Black★Rock Shooter Episode 1 [First Impression]:

Mato Kuroi is a cheerful young girl that decides to make friends with more reserved Takanashi, and the struggles of their friendship is reflected in an alternate world where a girl in black, with a blue eyes, dwells.

If you were disappointed by the Black Rock Shooter OVA, you sure as hell won’t be disappointed with this first episode of the Black★Rock Shooter anime.

“The sea reflects the blue of the sky.”
“The blue reflection is the sea of the sky.”
“The sea of the sky cries blue tears.”
“Among those blue tears, a tiny bird flies.”

Kaitou’s Impressions

LET US HEAR IT FROM THE FANS- APPROVED! This episode blew all my expectations out of the water, and with all the media attention that BRS has been getting (currently streaming on Nico Nico in 8 languages!), I never really had any doubts as to how this was going to turn out. After all, all the promo art was well done, the PVs gave enough juicy details to drag all those doubters back in.

So, Black Rock Shooter; a piece of fanart by huke, which inspired the song by Supercell, which inspired an OVA anime, which then turned into a manga, throw in a sexy PSP game, and an 8-episode show? HOW BIG CAN YOU GET? First off, huke’s artwork is no joke- the artist is brilliant when it comes to character designs. Even if you didn’t like the fluffy friendship-building theme of the show, you’d watch for them-smexy art designs. There are three of the “alternate” characters that are introduced, and with that, you can tell what their real-world inspirations were from. The artwork style is quite distinctive from one another in the worlds, with the “real” world in clear, crisp artwork and the other side in gorgeous shading and textures.

I thought I was going to be really bored with the friendship trials between Kuroi and Takanashi, but that was not the case with this episode. I hope that more antagonistic characters are introduced soon to stir up some new drama, just to see them challenge the strong friendship that could blossom between the two. Kuroi and Takanashi still have a lot of issues to resolve, starting with the strange friend with the dolls that is keen on keeping them apart by playing little mind games with them both. Kagari seems to be Takanashi’s friend…or is she? Is there another reason that Takanashi wants to protect Kuroi from her, and why does she hang out with Kagari despite her obvious fear of her?

Takanashi is what I will be watching for, maybe because I can identify with her better than Kuroi, because she’s too much of the typical cheerful main character to stand out too much, other than she seems to be the alter-ego of BRS. Takanashi…is sensitive, and protective to those that are around, in her own way. Caught up in her own world, it’s hard for her to let others in, especially someone as bubbly as Kuroi, who could easily misunderstand her actions. Takanashi is all the hesitation we bear, the half-timid steps we take when we want to show to someone we care about them, but we don’t know how to go about it. But she tries, like we do, and gets hurt in the process, and you can’t help cheering her on in her trials. Ganbare, Takanashi~

A lot more emphasis on the friend drama building, which will add a lot more meaning to the fighting in future episodes.

Pacing was pretty big- make it too heavy on the action, and there’s not enough suspense for the upcoming episodes. Can’t believe there’s only 7 episodes left, can they even fit the story in there? ;A; I’m hoping for more of everything they promised in this episode, and more. Can’t wait to see the OP, too, since this show is all Supercell!!

Verdict- MOAR! MOAR!!!!!

Possibility of Blogging: (HELL YEAH) Guaranteed