Back in the Saddle & New Anime Season

It's been a while since I blogged, but lately I've felt the need to have an online presence again, specifically relating to my areas of interest: namely Japanese culture and Religion. So I've cleaned up the ol' blog, applied a new skin, and am now setting forth to be the blogger I've always wanted to be.

So in keeping with this theme, it's only right, I think to talk about the new anime season. Thus far, I've only seen two episodes of anything, and neither one was something to write home about ... despite the fact that that's kind of what I'm doing now.

Kampfer

What's the anime world without gender-bending, voluptuous schoolgirls, and a touch of yuri? Perhaps a little better off. In any case, Kampfer has it all: the guy who suddenly has a mysterious bracelet on his wrist which randomly changes him into a busty girl who can shoot fire; some as-yet-unexplained impetus for him and girls like him to fight; a love interest who is apparently a lesbian and only interested in the main character as a girl. Yeah ... if you can't figure out who the target audience is for this one, you're probably not smart enough to be browsing the internet anyways. It should go without saying that this show is going to have to do something AMAZING to keep me interested.

The Sacred Blacksmith

Medieval swordfighting your thing? Girls with formed-into-breasts armor more your style? Then look no further than The Sacred Blacksmith. Don't get me wrong, this one has the potential to be passingly interesting, but for the most part exudes quite the aura of "meh." Blah blah, girl knight who's never fought before, blah blah, magical katana-weilding blacksmith with an elven companion, blah blah, giant demonic monsters. Suffice to say the first episode didn't suck me in, but I'm still open to see where this one goes.

Honorable Mention: InuYasha - The Final Chapter

This one is out, but hasn't been fansubbed. Oh, it's been Viz-subbed, but not fansubbed. Depending on how this plays out, it could signify the beginning of the end of fansubbing. I haven't lost my faith yet in the fansubbing community, but InuYasha could be the dealbreaker.

That out of the way, the only way to describe this show is that it's InuYasha. Continued. No recap, no review. They just jump right in where they left off, except this time at a breakneck speed. If you liked InuYasha before (and fyi, I did), then you'll like these final chapters.

Sometimes, Getting Caught Up Is A Bad Thing...

Finished getting caught up with Toradora! today. Now I have to wait a week like everyone else until the next ep comes out. Drat!

What is it about high school love stories? Or, I suppose, Japanese high school love stories. I not much one for the American ones. But for some reason, the Japanese ones just suck me in.

Here I am, going about my business, watching a funny anime with quirky characters and WHAM! All of a sudden, it's a drama and I find that I actually CARE about what happens to these characters. This is PRECISELY the problem I've been having with Naruto lately.

In any case, I think in my initial reaction to the first few eps of Toradora!, I made mention of a couple of the main characters being two-dimensional. Well, that's no longer the case. Those characters have now been fleshed out pretty well, and, as I said, I find myself caring about the story.

But going back to my initial question: what is it about Japanese high school love stories? If you haven't noticed, the vast majority of anime/manga take place in high school. So what is it about those years? Is it the first time kids have real relationships? Is it because you have an excuse for people seeing and interacting with each other on a daily basis? Is it because it's a period of life with a definite end? I don't know. But for some reason, in anime/manga, they work pretty well. And when you have characters as in Toradora!, well, it gains the ability to suck in the random passerby.

So well done, Toradora! I now have another anime to follow. Keep up the good work.

Kannagi - Sometimes, even gods forget who they are.

So with the Who Scarf done and nothing else pressing, I finally got to do some much-needed anime catch-up today, starting with finishing off Kannagi.

The anime was 13 episodes, and was a fun one to watch, although in my opinion, the sexual jokes/themes were a bit TOO overdone.  But overall, a good sort of harem/gag comedy.

***SPOILER WARNING***

What was especially interesting for me, though, was how the whole shinto god thing was done throughout the series.  There were some fascinating themes presented in the midst of this lighthearted anime: local deities tied to the land, the necessity of praise for gods to function, etc.  The most interesting, though, turned out to be the sort of "final conflict" which the series built to.  All through the series, Jin has been curious as to Nagi's identity and her mission.  Nagi has always brushed him off or avoided the questions, but one day, in episode 11, Jin puts his foot down and insists upon some answers.  Is Nagi really a god?  Why does she have to capture impurities?  What would happen if she didn't?  Why does she have to live at Jin's house?  Nagi runs off in a fit.  But over the course of the next episode or so, we find out a troubling truth: Nagi doesn't even know.  She's got instincts and intuition, but she doesn't really know who she is.  The resolution comes when Jin catches up to her and accepts her as she is.  Jin says something to the effect that he doesn't really know who he is yet, so the two of them can figure out who they are together.

Interesting, no?  Japan certainly has had and continues to have some issues with identity.  Individuals attempt to derive their identity from the clubs they're in, the fashions they wear, the company they work at, the family they're a part of, etc.  Young people especially seem to be searching for a source of identity, as can be seen with all the subcultures that have been cropping up lately: otaku, harajuku, goth loli, mamba, etc.  Young people in Japan are searching for who they are.  And even as a nation in the midst now of economic turmoil and with more and more culture being imported from the West, Japan as a nation seems to have lost its identity and is searching for it again.  Emblematic of this would be Nagi, a Shinto god who's forgotten who she is.  She *thinks* she's a god.  She has the instincts and some powers, but no memories, no proof of her identity.  She, like Japan, has somehow lost her identity.

What's the solution?  Let's find our identity together.  A positive, encouraging (if ultimately idealistic, and without Christ, futile) message to the youth of Japan found in the midst of a harem/gag comedy anime.  Well done, Kannagi.  Well done.

Times, They Are A-Changin'

Today (or I suppose yesterday) marks a huge shift in anime here in America.  Dattebayo has announced that it will DROP Naruto Shippuuden, effective January 15th.  (You can read the press release here.)  The long-time-Naruto fansubbing group has decided to do this because Viz will be offering subbed versions of Shippuuden streamed for free on their website only a week after the show airs in Japan.  Also, Crunchyroll will be offering streamed versions of Shippuuden for a small fee almost immediately after the airing in Japan.  This is huge and marks a turning point in how anime is done here in America.

I have friends that have been into anime since the days of copied VHS fansubs, but I got into fansubbed anime right on the tail end of the last big shift: the shift to internet distribution with the advent of broadband.  When I started downloading fansubs, the majority of internet connections were still not broadband, but the change was occurring rather rapidly.  Within a few years, the change was complete - most people had broadband internet connections.  With this shift, anime fansubs shifted, too.  The primary mode of distribution became the internet.  Quality shot up.  When I began downloading fansubs, 320x240 was the typical resolution.  With broadband, this went up to 640x480 and beyond.  Distribution methods shifted from KaZaA and LimeWire to Bittorrent.  Fansubs became quicker and of higher-quality with regards to translations and typesetting and karaokes for the OP and ED.  Broadband refined the fansub to the point where many releases rivaled professional DVD quality.

But now the wheel has turned again.  Fansubbed anime addressed the consumer demand for high quality subtitled episodes released mere hours after airing in Japan - all downloadable (or at least viewable) for free.  And the anime industry has now responded.  It began with a few peripheral series.  I first noticed Hulu had streaming episodes of SquareEnix's new series Shikabane Hime Aka almost synchronous with its airing in Japan.  The series seems to have been licensed in America nearly at the same time as in Japan.  But this was a new series, not a well-established one with a rich history of fansubs.  Now with Naruto, the mainstream is changing over as well.  American distribution companies have learned to harness the same broadband that brought about high-quality fansubs in order to compete with those same fansubs.

What does this mean for the future of anime fans in America?  For fansubs in general?  Will the fansubbing community step aside or will they compete?  What will the ability to only stream new releases mean for anime DVD sales?  What will become of fans like myself who prefer to download a file and then watch it, rather than stream?  I don't have the answers.  I merely am pointing out that this is history in the making for the anime community.  We are at a turning point, and it will be interesting to see how this will all turn out.

The Long-Awaited (Maybe) Anime Update!

Yeah, I promised this two weeks ago, but never came through ... until today!  Yesterday after church and most of today I had plenty of time to do some catch-up on new anime episodes.  There are still a few series I haven't gotten to watch at all, and still others that I haven't had time to follow up on.  BUT!  I made some headway today.  And now I'll report my findings:

Follow-up on Hyakko!

This one looked promising.  It really did!  The first episode had lots of fun character interaction and situation comedy.  Taking four very different personalities and getting them lost in a huge school was brilliant.  Why, oh why did they not stick to this for the next two episodes?!  Episode 2 focuses on the group of four trying to find a club, but REALLY only focuses on Torako and Tatsuki - the strong personalities - facing off.  The third episode keeps the focus on Torako and some new, strange characters, while keeping the other three of the original four on the periphery.  Without the character-driven aspect, this show just doesn't have the same charm.  I'll follow it for a few more episodes, but if it can't turn it around by then and recapture the fun of the first episode ... I don't know if even Hirano Aya can keep me coming back.

Bottom Line: This show has lost its magic after the first episode.  Whether it can get it back is anyone's guess.

Follow-up on Toradora!

This series surprised me.  The first episode was looking pretty generic, but a catchy opening and a bit of character development has done wonders for this series.  (I find that a catchy opening really helps a series.  It can be the most mundane thing in the world, but a catchy opening will keep me interested at least long enough for the show itself to become interesting.  And that's what's happened here.)  In many ways, the show reminds me a bit of School Rumble (Horie Yui aside).  Just like in Sukuran, the comedy is driven by main characters who can't manage to express their feelings and the awkward situations they end up finding themselves in.  As in Sukuran, the love interests are pretty generic, but even that adds a bit of humor to the whole situation.  The dynamic is different, though, since Taiga and Ryuuji are at the same time developing their own relationship, albeit not a romantic one.  So far, nothing's been quite as over-the-top as Sukuran, but that's probably okay for this series.

Bottom line: This one's actually pretty funny thanks to interesting characters, good use of situational comedy, and, of course, a catchy opening.  I'll be trying to keep on this one.

Follow-up on Casshern Sins:

So, I'll be honest.  I didn't know when I started watching this that it was a remake of an older anime - that certainly explains the stylistic choices made in its production.  From what I understand, though, the story is vastly different this time around: much much darker than the original.  And I've got to say.  It works.  As each episode progresses, we learn a bit more about what it was that actually happened between Casshern and Luna to create the massive ruin that is plaguing all of robotkind.  Also developing is Casshern's own understanding of himself and of the "sin" that he has committed.  It is interesting that the story is told almost entirely from the perspective of a race of robots who we learn subjugated humanity.  From the robot's perspective, this is the end of the world.  But one wonders how the humans (other than the one rogue we've met) view the ruin.  In any case, the show has already begun to confront the themes of dealing with death and sin, as well as the pain of having to live on in that sin while everyone else must suffer the consequences.  It should go without saying that such themes are an excellent entry point for some Gospel proclamation.  This show has potential to engage people and make them confront and deal with the emptiness of the real world reflected in this tale of fiction.  Very, very exciting, this one.  I'll be watching and following it closely, and depending on how it proceeds, perhaps even do a feature on its usefulness in understanding Japanese evangelism.

Bottom Line: This one doesn't pull any punches.  The themes are engaged head-on.  Death, dying, and guilt are all waiting to be dealt with.  It should be fun to see how Casshern does so.

Follow-up on Kannagi:

Here was another one that kinda looked like it was heading one direction, but then chose a more interesting path.  Certainly, the "attractive girl suddenly living in my house" aspect has not been dropped, but the focus has begun to shift.  It has begun to shift towards a plot development deeply tied to a Shinto religious outlook.  The problem can be summed up with the idea that: "gods are only gods when they are worshipped."  To be honest, this statement alone deserves its own feature post, and likely will get one, but for now, suffice to say that this outlook seems that it will drive the rest of the series.  Nagi, who, if you remember, is a god of the land who inhabited a sacred tree until it was cut down, is losing her divinity.  Why?  Because her tree has been cut down and no one remembers her any longer.  Solution?  Find a way for people to worship you.  The method that has been mentioned (and likely will be tried, if the opening is any indication) is, ironically, to become an idol.  A Shinto god ... becoming an idol.  Brilliant!  This intelligent idea, combined once again with some interesting characters (notice a theme here?) make this show look like it'll be an interesting one to watch.  At the very least, the concepts surrounding the nature of divinity will keep me watching for a while.

Bottom Line: Good characters, a refreshing plot twist with a touch of irony, religious content, and a catchy OP make this one to follow this season.

Well, I'm afraid that's it for now.  Not enough hours in the day to watch all the anime I need to be caught up, but oh well.  What you gonna do.

Oh, and just a reminder, since tomorrow is election day here in America: GO VOTE!

A Short Update - More to Come Tomorrow

So ... I haven't really posted in a while.  This is not because I've not had time to post, but more due to the face that I haven't had much time to watch new anime.  With my job, a computer failure, and keeping up with old anime, I just haven't had much time till today.  So, I intend to give you the short version tonight, and then watch more and do the long version tomorrow.  So here's the short version:

Casshern Sins: Apparently a remake - still quite interesting.

Toradora!: Catchy opening + 2nd episode = better than I expected for this show.

Hyakko: Less focus on characters and more on goofball situations = not as interesting as expected.

Detective Conan Movie 12: It's another Conan movie, and better than some, but a bit slower than it should've been.  Still a good movie.

Look forward to the long version and more tomorrow!

Fall Anime Revue: Two Schools and an RPG

So ... I don't really intend for this blog to be only about anime.  Really!  I intend to write about a whole RANGE of topics from religion to politics to culture to video games.  However, it's just that time of year, and I do what I must because I can ... or is that someone else ... anyhow, on with the reviews!

Hyakko:

As I first began to watch this one, I was unsure to say the least.  The only thing the opening titles sequence indicated was that it was about four high school girls.  Not usually the sort of thing I'm into, the notable exception being the AMAZINGLY funny Azumanga Daioh.  However, as I continued to watch, I began to feel that Hyakko might make exception number 2.

The premise of the first episode is actually pretty straightforward.  Nonomura Ayumi (voiced by Hirano Aya, voice actress of Suzumiya Haruhi and Lucky Star fame) is living every high-schooler's worst nightmare.  Not only does she not "fit in," but in-between classes she's managed to get lost in the halls of the expansive private school which she is attending.  While trying to find her next class, she encounters and joins up with three other lost souls attempting to locate the classroom for their next class.  Iizuka Tatsuki (the tall, proper and bossy member of the group), Kageyama Torako (the one who, literally, leaps before she looks), and Saotome Suzume (the quiet and intelligent one) join up with Ayumi to find their next class at all costs!

This may not sound promising, but let me assure you, this one has promise.  It features the sort of every-day situations with not-everyday people humor also found in Azumanga.  And already in the first episode, the chemistry (no, not romantic, but comedic) between the characters is spot on.  The traits of each compliment those of the others, making for an interesting group of misfits.  The animation style is refreshing as well, departing from the clean and uber-shiny animation you see in most anime these days to a style which seems at the same time older and stylized.  It's not really like the animation of Revolutionary Girl Utena, but that's the style which is coming to mind.  In any case, it's different, and in a good way.

Thematically, it looks as if the show is shaping up to be a slice-of-life comedy which still will explore some actual issues of identity, group-dynamics, and fitting in.  Obviously I don't expect it to be an essay on the topic, but already in the first episode, such themes have been engaged, and I will be interested to see how they play out.  In many ways, this show gives off the feelings of the live action film "Linda Linda Linda."  Finally, I have to mention the music, and particularly the ending, sung, of course, by Hirano Aya.  I'm a big fan of Hirano Aya's musical outings, and the ending sequence does not disappoint.

Bottom Line: Is it Azumanga reborn?  I don't know about that.  But it IS mighty funny while still reserving the ability to (lightly) engage real Japanese social issues.

Episode Watched: HYAKKO Episode 1, Subbed by Himatsubushi

Kyou no Go no Ni:

Kyou no Go no Ni, or in English, Today's Fifth-grade Class 2, is another interesting slice-of-life school anime.  Of course, not many school anime deal with fifth graders.  Whether it's an awkward study session with a classmate or a powerball contest gone awry or forming a broom guitar band with your classmates, this show will remind you of that special time when life was fun, girls weren't gross anymore, and goofing off was a way of life.

I've not got much to say about this one.  The animation's straightforward.  The topic is fun.  The writing is entertaining.  Really, this is a nostalgic look back at being a kid, before you encountered "teen angst."  It's just a fun show.

From a cultural perspective, this show obviously offers a bit of insight (albeit stylized and humorized) into what being a kid in Japan is like.  Once again, the things put in the show which Japanese people take for granted prove to be the most insightful for a student of Japanese culture.  For this reason, I'll be watching this one.

Bottom Line: It's fun to be a kid.  It's entertaining to remember what it was like.  This show helps you do just that.

Episode Watched: Kyou no Go no Ni Episode 1, Subbed by Chihiro

Tales of the Abyss:

If you didn't guess from the name, this one's based on an video game.  An RPG to be precise.  And if you didn't guess it from the name, you'll sure figure it out by the end of the first episode.  It's got all the hallmarks of the "tutorial section" of your typical RPG.  You wake up as the main character, who happens to be sheltered royalty with a boring royal life and who isn't allowed outside the palace.  You meet your friends, your family, and it's all okay if you don't know them.  After all, you DID loose all memories of your childhood in a traumatic incident several years ago.  You begin to spar with your sword trainer, learning the battle system, when something goes wrong.  An enemy attacks, you jump in, and suddenly some sort of hidden power within you hurls you and your attacker far, far away from the palace.  Now in the wilderness, you are beset with wild magical beasts (read "random battles") which you must fight to get back the life you just lost.

Yeah ... without the battle system and the interaction, it doesn't really do it for me, either.  It doesn't help, I suppose, that I never played the PS2 RPG, but I'm not really interested in this one.  Looking right now like it's going to feature the overused, "crap, the world's going to blow  up unless we set out on a 40-50 hour quest all over the world" storyline, but who knows?  I may catch a few more episodes, but really, this one is not interesting me at all.

Bottom Line: It's an RPG made into an anime.  If you want to play an RPG without interaction, get Xenosaga.  If you're too cheap to buy it, watch this.

Episode Watched: Tales of the Abyss Episode 1, Subbed by Osu!

That's it for this installment.  Hopefully I'll get in a post that's NOT about anime before I do the next set of reviews.

Fall Anime Revue: Casshern Sins, Kannagi, Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka

A few new anime came out over the weekend.  Here's my roundup review.

Casshern Sins:

Robotic existentialism.  Well... sort of.  Titular Casshern is a man in a suit who killed Luna.  For some inexplicable reason, this sin has brought about the decay and ruin of the entire world.  Fortunately not our world (at least, not in the first episode), but a world of robots.  It's unclear whether Casshern is a robot or a human or some sort of cyborg, but what is clear is that he will kill anyone who comes after him ... even though he has no memory of his identity.

This looks interesting.  Casshern's outfit and his fighting giant robots SEEMS like it would be right out of some sort of classic superhero children's anime, but the themes present in the anime are far from being for kids.  Instead the tone is much darker.  The world is going to ruin, and nothing can stop it.  And it seems to be be Casshern's fault.  How is he going to deal with questions of identity and purpose when everyone believes him to be the cause of the end of the world?  Thematically, I think this has real potential.  It helps, too, that the animation style is both clean and classic at the same time.  The character design is like something from the era of G Gundam or even Gachaman, but done with modern and clean drawing styles.  The backgrounds and music fit the theme, and both contribute to a sort of otherworldly feel.

Bottom Line: Already in the first episode, we've got issues of identity and humanity.  Watch this one.  It has potential.

Episode Watched: Casshern Sins Episode 1, Subbed by Shinsen-Subs

Kannagi:

And now for something completely different.  I have to say the opening for this one prepped me for a show about an up-and-coming idol.  The actual episode ... nothing like the opening.  Mikuriya Jin is spiritually sensitive (if I had a nickel ...).  As a kid, he saw a mysterious woman while playing near a sacred tree.  Now he's in high school, and for his art project he carved an image of the woman he saw.  But then the image comes to life.  Turns out the sacred tree had been cut down, and the god who was inhabiting it now has entered into Jin's woodcarving - a woodcarving made from the sacred tree.  Crazy, huh?  Anyhow, the land god Nagi now inhabits the body of a high-school-aged attractive girl who must live with Jin so that he can help her to stop the "impurities" that are now cropping up without the tree's protection.  A lot to swallow?  Yeah, just a bit.

It's the usual setup.  Guy living on his own suddenly has some strange girl appear, and for whatever reason, they have to live together.  Pretty standard stuff (if only in real life, right?).  That said, the first episode has been tastefully done.  No panty shots or boob-grabbing.  In fact, when there was an opportunity to show Nagi's pantsu in an action shot, a leaf was subtly but strategically placed.  That's a good start, right?  In a way, it reminds me of a sort of attempt at a shinto Ah My Goddess! ... sort of.  Based on the opening, I suspect that's not where this is going, but here's to hoping.  That said, I do hope that they keep these sort of shinto themes going.  It'd be interesting in a sort of Spice and Wolf way if they keep weaving in those sorts of elements.  Being a student of theology, I find those sorts of things, even in a show like this, terribly interesting.  Maybe I'll do a post some time about the value in watching anime for religious insight.

Bottom Line: Maybe it's going somewhere new, and maybe it's rehashing old cliches.  I'll be keeping track on this for at least a few weeks out of interest in how they handle shinto beliefs.  I'll have a more definite verdict for you then.

Episode Watched: Kannagi Episode 1, Subbed by Ayako

Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka:

To be honest, I didn't even want to dignify this with a post.  Every season, there's one or two shows where you just know that someone sat down and said, "What moe cliches can we chuck together to make a show that lonely guys will watch?"  This one's got quite a few.  The maid-like and polite younger sister, the mysterious rich transfer student, the tomboy girl, the stuck-up daughter of a prominent family, and if the opening's to be believed, an actual maid and a big-breasted secret agent who wears a rubber bodysuit unzipped down past her navel.  Yeah, a lot of thought went into this one.  (<-- Sarcasm )  The story's just about as uninspired.  Girl harassed by jerks.  Guy saves girl.  Girl transfers into his school the next day.  Everyone thinks they're going out.  And by the end of the series, you know they will be.  And if they don't go to an onsen sometime before the last episode, then I give up.  (Not that I'll actually watch to find out, but still ...)

The only reason I felt it reasonably necessary to post on this one was the fact that the guy plays an Xbox 360.  Now this is very strange.  I mean, he lives in Japan.  They don't DO Xbox.  Nintendo and Sony they love, but Microsoft's Xbox ... not so much.  So you can imagine my shock and surprise when I saw him playing with a 360, power brick of doom and all.  Just weird is all.

Bottom Line: Skip it.  If you've seen one cliche moe show, you've seen them all.  And this one didn't even have any fanservice in the first episode.  Spend your valuable time elsewhere.

Episode Watched: Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka Episode 1, Subbed by Eclipse

Well, that's it for this time.  As more shows come out, I'll let you know what I think.  Later.

Fall Anime Season Begins! - ToraDora!

So one of the things I intended to do from the start on this blog is talk about anime.  Specifically how it relates to religion and culture ... but not strictly.  Anyhow, the fall anime season is beginning, and so I bring you my initial reactions to the first show subbed and watched: とらドラ! (ToraDora!, for all you non-Japanese-reading types).

Beware.  First episode spoilers follow:

The show so far seems to be a school-based love comedy.  The main character Takasu Ryuuji is a guy with a mean-looking face.  No, really.  He's a normal guy which everyone just thinks is a delinquent because he looks mean.  Of course, he's in love with some pink-haired girl with like 3 lines in the episode.  Whatever.  Enter the Palmtop Tiger.  No, not the latest in Apple handheld technology, but the fiesty, violent, and short Aisaka Taiga (hence the nickname ... sound it out ... yeah, there ya go!).  They get off to a bad start, but things are made worse when a seating mixup has Aisaka putting a love letter in the wrong bookbag - you guessed it, Takasu's.  Long story short, the two end up revealing the identities of their secret loves, and then more or less blackmailing each other into helping to make their feelings known to the one they like.

**END SPOILERS**

It's certainly an interesting start, but so far nothing truly out of the ordinary in this one.  Quirky guy ends up meeting quirky girl, and by their combined quirkiness, chaos and comedy ensue.  There's certainly promise here, but there's also the potential for goofy-school-love-comedy mediocrity as well.  Already overused cliche's have made their appearances: Takasu lives with his scantily-clad-knockout mom who sleeps late and drinks a lot.  His housekeeping skills are also an element which is pretty commonplace.  Don't get me wrong.  There's still potential here for some good (and entertaining) character development/interaction.  However, this show is going to have to do something special in the next few episodes to keep me interested.  That being said, I'll go ahead and keep my eye on this one for the next few weeks, and let you know what the final verdict is.

Bottom Line: Has potential for either hilarity or mediocrity.  Which course it will take, only time will tell.

Episode Watched: ToraDora! Episode 1, Subbed by gg