Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 8)

1. Rage of Bahamut:  Genesis:  A fun, well-paced action adventure with a promising mythological background (seems predominantly Nordic).  The characters, while not well explored, are fun and keep the narrative going.  The action scenes are enjoyable and at times over-the-top.  It will be interesting to see where this show goes.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. Laughing Under the Clouds:  boring.  The characters are either dull or annoying.  And the plot is so vague that there isn’t even a sense of curiosity to get the viewer to the next episode.  The action is subpar at best with all the potentially good fighting done off screen while the viewer is stuck watching the weaker fighter try to prove himself a competent fighter.  The dialogue is bland and boring and gives nothing worthwhile about the story.  No silver lining here.  Verdict:  SKIP

3. Girl Friend BETA:  hmm...I don’t know what they’re trying to do with this show.  Nothing happens to indicates much of a plot.  It’s just a bunch of girls talking.  80% of the first episode is the lead trying to return a photo and constantly getting flustered at EVERYTHING anyone else says. As of right now I can’t recommend a show that has no inferrable direction.  And seeing as this is based off of a mobile dating-sim, I’m left perplexed at the noticeable lack of potential male leads.  Maybe this is going to be this season’s shoujo-ai.  Verdict:  SKIP

4. BONJOUR♪Sweet Love Patisserie:  a charming, funny rom-com that takes place in a confectionery school.  Our lovely lead is going to have a tough time focusing on her studies with so many attractive instructors around.  Unfortunately this show suffers from the dreaded short-form anime syndrome.  Many displeased viewers thought the stream screwed up only to find that it only had a five minute run time.  This feels as if it should be a normal twenty four minute show.  I don’t know why the creators chose differently.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT