First Impressions Digest – Comer Lucifer, Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan, Heavy Object, Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou

Comet Lucifer - 01 -16 Onsen -3 Object-7 Chuugakkou - 01 -9

Sorry, but with nine shows in the queue, brevity is the soul of wit.

Comet Lucifer – 01

Comet Lucifer - 01 -1 Comet Lucifer - 01 -2 Comet Lucifer - 01 -3
Comet Lucifer - 01 -4 Comet Lucifer - 01 -5 Comet Lucifer - 01 -6
Comet Lucifer - 01 -7 Comet Lucifer - 01 -8 Comet Lucifer - 01 -9
Comet Lucifer - 01 -10 Comet Lucifer - 01 -11 Comet Lucifer - 01 -12
Comet Lucifer - 01 -13 Comet Lucifer - 01 -14 Comet Lucifer - 01 -15
Comet Lucifer - 01 -17 Comet Lucifer - 01 -18 Comet Lucifer - 01 -19
Comet Lucifer - 01 -20 Comet Lucifer - 01 -21 Comet Lucifer - 01 -22

This series comes from 8bit, not BONES, but as much as anything the premiere of Comet Lucifer played like a low-rent Eureka Seven.  You’ve got a middle-school-aged male lead living with a Grandpa figure in a slightly retro-futuristic backwater, a childhood friend (that part is more AO) and what seems altogether like a blue-haired alien-human hybrid girl.  The boy even rides a hoverboard in a manner that looks a lot like lifting, sans Trapar.

Generally speaking this episode was more derivative than groundbreaking and not especially distinctive, but it’s an anime-original sci-fi and a mecha series at that, both of which have been in short supply the last couple of seasons.  So I’m going to give Comet Lucifer a bit of time to prove itself, and the first ep was solidly entertaining in a slightly too-familiar manner.

The boy in question is Amagi Sougo (Kobayashi Yuusuke), the osannajimi (and fiancee) Kaon Lanchester (Takahashi Rie) and the alien girl Felia (Ohashi Ayaka, though she doesn’t talk yet).  There’s also a nobleman with a shota sidekick trying to marry Kaon off, and a glowing red mineral that’s obviously going to be the key to the plot mystery.  A big “we’ll see” on Comet Lucifer, but while I don’t see much chance of this show being exceptional I’d really like it to work, because I think anime needs shows of this type and isn’t getting enough of them lately.

Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan – 01

Onsen -1 Onsen -2 Onsen -4

I didn’t realize this was a short, and obviously that makes the blogging decision pretty much a no-brainer.  It was a cute enough three minutes, nothing special – but I love onsen, so maybe I’ll watch a few more eps to see if it wins me over.

Heavy Object – 01

Object-1 Object-2 Object-3
Object-4 Object-5 Object-6

There’s some decent, experienced staff on-hand for this sci-fi from J.C. Staff, along with a fairly heavyweight (no pun intended) cast.  But all in all it didn’t make much of an impression on me.

I struggle with clumsy exposition, and Heavy Object starts out with about 10 minutes of straight explanation.  That’s a rough beginning, and when the action starts up there’s a lot of so-so CGI powering it.  I didn’t find the post-apocalyptic storyline especially grabby, and none of the characters really stood out.  Not terrible and it’s good to see a lot of sci-fi out there this season, but I hope some of it is a little more memorable.


Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou – 01

Chuugakkou - 01 -1 Chuugakkou - 01 -2 Chuugakkou - 01 -3
Chuugakkou - 01 -4 Chuugakkou - 01 -5 Chuugakkou - 01 -6
Chuugakkou - 01 -7 Chuugakkou - 01 -8 Chuugakkou - 01 -10
Chuugakkou - 01 -11 Chuugakkou - 01 -12 Chuugakkou - 01 -13
Chuugakkou - 01 -14 Chuugakkou - 01 -15 Chuugakkou - 01 -16
Chuugakkou - 01 -23 Chuugakkou - 01 -18 Chuugakkou - 01 -19

It seems somehow fitting that on the 20th anniversary of the birth of Evangelion, we get the premiere of Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou.  After all, probably no series in anime history has been leveraged for financial gain with as many tangentially related side projects as Eva, and probably no anime since Eva has crossed over into the general public consciousness like Shingeki no Kyojin.

I’m perfectly fine with the concept of Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou – as cash-ins go it’s not especially labored.  And I’m fine with the execution too, more or less – Attack on Titan is so comically grandiose that it’s already dangerously close to self-parody.  Chuugakkou isn’t hilarious or anything, but it’s funny enough at times – though I don’t think anything made me laugh as much as the OP spoof of “Guren No Yumiya” (which is fitting, as that was one of the best things about the original series).

The gag here – titans are reviled because they steal humans’ bento boxes – certainly could get one-note pretty quickly.  Will the appeal of seeing the iconic moments of the parent show lampooned have staying power?  Honestly, I don’t know – I don’t see signs of brilliance in the writing here.  But I did laugh a few times, and there’s a chance this series could turn out to be pretty fun.

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8 comments

  1. s

    comet lucifer- im pretty so-so about it so far but it has potential to build a likable cast that could possibly carry the show. Oh and Kaon is the nobleman's fiancee not sogo's. Im pretty sure she doesnt want to marry him because she has a thing for sogo

    Heavy object- aka heavy exposition and not a good first ep…could improve tho

    attack on titan junior high- uhmmmm yeaaaa

  2. D

    I also got the impression Kaon is engaged to Sougo. I thought she didn't want to marry him out of the principle of it being arranged even if she does like him.

  3. E

    I like the sound design and art of Comet Lucifer, but that alien girl has me worried, especially with her moe faces in the ED…

  4. K

    Comet Lucifer is the only one that will get a "second chance" for me. Heavy Object died for me with that stupid scene between the main character and the lead girl (when she was suffocating) I don't have any tolerance for that kind of idiocy.

  5. f

    I totally agree on Heavy Object – heck, I was even able to tolerate the exposition because I have a major bias for Hanae Natsuki – but the show completely lost me at that ridiculous suffocation scene. My ecchi tolerance has risen astronomically since it's just an unavoidable part of anime, but at least make it less absurd.

  6. R

    On another note can't wait to see your series review for Kekkai Sensen, Enzo.

  7. R

    Comet Lucifer actually looks visually like a Sunrise B prod. But yeah, I would agree that does have that "I know I have seen this somewhere else" feeling. Will still watch it for a few more episodes. Mecha looks interesting though.

    And I was planning to watch Heavy Object, but your post somehow changed my mind.

  8. C

    Heavy Object has great ideas and hijinks when it comes to the objects themselves, but the characters and their interactions are pure trash. I just skipped that horrid suffocating scene, and will continue to do so for the next ones that come. The ways they defeat objects are really creative and absolutely fun, so I won't miss them just because of some unnecessary harem hijinks.

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