Final Thoughts: Highschool of the Dead, Occult Academy

Summer 2010 turns out to be a disappointing season. I shouldn't have been surprised. My shortlist contained only 5 titles, not to mention that I was only really watching 3 shows in all and I still couldn't get interested enough to blog with the fervor with which Jute used to do. I thought at first it was just me. I've been through two seasons of anime since I took over this blog and I haven't exactly been great at it. It's not for lack of trying. I have tried both being discriminating and being open-minded, but neither of which methods really worked and I'm still bored. So then I started thinking that maybe it's not me; it's the shows themselves. For some reason, they're just not bringing it this year. Not even when they bring the zombies in (even Jute agrees with me on this).

Take Highschool of the Dead for instance. The manga is practically a confluence of pop entertainment. It has everything -- action, romance, zombies, heaving bosoms. All in all, a very, very fun read. So they made it into an anime and frickin' Madhouse takes the helm and, as expected, they do everything right, and yet somehow, the anime still falls flat. Simply put, there was just no magic in it, no x-factor, nothing to make a person really go, OHMYGODSHI that was gold! (Kurozuka, at least, for all its confusing psychobabble had its moments - jute). So final thoughts? Thank god for Busujima-senpai. She was the only reason I stuck it to the show.

If Highschool of the Dead was bland, then Occult Academy is just absurd, and not in a good way. Everything about it -- from the monster-of-the-week approach, to the highly derivative futuristic set-up, to its clumsy attempt at character development, the completely unnecessary fan service and the ohmygodplot! last three episodes -- just screamed SILLY. Final thoughts: What a silly, silly show.

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Occult Academy 09-10: Ghost of Christmas err

I don't know what it is about this series. It seemed so promising at first. The plot, I mean, with the occult and stuff and conspiracies but as time goes on, it's become less about finding the Nostradamus Key and more about random things happening to the characters in the show. It's not even as funny anymore and the drama isn't that good. The action is meh and, I don't know, it just comes off as pale and milky. Admittedly, Maya really deserves her role as the central character as much of the events in the series are actually meant to develop and reveal her character. However, I feel that her story isn't as compelling as it should be, which is sad because this type of story approach is only effective if the character in focus has a great story to tell. And now we are down to the last episode and you know I don't care.

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Occult Academy 07-08: Slaps all around

So we finally meet Ami's father, who turns out to be that big guy who's always shouting at his workers, which include Smile and JK. But as is usual with Occult Academy, his introduction is just an excuse for even more of Maya's background to get revealed and the ongoing search for the Nostradamus Key. This time, we're faced with crop circles and dead cows. Maya thinks this might be another clue and gets Fumiaki to check out the site where the crop circles were found. Meanwhile, Ami's dad is worried that Maya isn't acting like the Maya he used to know -- i.e. someone who's just crazy over the occult. So he gets a bright idea and decides to implement it with the help of Smile and JK. Back in the field, Maya and Fumiaki encounter an alien spaceship and go chasing after it. Ami, Ami's dad and Kozue arrive just in time to lend them a hand, only for Maya to discover that the alien spaceship and the alien is merely a trick played by Ami's dad. In the heat of anger, Maya badmouths Ami's dad, leading Ami to slap Maya, which in turn leads Ami's dad to slap Ami. The episode ends with Ami running away in tears.

Ami and Maya don't make up right away and school becomes a very awkward place for a while for the two former friends. Ami later proposes to meet up with Maya at a shrine. Before going there, Maya checks out the dead cow incident with Fumiaki where she discovers two puncture wounds on the carcasses. Later, she remembers her appointment with Ami and makes a run for it. Thankfully, Ami and Kozue haven't left yet. As Ami and Maya start to confront each other, Kozue shouts for them not to fight any longer, then suggests that they all sit down and have cold drinks. With this in mind, she volunteers to buy the drinks, only to return seconds later, screaming like the hounds of hell are after her. Before either Maya or Ami could react, a huge monster appears and takes Ami away. Later, the rescue team composed of Maya, Ami's dad, Smile, JK, Kozue and, as a last-minute addition Fumiaki, comes to the monsters' lair where Maya identifies the monsters as chupacabra, which suck the blood out of its victims. Ami is rescued and Maya and her finally make up.

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Occult Academy 05-06

While these two episodes of Occult Academy focuses on the occult-crazed Kozue, this apparent focal point proves nothing more than a setting for revealing Fumiaki's character, and as a result of which, Maya gains some much needed perspective. So Maya isn't the only one who's had an unhappy childhood. It seems Fumiaki had it bad, too, what with his child-star fame and his mother growing to become the typical, tyrannical stage mother. It comes as no surprise then that Fumiaki lost his psychic abilities. But I have a theory that maybe he's just repressing the ability somehow as a reaction to his mother's increasingly abusive ways, which makes Fumiaki kind of like a sleeping dragon. On the other hand, I think Occult Academy shows real gumption for pointing out the suspicions of viewers (just myself actually, I don't know about the others) that Maya's intense annoyance over Fumiaki's cowardly ways might just be a cover for a growing attraction felt towards him. After all, Maya fits the tsundere description and so far all we've been show is her tsun-tsun side. The dere-dere remains latent but heavily hinted at. However, in the end, I don't really know whether the show is going to take that angle, and at this point, I don't care. Romance isn't really a theme for this show and what little romance it has is there only as a joke -- e.g. the vice-principal's infatuation with the extremely reluctant Fumiaki.

Occult Academy is now at halfway point but we're still nowhere close to finding the Nostradamus' Key. Not even a clue. But the end of the last episode shows Maya deciding to work with Fumiaki on more equal terms so maybe the next episode will actually show them looking for the key. But until then....

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Occult Academy 04: The difference between cowards and a pile of crap

EPISODE 04: The Collapse of BUNMEI

Continuing from the previous episode, Kozue is still missing, the Vice-Principal is still in love with Fumiaki, but now it seems Maya has also disappeared. The Vice-Principal thus commissions Fumiaki to help her find the two girls, but not before attempting to seduce him once more. Fumiaki all but agrees to the task and runs out of there like the hounds of hell are after him. Later, he encounters Mikaze and she offers to give him a ride. With much reluctance, Fumiaki accepts. LOL he never learns, does he? And he just about faints from Mikaze's crazy driving style. Finally, they arrive at some caves where they discover a secret compartment that leads into a tunnel. Mikaze's stories about these tunnels gives Fumiaki the creeps so when he hears an unexpected noise, he splits, leaving Mikaze behind.

Eventually, however, Fumiaki runs into a stalactite and discovers that he is pretty much lost and alone in a tunnel that forks in several directions. He sees a light at the end of one tunnel so he runs for it and is so very, very glad to find that it's Maya. Instead of 'happy to see him' Maya sucker punches him in the face. Together, they try to find their way out but instead stumbles into a cavern with a strange tree in the middle.

Fumiaki has no idea what it is but Maya claims that it's the Universal Tree. Nearly all mythologies of the world, from Europe to China and even to Japan, feature some kind of tree that supports the world and Maya believes that she has finally discovered it. To find if it is the Nostradamus' Key, Fumiaki takes a photo of it but his cellphone camera only reveals that this entire mountain, including the tree inside it, was wiped out in 2012.

Sensing Fumiaki's lethargic hopelessness, Maya once again reminds him (by threatening his life, of course) of his mission and of the fact that he is a time agent. But Fumiaki only tells her that his story was a lie. In the future, he cons people into believing he can bend a spoon with his mind but really, he just secretly presses the spoon to the ground and bends it that way. Nevertheless, the resistance recruits him as #6 and makes him a time agent, with or without his consent. The truth is, Fumiaki isn't even willing to go back to 1999 where he hears that five agents have already died at the hands of monsters.

Of course, when Maya hears this, she gives Fumiaki a beating so bad that he ends up in a pile of crap, which of course prompts another round of abuse from her. Because of the smell, she insists that he stay at least three meters away from her. Just then, the tengu appears and the two of them run for their lives only to walk straight into the tengu's lair. Maya then makes the connection between the tengu and the legend of the mothman and concludes that the two species are one and the same.

They also discover Kozue inside some kind of cocoon, which the tengu use to digest their food. To rescue her, Maya forces Fumiaki to get on all fours and then she climbs on his back and reach for Kozue. Maya is just able to get Kozue out when the tengu are alerted to their presence (there are a LOT of them). Fumiaki, who by the way is a coward if you haven't yet noticed, runs for it, leaving Maya and an unconscious Kozue behind.

Fumiaki runs all the way out of the caves, eventually smacking into a tree. Upon seeing the view outside the mountain, he bursts into tears, saying that he's alive. Meanwhile, back in the cave, Maya desperately scans her father's notebook for a spell to protect from tengu. But she runs out of time as the tengu swarm around her. She tries to fight them valiantly with nothing but her arrow-gun.

Then, when it looks like things are never going to let up, Smile and JK show up. It turns out that they have been conducting their own search for Maya and Kozue, using JK's dousing abilities. But even with these two's help, the tengu are still too many. JK is thus forced to take out his secret weapon: a piano. Smile is dubious he can do anything with the weapon. However, as it turns out, JK knows that the tengu cannot stand certain musical notes. By hitting these notes repeatedly, JK is able to stop the tengu just long enough for them to make their escape.

Outside the cave, Fumiaki is still waxing poetic over the miracle of his being alive when Smile and Co. run right into him, pushing him off the mountain in the process. He manages to grab on to the edge and accuses them of trying to kill him. But the others are distracted by an explosion coming from inside, causing the entryway into the tunnels to collapse, thus sealing the tengu inside. With this, the tengu problem is contained for the time being. Fumiaki demands an apology but Maya merely gives him a freezing stare and calls him a coward, which shuts Fumiaki up. But just when we think that he's found shame in his actions, Mikaze shows up and Fumiaki covers up his uselessness by claiming that he has taken care of the tengu.

Meanwhile, back in the academy, the Vice-Principal's lackey reports that the tengu problem has been taken care of, but the Vice-Principal is still wary of Maya's future actions.

I suppose Fumiaki's lie explains some of the more contradictory and outrageous stuff about him. But the fact that the Vice-Principal is actually in love with Fumiaki really gets me. LOL I'm still curious about Mikaze. I wonder what her role is in this series, apart form being Fumiaki's object of desire. I change my mind. I don't want a Maya x Fumiaki pairing. I want Smile x Maya. lol The wrench dude and the tsundere. It sure has a ring to it.

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Occult Academy 03: They're No Angels

EPISODE 03: MIKAZE Blows Through

People around the school and nearby areas are randomly disappearing and rumors point to tengu, the "dogs of heaven" from legends, as the culprit. But even the legends are conflicted about the tengu. According to one tale, a tengu appeared before a lord and told him that it is wrong to take a human life. In another, a tengu is said to have kidnapped a boy during the Edo Period. Kozue ( LOL I have a feeling she'd get along famously with Minori (ToraDora!) and Osaka (Azumangadaioh!)).wants to prove the tengu theory by catching one but her equipment (a fly net) is not exactly up to the mission. She ends up snagging Fumiaki instead, who understandably gets infuriated and reminds him that he is a teacher.

However, the rumors get the wheels inside Maya's head moving and predictably she lashes out to Fumiaki later while inside the Principal's Office. She believes that this new paranormal activity might be related to the Nostradamus Prophecies and if so, investigating the anomaly could lead them to the key. Maya being Maya who hates the occult, she then launches into a diatribe about how tengu actually comes from the Chinese text for "Dogs of Heaven" or shooting stars, which means that it could be a UFO or something, lending credence to the theory that the beak of a tengu is actually the oxygen mask of an astronaut.

After sharply (that means lots of yelling and throwing things at him with precision) reminding Fumiaki about his mission, Maya then orders him to investigate the matter, adding that the tengu could be an advance group of aliens, scouting their planet for possible hostiles. Well, if she puts it that way. Fumiaki immediately realizes that the tengu could lead them to the location of the key. Maya then mutters that no matter what it is, it might be responsible for killing her father. At this, Fumiaki gets serious.

err, to kiss your ass?

he has no chance

Later, Fumiaki runs into the Vice-Principal who proceeds to criticize his clothes. Then she gets suspicious over Fumiaki's frequent visits to the Principal's Office. In order to deter her inquiries, Fumiaki compliments her on her hair, which unexpectedly sends the Vice-Principal to cloud nine. Apparently, no one has ever complimented on her hair. The students even call them the "two dumpling brothers" after the song, which heee. Because of this, the Vice-Principal falls head over heels for Fumiaki and attempts to kiss him. At first, Fumiaki resists but after catching an ample glimpse of her sizeable cleavage, he considers the possibility for a moment. He takes a photo of her with his cellphone and sees his future if he hooked up with her: he'd be dead and she'd be old and haggard with two kids. With that, Fumiaki wordlessly leaves.

she might look pretty now

things have a funny way of turning out

that's right, move along, Fumiaki

Fumiaki finally arrives at his apartment where he is greeted by his landlord, which "creepy" doesn't even begin to describe. Goddamn, those eyes are HUGE. After that scary encounter, he lounges for a while in his room, watching taped recordings of his younger self on TV. The image reminds him of his childhood days when his mother used to dote on him (she's apparently the only person whoever called him "Fumiaki". Wait for it, this detail will haunt you later in the episode) and made him his favorite curry rice. He wishes he could go back, then realizes that he is back. With that, he hurries to a payphone and calls home. His mother picks up but Fumiaki also hears himself in the background and has no choice but to hang up. Even if he is back, he really can't go back to his previous life anymore.

And I thought my landlord was scary. he's like Yubaba's distant cousin twice removed

happy days

Fumiaki soon leaves his apartment and ends up at a shop. The shopkeeper turns out to be his landlord's twin sister, which explains the scary resemblance. Fumiaki orders curry rice and while waiting, he watches TV. On the screen, Bunmei once more displays his ability to bend spoons while his audience goes wild. Fumiaki thinks to himself that they like him only for his ability but he once he couldn't bend spoons anymore.... His thought is interrupted by the arrival of his order served by a cute girl, Mikaze. Like everybody else, Mikaze likes Bunmei, but unlike the others, she doesn't call him "Bunmei" but by his real name, Fumiaki, making her the only other person, aside from his mother, to do so. And just like that, Fumiaki is in love and begins to visit the shop night after night. On the third or so night, Mikaze gives him pudding as a kind of costumer bonus and offers to take him out on a tour around town. Fumiaki practically jumps at the opportunity, only to discover later on that Mikaze owns a zanny white car and is a bit of a speed demon.

a cute chick and Fumiaki has a crush

Take the advice, Fumiaki. She means it.

Maya in action

After a particularly stressful drive around town where they visited all sorts of historical places, Fumiaki and Mikaze's last stop is Matsushiro, which is one of the areas where victims of the rumored tengu attacks were taken. Deep inside the tunnel area, they find a bunch of colored paper cranes, which were made in memory of the people who died while making that tunnel. Mikaze is obviously disturbed by this and can't help crying while Fumiaki tries to console her. Meanwhile, Maya, who has been secretly investigating the area, finds herself being chased by an unseen creature.

Well, this was a random episode. Not as tight as the first and the second but I'm guessing this one is for purposes of building up the coming events in Episode 4. Mikaze could be a key figure. That's the vibes I'm getting. I'm glad that the tsundere violence is toned down a bit in this episode although I don't think it was done on purpose. After all, there is very little Maya in this episode, which is kind of disappointing. I like Maya's character. I like her character more when she's interacting with Fumiaki. But if I have to take either of them by themselves, I'd rather spend 22 minutes watching Maya investigate some scary creature or even just talking to her weird friends than spend the same amount of time watching Fumiaki's clumsy attempts at finding a girlfriend. Speaking of which, I wonder if Fumiaki and Maya are going to end up as a pair? I mean, I know there are probably fandoms about them but I'm asking if canon is eventually going to address the issue. There is no romantic chemistry between them, that's for sure, but I don't mind even just hints of romance in any series I'm watching. Just saying.

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Occult Academy 02: Time-jumpin' spoon-bender

EPISODE 2: The Advent of BUNMEI

This episode should come with a warning: EXCESSIVE TSUNDERE VIOLENCE. Talk about going physical. It came to a point where I actually felt sorry for Fumiaki as I cringed at every beating he got from Maya. But it was done in such a funny way that I had to laugh every time as well. Ah, I love my tsundere and her inevitable whipped boy pairing.

Maya really hates the occult and Fumiaki is the personification of that which she hates the most so yeah

This episode is more about Fumiaki's background as a boy-wonder who's kinda famous for his ability to bend spoons with his mind. When someone talks about spoon-bending, one immediately thinks of that scene from The Matrix. And it looks like that's not all that Occult Academy takes from the popular film. As a matter of fact, the whole fabric of the plot seems to be directly inspired by The Matrix. Just substitute the technology for the occult, plus a little bit of Terminator time-traveling schtick and you basically have the entire premise for Occult Academy.

lolwut? War of the Worlds meets Terminator

Uchida Fumiaki is a time-agent who comes from the future, specifically 2012. He is sent there by the human resistance who are waging a guerrilla war against aliens from another dimension that are occupying Earth in the future. His mission is to put a stop to the Nostradamus Prophecies by finding the Nostradamus' Key and destroying it before July 21, 1999. According to their intelligence, the clue to the location of the Nostradamus' Key can be found in Waldstein Academy. This is why Fumiaki returns to the past, taking on the alias of Abe Minoru, a sophomore history teacher.

It's just his extreme misfortune that he arrives at the exact moment and exact location as the occult-hating, walking tsundere-service Maya. The fact that he is naked when the first meeting happens doesn't help his case at all. Still, Maya doesn't report his dubious identity to the authorities, which is interesting, and she even allows him to move freely through school grounds. It's no secret, however, that Maya wants to shut down the school. To help her accomplish that faster, she needs everything bad that could happen in a school -- namely, having a pervert freely roam the school -- to happen.

Things change when Maya receives a note written in blood, telling her not to get in the way. Later, she experiences a real scare when a vengeful ghost pays her a visit. Fumiaki, who is in the vicinity, attempts to save her but only earns a beating for his efforts. The ghost gets Maya and nearly kills her. However, a spell from her father's old notebook saves her.

The notebook reveals that Maya's father has been investigating the Nostradamus Prophecies and the Nostradamus' Key. However, many people were not in favor of his research and attempted to stop him. This leads Maya to believe that her father did not just die but was actually killed. With this discovery, she decides to team up with Fumiaki in order to find out what really happened to her father.

Another entertaining episode of Occult Academy, mostly at the expense of Fumiaki. I think the beatings need to be toned down a little. Otherwise, it could get really painful watching episode after episode of Fumiaki getting his ass handed to him. The scary stuff is scary in a lolcartoons way. The idea of an apocalyptic future is overused but for Occult Academy it's fine, especially since the focus of the series isn't really about what happens in the future but what is currently happening. There's obviously some sinister plot going on and it's already gotten lots of people, Maya's father included, killed. The interesting thing is that one of the people behind such a plot might be closer to Maya than she thinks.

I'm looking forward to the next episode.

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First Impressions: 2010 Summer Anime

It's summer! On the other side of the world, that is. In my country, we're just about to say goodbye to the almost four-month long El Niño phenomenon and saying hello to the wet season. Regardless, you otakus know what that means -- the 2010 summer animes are out! Below are my first impressions of shows that I decided to check out.

Highschool of the Dead (1)

More Screencaps from Highschool of the Dead 01
OFFICIAL (JPN) | ANN | Wikipedia | Trailer

Based on a manga by Daisuke Sato (story) and Shouji Sato (art), Highschool of the Dead follows a group of high school kids caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The series open at an ordinary Japanese high school where sophomore Komuro Takashi, his childhood friend and secret love Miyamoto Rei, kendo club president and senior Busujima Saeko, self-proclaimed genius Takagi Saya, gun otaku Hirano Kohta and ditsy school nurse Marikawa Shizuka all come together under the most horrifying of circumstances in this tale of love, friendship, fanservice and survival in a suddenly zombie-infested world. People, welcome to Japan. :P

Highschool of the Dead being from the same director (Tetsurou Araki) and animation studio (Madhouse) as Kurozuka, I expected that the violence and the gore in this anime are going to be over the top. After seeing the first episode, let's just say that all my expectations in those aspects were met. The character designs are attractive, especially the women who all have boobs of the size that are only B-movie appropriate. It also has some recognizable names in the cast with solid track records. The music is unsurprising -- it's all noisy, gritty rock and the ending theme actually sounds like a generic theme that's been used in many zombie movies before.

That said, it's pretty obvious that Highschool of the Dead isn't some groundbreaking anime. Much of it is pretty derivative from its stock of characters to its premise. Heck, it doesn't even add a twist to the zombie myth like Twilight did to the whole vampire franchise. What it does is shamelessly pander to the tastes of its already existing fans -- no pretenses, no masks, take-it-or-leave-it. In my case, I was entertained enough to take this series through its 13-episode ride.

Black Lagoon OVA: Roberta's Blood Trail (1)
OFFICIAL (JPN) | ANN | Wikipedia

Here's another Madhouse-animated vehicle, Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail is the third season of the popular Black Lagoon series, adapted from the manga of the same title by Rei Hiroe, about pirates/mercenaries who smuggle goods (and people) around the seas of Southeast Asia.

In this OVA, the Lagoon Company, composed of 'Nam vet Dutch, computer whiz Benny, gun-busting Revvy and pacifier ex-salaryman Rock, get inadvertently dragged in the middle of a war between the US Government, the Russian mafia, the CIA, the Hong Kong Triad, Latin American drug cartels and a whole bunch of degenerates as the title character Roberta, a terminator-like former assassin-turned-maid, goes all crazy-mad in order to avenge her master's death right in their own backyard.

Finally! I've been waiting for this for a very long time. I've recently picked up the manga and also went on a marathon with the previous two seasons just to prepare myself for this. And perhaps my expectations were set a little too high because the first episode of this OVA wasn't quite up there. Yes, there's the usual violent firefights, the over-the-top violence and mayhem, the strong language and Bao's comical rage at his bar being destroyed yet again but something is still lacking. Mind you, this wasn't my favorite story arc in the Black Lagoon manga but I can't help feeling that this ought to be more enjoyable somehow and it isn't. Still, there are only five episodes of this and the next one might prove me wrong so I'm sticking it out.

Kure-nai OAV (1)
OFFICIAL (JPN) | ANN | Wikipedia

Kure-nai is based on a light novel series by Katayama Kentarou with illustrations by Yamamoto Yamato. It's about the adventures and misadventures of 16-yeard-old dispute-settler, Kurenai Shinkurou who finds himself suddenly entrusted with the 10-year-old daughter of a powerful plutocratic family who has no scruples about using force to take her back into the fold.

The original series already addressed the issue of Murasaki's going back to her family. In fact, the series ended with Murasaki deciding on her own to stay in order to better effect changes from within the closed walls of the Kuhoin family. So I'm kinda in a quandary here, between wanting to enjoy this series for its quirky humor and realizing that it's all quite pointless. There's no story here. Move along.

Shiki (1)
OFFICIAL (JPN) | ANN | Trailer

Shiki takes place in a small, seemingly peaceful village, called Sotoba. However, this is no simple village as death is a regular occurrence here. It all started with the demolition of an old house and the construction of a strikingly out of place Victorian Mansion in its place high up on a mountain. Fashionable Shimizu Megumi hates this boring town and is fascinated by only two things: the standoffish city-boy Natsuno Yuuki and, of course, the mansion. One day, she walks up to the mansion and realizes that someone is watching her. The next instant, evening has fallen and the villagers are organizing a search party in order to search for her. This is definitely not an ordinary town.

I have to admit that I was attracted to this anime because of its promotional poster. Other than that and its basic premise of strange deaths occurring in a sleepy town, I knew nothing about Shiki. As such, I came into this series with virtually zero expectations. The first episode doesn't exactly jump right into the thick of things. Rather, it focuses more on character introductions and setting the atmosphere for the horror that is sure to come. It might seem a little off-putting for those expecting something around the likes of Highschool of the Dead  and Seikimatsu Occult Academy but a little patience could go a long way. Though I'm not a huge fan of the character designs, the story looks promising enough.

Occult Academy (1)

More Screencaps from Occult Academy 01
OFFICIAL (JPN) | ANN | Wikipedia

It's the year 1999 and Kuwashiro Maya arrives late to the funeral of her own father, the late principal of Waldstein Academy. Despising anything and everything that has to do with the occult, Maya finds to her unending embarrassment that her father has accidentally summoned an ancient evil spirit, causing his untimely death. In an effort to contain the situation, Maya declares that it's all been staged, only to get mauled by said evil spirit right in front of everybody. Her humiliation complete, Maya decides to take action with the help of a childhood friend and two dubious-looking occult "experts." But as if that wasn't enough, Maya later encounters a strange naked guy who suddenly appears in a beam of light flashing from the sky. Talk about a shitty day for a homecoming.

I was NOT expecting this series to be any good. In fact, if you recall, I didn't even include Occult Academy in my original 2010 Summer Anime Line-Up. But after reading bright reviews about the first episode from ANN, I changed my mind and decided to check out the anime. Boy, was I happy I did just that.

So far we've had zombies and vampires for this season. Why not evil spirits and demons, eh? Occult Academy is animated by A-1 Pictures with relative unknown Oto Tomohiko at the directing helm. It's a fine mix of comedy and supernatural fantasy. Not only that, there are also hints of a much bigger plot in the making. The art style is simple with bold lines and rounded shapes, characteristic of many child-friendly anime like Natsu no Sora and Denno Coil. In fact, Sora from the former title has a lot of similar design characteristics as Maya, the main character in Occult Academy. All in all, this anime looks really good and also funny so it's right up my alley.

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (1-2)
OFFICIAL (JPN) | ANN

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (lit. "Ms. Wolf and Her Seven Companions") is about Ookami Ryouko, a tough, spunky girl, who is a member of the "fixer" club, Otogi Bank, which specializes in "fixing" problems of their clients.

Characteristic of the slice of life genre, Ookami-san isn't really about anything in particular. We're supposed to believe that this is a love story of sorts, and based on the first two episodes, it certainly looks like the series is angling for that, but really, this is just another gag show like Arakawa Under the Bridge, only less psychotic and a much more boring cast of characters. Yes, yes, I am not enjoying this series and will be dropping it from my list. Sorry, Taiga-look-alike, but as much as I like the tsundere trope, the story either has to make sense or not make any at all, instead of vacillating between the two, in order to get my attention.

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