:anime: The After-Review:: Pan de Peace!

Like a charm…

(Click here for the preceding review!)

The After-Review: Pan de Peace!

Welcome all to the second-ever "after-review" at HardDoor! If you are wondering what an "after-review" is, it is basically the equivalent of an "after-party" for a review, where things are less formal, I shoot-the-breeze a bit, and delve into matters that either didn't make the review or were too spoiler-ish. There is no true format or decorum, and we just might drift off-topic, but it's all good!

We've got ourselves a bread party going on here (the best kind of party), so grab a plate, and some of that fancy-tasting cheese, and let's have some nice, peaceful (mostly) wholesome fun!!

:anime: Final Impression:: Pan de Peace!

Give the gift…The gift of bread…

[Also July's Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick!]

Review: Pan de Peace!

Additional Links: Official Site, ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video {Free [Streaming]}: Crunchyroll

There is no way to read the description for Pan de Peace! and not think of it as the final, lowest marker in the depths of the "cute girls in a high-school club"/"cute-girls-doing-cute-things" sub-genre, popularized by K-ON's "light-music" focused group, among others. In the cramped vastness of "show/club (often barely) revolving around n" and the ever-prevalent "me, too" mentality, a title about four girls in a bread-lovers club feels almost as if one has reached the absolute limit of workable potential within the concept, akin to one reaching the end of time or the Internet.

Surely, no one would ever bother animating such as title, lest they be so plainly desperate. No matter how short its runtime, there could be no real reason for its existence, correct?

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Not As Advertised…

Last time, we focused on anime that, at first glance, seemed certain to be horrible, but turned out to be better than expected. This time around, we'll be tweaking the focus a bit and looking at shows that plain looked uninteresting, not worth anticipating, or just "more of the same". Just as one might be compelled to ignore a short that looks bad, who would want to spend a whole cour (12-13 episodes, or roughly a season's length (i.e. summer, winter)) watching something they are not interested in or think they have seen countless times elsewhere? Well, it can pay to take a step forward (or two)…

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Not Too Shabby, Shorties…

[Post Date: May 31, Actual Post Date: June 27. Spent much of May updating, upgrading, and setting up three computers with Windows 10, respectively. Spent much of June dealing with the ramifications of getting little sleep and having a slew of other things to do/come up. Slightly better now, still haven't got an appropriate amount of sleep. Wait, what's "sleep" again…?]

As much as the practice gets derided, and as much as people attempt not to, everyone, in some form or another and likely more than a few times, has "judged a book by its cover". Even when one tries to keep an open mind and be fair, that quick bolt of suspicion can strike faster than one's better discernment. Sometimes, that instinct can prove correct, but other times, the end results may yield an exact opposite reaction.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Gundam Reconguista in G

As I was beginning to wrap up June 2015's (delayed…) F/L-CAP special, "Manager's Special Mk. II!!: Anime Only This Manager Seems to Love…", I learned that one of the titles, Gundam Reconguista in G, was no longer available at YouTube, the only site it was made available at. I had thought at the time that it still was and had already written out its entry, so the final check-through was none-too-pleasing, particularly when I was really looking forward to spotlighting it the special, let alone a F/L-CAP installment. Later in the year, Sunrise would post the series onto Hulu, but there were either other titles I had staked out or notable ones that popped up that were too good to pass up. I thought about just updating Manager's Special Mk. II, but I also wanted to do a standalone Pick, as well (something I wanted to do from the start, until I came up with the former). Said other choices would overshadow what I excised from MS Mk. II overtime, until I remembered about it, recently. As a result, this something of the best of both worlds: an addendum to the former, and a posting all for itself! So, without further ado, here it is, finally, the show you may either like or won't (as originally written in June-July 2015, with slight date clarifications and Hulu mention): Gundam Reconguista in G!!

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: KUROZUKA

KUROZUKA

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crackle

DEATH NOTE, Highschool of the Dead, and Attack on Titan director Tetsuro Araki aims to make another big splash in next month's Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Before even hitting forty this November, he has been responsible for some the biggest hits of the last decade: titles with appeal and panache spanning across borders, with a trademark bombast all his own, and a penchant for high production quality. His resume—surprisingly and not—is a short one, but it is not difficult to see how quickly he rose through the ranks at MADHOUSE and, later, becoming one of the leading forces at Production I.G spinoff, WIT STUDIO. Simply put, if someone like Yoshiyuki Tomino allows you to do an episode of a show of his, you probably have something good going on…

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Viewster, The Anime Network

For the much of its history, a sizable portion of anime made has consisted of manga adaptations. However, the last decade has seen the strong emergence of "light novel" adaptations (stories typically too short to be considered a "novel", but too long to be considered a "novella"). While popular works such as Full Metal Panic!, Slayers, The Twelve Kingdoms, and Boogiepop Phantom preceded it, the trend was truly born in the afterglow of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's mega-success, followed by a more rapid ascension within the last couple of years. With any such flood (or oversaturation) of works, unsurprisingly, there is a collection of well-received titles (Spice & Wolf, Durarara!!, Toradora!) and a greater glut of titles that range from hidden gems (Kyouran Kazoku Nikki, Brave Story) and divisive entries (Sword Art Online, The irregular at magic high school) to pretenders, dullards, and lazy cash grabs (Rail Wars!, Akikan! Aesthetica of a Rouge Hero).

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month Friendly Reminder:: ERASED (Boku dake ga Inai Machi / BokuMachi), Garakowa Premiere

Though I kicked January off with the reveal of the month's bonus Free/Low Cost Anime Pick, I actually neglected to formally announce its primary Pick, ERASED (Boku dake ga Inai Machi / BokuMachi), which was designated so last month (although I kinda did with links on the blog itself and its social network outlets). Most of you are likely already acquainted with the noitaminA drama from Sword Art Online's Tomohiko Ito, which has made waves straight from its first episode, but not only is it this month's Pick, there is also a review of its first two episodes back at its preview (towards the end of it) in the given link above!

Also, I would like to reminder everyone that said Bonus Pick, Garakowa, will be debuting tomorrow on Crunchyroll worldwide outside of Asia (of which you can find more info of in the first link of this post)!! Also an A-1 Pictures production, there is the added layer of irony in its director, Masashi Ishihama (From the New World), also doing the ending for ERASED (first used in the second episode)! That style is unmistakable, indeed…

While I may not be too warm towards ERASED (yet…?) and remain unsure about Garakowa, hopefully you, and maybe I, will be able to enjoy them in the end.

Happy Viewings (well, as "happy" as you can get with ERASED…)


—HD

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Bonus Pick!! - Garakowa -Restore the World-

© Project D. backup
[Taken as is from Official Japanese Site (top image)]

Garakowa -Restore the World-

Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll (Japanese w/ multi-language subtitle options)

It is not very often that one has the chance to watch a new anime film in a theater, unless you live in a major metropolitan area or are in Japan at the time and can watch it without the aid of subtitles. This makes Garakowa -Restore the World- (Glass no Hana to Kowasu Sekai)'s rollout all the more notable and unusual, as not only will the film debut tomorrow in Japan, but it will be streamed worldwide outside the country a week later on Crunchyroll (excl. Asia), not to mention in four Japanese theaters with English subtitles(!)! In addition, CR premium members will be allowed to see the film for free in San Jose the same day the film bows in Japan—complete with goodies and activites—before making the rounds on select dates in Germany, France, and Austria.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: The Princess and The Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku)

The Princess and The Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku)

Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll, Hulu (Japanese with English subtitles at both)

Movie-watching is a big part of the holiday season, so I thought it would be appropriate to not only end the year with a movie, but quite a fine one, at that. The Princess and The Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku) is a TMS Entertainment-produced (Akira, The Rose of Versailles, Yowamushi Pedal, Fuse: Memoirs of the Hunter Girl), Madhouse-animated film (ONE-PUNCH MAN, Chihayafuru, Death Parade, HUNTERxHUNTER) based on the quasi-fantasy airplane light novel series by Kokoru Inumura.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Young Black Jack

Black Jack…looks kind of different…

[Post Date: Dec. 26, 2015. Intended Post Date: Nov. 30, 2015. Due to computer issues and a whole lot of Christmas decorating… ]

Young Black Jack

Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Crunchyroll, Hulu

In May 2013, Black Jack OVA was highlighted in an installment of "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month". Since the 1993 work, Osamu Tezuka's popular unlicensed doctor has seen a few TV series and a movie or two, but aside from a 2-eps. 2011 OVA, there has not been a substantial anime starring him in about ten years. So, enter "Young Black Jack", a 12-eps. TV adaptation of an officially-sanctioned prequel manga series by Yoshiaki Tabata (who also penned the scripts) and Yuu Gou Ookuma that is a most curious beast, to say the least.

The telltale staples are still there, from the title character's surgical wizardry and sometimes morally-questionable characters to nods to the OVA's seminal artistic flourishes and involving, sometimes bizarre, episodic tales. The series may follow the steps of then-medical student/wunderkind Kuroo Hazama, but as soon as the first episode rolls, it is clear that it won't quite be your usual Black Jack.

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Re-/Preview 2015-16 Special:: noitaminA (Summer-Winter)

Suffice to say—right off the bat—this will be a very different seasonal preview for noitaminA…

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Heat Guy J

Poor J…

[Post Date: Oct. 6, 2015. Intended Post Date: Sept. 30, 2015. ]

Heat Guy J

Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Hulu, FUNimation.com, YouTube

For some reason—and, appropriately, always unintended—I seem to often find myself doing a set of "commemoration" posts for a particular creator around this time of year (between August and October). It is just one of those strange things that occur, but once I find myself covering topics closely associated with someone or a studio, I usually find myself saying, "what the heck?" and just going along with it with a few additional posts. This time, it has been a mix of studio Satelight and director Kazuki Akane, who directed a number of titles there. It first started with April's bonus Pick of Arjuna (the former's first work), then with Satelight's m3 the dark metal appearing in June's "Manager's Special Mk. II!!: Anime Only This Manager Seems to Love…" Pick special, and in last month's Geneshaft, the second of the studio's work, which was directed by Akane. It even spilled its way onto HardDoor: Screenshot Haven with a capture from Satelight and Akane's Noein.

For September, I thought the best way to signify this "Unplanned Satelight & Kazuki Akane Dual Celebration" was to pick out a certain, particular title. One that was done by both the studio and the individual. One that also happens to signify the venerable animation house's unusually-high number of high-profile, notorious flops and trainwrecks (on- and off-screen…). One that, on a more positive note, represents the latter's propensity for the "different" and the sublime. Yes, there could be only one show that successfully fills all of those criteria.  A show that is legendary (if not a byword) for how big a failure it was; the first, and still one of the most notable, black sheeps in Satelight's barn. An anime that, in actually, is rather good and has managed to receive such acknowledge from the few that have actually bothered to see it.

That anime, as veteran fans might guess (or as this mere post has already spoiled…)…is Heat Guy J.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Geneshaft

Geneshaft

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Hulu

For August's Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick, I thought it would be nice to take a stroll to (relative) yesteryear and highlight another one of Satelight's earliest works—actually, its second-oldest, following April's Arjuna—the ever-interesting Geneshaft.

:anime: —Emergency Interjection Protocol Implementation, Article 1, Section 1.1, Sub-Section 1a:: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month - July 2015 Announcement—

A recent look at noitaminA's upcoming schedule has yield a few…interesting developments. "Interesting" enough that I, after much thought, have decided to do something a little drastic with what I had planned. This entails what I was originally going to do for July's Pick, but rather than have all of you wait in the meantime for a delayed post, I will come out and say that it is Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace, Seiji Kishi & Makoto Uezu's debut noitaminA entry, based on the mystery works of the titular author. There will be more on it in the write-up ahead, but you can watch for free right now at FUNimation.com and Hulu (though subscribers at the former can catch it as it airs, as opposed to the two-week delay for free viewers there and at Hulu).

Enjoy for now and stay tuned for later…

—HD

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Manager's Special Mk. II!!: Anime Only This Manager Seems to Love…

Saying a little prayer that other people may like these anime. Amen.

(Disclosure: Posted July 14th, intended for June 30. Aside from that date turning extra busy, I wound up writing beyond what I intended to, which turned out for the best in the end…)

Thousands of anime titles have been made over the course of many decades. Naturally, some titles become wildly popular, some not quite as much, and others simply fade away into obscurity, with nary an impression. This is all said on the "collective" level, as in reality, what might tickle one or many a persons may not another, regardless of a work's popularity. Yes, even one's lack thereof hasn't dampen a few people's liking of it, nor should it ever. In short, one should like what they like, and I certain have a track record of liking more than a few shows that others have really not.

For HardDoor's anniversary each year, I like to do a special Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick. This time, we have a sequel to June 2011's "Manager's Special", which was done in commemoration of HD's fifth anniversary. In it, I spotlighted two of my top most favorite shows, Gundam Wing and RahXephon. This time, for its ninth anniversary, I will be showcasing nine particular anime, some under-loved, some not-so-well-loved—all of them not quite that popular in their own ways. However, I liked them quite a bit, and on a personal level, that really is all that matters in the end (and in case you are wary, don't worry, these are all free to watch!).

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko)

…It's not what you think…

[Intended Date: May 31, 2015. Original Post Date: June 3, 2015.]

Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko)

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Hulu

Before we get things started, let's play a little game of "speculation". I was originally ruminating about choosing a particular title, but I was unsure about doing so. While I did like said anime (save for the ending), not everyone else quite did (though some still found some good in it). I have no qualms about showcasing controversial or divisive works, but when it comes to a genuine question of quality and execution, it becomes a little less clear. Even I have to admit that not everything went so smoothly, so in the end, I decided to hold off on it—perhaps until a latter date, when I have given it a little more thought.

I might have made it a little obvious, but can you guess which anime I am referring to? Details are being hashed out, but Kyoto Animation may be handling the prizes…

In its stead, I figured I would showcase one that not only is a bona fide good anime, but should go great with the upcoming summer season. Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko) centers on a wishful teen looking to end his final two years of high school—and his adolescence—in style with a change in scenery, after having to relocate to his vibrant aunt's residence. She certainly leans on the eccentric side, but she has nothing on her daughter: an ethereal, silver-haired girl who wraps herself inside of a futon mat and claims to be an alien!

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Bonus Pick!! - Arjuna

Arjuna

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video [Free {Streaming}]: Hulu (Japanese w/ English Subtitles, English Dubbed)

April 22, as most of you know, is Earth Day, so I figured, what better way to commemorate this than with the most environment-loving anime in Arjuna: a show that that extolls the virtues and importance of protecting our planet, chastises the consumption of processed foods, and advocates out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy(!).

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2015 Special:: noitaminA (Spring)

It's the beginning of the spring anime season and with it comes another slate of noitaminA programming—but it comes with a catch this time around…

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Five Shows That *Kinda* Have to Do With Spring

[Disclosure: Posted April 1, intended for March 31. April Fool's Day joke unintended… ;P ]

Spring is finally upon us and many anime certainly enjoy taking place in it, particularly with all of those falling cherry blossoms. So, here are five shows that—at least vaguely—have something to do with the vernal season (vaguely…)!