Guess what ? Yeah, you’re in for another round of impressions, just in time before the fourth episodes start to pop up.

Sora no Woto – 03

Seems like my wish about this is about to get fulfilled. More than ever, Sora no Woto showed that it steers more in the direction of Haibane Renmei than K-ON!. I’m almost ready to bet that the ending will be sad, or at the very least melancholic.

Because that’s really the vibe that this series is giving off. It’s probably the sweetest post-apocalyptic world, yet its decay is everywhere to be seen. A lot of work went into establishing the universe as a credible one, and it really shines through, the gorgeous backgrounds aren’t there just for show.

Also, this episodes shyly begun to shine some light on things that will probably evolve into the core of the plot. Honestly, this is a show that managed to completely free itself of its K-ON! clone image, and that’s a good thing.

Verdict so far : Great

Ookami Kakushi – 03

In case you’re watching this and have trouble picking all the subtle clues, let me lay it down for you : when the music is cheesy and the sun is shining, with people laughing, it means that everything is fine. Now, when things get darker, and there are creepy chords and mad-looking people, things are BAD.

Really, Ookami Kakushi continues to ask questions and provide little answers, but the directing could be better. I’ve seen worse, but if people aren’t able to instantly tell when something more or less creepy will happen, they must be deaf and blind, and so why bother ?

As far as the plot is concerned though, we get some insight on what could be going on to some extent. Of course, things are probably not that simple, and maybe the “hints” are actually a red herring. Time will tell. I hope the main protagonist will show some courage down the road though, he seems a little too passive for my taste (especially compared to Higurashi’s Keiichi).

Verdict so far : Very Good (except for the directing by Captain Obvious)

Dance in the Vampire Bund – 03

SHAFT, what on Earth are you doing ? This episode was better than the previous two, but still, things are moving forward as fast as a snail, the fanservice (worse of which, the loli-fanservice) is almost past my tolerance level, and well, on the whole I guess I was expecting too much.

The premises were good though, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll bear fruits that don’t taste so bitter.

Verdict so far : Bad

Durarara!! – 03

I don’t recall when was the last time I anticipated the arrival of new episodes of a show as much as I do for Durarara!!. Granted, I marathon through most of the stuff I watch, but still. I thought that Durarara!! showed its best during the last episode, but guess what ? Yeah, this episode blew the previous one out of the water. How can this be ? How do they do that ?

Again, everything was perfect, but they added some more action and character interaction into the mix. Apparently Mikado (the country boy that came to Ikebukuro in episode 1) is special, and Izaya (the mysterious guy introduced in ep 2) and Shizuo (the man throwing vending machines around) are ennemies, yet both are connected to Celty (the headless biker). Simon (the black Russian sushi guy) seems to be as strong as he looks, and a romance between Mikado and one of his classmates seems likely.

And that’s only a brief overview of what happens in the episode, I left out quite a bit. Durara!! is supposed to last 24 episodes, yet for nows it advances at breakneck speed. If they don’t run out of things to tell and show (which seems likely, given the huge cast), this series is going to be so fullfilling… What’s more is that they still manage, even with all those characters and their interwined stories, to make the setting play a big role in the story. It’s not just a static background.

Durarara!! really is made directly out of pure awesomeness.

Verdict so far : Mind-boggingly awesome !!

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu – 03

Hmm, I have mixed feeling about Baka to Test’s third episode. On one hand, you get some really funny scenes that had me laughing hard, while on the other hand, there’s a little too much fanservice for my taste.

I still think the balance tips towards “good”, but less so than for the previous two episodes. So beware, Baka to Test !

All in all though, there’s not a lot to tell about the show if you don’t want to spoil all the gags, dates from hell and scandalous statues in the background. The only thing I can say is that I really hope it’ll stay on the “Ouran” side of things and stay tasteful.

Verdict so far : Very good