Unlicensed Preview: Zettai Shounen
I like the fact that the Japanese have four different seasons for anime. Just as one group of series ends, another begins. And the summer heat also brings in some very hot anime too! And as I’m seeing some of these screen caps for all these new series that started in the past couple of weeks, my list of “must watch” shows has gotten pretty long. So throughout my summer schedule, I’ll be bringing you a sample of what’s out there, JASCII-style! First up will be a show that’s been out for a little while now, but has also been making quite a buzz, Zettai Shounen (”Absolute Boy”). But judging from the first episode, this buzz looks like just a fizzle to me…
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With the first episode being titled “The Beginning of a Depressing and Strange Summer”, this series starts off very strange but not quite so depressing. A young boy of divorced parents spends the summer living with his father in a boring town. But after a little while, he discovers something very unusual going on around there. Namely in the form of a cute little boy, floating orbs of light, and flying toys. You are kinda thrown in the middle of the situation with absolutely no information or narration as to what’s going on. The first time I watched this episode, I thought that the boy’s mother had passed away so now he was living with his father. I would recommend reading Matt’s post to get some background on the series translated from the show’s website.
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The pacing of this series is very slow, which may turn off a bunch of people. The combination of the speed and lots of cicada sound effects become very reminiscent of the early episodes of Evangelion. Also, the character designs, color, and voice acting are all pretty dull. Hopefully the story becomes more exciting in future episodes because so far I would have to consider this one of the most boring anime I’ve ever seen.
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One theme I do like, though, is that there are lots of animals shown through out this series. The boy’s father is a vet and has a fascination with with cats in particular. So you’ll see plenty of cats around, along with dogs, cows, and even snakes. Then, in the previews for the next episode, the animals (in very cute voices, I might add) talk to and tease each other about themselves and what’s happening next episode. A very, very cute way to end such a show!
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I also enjoyed the theme productions to this series as well. The OP is a catchy cute tune. The visuals show different characters and things from the show, but with very bold outlines. My first impression was that it looked like a cell shaded video game. The EP is sung by one of my favorite Japanese artists, Masumi Ito. With past works such as “Azumanga Daioh” and “Magical Meow Meow Taruto”, this singer has a very unforgettable voice that I just find to be so cool.
So to sum up, Zettai Shounen is a sci-fi series that is so deep into it’s own mystery that is is hard for it to become entertaining or even interesting. However, I did like the animal theme and theme productions. And if the buzz is any indication, it seems like this series’ storyline will eventually pick up the slack that the first episode is having. But as far as this initial impression goes this boy is not quite as absolute as many say it is.
