Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
Right from the get-go, Kami-sama Dolls leaves an impression. For one thing, the story isn’t set in high school so there’s already something for me to relate to. Secondly, it uses the concept of Gods as Pokemon-like creatures that you control, master and do battle with (well, sort of). Though having said that, this isn’t some typical shounen battle show and judging by how the atmosphere is cultivated, this series should have a decidedly mature tone given the harsh and desaturated color pallette.
Blood - check. Gore - check.
The plot revolves around Kyouhei, a university student who leaves home to pursue the greener pastures of the city. The twist lies in his checkered past, as he leaves behind life as a “Seki”, users that hold the ability to control mysterious dolls called “Kakashi”. Kakashi supposedly contain (humming) Gods and the Seki manipulate them to protect their village from harm. For unexplained reasons, Kyouhei leaves the village and entrusts his Kakashi to his younger sister, Utao. Even so, his past follows him wherever he goes, as he faces even more trouble long after he settles down in Tokyo.
Two in the pink and one in the stink
At first glance, the male lead Kyouhei seems to be a bit of a pushover. I tend to scoff at these archetypes but his shady background suggests that there is more to his persona than what is immediately apparent. Given that the main antagonist seeks him out so willingly shows that there is a potential badass beneath that flaccid façade, and I’m opening up bets on a hostage scenario being the key to unlocking his inner beast, as well as revealing more of his backstory. He may be unassuming and awkward, but the fact that he has shown some backbone early on implies that he is a cut above the typical hammy lead.
Utao has already achieved what Menma never did: making me go "Hnnnggg"
The moe imouto herself, Utao is less obtrusive then her perceived trope, which thankfully is a blessing. She’s quite a determined little tyke and surprisingly very subdued. What she lacks in present skill, she makes up for in silent resolve and I find that quality to be really endearing given the current loli climate. Of course, it’s too early to make a solid judgment based on one episode and chances are I will be bitten in the ass eventually, but I have a good feeling about Utao. After being abruptly placed in the position of Seki following Kyouhei’s relinquishment of the role, her lack of control of her Kakashi is understandable and will be addressed soon enough. In a predominantly adult setting, her position and unique age will provide a different perspective on this world, so she will eventually have to play an important role that supersedes her Seki responsibilities (preferably in a non-annoying way).
U Mad?
Not to be outdone by the heroes, the villain Aki is surprisingly effective and quite possibly the highlight of the series. It’s been a while since I’ve witnessed a no-holds-barred psycho like him and judging by the body count in this episode, he definitely has the required mean streak to support this view. His actions seem very deliberate and with the village massacre alluded in his past; it will be a treat to see how he and Kyouhei are connected. Other than sharing the same last name, I wonder how big a part the opening scenes were in creating this mysterious character.
It's like Madonna circa 1990
Last but not least is the love interest. Wow. She’s really nice and all, very caring, totally compassionate, but I can’t really take her character seriously due to one minor (major) flaw. Wait, make that two: her chest. It bothers me. I usually don’t have any problems with comically large breasts but the way that it’s drawn and animated here just puts me off. I wish the character designers would just give her more natural measurements, but since every show needs fanservice, they should at least make it look right. It’s just a major distraction, and not in a good way, so I really hope she has more to her than her giant cans.
Pokeball + Kyuubey + Portal + Drossel = La, La. La-lu-la. La-lu-la, la-la-la-la-lah.
Regardless of the boob issue, it’s a pretty solid debut. It has an art style that appeals to my specific tastes (though the animation and a lack of budget is a little concerning) and the OP/ED are surprisingly catchy (not to mention visually striking). There are a lot of moving parts introduced already, with a sense of urgency in the story telling. There seems to be little waste in terms of pacing and I really like the humming dolls. While they seem pretty empty at first, there’s something about the cute melodies that connected with me, so I’m interested to know more about these deities. I will definitely consider blogging this full-time, but I’ll need to assess the second episode first. It has the promise to be something good though so I hope Brain’s Base doesn’t drop the ball on this one.
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I actually didn't find the first episode to be very impressionable…It was so rushed and so little was explained, all I got to enjoy was the quick fight scene. I must say, the whole village and Pokemon-esque Kakashi concept has me interested in seeing where this goes though. I want to know more about that village, dammit!
Add Kyuubey to the list of things that robot looks like. The arms look like Kyuubey's ears from that screencap. It's quite unsettling!
*Adds Kyuubey to list*
I thought that while a lot wasn't explained, there was a ton that was hinted at for the future, which is fine for me seeing that it's the first episode. It's got the pieces to be a decent anime, at least compared to the debuts of other shows in the summer lineup so far (I've been quite disappointed, but this is before watching the noitaminA stuff).
The village is very interesting though, its very cult-ish with its customs and mannerisms and I really wonder if there is more to Aki's actions then what's revealed so far. Imagine if what he said is true, saying that the village is the one that's evil. That would be an interesting (though common) twist haha.
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
Aside from the big "cans" (I suppose there will be some echiness in the coming eps), what i found distracting or annoying is the music that plays when the kakashi appears. The episode for me is average but its the first episode. Cant decide the whole anime by the 1st ep. I am really intrested in the past, so definitely going to give this a shot. This 1st ep reminds me of another anime, cant seem to remeber it.
I found the song to be pretty interesting, since it's very uncommon to see things like that sing haha. It gives them a different feel and while they are still pretty empty, it makes them stand out compared to if they were just dolls that only fight. There should be more revealed in the future about the gods inside them, so hopefully the melodies will be explained sooner or later.
The first episode is by no means great, it's just good for me in comparison to the other stuff released so far (prior to noitaminA).
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
the song that played along with their actions was THE one thing that got me hooked on this anime, further removing itself from the "pokemon-like" image they are apparently relaying to some of us. i feel that it would be just another "pikachu, use thundershock" situation if it weren't for the melody to go along and provide a subtle, yet amusing stimulation rather than the bland subject A vs subject B deal that i've (quite frankly) had my fill of.
anything to separate itself from the norm/cliche is by all means welcome from my perspective, within reason of course ^^
LOL dem some huge boobs like DAMN Seriously…I guess they needed to put in some ecchi? Anyway I guess it could be worse actually I have no idea what would be worse ahahaha.
Yes that monster thingy does look like a mechish Kyuubey!? I hope we get some fighting and death. This was a strange episode for me but entertaining at least it did feel like they rushed a few things and damn his little sister is cute D:
There seems to be a lot foreshadowed but not a lot of explanations, but I kinda like the whole "mystery" thing it's got going for it. I've been pretty disappointed with the summer debuts so far so while this one wasn't "great", it stood out from the rest by being different with a more serious tone (and no game-breaking, needless fanservice like in Memou-chou).
Having said that, those boobs are probably a big hint to more fanservice moments in the future >_<
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
having a giant rack is practically a staple for moe standards these days… except their low budget forced them to enlarge/deflate her breasts based on her surroundings and current season… or her mood, take your pick.
honestly, i was more concerned with the three more apparent flaws which have been plaguing anime releases since god knows when… horrible dialogue, the loli imouto, pacing, and our (amazingly interesting) protagonist… oh wait, that's four. i felt it to be a very mysteriously intriguing episode that seems to have meshed all the points i just made very nicely… which in turn created that "gimme the next episode NAO" vibe, that most anime lack these days.
yes, the character designs and overall art are both slacking… but hey, i couldn't do any better even if my life depended on it. just remember Kaiji, and how most shrugged it off because of their Tengu-ish appearance… zawa zawa zawa ^^
Those boobs should just have been out of the picture so far, but I guess they had to keep the designs close to the source material. A shame but I guess that's the state of the industry we follow (or rather, the world).
Like you said, it's got the pieces. I haven't read the manga itself since I'd rather not spoil the fun, but I hope that it's got some legs in it and that there will be no needless episodes in its 13 week run.
It has enough mystery to it for me to want more, and low budget aside, it should at least be a decent anime in the season. Not ground-breaking in comparison to the past, but good enough to stand out from the current summer crop.
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
It's a really solid episode, but it didn't blow my mind (nor does it look like it's going to). I felt that the plot and characters were pretty mediocre. Still, I thought the direction was really good; I like the mood whiplash because it kept up the energy.
I read a few chapters of the manga, and I'm glad the anime took out a bunch of the innuendos involving the little sister. Too bad they couldn't tame the boobs as well–they didn't do much for me either. :p
Imo, this is one of those series that can start great but that will probably go down quickly, especially since it's a short manga adaptation. Not to mention Brain's Base has three anime this season, so quality could degrade pretty fast. =/ I think you should look at the noitaminA shows first.
Nah, nothing so far has blown my mind (in comparison to the awesome Spring debuts). It's actually pretty cookie cutter but since I've been very disappointed with the releases so far, this one stood out . Kinda like a "big fish in a small pond" scenario. That said, I haven't checked out the noitaminA duo so those should be very exciting to watch, along with Penguindrum.
I doubt they can keep this quick pacing and apparently this first episode uses up 3 chapters at one go, so that might have lead to the fast progression. Pity about the budget but since it's stretched so thin, I'll have to disregard that aspect from my thoughts on it.
The color is so bland, and the animation feels stilted along with the old-vibe character style. Still should be a decent series though, if they can avoid the typical fanservice crap (though even that's unlikely now that the imouto, lead and love interest live under the same roof) >_<
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
That was an interesting first ep, that’s for sure. I liked the fight with Aki, and I loved the designs for the Kakashi – they look really inhuman and dangerous, that’s for sure. I liked the mysteries at play too, since the show is so coy about what the shrine is, what Aki did to make him worthy of imprisonment and what exactly happened in the introduction of the episode. And it looks like the main has a lot more to do with the plot than just being forced into something unpleasant, so I’d like to hear more of his story and exactly what happened in the past. There were definitely wrinkles, though; I wasn’t enormously fond of the more comic moments in the episode, and at worst they were kind of jarring in contrast to the more serious stuff (like Utao’s near panty shot gag during the fight). Also I’m not really sold on any of the characters yet, as most of them are enigmas with few clues. Nothing necessarily wrong with this, though, I just think the show will live or die on how well its mysteries play out.
Overall, I’m tentatively optimistic about this one. If they can work on the mystery/horror angle, give us more quality fight scenes and flesh out the cast more I think we could have something nice. The comedy stuff is a bit hit or miss so far, but it’s only the first episode so I’ll have to see how it pans out as the show continues.
I really like the mystery aspect behind it, since the village seems to be hiding a lot of secrets themselves. I would love for the show to turn on its head, since Aki himself hinted that the village is evil and not him. While that might be a pretty standard twist, it would interesting to see how the main lead reacts. Or maybe he knows of it, since he left the village in a hurry.
The comedy moments did feel a bit odd, since they were sprinkled in at various points in a supposedly serious fight. While I can appreciate lifting the tension up a bit, it felt a little out of place given the serious plot and gruesome deaths so far. Still, the episode is lifting material from the first 3 chapters so I guess the comedy is bound to feel a bit forced and out of place at this point.
Like you said, tentatively optimistic is the right approach for this. While I feel like the fight scenes will probably be stunted due to a lack of budget (like C), I hope they really up the ante on the mystery aspect. The director is technically good at comedic bits but judging by his last work, it seems like he still has a few issues when blending the comedy with serious stuff, and it shows here. Hopefully he'll be able to work out the kinks as the story goes on.
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
To those confused about the humming music that's being played as the Kakashi emerge, (@Meshedi) it's a direct reference to RahXephon: [youtube c8UUZj5XC5A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8UUZj5XC5A youtube]
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There are melodies associated with the mecha in RahXephon, and if you haven't seen it I recommend you do. It's about 10 years old.
[youtube q_VUC4m4-Qg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_VUC4m4-Qg youtube]
My recent post Existentialism in the Execution of Sora no Woto
Very nice, I'll also add that to my list for the future as well.
My mileage on mecha anime is horribly lacking at this point
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
This was… completely different from what I'd expected. Still not quite sure what sort of show it'll be, but it was interesting enough so I'll keep watching. Nice to get a show about college students instead of more high school too.
The OP and ED were great. Chiaki Ishikawa <3 Been a while since I heard her non-Seesaw stuff.
Animation was all right. I'd expected a little better from Brains Base, but they're doing 3 shows this season so I suppose it can't be helped. Permablush was kind of annoying. It brought back memories of Hisashi Hirai's character designs. Do not want.
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Haha I know what you mean. Given the promotion material which seemed rather whimsical, the first ep had quite a different tone to it (although it did try to sprinkle some comedy elements into some very suspect moments).
I quite like the music myself, though I have never actually experienced any of Ishikawa's previous work. I will have to research her further in the future.
Permablush was the word I was looking for, it escaped me throughout this post. I appreciate it during the drunk scenes, but it was awkward to see them after the fights. As for being stretched thin, I hope they don't hold back on Mawaru Penguindrum. That show seems to have the vibrant setting I'm looking for in this summer crop.
My recent post Kami-sama Dolls 01 [First Impressions]
You could take DEM BOOBS and poke somebody's eye out. Preferably the loli imouto, who wasn't that annoying yet, but I have this bad feeling that she's going to become loli fanservice. As it is, they already had an almost-panty shot. >.< So far, I like Aki. Actually, I LOVE Aki. It's only been one episode, but he's exactly the kind of crazy psycho villain that's so amusing to watch. The rest….I think they might get better, but for now they're pretty boring.
This show seems like it's headed in a good direction, and even though it's a bit rushed, I'm glad that it isn't wasting any time given it's short length. The cliffhanger at the end was also was just great. Aki is free MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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Lol I knew that you would love Aki. The moment he made that "U Mad" face, I was like "I must go tell Elyon"
My recent post Usagi Drop 01 [First Impressions]
lol, I had the same thoughts about ole’ Torpedo Tits. You figure they would’ve at least given her a bra!
I thought this ep had some cool, dark elements – but the tone throughout, even when
AcceleratorAki was attacking the Kyouhei and Utao jerked around between serious and silly too much. I don’t mind shows using silliness to contrast later seriousness and vice versa (Higurashi comes to mind as one that’s very well done) – but within a scene, the tone’s gotta be consistent, otherwise it’s really hard to take… seriously.It just saddens me that with such a small budget, they bothered to take me out of the show more with those tits. If they can't animate it right, at least make it more subtle >_<
The director is good at comedy but judging by his last outing, he still hasn't gotten the hang of balancing comedy and serious drama. Maybe he will grow more into the role later on? I hope so.
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Good post, Bass.
Coming to the center(s) of attention, there is a basic boob rule: If you're gonna make em big, then you gotta give me a full view. After going through all the trouble of gigantisizing her breasts, they might as well let us have the real deal, but nooooo, they gotta clothe her all up. Seriously, it's not fan service, it's just fucking annoying.
Hehe your wish will be granted soon enough now that the male lead, younger sister and love interest are all under the same roof. There will be the "run into each other boob grope" scene, the "walk into shower unknowingly" scene, the "yuri bath" scene….there's a lot of possibilities now.
Sadly, I want none of them cos of the way the boobs are animated here.
My recent post Mayo Chiki 01 & Yuru Yuri 01 [First Impressions]