Otakuism

Gundam 00

This is one action packed first episode. Excellent animation with a style that reminds me of Code Geass, which is to be expected probably. Love the fight scenes so far, very fluid. Absolutely love the enemy grunt mechs. There’s just something to them that’s so perfect. The ground unit is all bulky and menacing, while the aerial unit has the sleak design touch. The gundams aren’t too shabby themselves; Dynames is my favorite so far from seeing it in action. Who doesn’t love a sniper? Virtue(?) is still ugly as hell though and Queen of Overkill. The GN particle drive that lets Exia fly is also a little too ridiculous. I know gundam hasn’t been real robot since like Victory, but how far am I supposed to suspend disbelief? I quite liked the OP. The images and music went together a lot better than I expected.

TOTALLY NOT EVIL.

As for the actual plot, nothing that substantial so far. Bunch of characters show up, but we don’t even know anything about them or their names. Lockon seems pretty cool so far; the name fits the attitude. Chinese Dress Girl was definately a plus, for reasons I don’t think I need to describe. Finally the “shocking” and somewhat amusing revelation at the end about Celestial Beings ending wars through force. Still sounds like Dancouga Nova to me. Things didn’t work out too well in Dancouga either. I’m kind of excited since this is the first time I’ll be seeing a gundam show as it airs since probably G Gundam, and I wasn’t as connected to the fandom as I am now, so I’m hoping it will be a fun, speculative ride.

Shakugan no Shana II

As for the first episode of Shakugan no Shana II, what can I say beyond that was boring as hell. It was a recap that wasn’t recap. It showed scenes from last season but no detail as to what was happening, so I’m still lost (it’s been a year since I last watched Shana and all I can seem to remember is that Shana likes melonpan). New creepy girl villian introduced, and killed, but nothing that exciting. I do like her design, though. Reminds me of Touhou. I will say I thought the animation was quite good and I really love the OP. It’s only fitting Shana should have a good OP even if the actual episode sucked. Let’s hope the pace picks up next episode.

Dragonaut ~ The Resonance

I am a shallow man. As a shallow man I have a weakness for large breasts. This is the only reason I decided to even look at Dragonaut. Best to be honest with my readers upfront. As far as my voyeuristic needs are concerned Dragonaut serves them well. The animation is crisp and Makoto Uno’s character designs are downright sexy. OP itself is also pretty nice.

Turns out there’s actually a serviceable plot behind the semi-fanservice. While several of the characters are shrouded in mystery this first episode and secret organizations are lurking about, I expect them to be cleared up pretty soon. Looks like there will also be dragons fighting in this show, which is something you don’t see enough of in anime. As I’m more forgiving of Gonzo CG than most, should be pretty cool. As long as the main character isn’t a complete pansy and actually goes after the girl he wants I should be okay to continue this.