Okay, so once upon a time, I was thinking I would be watching and reviewing a lot more anime. However, that didn't really come to fruition, and as a consequence, I have these two reviews that have been sitting here, waiting for a third to complete the article. Unfortunately, I feel that simply tacking on a third at this point would feel inconsistent, as it has been about 3 or 4 years since I watched them. Nevertheless, I did want to at least share these reviews, as they were my thoughts at the time, and I figured they'd at least be interesting. After debating it back and forth in my head, I've decided to just quietly release these two without any promotion with the hopes that I can maybe start fresh with something else, leaving these reviews in my rearview mirror instead of letting them linger in the "Draft" section of my blog.
So, here's two random anime series reviews, I guess.
Perhaps starting off with a dopey little comedy might not seem like the kind of thing I'd review, but I ended up learning about this series, gave it a look, and proceeded to binge the entire first season in a day. It was only 12 episodes, and I had gotten hooked, as it had some endearing qualities to it.
The premise is relatively straight-forward: Futaro Uesugi is one of the smart kids in high school, big on frugality and pragmatism which largely comes from his family being in debt. When he gets the job to be a tutor for the kids of a rich family, he sees this as a great opportunity to put his skills to work and support his family. Then he discovers that he's expected to tutor five girls who are in the same grade as him, and they're not just sisters, but quintuplets! As it turns out, their father moved these sisters into a new high school because they ended up flunking out of their previous one, and given that Futaro's job is dependent upon making sure all five girls pass the mid-terms, he's got his work cut out for him.
From there, Futaro has to earn the trust of the girls just to get them to study with him (as they are often more interested doing other things), which in turn gives the audience a chance to get to know each of the girls. While I don't know if any of them really develop into proper characters, they're all just charming enough that you want to see Futaro succeed and maybe even fall in love with one of them (foreshadowed by a beginning flash-forward sequence where we see Futaro marrying one of the girls, but it doesn't show which one).
While plenty of hijinks are had with the circumstances, one would expect such a premise to be rife with fan-service and suggestive situations, which is why it was kind of refreshing that it really didn't wallow in such things. There are a few saucy bits here and there, but it hardly ever gets provocative, especially at times when it easily could have been. Fortunately, we have a main character who keeps his head straight and doesn't get bowled over by such situations, instead keeping focused on the task at hand, making for a refreshing change from the stereotypical pushover protagonist often found in harem anime.
Despite all this, the series never really never becomes great, either. There are still some sitcom-y elements, especially when Futaro has to disguise himself for some reason and ends up having to maintain the pretense in the name of comedy instead of just clearing things up, which does get a bit frustrating. The animation isn't particularly great either, but since it isn't an action series, it doesn't suffer too much from it. Overall, I enjoyed it, and while I don't think it's great or a must-buy, I admit I'm keen on giving the second season a shot.
Here's something more up my alley. Based on a light novel series, this is a vampire-laden action show about two brothers trying to get to a place called The Special Zone, a designated secret vampire haven in the modern world. Unfortunately, the politics of The Special Zone and the return of someone from the brothers' past complicates their attempts to stay there.
The result is a pretty straight-forward, fantasy action series, with characters swing swords, wielding incredible powers, and shouting each others names in contempt. For what it's worth, it does have an interesting premise, and a pretty well thought-out setting, allowing for considerable intrigue. Unfortunately, the plot doesn't quite hang together, as pieces of the past and present are alluded to vaguely, and don't seem to resolve in a satisfying way. I'm sure more of this would make sense if they were able to adapt more of the story to anime, but they only made these 12 episodes.
As for the main characters, they're are fun to watch, with the older brother Jiro shifting between shady threats and doting on his little brother, who is just a bundle of innocence. Between them is Mimiko, a Compromiser for The Company (the organization that runs the Special Zone), intending to help these brothers find a place to live in The Special Zone, only to get caught up in the melodrama herself. As the main human of the story, her perspective plays an interesting role in understanding the complications of the scenario and the relationship between humans and vampires. Together, the three of them make for an interesting group to follow, and at times their interactions were genuinely funny and endearing. The rest of the cast, while varying in quality, carry The Special Zone's setting and atmosphere well.
Of course, this being an action series, battles happen pretty often, and for what it's worth, they're well done. The animation does a good job at making these vampires feel super powerful and capable, and there's even some decent battle choreography at times. Overall, I enjoyed this series. I don't know if its something I'll watch again, but if you're looking for some over-the-top action with a decent amount of heart, Black Blood Brothers mostly satisfies.
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