Crunching the Numbers: Psychic Lovers

Well this is new. Welcome to a new segment to the site I like to call "Crunching the Numbers", where I take a bite into the recent anime simulcasts every two weeks and tell you what's worth watching and why. If you couldn't tell, the name comes from Crunchyroll, which provides most of the anime simulcasts I'll be watching

this season.

We've got seven anime titles to discuss this week. To explain how this and future columns will be formatted, it'll be done in a list, with what I think is the best anime on right now at the top and going down the list to what I consider to be the weaker titles. If a title is too weak and no longer worth discussing, it'll get dropped from the list. Yes, this is blatantly inspired by ANN's "The Stream", but it's a good enough format that it deserves ripping off. Besides, my opinions are bound to be different than that of Bamboo's (but I recommend reading The Stream as well).

I will not be covering everything out this season. Sequels to shows I haven't seen won't be talked about for obvious reasons. Anime shorts will not be covered either because they're so short they can be watched in the time it takes to read a review on them, and thus it's pointless to talk about them. With that said, on with the reviews!

1) Chihayafuru 2 (Episodes 1-2):

EEEEEEEE! I’m sorry, but simple words can’t explain how happy I am that Chihayafuru is back with more episodes. If you haven’t watched the first season yet, go back and watch it. It was one of the best shows of 2011, no small feat considering the star power of that year. Since I have watched the first season of this show, I’ll be covering the second season in this column.

The show picks up right where we left. It’s a new semester for the Karuta club, and Chihaya wants new members badly. However, the club runs into conflict over this, as some members have no interest in new members and want to focus on preparing for the next tournament. Making things more complicated is Sumire, a first-year who joins the club not because she’s interested in karuta, but instead hooking up with Taichi.

Chihayafuru 2 feels like a natural successor to the first season. It manages not only to pick up right where the first season ended, it feels like a new beginning as well by introducing new characters, a new year, and new challenges for the karuta club, both as a competitive team and as friends. I like how each member of the team has different interests and different goals, further developing their characters while at the same time providing natural conflict for the story. Sumire could very easily be the Scrappy of the show, but the first two episodes have gone out of their way to show that deep down, she may actually like karuta and will grow out of her superficial teenage love phase. Actually, her love with love in a way is what leads to the first major change in her character in the second episode. The other new member, Tsukuba, is given less focus in these first two episodes, but he provides a new look at karuta by virtue of being a player of second verse karuta, a version from Hokkaido with different rules from mainland Japanese karuta.

I’m really happy to have Chihayafuru back. It’s one of the best directed and written anime I’ve seen in years, and it still is. I implore you to watch it.

2) Maoyu (Episodes 1-3):

Medieval fantasy is probably one of the most stagnant genres in fiction. That’s not to say there aren’t good medieval fantasies out there with stuff like Game of Thrones existing, but ever since Lord of the Rings there hasn’t been a big game changer to the genre. However, there was an anime that decided that instead of looking at the fantastical war elements of the genre, it would instead look at the mercantile and day-to-day elements. That anime was Spice and Wolf, a show about a merchant and a wolf goddess on their travels across a fantasy land to make profit and eventually develop a relationship.

What does this have to do with Maoyu? Well, two reasons: one, the director and screenplay writer for Spice and Wolf are directing and writing for Maoyu, and two, this is another show about economics in a medieval fantasy. Maoyu tells the story of a long war between the human and demon worlds, one that has deprived both nations of their resources. So why don’t they stop the war? Well, as the Demon King explains, war is more complicated than that, and it is her wish to end the war without dooming both worlds. She recruits the help of Hero, a powerful soldier from the human world who originally was supposed to kill the Demon King and has no idea how the economics of war work.

Now, I’ll try to avoid making too many Spice and Wolf references in future editions of this column, but I really need to address the comparisons now since they’re almost impossible to ignore. What made Spice and Wolf such a strong show was not the exploration of economics and the job of merchants, as interesting as those subjects may be. It was instead the strength of the character writing that formed the backbone of that show, with the economics and fantasy elements just being fancy window dressing. Maoyu takes the opposite approach, going more in-depth with the economics of the world. It explains how the human world is running out of food to support its nation, but it’s only able to keep going because of the money it receives from other nations to support the war. The Demon King’s plan is to revitalize the farming of the nations and stabilize the economy so they can afford to end the war and create peace between the demons and humans. If the idea of war economics sounds intriguing to you, then congratulations, you’ve found the show for you. It’s a clever idea for a story, but it comes at a cost. An opportunity cost, if you may. I make no apologies for my terrible economics pun.

See, Maoyu doesn't really have characters. Okay, that’s a little too harsh, as Demon King and Hero clearly have desires beyond talking economics. But the little moments that express those desires take a backseat to Demon King explaining the economy of the world and farming techniques to our clueless Hero, who’s clearly meant to be an audience surrogate. None of the characters have actual names, instead going by their job descriptions. You have characters named Head Maid, Mage, Crimson Scholar, etc. They’re presented as archetypes first and characters second, and the show makes it very clear with its naming scheme. As a result, the writing comes across as much drier than Spice and Wolf, as it lacks the strong characterization of that show.

There’s also an element of romance to the show, but unlike Spice and Wolf which slowly develops that element, Maoyu throws it right into the first episode by having Demon King confess her love to Hero, who is a naïve virgin. It’s implied that the Demon King might be doing it just to keep the Hero by her side and help her plan, but by episode 3 that implication holds little water. It’s nowhere near as subtle or rewarding as the romance in Spice and Wolf, so I really hope later episodes do a better job of handling it.

So is this really the successor to Spice and Wolf we’ve all been hoping for? I wouldn’t dare say it’s on the level of Spice and Wolf, but I am glad there’s another show to explore this side of medieval fantasy. Despite how dry the content is, it’s fascinating enough to be worth your time. 

3) Love Live! School Idol Project (Episode 1-2):

What would you do if you heard your school was closing down? Well, if you’re in this show, you’d become a school idol! Yes, this is another in a long line of idol singer anime, and it’s not even the only one out this season as we also have AKB0048 Season 2, which I’m not watching because I haven’t seen the first season. Personally, idols have never interested me. Along with moe and harem anime, they always felt like skeevy otaku pandering that’s more interested in selling a perfect hot female singer instead of just giving a good performance. You know, like most of the pop industry.

But while I can admit that this is not my genre, Love Live subverted my expectations by being sincere about its premise. Sure, it’s a dumb premise that can only exist in fiction, but the show isn’t half-assing it. The animation and direction are much better than they have any right to be. The art is on the generic side, with every character having the same face design with little body-type variation, but it can be forgiven when the dance scenes are gorgeous. Well, they’re gorgeous when they’re not pulling the camera back to hide the shots done with CG models, but when it closes up on the 2d characters dancing and singing, it’s really good animation. Speaking of singing and dancing, there is a moment at the end of the first episode where the main character bursts out into song and starts dancing in the street. No, it wasn’t a stage performance, she just turned the show into a musical. The second episode doesn’t have any such numbers, but I imagine that’s a budget concern, and I hope we get more musical numbers like the first episode.

I mentioned how I thought idols were basically eye candy for otaku. Well, I can imagine the otaku watching this show still ogling at the teenage girls while writing horrible doujinshi of them, but the show never once shows the characters in a sexual way. It’s a clean show, to the point that when a character gropes another character’s breasts (we don’t know why she did this yet btw), the camera cuts away right before it happens. That is the restraint this show has, to the point I feel like I could recommend this to all ages without feeling dirty. The show is simple, sincere, and well-executed to boot. It’s not going to set the world ablaze, but it is light entertainment done right, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

4) The Unlimited (Episodes 1-2):

For the sake of accuracy, I’m avoiding watching sequels to shows I haven’t seen before. The Unlimited is a spin-off of Zettai Karen Children, also known as Psychic Squad in the US, that focuses on Hyobu Kyosuke, the antagonist of that series. Fans have told me that the series is watchable for newcomers, and they were right about that, so here it is.

Hyobu is a powerful ESPer, probably the most powerful one in this world full of ESPers as he is able to effortlessly destroy helicopters with sticks, but he lets himself get captured and taken to a prison designed to hold ESPers. There he meets Andy Hinomiya, a tough fighter who’s nicknamed “Mr. Powerless” due to his seeming lack of powers, making him neither ESPer nor human. They team up and escape prison, joining up with Hyobu’s criminal organization P.A.N.D.R.A.

So, let’s talk about OP villain protagonists. Nothing is a threat to Hyobu in this episode, even before he activates his “Unlimited” mode. The lack of threat cuts a huge deal of tension out of the show. Mind you, the show’s young, but it’ll have to work fast to make Hyobu break a sweat. The other problem with Hyobu is that, well, he’s not interesting. He’s arrogant and can certainly back it up, but he lacks the charisma that makes a villain protagonist interesting. For example, Alucard from Hellsing is practically a god, and yet he’s so much fun to watch because of the sheer glee he takes in battle, along with some help from the strong writing and spectacular visuals. There’re some nice visuals as Hyobu uses his powers, but the character himself does not invite interest. So the show will have to make Hyobu interesting fast if it wants me to watch more of it.

The second episode gives more focus to the rest of P.A.N.D.R.A. It doesn’t give us enough info to really get a good handle on their personalities, but it does show off their various psychic abilities, like being able manipulate carbon or sound. We learn that Hyobu is much older than he looks. The second episode continues to be a nice spectacle of superpowers, and with the now-established team, we could be looking at a good X-Men-esque show. Now if only we could get some character depth.

5) Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman (Episodes 1-2):

Believe it or not, this is not a Lupin III spin-off, although it definitely has the spirit and style of Lupin III. Based on a pachinko game that used character designs created by Lupin creator Monkey Punch, Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman is about a thief named Roman who steals from the rich corrupt Bakumatsu-period government and gives back to the poor, with the help of his sister Koharu and her dog Sakura. The episode opens on Roman and Koharu succeeding at just that. Then the episode meanders for a bit. It establishes the daily life of the two thieves; Roman’s a helper, basically a freelance worker who’ll do just about anything for money, but he tends to throw it all away through gambling. We meet a few other characters, and even a flour zombie who’s never brought up again, but the plot doesn’t get moving again until the government comes up with a plan to force the town to pay them even more money. Naturally, it’s up to Roman and his friends to bring this plan to a stop. In the next episode, Roman encounters Magoichi, a guard working for (insert government organization here) that foils one of Roman’s attempts to get back money. Eventually the two learn to respect one another despite being on opposite sides of the law. It also helps that Magoichi has a cool golden gun that can transform into a sword.

There’s not much going on beneath the surface of Roman. It sells itself as a Bakumatsu-period Robin Hood anime, and that’s what it is. The Lupin III parallels extend beyond the Monkey Punch art; there’s the skilled thief, the bumbling cop, the sexy disguise artist, and a bunch of other archetypes that have appeared in other Monkey Punch works. The animation is on par with the modern Lupin III specials. If you’re expecting a grand follow-up to last year’s fantastic The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, you’ll be sorely disappointed. It’s vanilla Lupin wrapped up in new clothes, but there’s nothing wrong with vanilla Lupin. Even the most basic of Lupin stories can be entertaining, and this one has its moments. It’s a show with small goals that meets those goals. If the idea of Robin Hood in the Bakumatsu era appeals to you, this is the show for you.

6) Vividred Operation (Episode 1):

Hey, do you like underage girl butts and cameltoe? Pining for that sequel to Strike Witches? Well this is the show for you! Akane lives in the not-too distant future when young girls don’t wear pants, but no one seems to mind because the future is awesome. There’s flying bikes and something called the Manifestation Engine, which solved the world’s energy problems, that Akane’s grandfather invented. Everything’s hunky-dory until the island Akane lives on is invaded by a giant mechanical spider, but with the help of her grandfather’s newest invention, she might be able to save her home.

So as you can imagine, when I saw that this series was directed by Kazuhiro Takamura of Strike Witches fame, I was expecting the show would have many of the same trademarks as Strike Witches, and I was right. Shots focusing on an underaged girl’s tight short shorts, airplanes, and an invasion, the similarities are definitely there. To be fair to Vividred, the fanservice shots are nowhere near as frequent as they were in that show. The set-up is nothing fresh, but the characters are all fine, if vaguely defined at this point. What makes me want to watch more of this show is the ending scene, where the show turns into a semi-sci-fi magical girl show. There’s a really cool transformation sequence which is only marred by the returning male gaze of Akane’s posterior. It’s a shame that the male gaze is so distracting and unsettling, because the show is fine otherwise.

7) Kotoura-san and Manabe-kun (Episodes 1-2):

Warning: the first ten minutes of this show are contrived to the point of breaking suspension of disbelief, all in the name of being sad as possible.

Kotoura is a young girl with the power to read minds. You’d think this would be a neat power, but Kotoura doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut, saying aloud the thoughts of others and pissing them off. Somehow no one is able to figure out that she’s reading their minds, as her mother takes her to every doctor and they can find nothing wrong with her, or they just boot her out for reading their minds. Kotoura’s mindreading gets so bad that it causes her parents to abandon her because she keeps reading their minds. Not like it matters in the father’s case since he never shows any care for her in the first place, but we’re supposed to feel really sad when the mother abandons her. There’s even a moment when Kotoura screams in silence, and a huge swell of dramatic music plays over the scene as if the show was yelling “FEEL BAD, FEEL BAD FOR KOTOURA!” And then the show becomes a high school comedy.

Yeah, I’m just as confused as you are. The show abandons its sad tone in favor of a brighter wackier tone the moment Kotoura meets Manabe, a perverted student that thinks Kotoura’s psychic powers are cool. A running gag in the show is that he’ll think of her in perverted situations and Kotoura gets mad at him for it.

That’s not to say the show completely abandons its tragic tone, but it’s certainly nowhere near as pervasive as it is in the first ten minutes. Kotoura is soon asked to join the ESP Research Club of her new school. The leader of the club, Mifune, had a mother who was also psychic, but because no one believed her she ended up hanging herself. But now that Kotoura’s found friends, the tone has become noticeably lighter. She’s still being bullied for being a psychic, but Manabe stands up for her. So I guess the moral of the story is being different is bad unless you find friends who accept you.

Suffering from contrived reasons to torment its main character, lackluster character designs and comedy, and drastic tonal problems, Kotoura-san barely makes my list for this season. There is improvement in the second episode, but I don’t know if it can save itself from a poor first impression.

And that's the number crunching this week. I may add some more shows to the list next time, as I'm behind on a few shows that I still want to talk about, and I may have a banner ready next time.