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~First Impressions: One Punch Man~
One PUUUUUUNNNCCCHHHH!!!!!
So. ~Ahem~ This series aired at the end of this last year and boy did it sweep across the anime community quick! It aired a total of 12 episodes and holy moly is that not nearly enough.
The plot focuses on a hero for fun Saitama who is so powerful he decimates his enemies with just one punch (hence the name). This grows old for Saitama because he craves a equal fight to really get him pumping. Soon he finds himself getting involved with much more serious happenings and meeting a host of quirky (some uncomfortably terrifying) characters. There is a bit of all sorts of comedy and nippits of seriousness in this show. You have cyborgs, martial arts, espers, monsters, aliens and so much more.
My husband and I watched this show together on Hulu while it was simulcasting and loved every bit of it. It is so funny and the fight scenes are pretty great. The main character is unique and its hard to get enough of his emotionless face. There is a bit of everything in this show and we are impatiently awaiting the second season.
Did you watch this show or read the manga? Tell me what you thought about it in the comments!
First Impressions: Assassination Classroom
This anime series was released last year in Japan and was picked up by Funimation for the US release. The first season has 22 episodes and the second season which will have 25 is currently coming out. A live-action movie is also out.
The series revolves around a reject class of high school students from class E that are tasked with trying to assassinate their new teacher. The teacher happens to be an alien octopus like creature who if not assassinated by graduation will destroy the world. The kids soon find out the task of killing Koro-sensei (as they cal him) is next to impossible because of his super human abilities.
Each student has their own troubles and backgrounds but the series seems to focus on one Nagisa who seems to be the weakest in the lot but has the most talent when it comes to blood lust. The cast can be a bit zany and the series takes on a very comical tone with bits of seriousness thrown in here and there.
I find this series very amusing and like that not everything is as it seems.
Have you watched this series? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
~Ranma 1/2~ Don’t get wet!
Ranma 1/2 was the second series I was introduced to that was created by Rumiko Takahashi the first being “Inuyasha”. There are 38 volumes of manga, over 150 episodes of anime and even a few full-length films. I always thought this series was very comedic and silly but also had a few serious moments here and there that made you closer to the characters. Warning, however, there is lots of boobies all throughout the series, it is mainly about a boy who gets turned into a girl if he gets wet with cold water so…yeah he has no shame. 6_6
The story revolves around a boy named Ranma, who fell into a cursed spring along with his father on a training mission. The aftermath of them falling into the spring Ranma turns into a girl any time he is splashed with cold water, and his father turns into a large panda. They come to live with another family the Tendo’s who own a dojo. Ranma is betrothed to one of the three daughters, and it is decided the lucky girl is tough as nails Akane who seems to think Ranma is irritating and a clod. The hilarity ensues as multiple love triangles form, and each person has their own curses and past.
A large part of the plot is the various types of martial arts each person uses to fight with. Some of the moves are wacky but none the less interesting. Lots of rivalries occur between the characters, and the fights are always entertaining and fun. Check it out and let me know what you think about this series!
DeadMan Wonderland
This series is very violent and has a lot of fowl language and so is defiantly not for kids. It aired in 2011 and has a mere 12 episodes.
It follows a boy Ganta who experiences a terrible disaster as a child that nearly destroyed all of Japan. Ten years later he is a normal high school boy who watches as his class is brutally murdered by this strange “Red Man”. He is framed for the massacre and sent to a high security prison/ amusement park. Once there Ganta meets Shiro who seems to know him but he has forgotten her. After a close call where Ganta nearly dies a power awakens inside him where his blood is used as a weapon. He is taken to a special area of the prison where the Deadmen live. The Deadmen are prisoners that have a special virus where they can use their own blood to fight.
They are forced into fights against each other where the loser either dies or has to play a penalty game where they lose body parts. There is a lot of inner politics and turmoil obviously. The ‘Red Man” shows up here and there and Ganta wants his revenge. Slowly his past seems to return and many things come to light.
I thought it was an interesting story and liked it just fine. Once again it is for a mature audience.
Have you watched this series? Let me know what you thought about it!
Sword Art Online ~First Arc~
Originally a light novel written by Reki Kawahara it was adapted into an anime series in 2012. There are multiple arcs in the series and two separate seasons at the moment.
The first arc is Sword Art Online (SAO) and is the first virtual reality game that you watch the characters go through. It’s set in the perhaps not too distant future where there is something called a “Nerve Gear”. The Nerve Gear is a helmet that’s puts the person using it in a virtual reality world. You follow Kirito a player who got to beta test the game before the main launch. While logging in for the main launch all the players (a few thousand) find out that they are trapped in the game. If they die in game their real bodies will die in the real world, the only way to get out of the game and wake up is to beat all the levels and defeat the final boss. Kirito is a smart player and is early on branded a “Beater” a beta tester cheater. After some bad things happen he doesn’t like getting close to or joining up with other players. He meets Asuna a strong girl part of the Knights of the Bloodoath guild and there is a romance that develops between them. They are in the game for a little over 2 years. You meet many different players who all try to work together to be free of this virtual world.
I really liked this series, the virtual world aspect was neat and reminded me of a few different sci fi movies and books. I liked the real emotions of the players because you have to remember throughout that these are all real people somewhere trapped in a game. I liked the mmorpg set up as well. It came together and made a great story.I liked the characters and the relationships between them. I will admit I may have teared up a bit here and there. 6_6
I liked both main characters quite a bit. What did you think of the first arc? Who was your favorite character? Let me know in the comments!
Angel Beats!
This anime series is only a mere 13 episodes but man they are good ones! You just don’t want this series to end. It came out in 2010 and was directed by Seiji Kishi.
The story takes place at a high school that is an “in between” for the dead who still have some kind of attachments from their lives. The world is place to several people who are in limbo and some that are basically NPCs. The main character is a boy Otanashi who doesn’t remember his past life. He is recruited into a group calling themselves the SSS who fights against God for the cruel fates the members had in their lives. Yuri who is the leader of the group has them go against Angel a girl who has special powers. In this world the characters can still feel pain and also die again, they wake up shortly after in the same world with no injuries. Throughout the series it seems like the characters are all playing a game for awhile before it becomes evident that they need to try and fulfill their dreams to move on.
This anime is a beautiful story that is heartbreaking but also fun and exciting at times. Definitely check this one out!
Tell me what you think of it in the comments!
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Beats!
KawaiiHousewife 