A Certain Magical Grimoire

Taking on three at a time.

So many series to watch, so little time to follow them all.

Asura Cryin’

Not really quite what I had expected. A ghost, a miko and a giant Gundam…there are just simply too many elements in this series to make it seem worth while to watch. The whole male lead with tragic past, random three way battle royale, and giant mecha just ruined everything for me. Apart from being just a tad over the top with everyone going nuts after a silver suitcase that the protagonist conveniently receives, the whole school setting and his accidental encounters just scream out “unoriginal” as it can possibly be. I can’t really say the animation is all that great either, with some scenes that just seemed a bit off from the rest. Chances of me following this poor Rental Magica, Demonbane and Da Capo blending: Low.

Basquash

While I thought this would turn out to be a lame though new and improved version of Slam Dunk, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out to be. The episode’s animation is decidedly fresh, and the plot moves at a fast but reasonable pace. My initial thought was ‘Guren Lagann…again’, simply because of the way the main character seeks out a seemingly impossible dream alongside a scantily clad heroine (not to mention the sexual innuendo that abound during one particular scene). It’s far different than that and while it doesn’t elicit the vibe that Kamina had, it has it’s own decidedly unique sense of ‘awesome’. This is something I’m definitely going to follow. Chances of following: High.

Shangri-La

Having enjoyed the opening theme song, I have to say that the rest turned out to be rather disappointing. I have absolutely no idea where the plot is headed right now, and the whole carbon credit and finance concept just turns my thought tank off. Though there are some rather interesting characters (including a notable green haired transvestite) and fairly decent animation, the simple absurdity of some of the situations (like a boomerang cutting through a tank turret for one) and some jerky choreography makes it somehow lacking in execution. I might follow it a bit more just to see how it turns out but I make no guarantees about how this will turn out. Chances of following: Medium.

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