Hige vs. The Autumn Season, Part Two

Rental Magica

First I have to compliment the pace of this episode. Rarely is anything in anime this brisk in its first episode and I'm praying it will keep it up throughout the run, as it could be the difference between me watching and dropping. The premise of magicians for hire seems quite unique and having each character specialise within a certain mythology of magic (Shinto, Celtic etc) was a nice touch in adding variety. The ensemble cast were all likable in an everyman sort of way, but I get the feeling the real interest will come from the clients that visit from episode to episode. The episodic nature of Rental Magica is also quite refreshing after the amount of shows with decompressed plots I've been watching lately. Its fairly shiny production values just make it that bit easier to like.

Likelihood of watching episode two: Yep, assuming there's more absurd humour than cheesy sentimentality. And rocket powered brooms.

Mokke
The Mushishi comparisons Mokke seems to be getting are a little off to me. Mokke does have that similar air of the supernatural about it, and maybe similar ideas in coupling innocence with darker unknowns, but the first episode of Mokke was nowhere near as enchanting as Mushishi's first. I'm not saying Mokke is without charm; it just lacked the same absorbing ethereal beauty of its (to be fair, completely masterful) contemporary. The mediocre production values didn't help much, nor did its refusal to lay much groundwork, and I felt no interest to keep watching by the end.

Likelihood of watching episode two: None.

Shana II

I should disclaim that this is my first experience of Shana, not having seen any of the first series or the film before viewing, and obviously this taints my opinion with the brush of uninformed ignorance. Still, quite a pretty show ain't it? The character design didn't float any of my snooty boats, but it had the kind of shiny finish that my inner-magpie finds hard to resist. Story-wise it seemingly banked on the whole headfuck dream reality Evangelion so expertly perfected all those years ago, and I'm sure it meant a lot more to Shana fans than it did to me. It made it incredibly difficult to gage my opinion of it, in fact, because everything we saw wasn't how things usually are. On Owen's advice (and general common sense) I've got the first series downloaded and waiting for a marathon, which should hopefully improve my experience of the second series. Though if that turns out to be shit then I shan't even bother. Justified, brutalising judgement is a beautiful thing. <3

Likelihood of watching episode two: Moderate, depending on how Shana First tickles my fancy.

Next time: Myself:Yourself, ef - a tale of memories, Suteki Tantei Labyrinth and Night Wizard

Comments

[Karura]

Shana (series 1) was fun at the time but once I got to the end I realised how flawed it was- none of the villains inspire and the harem element is stuck in a vicious circle that even resets in season two. I'm watching season two, albeit in raw, so my lack of understanding enhances the experience.

I actually enjoyed Mokke episode one, and apparently in episode two the cat fights off an evil spirit- I've just got to see that ;)

[Hige]

Magical cats you say? My interest might be piqued enough to watch episode two...

[Nika]

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