{"id":1131,"date":"2009-04-08T11:54:02","date_gmt":"2009-04-08T18:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikoto.wordpress.com\/?p=1131"},"modified":"2009-04-08T11:54:02","modified_gmt":"2009-04-08T18:54:02","slug":"spring-2009-first-impressions-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/2009\/04\/spring-2009-first-impressions-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2009 First Impressions: Part Three"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1133\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408013357.jpg?resize=500%2C283\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"283\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Part three of my spring 2009 first impressions: <em>Sengoku BASARA<\/em>, <em>Valkyria Chronicles<\/em>, <em>Kigurumikku V3<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Cross Game<\/em>, and <em>Tears to Tiara<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Sengoku BASARA<\/h1>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1141\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090407233357.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Well, basically, it&#8217;s samurai, superhuman powers, and flashy colors.<\/p>\n<p>It felt like <em>Munto<\/em> minus Munto and the central plotline. \u00a0In other words, it was just random armies fighting each other to gain control of the land.<\/p>\n<p>Not a bad plotline to base an anime off of, and this anime certainly gave me the dose of action that I lacked in Winter 2008 (damn you, <em>Regios<\/em>!).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Win<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Valkyria Chronicles<\/h1>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1132\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408010936.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;feels like a <em>Spice\u00a0and Wolf<\/em> ripoff.<\/p>\n<p>Lets face it, <strong>Welkin looks just like [Craft] Lawrence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1144\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/lawrence1.png?resize=387%2C334\" alt=\"\" width=\"387\" height=\"334\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1143\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/welkin.png?resize=348%2C375\" alt=\"\" width=\"348\" height=\"375\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If Welkin had white hair, I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;d be able to tell the two apart!<\/p>\n<p>In other aspects, though, this anime is quite different from <em>Spice and Wolf<\/em>. \u00a0You&#8217;ve got your WWI-ish setting, your military conflict, your RPG elements, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Win<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Kigurumikku V3<\/h1>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1146\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot200904080134251.jpg?resize=500%2C283\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"283\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Parody at its finest. \u00a0That&#8217;s just about all I can say to this quirky little OVA.<\/p>\n<p>Everything is so stereotyped&#8230; and then you get random one-liners like &#8220;peeing down the side of my leg&#8221; and the screenshot up top, and you know something&#8217;s up. \u00a0And that&#8217;s a good thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Win<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Cross Game<\/h1>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1147\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408030849.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you look back at the episode, it&#8217;s pretty obvious that Mrs. Cuteness (who doesn&#8217;t look all that cute, really) was going to kick the bucket.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it hit me pretty hard. \u00a0Usually, the death itself is overdramatized, but having the moment of ultimate dramaz come after the funeral, when Kou saw Akaishi crying&#8230; that was brilliant. \u00a0This way, the audience can truly feel the naiveness (that&#8217;s an actual word) of Kou as a child. \u00a0As a grade schooler, Kou can&#8217;t comprehend that his best friend (and possible lover) is dead, and doesn&#8217;t know how to grieve for her, even going to the festival on her funeral day.<\/p>\n<p>I hope to see Kou grow up to be a baseball great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Epic win<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Tears to Tiara<\/h1>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1149\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408022140.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1150\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408022201.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1151\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408022208.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1148\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408022538.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1152\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408022524.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1153\" src=\"http:\/\/mikoto.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/snapshot20090408022528.jpg?resize=500%2C281\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p>aka <em>Tears to the sounds of the characters&#8217; names<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This anime has some of the weirdest names I&#8217;ve ever heard of.<br \/>\nZeus? \u00a0Hades? \u00a0Poseidon? \u00a0More like Flay, Yelba, Dwrc, and Pwyll!<br \/>\nIronic how the only person with a normal name is the main character&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>The storyline itself is&#8230; basic.<br \/>\nGirl gets captured because of evil old retard and brother goes to the rescue.<\/p>\n<p>How do swords cut through armor? \u00a0I&#8217;m not quite sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Normal<\/strong>. \u00a0I&#8217;m pretty iffy on this one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Part three of my spring 2009 first impressions: Sengoku BASARA, Valkyria Chronicles, Kigurumikku V3,\u00a0Cross Game, and Tears to Tiara.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2zM4X-if","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flomu.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}