First Impressions: Spring 2016 – Part 5

Okay – last bunch of first impressions!  Only thing that hasn’t aired that I want to watch is Magi: Sinbad no Bouken, but not waiting around any more since 2nd episodes for most of these shows are already out!

• Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless
  
• Kiznaiver
• Flying Witch
• Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou
• Kuromukuro
• Sansha Sanyou
• Wagamama High Spec
• Big Order

Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless (Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge)

Well for a show that’s about a fella who is extremely dedicated to getting as much sleep as humanly possible, this actually ended up being mildly amusing and good for watching to unwind.  It’s very placid, doesn’t require any brainpower and I ship Tanaka with his friend Ohta (who casually picks Tanaka up and slings him over his shoulder on a regular basis).

I’m keeping Tanaka-kun on for the time being, but I’ll probably get bored and drop it mid-season.

 

Kiznaiver

So Trigger’s other show this season then.  Kiznaiver has a pretty interesting central concept – the idea of a system that shares pain among those linked to it could be fascinating.  However, the characters aren’t really all that engaging at the moment – especially the male lead with his inability to feel pain somehow translating into his not possessing a tangible personality!  On the up side, the show does look amazing, with some really eyecatching direction & animation – Trigger definitely turn out great eyecandy.  Plus Kiznaiver probably has the best OP of the season courtesy of the Boom Boom Satellites.

So yeah, definitely a quirky show with lots of potential, just hope it doesn’t take too long to go places.

 

Flying Witch

This was fine.  Completely not my type of thing, but fine.  I think the only thing I found amusing was the Mandrake scene thanks to how creepy that thing looks, but everything else sort of washed over me in a wave of inoffensive pleasantness.

Flying Witch is grand if you’re into these nice shows about quirky, but nice people being nice to each other in the Japanese countryside, but I think one episode is more than enough for me.

 

Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou

Well this is one of those odd, cheaply animated little shorts I quite enjoy.  It does exactly what it says in the title – follows the adventures of a fella who wants to be the best DJ & tonkatsu chef he can be.  It’s short and amusing, I’m watching more.

 

Kuromukuro

Okay on to the PA Works mecha show then…..and it’s, okay I guess.  I’m finding it really difficult to get excited about the show – even with the samurai fighting a mech with a sword in the nude.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just feels all a bit too bland and sterile – the world doesn’t really feel lived in and the characters are quite cookie-cutter.  It doesn’t really make for immersive viewing even if the general story is all sorts of my kind of thing.  I am keeping it on though – I will always be willing to give an original mecha show more than a fair chance.

 

Sansha Sanyou

Rich girl with no friends, becomes poor girl who survives on bread-crusts & thus gains friends out of pity.

Dropped.

 

Wagamama High Spec

There doesn’t appear to be any point to this short – it seems to exist for the sole purpose of allowing the animators to draw cute lingerie.

Dropped.

 

Big Order

Well if you’ve seen/read Mirai Nikki you’ll pretty much know what to expect from Big Order – it has all the same hallmarks right down to the fact the main characters are dead-ringers for Yukki & Yuno – so it’s really no massive surprise that I really enjoyed this opening episode.  I can’t really say that Big Order is good – the animation isn’t exactly brilliant and it’s hardly massively original – but it does nail that goofy entertainment and ridiculous overacting that Mirai Nikki did so well, and I really enjoyed it.

Not really a must watch, but I think I’m going to enjoy Big Order.

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