Some Quick First Impressions: Etotama, Shokugeki no Soma and Plastic Memories
Etotama
Short Synopsis: The cat wants to become part of the Chinese Zodiac
Now this is odd. I originally pegged this as a harem anime but it seems its a harem/supernatural battle anime. Not scoring points in the change though. But here’s the thing, the battles are a remarkably clever use of CG. The characters change into a chibi look making them easier to animate and distinguishing them from the main style. By making the battles take place in another world it allows the transition to be more natural than simply switching between the two. The CG is also remarkably impressive. The battle was fluid and dynamic with it actually being difficult to see if it was actually CG animated at times. A truly inventive way to incorporate CG into anime. But that’s where my praise ends. While basing the animal girls on the chinese zodiac is intriguing the fact is that the girls are annoying and the comedy is flat. It relies on the typical, “stupid person does something stupid, straight man points out they did something stupid” method. It also breaks the fourth wall a couple of times. The problem with this is the same problem I have with punchline. I can’t discern whether I am supposed to take this seriously or not. Comedy wise I thought it was amusing how the girls of the Zodiac kept asking people to recite the Zodiac and half the girls getting depressed because no one can remember the second half of it. Take note that I found it amusing, not funny. Overall I find the comedy to counter the battle which I could possibly get invested in if it wasn’t undermined afterwards by stating it was all a ploy to endear the protagonist. I am disappointed that such great use of CG was placed in a show such as this. I at least hope these animator take their work to more worthwhile shows because this to me is the kind of quality CG in anime should aim for.
OP: Peppy and upbeat
Potential: 30%
Shokugeki no Soma
Short Synopsis: A boy can make woman beg for his cooked meat.
Well…Did I mention this manga was made by a former Hentai artist? Before in the manga the reactions to food were pretty ridiculous but now animated takes them to new levels of absurd. Almost as if the protagonist slipped in fifty aphrodisiacs into the plate but even then I doubt anyone would react to food with such blatant sexual excitement. If I am wrong then well I better take up a cooking class. Well besides that odd quirk this is pretty standard shounen with a school setting incoming and the old elite group to take on. As some commenters have mentioned, you can find some enjoyment in it’s absolute ridiculousness. There is a certain charm to it’s complete over the top serious attitude to food. Making it the end all of all conflicts. It’s the usual thing in anime to over dramatize the subject in order to make it more visually interesting. Even one of my favorite animes, Hajime no ippo makes use of this with punches that sound like jet turbines and visual air bursts from each strike. But this is just too much for me. I even had to turn down the sound of this anime because I thought that anyone who heard it would assume I was watching pornography.
Potential: 0%
Plastic Memories
Short Synopsis: Our protagonist works as a retriever of robots at the end of their life span.
I hate love at first sight. When you cut out the ‘romance’ of it the idea becomes superficial. Determining that you are in love based on first sight means you essentially judged her entirely by her looks and this line of think has lead many into terrible relationships. When compared to a relationship formed through shared experiences and interaction its clear which of the two is the stronger. But alright besides the typical boy meets girls setup, I at least appreciate the lack of a school setting and a rather unique premise. In terms of how it is handles I say they are going the right way with this. Using a robots end of life span as an allegory for acceptance of death is smart and it is touching to see characters say goodbye to their loved ones. On those aspects you have a perfect show for generating tears. The main problem with it being that it’s very easy to go overboard with it and attempt to make it as melodramatic as possible. But that isn’t the only potential problem with this show. Despite the characters working they are still teenagers which honestly I don’t understand as to why that is. The most annoying by far is the stereotypical tsundere character. Girl, even if you think you are being something original, I have seen you a hundred times before and most likely will a hundred times again. The comedy is just at complete heads with it’s premise. We have a great moment of a grandmother saying goodbye to her little girl andriod only to follow it up with a joke about the female character pissing herself cause she drunk too much tea. Pick a side because you are not going to hit two birds with one stone. There are lots of ways this could go wrong and I already see a future development with the partner andriod thats so foreshadowed that they might as well spill the beans. But assuming this can avoid the trappings that Okada often falls in and kept the slapstick comedy to a minimum then this could be something.
Potential: 60%
Now this is odd. I originally pegged this as a harem anime but it seems its a harem/supernatural battle anime. Not scoring points in the change though. But here’s the thing, the battles are a remarkably clever use of CG. The characters change into a chibi look making them easier to animate and distinguishing them from the main style. By making the battles take place in another world it allows the transition to be more natural than simply switching between the two. The CG is also remarkably impressive. The battle was fluid and dynamic with it actually being difficult to see if it was actually CG animated at times. A truly inventive way to incorporate CG into anime. But that’s where my praise ends. While basing the animal girls on the chinese zodiac is intriguing the fact is that the girls are annoying and the comedy is flat. It relies on the typical, “stupid person does something stupid, straight man points out they did something stupid” method. It also breaks the fourth wall a couple of times. The problem with this is the same problem I have with punchline. I can’t discern whether I am supposed to take this seriously or not. Comedy wise I thought it was amusing how the girls of the Zodiac kept asking people to recite the Zodiac and half the girls getting depressed because no one can remember the second half of it. Take note that I found it amusing, not funny. Overall I find the comedy to counter the battle which I could possibly get invested in if it wasn’t undermined afterwards by stating it was all a ploy to endear the protagonist. I am disappointed that such great use of CG was placed in a show such as this. I at least hope these animator take their work to more worthwhile shows because this to me is the kind of quality CG in anime should aim for.
OP: Peppy and upbeat
Potential: 30%
Shokugeki no Soma
Well…Did I mention this manga was made by a former Hentai artist? Before in the manga the reactions to food were pretty ridiculous but now animated takes them to new levels of absurd. Almost as if the protagonist slipped in fifty aphrodisiacs into the plate but even then I doubt anyone would react to food with such blatant sexual excitement. If I am wrong then well I better take up a cooking class. Well besides that odd quirk this is pretty standard shounen with a school setting incoming and the old elite group to take on. As some commenters have mentioned, you can find some enjoyment in it’s absolute ridiculousness. There is a certain charm to it’s complete over the top serious attitude to food. Making it the end all of all conflicts. It’s the usual thing in anime to over dramatize the subject in order to make it more visually interesting. Even one of my favorite animes, Hajime no ippo makes use of this with punches that sound like jet turbines and visual air bursts from each strike. But this is just too much for me. I even had to turn down the sound of this anime because I thought that anyone who heard it would assume I was watching pornography.
Potential: 0%
Plastic Memories
I hate love at first sight. When you cut out the ‘romance’ of it the idea becomes superficial. Determining that you are in love based on first sight means you essentially judged her entirely by her looks and this line of think has lead many into terrible relationships. When compared to a relationship formed through shared experiences and interaction its clear which of the two is the stronger. But alright besides the typical boy meets girls setup, I at least appreciate the lack of a school setting and a rather unique premise. In terms of how it is handles I say they are going the right way with this. Using a robots end of life span as an allegory for acceptance of death is smart and it is touching to see characters say goodbye to their loved ones. On those aspects you have a perfect show for generating tears. The main problem with it being that it’s very easy to go overboard with it and attempt to make it as melodramatic as possible. But that isn’t the only potential problem with this show. Despite the characters working they are still teenagers which honestly I don’t understand as to why that is. The most annoying by far is the stereotypical tsundere character. Girl, even if you think you are being something original, I have seen you a hundred times before and most likely will a hundred times again. The comedy is just at complete heads with it’s premise. We have a great moment of a grandmother saying goodbye to her little girl andriod only to follow it up with a joke about the female character pissing herself cause she drunk too much tea. Pick a side because you are not going to hit two birds with one stone. There are lots of ways this could go wrong and I already see a future development with the partner andriod thats so foreshadowed that they might as well spill the beans. But assuming this can avoid the trappings that Okada often falls in and kept the slapstick comedy to a minimum then this could be something.
Potential: 60%
