Ask John: What’s John’s Opinion on the Spring Season Shows (Part 3)?
|Question:
Five more April premieres have aired, so I’ll share my take on them for readers interested in my reactions.
Answer:
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, but it demonstrates that a story doesn’t need to be especially original to be interesting and compelling. Astute viewers may be able to see parallels and similarities to earlier anime like Hanada Shonen-Shi, Higashi no Eden, Honey & Clover, and even the 20th Century Boys manga but this first episode takes a sentimental approach and subtely characterizes its characters and situation to bring everything to life. The show skillfully conveys a tremendous amount of information to viewers through suggestion, action, and situation, creating a very interesting, albeit a bit emotionally manipulative, story. I’m fascinated by the way this Noitimina series has significant parallels to the just concluded Fractale Noitimina series, yet the first episode of “AnoHana” alone has more impactful and affecting characterization than all eleven episodes of Fractale combined.
The premiere episode of [C] is absolutely fascinating, and it feels as though it further validates my impression that contemporary anime is innovating and becoming slightly more sophisticated. The debut episode suggests that it’s incorporating a new, adult twist on the contemporary hobby anime staple while also bringing in philosophical interpretation of contemporary human economics. This both looks and feels like a program that validates the common perception that anime is frequently a mainstream agent of artistic creativity and uniquely progressive expression. In other words, [C] may be the latest example of the type of anime that viewers seek and hope for when they expect anime to be original, creative, and stylish.
Shaft doesn’t have an exclusive lock on “denpa” anime, but the studio is the foremost purveyor of it, with its latest offering being Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko. Although Akiyuki Shinbo is credited with chief direction, the dialogue-heavy series’ first episode dispenses with Shinbo’s trademark visual stylism in favor of abundant and frequently very nice animation quality to compensate for the episode’s lack of narrative substance. Conceptually, this isn’t far off from Arakawa Under the Bridge, but this feels more accessible because it adheres closer to conventional anime plot structures, has a more conventional narrative development, and is simply a whole lot cuter than Arakawa Under the Bridge. This seems cute and intriguing so far, so only further episodes will reveal if this will develop more seriously, akin to Iriya no Sora, whether it won’t address its primary narrative conceit, like Denpa Teki na Kanojo, or if it will simply not significantly develop at all, like Arakawa Under the Bridge.
Despite otaku frequently claiming to demand and prefer unique and original anime, it’s still shows like Hidan no Aria that feel most like guaranteed hits. Student warriors feels most obviously drawn from earlier shows like Koukaku no Regios and Infinite Stratos while the normalization of combat feels reminiscent of Toshokan Senso. Combining students, combat, and humor also seems particularly reminiscent of Full Metal Panic. The moé tsundere tone recalls Shakugan no Shana and Toradora. The idea of a male protagonist who becomes more powerful when aroused is reminiscent of Amanaedeyo. Yet with so many similarities and inspirations, Hidan no Aira still manages to feel like it has a distinctive personality. I won’t go so far as to call it good, but a show like this seems virtually assured of success and viewership regardless of its objective artistic qualities.
Flash anime studio DLE’s latest anthology program, Yuruani?, doesn’t vary much from DLE’s standard formula. I was surprised to see that segments including Poo-neko and Hato no Oyome-san are literally nothing more than opening animation sequences. I was also a bit surprised to hear the Shacho Shima Kousaku segment literally use the “Chariots of Fire” theme music. I suppose that’s only prohibited from appearing in anime distributed internationally?
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This latest batch rescues the season for me. I thought I wasn’t going to have anything to watch until Denpa Onna, Ano Hana, and [C] all dropped around the same time.
i honestly don’t see the originality in C ‘>.> it’s mainstream originality which isn’t original anymore … more of what people recognized as being called original >.< although I haven't seen much of it in anime … does that make it original really though?
It’s rare when an anime thematically revolves around financial hardship– a topic that is too “real” for most anime which aims to depict glamorous adventures or idyllic worlds. The last thing I want to see, though, is that theme materialized into more of the Pokemon-esque battling the show opened with. The aesthetics & presentation of the “financial district” is all rather silly as well. I can see myself dropping it if it goes overboard, but I’ll stick with it if it develops into a sharp satire.
The first episode of C almost lost me with that pretentious, deliberately incomprehensible opening scene, but once the “real world” portion of the show got underway, it really grabbed me, despite the occasionally wobbly animation and artwork.
Still, I found Ano Hana this season’s best new show so far. Everything about it was tremendously well executed.
just to make sure I’m clear. i mostly watch anime but still see this kind of thing in both the american and japanese creative arts cultures… the only thing I see to make it original is that it’s an anime… and even then if that’s the basis then I’m sure someone could think up some anime with similar topics … the thing I see that pops out to everyone as “original” is the modern alice in wonderland kind of art style… correct me if I’m wrong please … because yes I understand anime tends to stay a bit less realistic but I still think I’ve seen similar main subjects a lot.