Autumn 2013: First Impressions – Ace of Diamond & Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!

Couple of sports anime next – hotblooded baseball & boarderline porno wrestling – Ace of Diamond and Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!

Ace of Diamond

Much as I have a well known weakness for shounen shows, I struggled to get into Ace of Diamond.  It is so hotblooded all the time it’s off-putting – there is no need to be so hopped up and manic when there is nothing high tension going on onscreen!  Some shows (like Kill la Kill for instance) can get away with the constant hotblooded shouting because of their highly stylised art and ridiculous characters, but in a series like this were the characters are meant to be ordinary high school boys playing baseball, it just feels off.  You need quiet moments to make the high tension moments have any impact, but none of these characters seem to have a mode other than full hotblooded shounen.

The production quality is decent, but nothing is really jumping out of at me in the way of style or direction, which is disappointing considering this is a collaboration between Madhouse & Production IG.  The OP & ED have all the hallmarks of shounen sports shows and are pretty good.  It also has a really solid cast, if only they would stop shouting at me!

I’m going to give Ace of Diamond another chance to see if it can express any other feeling than hotblooded shounen – if not it will be dropped, I have Kuroko no Basuke to cover my shounen sports quota of the season anyway.

Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!

Well it could have been much worse – still awful, but could have been much worse.  There was some attempt at validating  an idol’s decision to turn into a pro-wrestler, but basically this is exactly what you’re expecting – an excuse for fanservicey costumes, poses & having female seiyuu moan & squeal like they’re in a porno.  Within the first five minutes we have sampled everything this show is about – at that stage you will know if this is a show you want to keep watching.

Production is reasonable – ARMS know their fanservice shows so you get lots of close ups of the girls crotches & boobs (often for several minutes at a time accompanied by the girls wailing and moaning), shower scenes with censor steam that moves in hilariously unconvincing ways and dancing.  Pure trash with the flimsiest of excuses for its trashiness – it is what is, and if this is your bag have fun with it!