As usual, these aren't reviews of entire series, but just my first impressions of their first episodes.
- Listed under "A": Esuka & Roji no Atorie - Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi, aka. Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky
- Listed under "D": The Electric Town's Bookstore, aka. Denkigai no Honya-san
- Listed under "L": Even with Eighth Grader Syndrome I Want to Be in Love, aka. Love Chunibyo & Other Delusions
- Listed under "M": Everyone Assemble! Falcom Academy, aka. Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen
- Encouragement of Climb II
- Yama no Susume 2
- Season 2
- Episodes: 24 x 14 minutes
- Keep watching: No
- One-line summary: Schoolgirls go mountaineering
It's quite nice, in a neutral kind of way. It's a slice-of-life show about mountain-climbing schoolgirls.
My problem is that I have less than no interest in mountaineering. That doesn't mean I can't watch the show, but it's hardly a pull. Furthermore, the mountaineering's being presented so straight that it's educational, with so much practical information on camp cooking or putting up tents that you could mistake a couple of scenes for a demonstration video on YouTube. (That I quite liked. It's distinctive, at least.)
The girls are likeable, though. No romance or boys, just terribly nice friendship. They go camping together in Hinata's front garden, because Aoi's mother was a wet blanket about them doing anything without a man around. Grrr. They put up a tent. They chat. There's nothing urgent about it, but it's pleasant.
Apparently season one only had three-minute episodes. They're a bit longer here, although still not full length. I'm not tempted to keep watching, but I have nothing against the show and it seems okay.
- Engaged to the Unidentified
- Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
- Season 1
- Episodes: 12 x 24 minutes + two OVAs
- Keep watching: yes
- One-line summary: Hicks from the sticks come to stay and apparently one of them's your fiancee
- I've since finished it and... it's great
Kobeni is a 16-year-old girl who never knew she had a fiancee from some mountain village that she hardly remembers. (She's just lucky that she hadn't yet found a boyfriend.) Benio is Kobeni's older sister, with a fairly loose connection with reality and a fetish for little sisters. This is extremely funny, especially when Kobeni's fiancee, Hakuya, comes to stay with his own little sister, Mashiro. Comedy ensues.
It's very good. I'm watching the entire series and I've already finished, for what it's worth.
It's charming. There are many anime with a similar premise, but this one feels fresh and the characters are likeable. Hakuya's an unresponsive lump who'd probably drop dead if forced to have a visible emotional reaction, but he's nice underneath (and clueless about almost everything). Meanwhile his sister Mashiro is in denial about being primary school age, can't eat even Japanese curry (which is NOT HOT) and takes about three seconds to decide that Benio's a scary freak. What's funny about this is that Benio's so ecstatic about having a new little sister that Mashiro could call her every name under the sun and Benio would just want to cuddle her all the more.
The comedy is great. Hakuya and Mashiro's limited knowledge set is a laugh, e.g. when reminding each other what the colours mean on traffic lights. Mashiro's a bizarre combination of brattishness and super-competence. She's handling their school transfer paperwork. Hakuya doesn't take long to become the show's bewildered straight man. However there are also mysteries (why is Mashiro in everyone else's class at school?) and darker touches in the backstory (Kobeni lost most of her childhood memories in an accident).
It's cute, it's funny and the characters grabbed me. Recommended.
