WIM: Shingeki no Kyojin 45-51 – Despair

Peaceful days in the mountain, aaah~

The only reason Shingeki no Kyojin is a must-read for those who never mind the blood, the gore, or the shameless deaths: despair is the atmosphere of the story.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Before the Fall 00 – The Prequel

It is more to my surprise there actually exists a prequel. It’s been a round for some time, actually. There are three light novels following two stories about the creation of the Maneuver Gear and a mysterious boy. So to speak, this is an adaptation of the light novel. Talk about milking the cow!

Shingeki no Kyojin – 02, 03

OP: “Guren no Yumiya” by Linked Horizon – With all the ha’s and the trumpets, the thrill they make you feel in the opening is terrific. I like it.

I appreciate the prologue so much; I’m starting to love the anime as much as the manga. In fact, it’s getting better.

The entirety of episode two was crossing their message of their world and the situation of the left mankind on earth. It told the attitude and the personality one is up for in the battle against these humongous creatures; that is one hell of a good start, a story told from rock bottom.

There were expanded scenes (obviously) but unlike other anime, it was to fill up the absorption of either the information or the transition of the next scene. Either way, or whatever way, it worked because the pacing was consistent until the end. Also, as I have read the manga very further ahead, the scene of the protagonist’s dad riding a horse and crying was a good addition, together with the injections of his kid. Thumbs up!

Episode three focused more in the training, and honestly, they did it closely well as the manga or, in fact, it may even have been better.  It was mostly a sort of expanded form of the training, but every minute of it was good. Sure, it may seem unnecessary thinking that his harsh and first few days were caused by some mechanical problem, but trust me on this: it was the character development the creators are after, and not just the protagonist’s, it was everyone’s. Hint: It’s basically one of those beginnings where you’d feel “it’s a small world.”

The entire series is living up to the manga’s set expectations. Although I have to say, it makes the laziness in me so I’m more or less hoping for action to set some entertainment to those who know the story already very well (but since they’re not going to do that, I’ll still stick through).

Rating: Great! Living up to its expectations. Or beyond that.

ED: “Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai” by Youko Hikasa – A very ED-like theme song. What’s there to pair a “you’re-in-for-excitement” opening? A melancholic, quiet, and peaceful ending theme song. Fine.

Shingeki no Kyojin 44 – Ambiguous Setup

Things are making a lot more sense right now, or my brain wasn’t functioning well before.

Shingeki no Kyojin 43 – An Attempt in the Story

I’m not so sure about the progress of the story. It’s going to be on its fourth year this year, and there haven’t been any major changes so far. It may be because it’s filled with all fights and less revelations, but the steps they’re taking are too short.

Spring 2013 First Impressions: Part 2

DEVIL SURVIVOR 2 THE ANIMATION

This has a very interesting story. A mobile application called “Nicaea” predicts death of people, and soon predicts the death of the protagonist, his friend, and a classmate. They’re now involved in events leading to a strange incident after the another after choosing between “life” and “death” when they “die” in a train station. They now possess the ability to summon demons. That’s who their newly-given second life begin.

I was honestly in a state of confusion that this is a second season anime due to that number ‘2’, but now that I know this is an adaption, I’m looking forward where the story is leading to. The plot is very solid, the characters were great – in terms of design, and I just hope this doesn’t become like PERSONA 4, which I found to be a poor adaptation (or the story was simply poor for me to begin with).

Potential: Strong
Will I continue to watch it? Definitely.

Aku no Hana

Uh, well, the pacing for this was very slow as I can’t say much about the first episode. Basically, the protagonist leads a normal bookworm life. Just that, one day, he forgets his book, goes back for it, and the creepy stuff just start to set in.

I found the first episode to be poor as the plot was not clearly dictated or the vagueness was poorly depicted, but there’s one thing this show has got to boast: it’s atmosphere. Even the simple depiction of how the first episode went had got me gripped and captured. The cinematography was perfect as well. I couldn’t say that anything was out of place, but instead, say that it’s fantastic! The director here must have good tastes, and I can’t let this show pass by. I’m quite interested where the story is leading to without showing much of it, and clearly developing the atmosphere & setting more.

Potential: Strong
Will I continue to watch it? Definitely. (It was a “maybe”, but looking back, the show was too good to be dropped.)

Date A Live

This is one of those beyond-impossible type of stories where the character personalities seemingly don’t fit their role or have a huge change in role that just keeps you in a state of disbelief. Soon, because of this, you end up disliking it. A very typical protagonist has a sister who’s actually a commander of an organization that’s against these so-called ‘Spirits’. The protagonist, who seems to do badly when it comes to romance, was told to “capture the hearts” of the Spirits, and maybe, make use of them.

Comedic, I guess, but really not my type of shows. Some may go against me and perhaps I am more bias to my tastes than I thought, but this is a good show to kill time anyway.

Potential: Fine
Will I continue to watch it? Maybe. (If only I have a real long time without having anything else to do.)

Shingeki no Kyojin

This is a runner-up for the best anime this season. Humans are caged in walls against Titans, who possess the physique of a normal human being (a male) and devour humans not for food but for slaughter. Here’s where it gets better. A 100 years of peace has passed, and soon, Colossal Titan, taller than the wall of 50 meters, attacks and the Titans invade their city.

A very interesting world, that’s an A+. Protagonist and team actually are a good match-up. I know what’s gonna go around the story since I’ve read the manga till the latest chapter before watching the first episode. I know what’s in store, but the anime just outdid the manga. The animation was amazing. The characters were, although not quite crisp, a bit more natural than I expected.  Titans were well-depicted to be scary, and the atmosphere that surrounds them and throughout the show was maintained very well.

Potential: Strong
Will I continue to watch this show? Definitely.