Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 9)

1. GARO: Honoo no Kokuin:  surprisingly good.  Solid action with well established characters.  This anime is on the mature side of the spectrum.  They don’t shy away from gruesome deaths and violent imagery.  But this show is one of the few that does a good job of being mature.  It doesn’t come off as shock value to uphold a lazy narrative.  The premise is good.  We’ll be following two demon hunters as they fight to bring justice to those who’ve committed an unjust genocide of their kind.  Another thing to note is the CGI integration with battle scenes:  it’s quite good.  While it does contrast with the normal animation, it’s very polished and fluid which helps to make the battle scenes quite intense.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai:  a thin premise that’s saved by wonderful comedy.  The premise has a chance to bloom into something significant, but for now the comedy will be enough to have viewers coming back.  The characters play off each other very well making for entertaining scenes even when it could be bogged down by cliché.  This is a comedy to follow with high hopes for an interesting end.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

3. Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu:  ♪GO! GO! TWIN-TAIL RANGERS!!♪  Someone needs to write that remix.  My goodness is this show dumb.  It’s not enough that the premise is about the forced removal of the twin-tail hairstyle; why not throw in some gender-bending transformations and a perverted alien with a twin-tail fetish on par with our lead.  If you believe in the power of twin-tails, this show is for you...and me.  Verdict:  GUILTY PLEASURE

4. Yuki Yuna wa Yusha de Aru:  hmm...well, that was unexpected.  If you have no idea what this show is about, then you’re in the perfect position to watch it.  The characters are decent enough.  The story is...well I can’t really say.  This is a show that’s best experienced with zero prior knowledge.  I will say that it involves cellphones and mobile apps.  And it will keep you nervously on the edge of your seat.  Have fun.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

Whew! Thirty two first impressions. These seasons are getting longer. As of this posting, there are still three open spots in Crunchyroll's Simulcasts. Sorry for any absent shows. I skipped many sequels since I hadn't watched the first season, and one or two are absent due to lack of legal streaming. Hope you're enjoying the Fall season.