New Series Reviews pt. 3
Yes, it is that time again, when new anime series air and we all face palm at the horrid train wreaks allowed to spam our once beloved time schedules. Here are my reviews of some of the new series you might or might not want to look out for;
Mashiroiro Symphony: Love Is Pure White
“One day, Shingo’s school combines with a girls’ school. As a specially selected student, Shingo temporarily joins the girls’ school until they officially consolidate. He meets various unique girls there, but they all dislike male students.”
Basically, it is another Harem type deal. Shingo is the typical ‘prince’ looking male who manages to somehow swoon over all the ladies he meets with his ‘charming’ and ‘kind’ nature. I am not too interested in continuing the series just because I don’t need another harem in my life, nor do I have any interest in a harem located at an All-Girls High School. I have seen this type of anime plot device before, and I am sure I will see it many more times. None of them have ever made me feel like I left with anything more than what I came with, hopeless expectations and assured disappointment.
Time for some background info: Mashiroiro was originally an adult visual novel (aka an H-Game). The game was made by Palette back in 2009. Since then Mashiroiro has gone through several transitions to other media; two manga’s, four drama CD adaptations and a music CD. The anime is being made by Manglobe; which for those who don’t know are the same folks who brought you ‘Samurai Champloo’ and ‘World Only God Knows’.
I don’t hate the animation, it is rather good actually (again, Manglobe knows their shit) and the voice acting isn’t crude or forced. I just don’t have an interest in the plot what-so-ever. If you are into that sort of thing, by all means, go for it, the show looks pretty basic, you have your typical female characters to choose from, and unless they pull some bull-shit like Shuffle did, I assume the main male character will not “end up” with any of the chicks. Take my advice with a grain of salt on this one, but I don’t think it will amount to anything worth investing time in.
“The story revolves around four teens — the good-looking twins Yuuta and Yuuki Asaba, the effeminate Shun Matsuoka, and the class head Kaname Tsukahara — who have known each other since early childhood. While they are not necessarily good or bad friends, they continue to hang out well into high school. The half-Japanese transfer student Chizuru Tachibana joins the circle of friends in this comedy about the everyday life of adolescence.”
In short; you follow the daily school lives of four teens and some typical blond comedy relief. Nothing particularly stands out to me in this anime other than the art style and animation which seem to blend well together. The voice acting is decent, although the ‘comedy relief’ hasn’t been introduced yet, so the ‘humor’ they seem to have already it isn’t anything less than a couple of chuckles per episode.
The series is based on a manga by the same name that has been ongoing since 2004 with 9 volumes to date and it doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon. The episodes seem to follow the manga pretty closely which is nice for those who have been avid fans of the series. The animation is also done by J.C. Staff, the same people who brought you ‘Excel Saga’, ‘Nodame Cantablie’ and ‘Bakuman’.
Overall the anime is geared towards those who have a strong love for watching school life anime, I for one have no interest in re-living high school even if it is through the lives of four Japanese boys with distinctive and conflicting personalities. I feel that it is worth taking a look at though if you are unsure, the animation and plot feel like there is something for people to get into if you are interested, if anything, just check it out for the animation and voices, they are really well done. Other than that, the plot and comedy are really up in the air and based on your preference of depth and humor.
