Winter 2011 Season - First Impressions

Beelzebub (After 1 episode)

Synopsis: A delinquent must raise the infant son of a demon lord.

Analysis: Although this was rather entertaining with its hillarious characters and in-your-face gag comedy, it kind of needed less joke and more story to really work. If you're into this kind of humor, and/or if you are a huge Shonen fan, you will probably enjoy this series.

Rating: Meh

Following?: Nah

Dragon Crisis (after half an episode)

Synopsis: An average joe and his older second cousin seize a box containing a "dragon girl," and must protect her from an evil organization using their powers as relic handlers.

Analysis: This is a very five-out-of-ten series for me. The animation is wonderful, and there were bits I enjoyed, but there was really nothing special here that would make me want to continue.

Rating: Meh

Following?: No

Fractale (after one episode)

Synopsis: I...I'm so sorry. I have no idea how to explain this. Just see for yourself.

Analysis: The world they have created is absolutely beautiful. I was interested in everything that was happening, and the first episode was very cute and heartwarming. I have heard that this series gets more interesting as you continue it, and I can't wait to see this.

Rating: WATCH IT!!!

Following?: I would, but I have too much on my plate...

Gosick (after one episode)

Synopsis: In the victorian era, a new student meets a strange girl with an incredible talent for solving mysteries, and ends up joining her in her adventures.

Analysis: I loved the characters in this series, and was rather interested in what was happening to them. However, the mystery that was supposed to showcase the lead female's deductive skills was one that I probably could have solved. The writing also wasn't quite working. Gosick has a lot of potential, but it needs to step it up a little if it wants its viewers to get into it.

Rating: Worth a watch

Following?: Nah

Hourou Musuko (after two episodes)Synopsis: A boy who enjoys dressing like a girl tries to mend his relationships with his friends as he enters middle school

Analysis: The art is probably the best part of the series. I think this may be my favorite art style in any series I have ever watched. I love the age group they have chosen to focus on, and the slow yet interesting pacing. However, they need to be careful not to lay the drama on too thick. Also, there are a few characters () that just annoy the hell out of me.

Rating: Worth a watch

Following?: Yes

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? (after three episodes)

Synopsis: After being murdered by a serial killer, a boy is brought back to life as a zombie by a necromancer, who then moves in with him

Analysis: Probably the funniest show I've seen this season. Just about every single joke hit. The animation is also pretty good, and the characters are pretty much all likeable. However, this series needs to keep stepping it up, or it will get boring.

Rating: Worth a watch

Following?: Yes

Level E

Synopsis: An average joe and star baseball player moves into an apartment, but finds that a mysterious stranger claiming to be an alien has dubbed it his new hideout.

Analysis: Um, how does "best anime of the season" sound? This series is wonderful. Interesting, unique, and hillarious. The writing is brilliant. The art style is wonderful, and this series probably has the best use of CG since Kuchu Buranko. The only problem is, the show is very anticlimactic. While this is actually working so far, they need to be careful not to take it too far.

Rating: WATCH IT!!!

Following?: Hell yes!

Mahou Shojou Madoka Magica (after one episode)

Synopsis: A girl has a strange dream about a mysterious girl. The next day, the girl shows up at school! The girl and her best friend are then exposed to a world of magic.

Analysis: This is definitely a lot darker than your average magical girl anime. If you are a fan of SHAFT, you will probably like this. The characters are all very cute and interesting, and the visuals are pretty cool.

Rating: Worth a watch

Following?: Unfortunately, I was kind of scared off by that climax at the end. It was pretty cool, but too many colors...

Onii-chan no Koto...! (after one and a half episodes)

Synopsis: Nao's brother complex is so strong, it could probably be called incest. She one day goes so far as to throw out all of his non-incest porn. In doing so, she discovers her brother's photo album...but there are no pictures of her!

Analysis: Surprisingly, the first episode was a blast. It was hillarious to meet and watch these completely insane characters, and I laughed my ass off. However, by episode two, the humor got old, and the series just got a little uncomfortable for me.

Rating: A big turd

Following?: I may give this a second chance later on, but it's highly unlikely.

Rio: Rainbow Gate (after half an episode)

Synopsis: Rio is the "Goddess of Victory," who works in a casino and grants luck to anyone she walks by.

Analysis: ...don't do this. You have better things to do with your time. There was NOTHING redeeming about this peice of crap. The characters and story were uninteresting, the art was incredibly flat, for God's sake, this was a fanservice series and the damn fanservice wasn't even well done! These people aren't even TRYING, are they? They think they don't need a legitimate story as long as they have lolis and boobs! This show can go to Hell.

Rating: Dear God...

Following?: When Hell freezes over...