Fall 2010 - Rest of the Rest (Tsundere Ver.)

What else do you want from me? I told you that I don't have enough time to watch everything, but you're still here! I've already said I'm sorry!

Fine! I'll review these shows, but don't misunderstand me, you dummy! I just...I just have time to finally get these done! I mean, they weren't exactly the best of shows out there, and the first episodes really disappointed me, almost to the point of not watching them anymore! But I'll review them already!

It...it's not like I'm doing it for you! Dummy!

Iron Man: The Anime

Synopsis: So this Tony Stark billionaire guy decides to go to Japan to set up a power station in cooperation with the Japanese government. While helping with the research and acting as his own press agent for his lavish events, Stark comes across a rogue pilot who has hijacked a prototype armor meant to be his replacement as Iron Man. At the same time, he has to cope with the attacks from the Zodiac, a band of androids and robots that have targeted Iron Man and the Stark Corporation.

Why wasn't it reviewed?: First of all, there isn't a rush to review the Japanese version of the show, as it will be released soon enough in the United States. This conversion to a dubbed English language may make the show a little easier to process and believable; Stark shows little to no problems with speaking in Japanese in the first episode. A little believability, if you will!

Second of all, there wasn't much appeal for the series when the first episodes were weighed as an entity. Each week, Zodiac poses a colossal threat to the nation, whether it be in a natural or digital form, but once that threat is neutralized, it seems to be forgotten. The only things that tie the episodes together are characters that aren't that interesting, and for some reason Tony keeps bumping into the same nosy female reporter. Aren't there any other people in Japan? And if there are, must they be inexplicably brought into the show? (Wait, what's Wolverine doing here?!)

Bakuman

Synopsis: Moritaka's got the artistic ability that his uncle used to exhibit when he was a mangaka in his own generation, but his uncle's death from overwork has been considered a "suicide" by Moritaka's family. While Moritaka would rather just join the working class, his classmate Akito, a bright guy with a knack for writing, would rather risk it to succeed as one half of a manga tandem with Moritaka. Moritaka's motivation to become a mangaka, however, comes from an urge to see his crush Azuki succeed at her goal of becoming a voice actress and for her voice to be paired with his animated creation.

Why wasn't it reviewed?: Okay, so Bakuman is an anime based on the manga about two guys making a manga in the hopes of making it an anime. It seems logical and ripe for tearing down some of the walls separating the industry from its readers, but the first two episodes just didn't feel like it was worth animating. It was as if the inclusion of time didn't really make a difference—there's no real gripping factor that differentiates the anime from the manga. It's a bit of a disappointment to consider there to be more drama in the manga than the anime.

The other big problem I had was actually with the opening theme, "Blue Bird" from Kobukuro. You have great harmony and play a mean ballad, guys, but way to seriously put the audience to sleep. Maybe things might pick up with the next half of the 25-episode series, but I couldn't get past two episodes. It's a serious shame, because the manga was solid.

Yosuga no Sora

Synopsis: Derived from the visual novel from Sphere in 2008, Yosuga no Sora tells the story about the Kasugano twins, Haruka and Sora, while they return to their grandparents' old house in the countryside. Having lost their parents to a car accident, Haruka is very protective of Sora, especially due to her own frail constitution, but life must go on. They attend the town's high school and befriend some past acquaintances and new faces, only for Sora to exhibit a fierce jealousy each time.

Why wasn't it reviewed?: I understand that the show contains an interesting way of unfolding, as each "arc" involving Haruka and one of the other girls in the show develops as if chosen through the alternatives presented in a visual novel. However, I found myself unable to get past the first episode after understanding that Sora totally has the hots for her twin brother. So far, shows have managed to dance around actual incest, but Yosuga no Sora doesn't sugar-coat. Actual brother-sister lip-lock here, folks.

Too creepy to really continue the story, even with the ridiculous cuteness that comes from the episode:

And that's all! No more reviews for the fall! If these reviews aren't good enough for you, then that'll be the last time I ever do them for you!

Baka.

Fall 2010: MM!

There is something to be said about the lack of psychoanalysis in anime. With all the screams of "Hentai!" and slaps that knock falsely-accused would-be perverts into the next prefecture, you'd think there would be just as many psychiatrist visits as there were hospital visits. There are so many personality flaws and oddities in anime that Sigmund Freud would have to cancel all of his appointments for the rest of his life if he were working today.

If all of those mental cases were thrown into a padded room, the interactions might result in the sort of anime MM! has become. The goal isn't necessarily to cure each of their mental phobias and philias—it's more like watching different sorts of fish sharing the same aquarium—but if the basket cases manage to stumble upon a remedy, it's a bonus.

This show from Xebec (Ladies vs. Butlers, Kanokon, To-Love-Ru) really runs the gamut on the different twists one could make to a destroy a relationship. The general gist is that Tarô Sado is a masochist, to the point of being able to take the brunt of any female's attack and find pleasure from it. This was triggered from his classmate Arashiko's extreme fear of boys (and her right fist), which was in itself triggered by violence from a past boyfriend. With these dominoes so easily upset, Tarô is endlessly tubthumped (you're never gonna keep him down!)

Enter the head of the high school's "Second Volunteer Club", Mio Isurugi. Although she first appears angelic to Tarô, serving as a means to cure him of his problem, her superiority complex and sadistic measures just makes matters worse. Throw in a crossdressing guy with an ojôsama split personality, an obsessive-compulsive girl, a school nurse that has a thing for subterfuge over others, and Tarô's over-doting sister and mother, and you have yourself the makings of a real asylum, padded cell and all.

Since many of the characters seem to suffer from divergences in their personalities, it should be no surprise that MM! itself suffers from its own Dissociative Identity Disorder. The show does have some touching moments in it between Tarô and the other Second Volunteer Club members, and the plot is surprisingly free of any seriously awkward sexual situations. That being said, the processes used to help the members drive away their neuroses are hardly conventional and seem to bring about more pain and suffering than if the characters were to drop cash for a professional psychologist.

Additionally, there just seems to be no love for Tarô in this series. When he's not being the club's masochistic dog, he's a wishy-washy character that looks perfectly fine in front of girls. The only reason he's taking all of this punishment from Mio's God complex and Arashiko's androphobia is so he can receive psychotherapy from the club. I'm no brain surgeon, but my suggestion would be for Tarô to get over himself and leave the freaking club. So you're getting hit over and over again by a tsundere and a meek girl—do you know how many fans would kill to be in that position?

If anything, MM! is a Pavlovian experiment in itself—after seasons of priming fans with bossy characters, showing them Mio likely will trigger automated responses of moe, even though tsundere fans would rather have another season of Haruhi. Realistically speaking, the reactions to the characters may be the only thing the show has going for it, as there doesn't seem to be any pressure to solve the mental problems of the Second Volunteer Club. It won't matter if Tarô gets well in the end—he'll still have a girlfriend who both loves and hates him.

Unless you're a masochist like Tarô and appreciate the pain without reward, perhaps it's time to stop pushing the button.