This is definitely not A-1’s finest day.

Gunslinger Stratos – 01

My attachment to Gunslinger Stratos was always pretty tenuous – basically, Urobuchi Gen’s tangential involvement in drafting the scenario for the game the anime is based on.  I went into this story about a future where Japan is split between a lawless wasteland and totalitarian dictatorship not knowing what to expect, and what I got played as pretty formulaic and forgettable.  It felt like watching a game adaptation (and not in a good way) and the production values are definitely from A-1 Pictures’ flea market division.

This series has a hell of a cast and Nitroplus has a decent track record, but to be honest the premiere bored me to the point where I wasn’t even able to finish it.  If there’s a compelling reason for this show to exist, it wasn’t able to keep me hanging around long enough to see it.  If I hear it improves astronomically I might give it another look, but for now I’m moving on.

Denpa Kyoushi – 01

Life’s just too short for shows like Denpa Kyoushi, so I’m giving it a pass.  If anything this series is even cheaper-looking than Gunslinger Stratos, and while it’s least nominally more interesting it’s also more annoying.  There’s some kind of weird otaku wish-fulfillment theme playing out here, and everything that happens is just preposterous and silly (and not in the “Binan Koukou” sense either).

I’d also point out that Kamiya Hiroshi’s performance as the NEET turned physics teacher Kagami Junichirou is incredibly annoying and overplayed, and the degree to which the female cast indulge irritating tropes is almost hard to believe.  “Great Teacher Onizuka” this ain’t – and I don’t even think GTO is all that great to begin with.