Assassination Classroom | First Impressions

So I'm not going to pretend I don't know the story.

So therefore I know what I'm getting into when I'm watching this anime.

So therefore this first impressions wont be the best first impressions, but I'll try extra hard to make it good for you. Whoever you are.

Since I have already had the little bit of the experience with Assassination Classroom, or Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, I was pretty ecstatic when I heard about the anime adaption; I had stopped reading the manga at around chapter 70 and I couldn't come up with a reason to get back into it. This little anime adaption was the answer to my prayer that I hadn't actually prayed.

So for a general idea of the premise we have a class full of not so smart children (academically), an alien who blew up the moon and wants to do the same to earth, and the very same class tasked with killing the alien before he does so.

Everyday stuff.

The art has this interesting look to it, like everyone is a bit like a paper cut out but still an anime character. That's not saying it's bad or not fun to look at, honestly I find it a little interesting, and it doesn't detract from the quality that is has.

The OP did nothing for me and I found it a little annoying to watch. It didn't have the charm that other OP's do that try to be cheery and up beat.

Our main character is Nagisa who has the girliest voice in the world and we have a class brimming with unique characters, and the teacher, the alien born and raised on Earth probably is the most spunky of them all. It doesn't plan to disappoint, and since I know it will be fun, action packed, and simply enjoyable...

I give it an 8/10.

The first episode had a few chuckles that came with it and some pretty nice action art; the teacher's angry face was just as striking as it was in the manga. It shows a great beginning for a potentially awesome show.

I might say that most anime's are good, because I only choose to watch ones that seem to be good to me. This one certainly fits that so far.

Death Parade | First Impressions

As a major fan of MADHOUSE Inc. and their works in general, I had been looking forward to Death Parade for a quite a while, and as the weeks and days piled up metaphorically in my mind it became harder to resist checking out the little releases that were let out for Death Parade. Often time's we're built up by seeing something great and then being thoroughly disappointed, so I had kept to the times I had been disappointed by media in itself- cough Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movie cough - and not watching a single little thing.¹

When we start, we're greeted with a supremely fantastic OP after a little bit of teaser animation that leaves little explained with a couple exiting two side-by-side elevators with no memories on how they arrived there, walking up to a bar and seeing our poster character Quindecim. We don't have time to absorb any information before being tossed in to "Flyers" by BRADIO. I listened and watched and honestly was thoroughly enjoying the song and the animation quality that was in full display for me to soak in. In fact it reminded me so much of the art of Black Butler: Book Of Circus that I made myself check if the lead creators were the same. 

After a breath taking little intro that had me hyped up on the inside, but nonreactive on the inside, I continued on.

Now the music is the first thing I have to comment on. Soundtrack is very important to me; after watching Chaika: The Coffin Princess I took the time to download the complete OST, and when the anime I'm watching has a little sound in the background to boost the general feel, I love it. Death Parade had this soft bar music that sounded authentic and so cliché that it fit perfectly.

Now to keep spoilers to a minimum, as is what I'd like to do with every update I do, I'll just hover over what we basically get.

Basically: Supreme animation and art. A pretty dark story that unravels before you, and a hint at how this anime has earned the R - 17 rating. 

The little dark side of me enjoyed the conflict quite a lot, and knowing that it only was for this single episode was quite awesome. The story has a pretty awesome twist after the ED that I found to be mediocre. however above all the art is beautiful and I will keep watching even if it's just for that. It's such a high quality that keeps you, or at least me, invested. From the little preview of the next episode, the setting is going to expand quite heavily, so I'll have to wait for that.

In the end I'm giving it a 9/10.

While this is a pretty high rating for an anime that I've only seen one episode for, it shows promise for an awesome season. Besides; usually my first impressions are pretty damn accurate.

Now, on to Assassination Classroom.