Nobunagun...
I wasn't sure how to classify Nobunagun at first sight, but, I thought the series was worth watching...
An interesting aspect of Nobunagun is the pseudo-history that pervades the series. All of the main characters are supposedly based on actual historical figures or characters based on myths or legends. The most striking feature of Nobunagun is its visual design. Throughout the series, instead of hard black shadows, often shadows will be rendered in camouflage patterns or with flowery backgrounds. Whenever Sio encounters something she thinks is really cool, flowers will appear around her. And, whenever the aliens are attacking, the color palette of the scene changes to a darker-than-usual color set and streaks of light will illuminate the black or very dark background. There are any number of homages to science fiction scattered throughout the series including an entire episode devoted to John Carpenter's The Thing.
Each episode in Nobunagun features a new type of alien that evolved to adapt to ever-changing circumstances, giving the series a distinct monster-of-the-week flavor. The first few episodes feature Sio's budding friendship with Asao, but, most of the series deals with wave after wave of alien attacks. So, the middle of the series, while fairly action-packed, is a bit monotonous and in my humble opinion, the series as a whole suffers. There is very limited fan service in the series -- Newton does French kiss both male and female characters and there are a few low-angle views of female characters, but, since this isn't THAT type of series, that aspect of the series doesn't get a lot of attention.
Nobunagun does have a fair amount of action with at least one battle with the aliens in almost every episode and while there is some red ink, the series is generally bloodless and the gore, what there is of it, is mostly confined to the aliens. There is some comedy in the series as Sio often finds herself in socially awkward situations where she has to deal with strong feelings for a certain someone and occasionally will find herself in suggestive situations. Although there is some suggestive dialogue, some inappropriate touching and kissing and some slightly yuri situations, there are no actual naughty bits. I really enjoyed Sio as she is very sweet and timid with her friends, but, can be fierce in battle and fiercely loyal to her comrades in arms. The frequent use of combinations of camouflage and flowers in the backgrounds in the series, seems to fit very nicely with Sio's personality.
Nobunagun starts out with a bang and, in my humble opinion, the middle of the series seems to be a bit monotonous. But, in the latter episodes of the series, the tension builds to a wonderful climax as the aliens make a move to wipe out humanity. Although Nobunagun is an ensemble story, Sio really steals the show as she embraces the warrior in her soul and has that sinister grin on her face while blasting aliens. I had to use the rewind button more than a few times to read my anime as there are a lot of on-screen titles that reveal certain aspects of the show like when Sio is sleeping, a title might pop up with "Drool" or "Drooly Girl". Then, of course, Sio's occasional dream sequences are just priceless. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of Nobunagun, but, now that I've seen the series, I'm really very pleased with the series. Overall, I would feel very comfortable giving Nobunagun a 3 out of 5.
In Nobunagun, we follow the misadventures of Sio, a shy school girl with a super-nerd knowledge of military weapons and vehicles, as she channels the soul of the ancient military commander, Oda Nobunaga, to fight alien invaders. I've always had a soft spot for strong female leads in anime, so, Sio, when she's in full-on gun mode, is really interesting. Sio, while traveling abroad on a high school field trip, encounters an alien invasion and when the opportunity to aid in the battle calls, Sio leaps right into action. Throughout the series, Sio, is enthralled by all of the military hardware and vehicles she come across and often spouts off about the specifications of particular vehicles. By the way, Sio seems quite enamored with the M1 Abrams tank and crews that operate the tanks.Sio Ogura is a shy misfit who'd rather talk about tanks than gossip about girl stuff. She's plagued by reoccurring dreams of ancient battle scenes, and her only friend is a kindhearted popular girl named Asao. But Sio's life takes an explosive turn when a school field trip is interrupted by an outbreak of Evolutionary Invaders: hideous alien creatures hell-bent on nuking the planet.
During a daring attempt to rescue Asao, Sio discovers that she's an E-Gene Holder: the reincarnation of a historical figure capable of summoning special weaponry. Possessed by the spirit of legendary warrior Oda Nobunaga, Sio joins forces with the reincarnated versions of Jack the Ripper, Galileo, and Geronimo for a high octane alien shooting spree. Survival is a longshot, but in the battle to save humanity, Sio's the girl with the biggest gun!
An interesting aspect of Nobunagun is the pseudo-history that pervades the series. All of the main characters are supposedly based on actual historical figures or characters based on myths or legends. The most striking feature of Nobunagun is its visual design. Throughout the series, instead of hard black shadows, often shadows will be rendered in camouflage patterns or with flowery backgrounds. Whenever Sio encounters something she thinks is really cool, flowers will appear around her. And, whenever the aliens are attacking, the color palette of the scene changes to a darker-than-usual color set and streaks of light will illuminate the black or very dark background. There are any number of homages to science fiction scattered throughout the series including an entire episode devoted to John Carpenter's The Thing.
Each episode in Nobunagun features a new type of alien that evolved to adapt to ever-changing circumstances, giving the series a distinct monster-of-the-week flavor. The first few episodes feature Sio's budding friendship with Asao, but, most of the series deals with wave after wave of alien attacks. So, the middle of the series, while fairly action-packed, is a bit monotonous and in my humble opinion, the series as a whole suffers. There is very limited fan service in the series -- Newton does French kiss both male and female characters and there are a few low-angle views of female characters, but, since this isn't THAT type of series, that aspect of the series doesn't get a lot of attention.
Nobunagun does have a fair amount of action with at least one battle with the aliens in almost every episode and while there is some red ink, the series is generally bloodless and the gore, what there is of it, is mostly confined to the aliens. There is some comedy in the series as Sio often finds herself in socially awkward situations where she has to deal with strong feelings for a certain someone and occasionally will find herself in suggestive situations. Although there is some suggestive dialogue, some inappropriate touching and kissing and some slightly yuri situations, there are no actual naughty bits. I really enjoyed Sio as she is very sweet and timid with her friends, but, can be fierce in battle and fiercely loyal to her comrades in arms. The frequent use of combinations of camouflage and flowers in the backgrounds in the series, seems to fit very nicely with Sio's personality.
Nobunagun starts out with a bang and, in my humble opinion, the middle of the series seems to be a bit monotonous. But, in the latter episodes of the series, the tension builds to a wonderful climax as the aliens make a move to wipe out humanity. Although Nobunagun is an ensemble story, Sio really steals the show as she embraces the warrior in her soul and has that sinister grin on her face while blasting aliens. I had to use the rewind button more than a few times to read my anime as there are a lot of on-screen titles that reveal certain aspects of the show like when Sio is sleeping, a title might pop up with "Drool" or "Drooly Girl". Then, of course, Sio's occasional dream sequences are just priceless. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of Nobunagun, but, now that I've seen the series, I'm really very pleased with the series. Overall, I would feel very comfortable giving Nobunagun a 3 out of 5.
