new anime

I make it a point to watch new anime whenever it comes out. This season's line-up is just starting to pop up and I don't really check out everything. Just those that seem promising to alleviate from the boredom. Yesterday, there were two titles that I checked out.

First it was this:

Yeah, the picture alone should have discouraged me but I gave it the benefit of the doubt since it was made by Sunrise (just so you know: they're mostly responsible for the Gundam franchise). So, okay, dled it and watched it.

Typical pretty boy. Reminds me of the Code Geass characters. This is Tandoji the protagonist of the story.

That dude there is the bad guy. What is he and what does he do? Well, he's a stone statue that goes after these gems of power and takes it for itself. He beams people with the powerful stare of the medusa head he's holding and turns people into stone. So, it's fine right? I don't mind. But then, things turn strange.

Friggin' maids start to block off the road! Obviously, only a high-powered, rich individual can afford such a luxury. So, enter rich girl with combat-esque butler!

Yeah, you get the picture. Ok, sorry. I might be getting off tangent here. To be honest, I don't really know what to say about this anime. It's painfully predictable, easily forgotten, and just silly. The animation was good, of course - what with Sunrise being the makers - but the story leaves a lot to be desired. Going to give this one three more episodes before I decide if I should just give up on this. First episode was a big disappointment.

(Redeeming quality perhaps? You should be the judge of that.)

The next anime I saw was more promising. 

The setting alone won me over. I love period pieces. The network that decided to take on this project did animes like Shugo Chara, Gene Shaft, and Fairy Tail. This anime is based on the manga of the same title and story. If you love France during the 1800s like I do, this will be something to enjoy just to see the sights alone.

The setting of the story revolves around a shopping district where the ironwork shop owned by one of the protagonists is located.

The backdrops in the anime are so picturesque that it helps that the characters are drawn simply. The blending of the two only helps along with the story. But, for me, the highlight of this episode was when Yune, one of the stars of the series, is introduced.

Kawaii!! She looks like a doll. Even the people in the anime think she looks like a doll. Meanwhile, the lead guy is a young man by the name of Claude.

I don't want to get too into it in fear of causing too much spoilers. Suffice it to say, the first episode was a lighthearted introduction into the characters' lives. It's really nice to watch their interactions with each other. The cultural differences of the two even play a major role in the story. Sad to say that I haven't read the manga counterpart of this so I can't give you a comparison between the two but that will soon be remedied.

This anime has a nice, downplayed feel to it compared to other real-life-genre animes probably because of the era of the story. Everything is slow-paced and somewhat genial and if you don't want much action but would settle more for the drama, I think this would be a good show to check out.