Otaku Digest: God Detectives Are Lady Like
Well here we are after another long week we have arrived at another instalment of Otaku Digest. Here I will ask the question “are anime fans enjoying the current season or do we feel like it is reflecting the summer season and being a bit on the drab side of life or have I simply not gotten enough in to see the gold that this season has to offer?” Either way we march forward to this week’s Otaku Digest line up of Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama, Hidan no Aria AA and Ore ga Ojousama Gakkou ni “Shomin Sample” Toshite Gets-Sareta Ken.
Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama
First up this week is the kids and magic anime Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama which first aired on October 1 which feels so long ago now. In this anime we meet the Cocotama, tiny gods that are born from the feelings and thoughts of objects that humans handle with a lot of care. When a Cocotama is still wearing a part of its shell as its underpants shows that that little Cocotama is still only an apprentice, they hold a strange type of magic and to become full gods they must train hard in order to be useful to the humans. They live within human homes moving stealthily around helping the humans find things that they have misplaced of lost but as they train the make many mistakes along the way.
First off I am completely aware I am putting a kid’s anime out there on Otaku Digest but realistically if we did not watch what adults consider childish we would never have classic like Sailor Moon or even Pokémon so yes, here is a kids anime; enjoy. Needless to say this anime is adorable to its very core, it is so sweet even from the opening theme you can tell you may get a toothache just watching the series. It sort of reminded me of a pre-school version of Pokémon or a younger show if they have made a television animated series about Tamagotchis. As far as story goes there was no real hard hitting story going on here realistically however it was a really pleasant episode to watch, if you were having a bad day it is just a nice simple and innocent story with easy to watch animation that although aimed at kids more reminded me of the animation from a series like Cardcaptors which although a little basic was still highly enjoyable. The little Cocotama are adorable and they even sing, what more could you possibly want from a child’s anime?
Will I Continue To Watch? If I am having a bad day I would gladly turn this on
Hidan no Aria AA
Next up this week we have an action, comedy and adventure style of anime called Hidan no Aria AA or Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA which is adapted from the manga of the same name and original began airing on October 6. First off this anime introduces us the term butei which is short for Armed Detective and is a national qualification created to battle rising crime, giving these individuals allowance to carry arms and arrest people. In this world we meet a young girl called Akari who has idolized the S-ranked and world renowned butei Aria H Kanzaki, Akari wants nothing more than to follow in her footsteps but she isn’t not the most talented and her test results have landed her as an E-rank. Her dreams are not yet over when Aria agrees to give her a few pointers on where to improve but can even she turn this newcomer into a high ranked butei?
This is another anime where I knew there was an adaptation from a manga but what I did not know is there is an alternative anime to this that was released a few years ago, however this will not impact my judgement on this season since it is not a continuation or a sequel to that alternative so we will treat this as if it is a brand new season. As for this series, I actually really enjoyed the idea behind it with the armed detectives in almost an armed vigilante type of way taking the whole superhero genre in a new direction of ordinary armed people. What I found was a slight contrast between the slightly complex story of the butei and the mentoring side story and then the actually quite generic animation style used but weirdly I enjoyed the animation as it took on the more innocent and magical girl style of animation. An interesting use of animation for what is a civilian led anime. All the little issues aside I actually really enjoyed this episode even though we did not get much more than Akari and Aria exposition you can tell the side characters will also be interesting to the series.
Will I Continue To Watch? Yes, I weirdly enjoyed it even with some glaring flaws.
Ore ga Ojousama Gakkou ni “Shomin Sample” Toshite Gets-Sareta Ken
Last this week we have an anime with a mouthful for a name that is thankfully shortened in its English title Ore ga Ojousama Gakkou ni “Shomin Sample” Toshite Gets-Sareta Ken or for those who need to live their lives rather than say that it is simply Shomin Sample and is an ecchi, harem, school, comedy and romance anime that began back on October 7. Imagine a school, a school that is hidden away among the mountains, this is the school where young ladies from prestigious families are taught everything to be a high class lady. They are kept hidden and sheltered from the outside world in order to keep them innocent but a problem has arisen where after graduation the girls cannot deal with the outside world. In order to counteract this problem the school enrol a kidnapped ordinary male student hoping this will fix the issue at hand. This young man is Kagurazaka Kimito who seems to be completely average in every way and this is why he has been chosen also the teachers have even concluded he is a homosexual with a muscle fetish. With the alternative being castration he gladly plays along with the misconception. Sounds easy no? But now he must survive in a school filled with young ladies who are completely out of touch with the world.
Well that is some title but also it is a false sense of security because as you read the description what phrase sticks out like a brick to the face, you got it in one, fan service and lots of it. I really cannot tell if this series is taking itself serious or if it is simply made to make fun of itself, it is most definitely bordering that fine line especially with what has to be one of the most upbeat but completely wacky opening theme. I have to say the moment where Kagurazaka is kidnapped caught me by surprise but I yet have to ask, why were those men just randomly flexing and thrusting at him in the car? Was there really a need for that? I understand the whole side story of him supposedly having a muscle fetish but the thrusting was so off putting and unnecessary. The episode as a whole was a lot explaining in a sort of talky sense but saying that there are moments in there that are quite entertaining especially when we are introduced to the girls of the school who are hilariously sheltered and out of touch with reality which can make for some great comedic relief later on in the series.
Will I Continue To Watch? I am very on the fence with this one but will give a yes and see if it continues with its comedic effect
