Summer anime have already started appearing in fansubs, and here are some reactions to them. [edit] I’ve added some new info.
Umisho: From a Hattori Mitsuru manga, author of Inu Neko Jump! and Otogi no Machi no Rena. Mysterious, fey girl arrives in a small town and due to some history with the main character when they were kids, promptly becomes a typhoon in his life. Amano (the girl) is an amazing swimmer and Kaname (the boy) is afraid of the water after some strange mermaid saved him from drowning when he was a child. There is an array of truly strange characters around them, something Hattori does very well. True to form, he excels at making the standard love-comedy fare entertaining, but seldom gets any deeper than that. Lots of nudity (not really shown, though), lots of our main character getting into situations and beaten around for them. What I think really sets Hattori-sensei’s stories apart, is the almost completely cheerful, extremely genki nature of his heroines. Despite how the whole thing sounds, the anime is managing to really do something right.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: SHAFT has taken a quirky, entertaining manga and turned it into a comedic work of art. Freeze-frame is absolutely essential to fully enjoying this anime. Each time the camera changes, there are new, odd things written on chalkboards and signs, all over the place. I imagine most of them are “in” jokes, since they were mostly very surreal. SZS is a study in how ultimate despair not only becomes silly, but also reverses itself and manages to instill hope. I am reminded of Risky/Safety, how the little devil was trying to make Moe despair, but ended up cheering her up, while the angel did the opposite. SHAFT is carving out a niche for themselves. They are a good-quality animation house, but not as good as ProIG or KyoAni. So, instead, they are making themselves known for quirky, artistic treatments like Hidamari Sketch–and they’re succeeding.
Sky Girls: Well, the best that can be said for this one is that it managed to capture me for a whole episode, and even keep me watching for the next time. The OVA bored the hell out of me, mostly because it was too centered on fanservice, with nothing else to make it interesting. Still, it’s a pretty tired retread of Jinki, Idolm@ster, etc, etc…
Moetan: I’ll admit, I was totally captured by the artwork of the original artist. I thought this was going to be cute enough to overcome the shallow plot. It isn’t. Ink-chan is amazingly cute and the seiyuu is doing a great job, but it’s not enough. The animation and writing are extremely thin. I’m dropping it.
Doujin Work: Total win. The comedy works, moves quickly, but not at the manic pace of Excel Saga and others where you don’t even have time to hear the joke, let alone understand it. I’ll admit moe is going to slay me almost every time, so I’m predisposed to like this one, but it’s also got a sense of humor that is just great.
Continuing: Seirei no Moribito, Bokurano, Lucky*Star and Dennou Coil continue to completely amaze me. This year in anime has been something to behold so far. There is so much good anime this year, I need to buy an external HD for storage, since I just can’t burn quickly enough to make room!
