Part 1
All of the shows in this blog were watched on Funimation’s streaming service.
Azur Lane
Episode 1 and 2
Interestingly, this show is adapted from a mobile game by the same name. The game is created by Chinese developers Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi.
The essential premise is that each girl is linked to a type of war ship: battleship, aircraft carrier, etc. When the girls need their weapons to fight, the ships transform into armaments that attach and link to the girls to use. Their opponent, Sirens. Sirens are humanoid like in appearance but want nothing more than to destroy everything in their path. Four nations were created to combat these Sirens: the Royal Navy, Eagle Union, the Sakura Empire, and the Iron Blood. Each nation has a theme to them. The Royal Navy has a British theme, the Eagle Union has an American theme, the Sakura Empire has a Japanese theme, and the Iron Blood has a German theme to their girls and ships.
The show is pretty unique in a way. I do see some similarities to anime Strike Witches, but I will say that once you get into the show you start to see its uniqueness. The show is colorful and beautiful having the waves and the flowing of the sea stand out in combat. What I find interesting is that when they are in combat, it is like they are skating on water which only enhances the animation. It is a fan service show, yes, but at least in the first two episodes that fan service shots were not overly done and didn’t feel forced. With as many characters as they showed in these two episodes, it does feel as the development of said characters will be lacking a little, and that they are going to have to focus on a certain group of characters in order for the show to not feel congested.
Overall, I enjoyed this show and I am excited to watch more. Also, I downloaded and played the mobile game and was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was. If mobile games are your thing then I do recommend, at least, checking it out.
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Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle
Episode 1 and 2
This show is a video game adaptation from the hit video game Phantasy Star Online 2. Currently the game is only available in Japan, but finally will be released in the West sometime early next year.
The anime begins on a colony ship that acts as the home for different races that seek to find other planets to call home and to get rid of the universal threat the Falspawn. The anime follows Ash, who upon landing on a nearby planet for training for ARKS, a combat unit for the colony ships, gets attacked and his whole squad to wiped up except for himself and another, Afin. They manage to escape and hope that other ARKS members are coming to rescue them. The two manage to make it to a huge tree where a woman appears from above the tree. Ash manages to catch her, and the only word that she utters before falling unconscious is Ash’s name.
The characters are shrouded in a mystery of their past that they need to uncover. Of course, the anime doesn’t seem to delve away from the source material too much, except for coming up with an original story somewhere, but still is keeps it interesting with either the mystery aspect or the battles with the falspawn. Nothing overly enthralling happened in these two episodes besides the first few minutes of the first episode.
I will say that the only reason I am intrigued by this show is for the game coming out next year. I am more excited for the game, but the anime is still worth watching. If you ever played any of the Star Ocean games and want something rather similar then check this anime out.
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No Guns Life
Episode 1 and 2
What a couple of episodes! No Guns Life is a very unique show. It reminds me of watching the anime shows back in the mid to late 90’s and early 2000’s.
With the light jazz music playing in the background, it fits very well with the vibe of this show. Juuzo Inui is the main character of the show. He is an Over-Extended, who are an older molder of augmentation during the war, and works as a man for hire to solve problems for Extends. The current augmentation people are called Extends, who have certain body parts converted into robotic augments to enhance their capabilities. After the war, this company Brehuzen gained power and now oversees everything that goes on, whether people like it or not. The anime puts Juuzo in a bit of trouble when a job is forced on him and causes him to be the target for Brehuzen.
If you grew up watching anime back in the 80’s, 90’s, or early 2000’s, then No Guns Life will definitely give you that nostalgia. Again, this show is very unique and intriguing, and I definitely recommend checking it out.
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Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit
Episode 1 and 2
Like the show title says, this is an anime cop show. The unique catch to this is that their world consists of humans, dwarves, elves, vampires, and many other mythical creatures. The unit Special 7 investigates crimes that a terrorist organization, Nine, are involved in or investigates crimes that may have a connection to them. Anime cop series are few in number, for what i believe, is due to the fact that live action cop shows are in plenty, so they have to be different if they want to stand out and be successful. I am glad to see more mystery, investigative cop shows becoming more popular.
Immediately what strikes my attention is the background art style. The art is looks painted, well detailed, and vibrant. The animation has a more bland, pale color pallet that makes it stand-out from the background, which in cop shows really works to insinuate the bleakness of the job.
The main character, Seiji Nanatsuki, is the new rookie at Special 7 since being transferred from being a detective. He partners up Ichinose, first name a mystery, and the two solve cases unbeknownst to them of the terrorist organizations, Nine, involvement in the shadows. The first tow episodes really try and set up the insinuation of Nine’s involvement and the trouble they will cause for Special 7 in the future.
This definitely seems like an interesting anime this season, at least to me. Now, I do like cop shows and mystery’s, so that definitely a reason why I seem to be enjoying this anime so far, but only time will tell if they keep up the mystery that they set up in the beginning and carry it to the end.
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Thank you for reading.
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