Oct 12, 2012

Posted by in Fall Anime 2012

Girls und Panzer

Really, Japan? Wasn’t Upotte!! enough? I have no idea what I was watching here. There’s a story hidden somewhere, but hell if I know what it is. I was too focussed on what I was seeing, which is not a good thing in this case.

Although I just said that, the artwork is definitely not at fault here. The characters are cute, the tanks look badass and the backgrounds aren’t too far behind. It’s definitely not the artwork that’s weird here, that’s for sure.

It’s this strange story. It started with Upotte!!, which was something similar to this, but at least a bit better. This… This is just disappointing. I watched the first episode but I stopped following at the ten minute mark. I just watched the artwork. The story is just too ridiculous.

I don’t recommend this one. I’m pretty sure that there are people out there that enjoy watching this kind of rubbish thing, but I am not one of those people. I suggest you give the first episode a chance.

Plot Summary:You may have heard of kung fu, but the girls at Oarai High School practice gun-fu – really, really BIG 75mm gun-fu, in fact. It’s called Sensha-do, and it’s the martial art of operating armored tanks! They take it seriously too, and since winning the national Sensha-do championship is such a huge deal at Oarai, they sometimes go to extreme ends in order to get the best students from Panzer class to sign up. Which is how Miho Nishizumi, who HATES operating tanks, gets drafted to join doomsday-driven driver Mako, even-triggered gunner Hana, highly receptive radio operator Saori and combustible tank-fangirl and loader Yukari as the incomparable Anko Team. They may not be on the half-track to fame and fortune, and maybe a few of them would rather shop for tank tops than become tops in tanks, but once their focus is locked and loaded, they’re absolutely driven.

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Jun 13, 2012

Posted by in Spring Anime 2012, Summer Anime 2012

Kingdom

No, sorry. The first two episodes were released simultaneously, so I tried watching them both, but I couldn’t even hold out until the first one finished. I tried pretty hard too, but I just couldn’t. I didn’t have any real expectations of this one, seeing as I’m not into ancient Chinese history, but I thought it will be better than this, at least.

The artwork, oh please don’t make me start about the artwork. It looks dreadful. It’s as though they tried to make a 3D show, but decided to stop halfway instead. No, this is not for me. I suppose that a lot of people would find this very appealing, but I am not one of those people.

Unfortunately, I cannot say much about the story, as I stopped before even finishing the first episode. I will say this though; the story is probably what will give this show its ratings, because if the story is as bad as the artwork then it will probably be off the air before it even finishes.

As for my recommendation, well… I have no idea where to begin. To whom would I recommend Kingdom? Absolutely nobody comes to mind, even though I know a lot of anime fans like myself. So no, I don’t recommend this anime. I suppose that the people who usually like Chinese history will come to like this anime, no doubt, but no… Not your average anime fan. I doubt it.

Plot Summary: In the Warring States Period of ancient China (475-221 BCE), Shin and Hyou are war-orphans in the kingdom of Qin. They dream of one day proving themselves on the battlefield. One day, however, Hyou is taken to the palace by a minister. Winding up on the losing side of a power-struggle, Hyou manages to return to the village, barely alive. Shin then meets a boy who closely resembles Hyou, Ei Sei. For now he is the king of Qin; later he will become the emperor Shi Huangdi.

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