Animax-Asia, the only anime channel on Starhub Cable Television, will be premiering two new anime this month! Let’s check them out…
Premiering on 12th December @ 9AM, we have Idaten Jump.
Sho Wamato and his 5th grade friends, Takumi and Makoto really enjoyed mountain biking (MTB) when they practiced at the practice field, also known as the “X-Zone”. Takumi was a skilled mechanic, while Makoto was a competitive female rider. Then one day, Sho was challenged by an MTB team named “Shark Tooth”, and when the day came, black smoke appeared and they were sent to another world known as the “X-Zone”. To return to their original world, they must compete in the “Idaten Battles”, which involve races in numerous different setting, including volcanoes, ghost towns, deserts, and even at a cemetery. To win and collect 10 emblems in order to return will be tough, and will involve a loing journey. Will they ever make it back? (Synopsis from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: I haven’t been a particularly big fan of sports anime, save for Takehiko Inoue’s classic, Slam Dunk and perhaps Ginban Kaleidoscope (an anime about competitive ice-skating, where I was more interested in the relationship between the characters as opposed to the sport itself). I did watch a couple of episodes of Over Drive (another cycling anime, about how the protagonist picks up competitive cycling and eventually becomes the winner of the Tour de France) which I stopped after losing interest. Considering that I am probably out of the age range of the primary target audience, its unlikely that I’ll stay with it for the long term. I might watch the first few episodes to see how it is though…
And premiering on 18th December @ 7.30PM, Bleach.
Kurosaki Ichigo, for as long as he can remember, always had the ability to see ghosts. One day, he encounters a female death god (“shinigami”) named Kuchiki Rukia. While fighting soul-eating spirits known as “hollows”, Rukia is forced to transfer her powers to Ichigo in order to save his family…
Thoughts: I actively follow the Bleach manga (currently at chapter 384). While it is considered one of Shounen Jump’s (a weekly shounen manga anthology) more well-known properties, I find that the current manga arc seems to be a little uninspired and is simply repeating the standard formula from the previous arcs. What probably keeps me reading is that the occasional plot twist does keep it sufficiently interesting. The better arcs are probably the first few, so first-time and repeat viewers would probably enjoy the initial arcs more. I’ll probably watch it (again) if I have the time…