Other New Shows

So Red Garden is good, so far. What else has Rob been checking out?

Read on and see, gentle audience.

Hataraki Man


A fairly standard josei-style show, Hataraki Man (literally "Working Man") tells the story of a strong-willed lady magazine editor who pursues her work with such fervor that her co-workers call her by the aforementioned nickname. As tired as I am of the Spunky But Vulnerable Woman Trying To Succeed In The Working World™ concept, I do find myself enjoying this show. It's more entertaining and intelligent than a lot of that kind of material, and it actually gives us - gasp! - interesting, nuanced characters that we can actually care about.

Anyway, my initial take is that Hataraki Man is going to be pretty fun. The first episode has our heroine Matsutaka breaking a story about a corrupt politician and wrestling with the decision of whether or not to reveal the identity of her informant, when doing so could actually protect that informant from taking the blame for the politician's crimes. Not a particularly original plot, but the characters, presentation, music, Matsutaka's "otoko switch" transformation into a super-journalist and many little jabs of humor make the episode work. I think I'll keep watching unless the quality declines.

Kanon (2006)


Kanon is a show with a huge amount of expectation surrounding it. For those of you who don't know, this series is based on the crazy popular video game of the same name, which was produced by fan-favorite developers Key back in 1999. Initially an eroge (i.e. porn game with sexay anime sex), the story proved to be so popular on its own that Key produced non-porn versions for the PC, Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2. The game was also adapted into an anime series by Toei back in 2002.

Kanon is a pretty big deal to many eroge and anime fans. It's essentially standard issue to anyone interested in eroge. It's held up as one of the finest examples of the medium, and of an adult-oriented game that effectively focuses more on story than sexual content. The plot, setting and characters have a charm about them that seems to have a profound effect on people. Even though it might not be a blockbuster property the likes of Evangelion, it has permeated otaku consciousness to a degree that you may find surprising. Characters from this story are frequently referenced in fan-created games, manga and artwork, and adorable Ayu up there has a fanbase that might actually rival that of anime fandom's leading lady Rei Ayanami.

Heck, this is where "sad girls in snow" came from. It's the origin of the name Piro, as well.

Anyway, it's difficult to fully explain the extent of what Kanon means to its fans, and honestly, I am not really qualified to do so, as I have never played any version of the game or seen the 2002 anime series.

Which brings us to the topic at hand. I've been aware of Kanon and its popularity for years, but have never taken the time to check it out for myself. So I figure that the release of Kyoto Animation's new anime version is the perfect opportunity to see what all the fuss is about. Why the remake? I'm not entirely certain, but it seems that the original adaptation just plain wasn't good enough, and after Kyoto's success with adapting another major Key game (coupled with the overall awesomeness of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, I would imagine), the possibility of them doing a new version of Kanon was brought up by Key and accepted.

So, what do I think so far? Well, I like it. It's sweet and pretty and occasionally ridiculously cute, and I'm interested to see where the story is going. Kyoto is, unsurprisingly, doing a fine job with the show (as they always do), and so I trust them to bring me the best version of the story I'm going to get outside of the actual game. As for the story itself, I'm not going to hate it just because a lot of people love it unconditionally (I will never, ever commit such a despicable act). Instead, I am going to let the series work its magic on me and figure out what I think on my own.

It does indeed have magic, too. That I can tell already. I'm looking forward to finding out just how much.

La Corda D'Oro


I wasn't even planning on giving this show a chance, but my enjoyment of the currently running Nodame Cantabile live-action series (which I'll write about later) and anticipation for the upcoming anime adaptation of the same property have given me an itch for some music-themed anime action.

So anyway, here's what La Corda is about: there's a girl, and she goes to an upper-class high school where the music students are considered to be the top rung of the social ladder. She doesn't appear to have any musical talent herself, but after a run-in with a music fairy (yup, "music fairy") who gives her a magical violin, she apparently becomes an instant virtuoso and enters the school's high-profile music competition, where she will presumably have dramatic and comedic dealings with the other musicians therein.

Honestly, I don't expect much from this series. However, I was not annoyed by the first episode, despite its bishounen- and fairy-driven attempts to drive me away. I'll give a more detailed report once I've seen more than the first episode.

Aaand that's it for the time being, I guess.