They stand back to back, Jazz and Classical, fully pressed against one another. Although they face in different directions, a fundamental connecting line runs between the two. There’s an undeniable relationship between Jazz and Classical music that many musicians have the misfortune of never acknowledging, but that nonetheless is ever present in every note and beat. I was one such musician.
The scene flashed by, but if you were paying attention, you may have caught the nod towards Ernest Hemingway. The renowned author was also a dedicated angler who devoted quite a few of his writings to the art of fishing. You may have even read some of his works in school; the first one that came to my mind was The Old Man and The Sea. ajthefourth wrote a fascinating piece on the first episode over at Altair and Vega, complete with her own personal experience with fishing, and I would like to jump from that into my own views of this new anime and its aquatic theme.
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I’m going to push these two out quickly so I can place together my next three spring shows into one post of awesome sauce. That’s how spectacular the schedule for Thursday really is. The following two anime, Natsuiro Kiseki and Phi Brain 2 aren’t bad per se, but when compared to many of the shows airing this season as well, the odds aren’t so much in their favor of staying on my already busy viewing schedule. Regardless, I’ll stick it through for a few more episodes each to really decide whether or not I want to keep them.
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Sankarea
Undecided
Like with Shirokuma Cafe, Sankarea wasn’t even close to being on my radar after my season preview. I’m just not feeling the whole anime zombie craze. I was good with Highschool of the Dead‘s rampant sexuality and gore, but dropped Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? after just one episode. Sankarea looks to be riding on their coattails with its generic pretty girl and cat-haired male lead. And yet, I read a few reviews, notably from The Cart Driver and Guardian Enzo, that tempted me to ignore the warning bells going off in my head.
Shirokuma Cafe
Watching
Thanks to the kind prodding of bloggers Riyoga and Foxy Lady Ayame, I picked up this show that I had previously dismissed. Shirokuma Cafe is an odd cross between slapstick humor and clever commentary. The main laughs stem from the oddity of seeing these exotic animals, including a polar bear, empire penguin, panda, sloth, and several others, acting like humans amongst humans. I’m not sure how long the novelty will remain entertaining through out the rest of the show, but I’m willing to give it a chance after the success of this first episode.
Uchuu Kyoudai
Watching
Spring has really started out strong, first with Ozuma, and now with Space Brothers. The show has a distinctly mature setting, as the characters are fully grown men with careers under their belts. What makes them doubly interesting is that the two brothers differ not only in age, but also in success. I often hear older sisters lament about younger sisters marrying first, but this is the first instance I’ve come across where the younger brother exceeds the older in both fulfilling his childhood dream as well as in the professional sense.
Everything about Ozma screams classic in the making, from its opening plot, setting, characters, art style, and even soundtrack. And yet, I had walked into this without almost zero expectations, it being my first excursion into Matsumoto Leiji’s works (creator of Galaxy Express 999). The premise from the brief introductions I had read from season previews made it sound like some twist of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, which in itself isn’t a bad thing at all. I happen to be a huge fan of Dune, and so I used that as my basis for wanting to try this anime. Luckily, my inklings paid off with this grand first episode and I’m now dead set on Ozma as one of my leading shows to kick off the spring season.
I’ve been dragging my feet in getting around to watching all the newly airing shows, but I’m glad I clung in there because there are a few promising works here waiting to blossom. And while a couple are not too high on my priority for this season, none of them were completely devoid of noteworthy aspects.
I’m not quite sure if I’m blessed or cursed with the number of anime I’ll most likely be watching this winter season, combining many of the below shows along with the plenty I’m already watching from the fall. I may have to resort to saving some of them up for later viewings or marathon nights. Like the current fall season, winter looks to include a good number of sequels, as well as an HD remake of an anime I’m very interested in trying. Soooooo, without further ado, (you know the routine):
Awwwwwww, yeah. My most highly anticipated show of the fall season has finally arrived, and I must say, it has definitely earned its place at the top of my shows. It may even be the first anime ever for me to blog by episode–if not with episodic posts, it will probably get the most editorial-type posts during its airing. Buckle up guys, and prepare yourself for one roller coaster of a ride.
