Otaku Digest: Dungeons/Brass Bands/Superhumans
Welcome again to another installment of Otaku Digest. Here is where we take the newest anime season and sift through all the new titles to see which are worth committing too. How? Well first impressions means everything to us, that first episode must make a lasting impression, or at least give enough to make us say, okay that may be worth sticking with a few more episodes. As you would guess we only tackle first episodes of new released anime here, reboots do count but we do not take on any existing titles. Without any further ado lets kick off this week’s Otaku Digest and we are looking at Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka?, Hibike! Euphonium and Kekkai Sensen.
Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka?
First up to the metaphorical plate this week is one mouthful of an anime titles Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka? or Is it Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Originally airing on the 4th of April, Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka? is an action, comedy, romance and adventure anime, with some fantasy thrown in for good measure. The anime is set in a city made of labyrinths known as Dungeons which are filled with all different brands of monsters, the city is Orario. Enter new adventurer Bell Cranel who wants nothing more than to “have a fateful meeting” with a member of the opposite gender. His luck takes a turn on an adventure when he is attacked by a Minotaur. About to be ended, he is saved by a first-class adventurer by the name of Eyes Warenstein. Seeing her power, Bell falls head over heels in love with her claiming true love and vow to train and become an adventurer of her level. Upon his journeys he happens upon a “Lolita God” named Hestia who in turn falls in love with him. Let the chaos ensue!
This is actually one of those anime series that I was actually looking forward to this season, just from seeing the preview and reading different things about it. It just seemed to fill the full need of any anime fan. The reality was the anime was quite enjoyable, it utilised each element that I mentioned and yes since it is an anime where there was some fan service thrown in there for good measure, mainly concentrated to certain female characters, in particular the episode “Goddess”. As for story, it was actually really well done in my opinion, slightly confusing at first but it made more sense as the episode went on and the broad range of characters helped it along nicely. The anime is not at all what you expect when you first think of it, it makes a massive effort to blend all aspects of its narrative together.
Will I Continue To Watch: Yes, the concept is interesting and the characters could be developed nicely along with it.
Hibike! Euphonium
Next up this week is the slice of life, music and school anime Hibike! Euphonium or Sound! Euphonium which started airing on the 8th of April. The anime introduces us to our main protagonist Kumiko Oumae, a regular high school student. Since she was a member of her junior high school brass band club and enjoyed it so much she goes to join the high school equivalent. Her classmates Hazuki and Sapphire tag along with her as they have decided to join too, it’s not till they reach the band room that Kumiko reconsiders. She spots her old classmate Reina there to join the band, Kumiko remembers the incident that went down between herself and Reina during a brass band contest in junior high. Will this stop her joining?
Ugh, another slice of life anime. I can never escape them but I am dedicated to seeing through all new anime of the season, slice of life included much to my dismay. I do however remain hopeful that someday I will find a slice of life anime that I actually enjoy. By the way I rate these type of anime in the same way I do others, just because I have a personal dislike for slice of life does not mean I will give it a bad review just because I dislike the genre, it goes on the same rating scheme as any other anime. First off the opening sequence and theme for this anime is fantastic, it is really high energy with a great preview of the characters we will be seeing. So first off that’s a good first impression. For once I am not going to slate this anime for having a lacklustre story line. Now don’t get me wrong it was slightly on the boring side of viewing given that I had to try re-watch it due to losing focus on it, but as far as slice of life anime goes it actually wasn’t bad. The story was interesting and I can see where it wants to go. Also the character seems to actually have some backbone and proper narrative built into them, if more slice of life anime were like this one I may be tempted.
Will I Continue To Watch: You know what? Yes I will, the characters are interesting enough to stay with it.
Kekkai Sensen
Last up this week is the vampire, action, adventure and supernatural anime Kekkai Sensen or Blood Blockade Battlefront, which started airing back on the 5th of April. Adapted from the manga of the same name this anime follows the events of a rupture between the human world and the netherworld that has swallowed the city of New York into it, trapping all the citizens of New York among the creatures of the other dimension in this indestructible bubble. Somehow making it work, the two have lived together for years in a sort of peace till someone threatens to break the bubble. The posse of super humans might have something to say about that and they will continue to ensure it does not happen.
What an opening, that opening scene was so well done. A small preview of the different super humans and what is now going on in New York city. The sombre music with the powerful imagery is a feast for the senses, if the rest of the anime is like this I have a good feeling. This anime is everything I love in a series. There is untold amounts of action with characters that are genuinely, confusingly interesting with a story that has so many aspects: it’s amazing. The whole thought of humans and nether world creatures living together is interesting on its own; throw in super humans and you have a guaranteed cocktail for an amazing anime. There are so many aspect to this story beyond just the super normal, but they managed to only hint at what’s to come in the first episode, keeping the viewer wanting more. Not to mention the animation in this series is flawless with the right balance of computer generated animation and traditional.
Will I Continue To Watch: Yes, yes a million times yes! I loved every minute! More Monkey!!
Another week of three yeses from me? I think I am losing my negative view! What did you watch this week? Let me know in the comments!
