Tanken Driland 2

While I had warmed to the first episode of Driland, this second one left a little wanting. Princess and Wellons meet up with a new member of their party, Pollons. A bumbling coward, Pollons has always wanted to be a hero. When a fairy village begs them for help, Pollons jumps at the chance, but will he and his new friends be able to deliver.

As you can imagine, what follows is cutesy outtakes and a lot of moralistic rah-rahing. I was a little disappointed. I still think this will turn out to be a cute and endearing little romp. But I can watch that later.

Rating: B
Assessment: Stall

Hakuouki Reimeiroku 2

The action continues as the men of the Shinsengumi try to make their mark on Kyoto and join one of the most pivotal moments in Japanese history. At the same time, Ryunosuke is battling his own inner demons as well as the maniacal demands of Serizawa-san.

And it looks like I jumped the gun on the Rasetsu. The vial made it's appearance. That doesn't mean this isn't going to be entertaining, but I am a little disappointed that good historical drama is going to be tainted by a poor narrative device. *sigh*

NOOOOOO!

Rating: B+
Assessment: Watch

Kokoro Connect 2

As the switching becomes more frequent and the confusion increases, the source behind all the soul swapping steps on the stage and it looks like it isn't going to let the five off the hook just yet. As the process continues, deeper problems and questions begin to surface. Just how will these five friends deal with their situation.

Episode two gets deep and philosophical really fast. Though the super being who can control souls comes off as a clunky narrative trick, the stage it sets is very interesting. How will the group deal with Yui's possible history of sexual harassment? What about the feelings that some of the members have for each other while they are swapping bodies? And what about Iori's question: how do you mark an identity when the two most common markers - the body and the "soul" - are being mixed and matched?

I still have some misgivings about the art at a few points - it just doesn't appear as polished as Tari Tari or Sword Art - but the show itself looks interesting enough to follow.

Rating: A-

Assessment: Watch

Natsuyuki Rendesvous 2

Hazuki, having confessed his love to Rokka, is in a bind. Her ghost husband is trying everything he can to keep Hazuki from getting any closer. And he proves more successful than you would imagine . But Shimao's victory is short lived, as it's increasing unclear just how he is able to protect Rokka's happiness.

While the first half of this episode dragged, the later half develops an interesting tension as Rokka tries to move on, Hazuki is thrown off by balancing being able to see Shimao and still trying to get closer to Rokka, and Shimao realizes the futility of his efforts. The last few scenes, in particular, are rather poignant.

That being said, I have to be in the mood for this kind of drama, so this is getting a stall from me. But the show is not bad at all.

Rating: B+

Assessment: Stall

Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru 2

Moe blob mega harem ecchi meh. I know these shows have their crowd. I just don't find it appealing. My fault for liking monogomy.

Rating: B-

Assessment: Drop

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate 2

Oojima isn't too happy to have a student council president candidacy dumped on him and pushes back against the decision. However, a few fateful encounters start to change his mind.

KSC is a little too run of the mill and slow for my taste. It is hovering between dating sim predecessors KimiKiss and Amagami SS and something with a bit of a more in depth back story. But without being one or the other, it feels flat. And if I find myself skipping large chunks of a show this early on (read: all of Ookjima's speech), that's a bad sign.

Rating: B-

Assessment: Stall

Uta Koi 2

The telling of the individual stories behind the 108 poems continues with another sweet if somewhat aggravating tale of Emperor Yozei. Uta Koi gets high marks for having interesting cultural content, but the heavy josei/romance narratives make this fit for a rather specific crowd.

Rating: B

Assessment: Stall

Binbougami ga 2

this show doesn't have enough to make me want to watch a season's worth of episodes.

Rating: B-

Assessment: Drop

Campione 2

The newly crowned Campione - god slayer - is having a little trouble getting used to his new situation, particularly as Erica has been a little overt in her attention toward him. But there is still much that Godou doesn't know.

This show is pretty borderline, in my opinion. The actual plot progression is a little two hackneyed, but the general setting is somewhat interesting. Erica can be fun, and Godou isn't a total tool, so that also helps. But it still seems like we aren't into the meat of the story yet.

That being said, I'll probably watch for the weird religious elements. Those are hard for me to resist.

Rating: B

Assessment: Watch

Sword Art Online 2

With the mass triage of the first ep over and done with, episode 2 gets down to the nitty-gritty of the crisis in which these players find themselves. As a group of warriors band together to press through the first floor, Kirito looks to have a chance to make a friend and learn some lessons about what it means to live the game and not just play it. But as bad blood emerges between regular players and the beta testers, what trouble might emerge?

I thought the first episode in this series was great, minus my qualms with the mass triage narrative trope. But this episode moves beyond that. Once the injustice is backgrounded, what is left is an interesting story about fighting to survive and learning to work together in a unbelievable difficult situation. 

Definitely on the watch list.

Rating: A-

Assessment: Watch.

Tari Tari 2

While the second episode seemed to raise even more questions than the first (Why did the Principle get on board? What is the VP's relationship to that song? etc.) it was another well produced, interesting, fluid episode that makes Tari Tari seem to be a keeper for this season. 

Slight minus points on the slight bait and switch with the recital. Here I was thinking this was going to be THE story, but it doesn't seem to be turning out that way. And Sakai's turnabout is a little too easy. 

Either way, overall i am still liking this.

Rating: B+

Assessment: Watch

Kokoro Connect 1

Five friends and fellow clubs members suddenly find themselves caught in the strangest of situations: their souls keep switching place! But how do you react to the ultimate in out of body experiences? And what really is going on?

Great intro episode. We get to know the characters and the situation, the scenes are fluid, and the mystery builds to the point that you want to know what on earth is going on. The art is K-ON! styled, but I honestly thought the quality was a little off. Not enough to make a big difference, but a number of scenes felt sloppy.

What was I doing again?

Don't answer. Do not.

So far, so good. But there are a number of ways this can be screwed up or become pure cliche.

Already nursing a Inaba crush...

Rating: B+

Hakuouki Reimeiroku 1

The third season of the Hakuouki series goes back to where it all starts: with the Shinsengumi before they went by the name and back where they were just starting out in Mibu. It's here that Ibuki Ryunosuke finds himself taken in by the enigmatic and fearsome Serizawa-san and, despite his best efforts to leave, ends up mixed in with this motley bunch.

Reimeiroku, Hakuouki's third season, takes up a very interesting period in the Shinsengumi story, as they go from a no name band under Kondou-san to become the most feared force in the capital. I liked the first two series, but this one looks to be even better. I had always felt the prior seasons were handicapped by the vampire-esque characters and their sub-plot. If that is absent and the dynamism of the Shinsengumi's story is allowed to stand on its own, this could be a great series. And then their is the question of whether Chizuru, the erstwhile heroine, will show up at some point. Her absence would also drain out the reverse harem narrative. All in all, I have high hopes for this series.

Rating: A-

Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru 1

Shougo's father, the head of an important corporate group, has recently passed away. In order to inherit his father's title Shougo has to go through an intensive training program and then find a wife. The school he has been transfered to has no shortage of eligible options, but there is one glich: apparently, one of them is his sister.

Cue the cliche moe harem. At least the girls appear to be a little aggressive. If you are looking for a steady stream of moe titilation, then this is the show for you (though you will have to wait for bds to get the pantsu shots you want). Those seeking a bit more substance, please move on to the next show.

Rating: B-

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate 1

The first episode of KSC is a bit busy and none too informative. A number of basic plotlines emerge: a club president with some tragic past, the looming shutdown of the main characters' club, mysterious dirty dealings that result in a young girl being badly injured, and as harem a setting as you would expect from an eroge adaptation.

But the mix of serious and silly stories makes for a weird experience. Everything seems so lighthearted that its hard to see this as anything but a romance/school life show that is going to try and do too much. Albeit, it was hard to know exactly where this all is going to go from just this first ep.

Positives? Morishita. Seriously. she's like Nagato Yuki minus superpowers, plus cat ear-esque hair. Win. The art and character design is similar to Amagami SS, which is a plus. And the yaoi jokes are kind of funny.

Rating: B-