cousin go steal a valuable item and get into a car chase? \u00a0Hell yeah! \u00a0And then stupid Rie Kugimiya had to break out her high-pitched Taiga voice, screaming “Ryuji! Ryuji! Ryuji!”<\/p>\n

Chobits was pretty bad, what with “Chii! Chii!!” and all, but at least you don’t hear that same Chii voice everywhere. \u00a0Here, you have Shana, Taiga, Louise, etc. all screaming Ryuji Ryuji Ryuji ryurjrirjirji3j2r-9i42r-04 in your face and I AM GOING CRAYZadi32<\/p>\n

Shit Tier<\/span><\/h2>\n

None. \u00a0Thank God.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a confession to make: I liked this part in Beelzebub. \u00a0Alain-Delon is just so big and so stupid that it’s impossible not to laugh. \u00a0Everything else I said about the show still stands, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2zM4X-F","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}