Personally, I think the first three captures are pretty terrible. Ayumi basically just introduces the premise, so I guess that's okay, but Mio's is just boring. A boring capture of a boring character. Kanon is sort of outrageous in a way that gives you the feeling that the author is turning up the dial once he realized that the initial premise wasn't enough to carry the series anymore. It feels a bit desperate. "Hey, idols! Magic! Stunguns! She's interesting, right?"
Starting with Shiori though, you get this nice balance of the absurd and the poignant. It's slow paced yet not boring and for the first time it feels like we're trying to understand someone rather than deceive them. It feels honestly sweet without sacrificing characterization or the humor. While the story goes up and down after this point, this is the point where I thought the series actually might live up to its potential.
edited 13th Oct '10 8:32:23 PM by Clarste
So he can reuse old characters. It is kind of tiresome to keep introducing new characters who you never see again. That's also one of the reasons I'm more forgiving of Ayumi: while her capture was rushed she's still gotten post-capture character development as one of Elsee's friends. I don't think it's implausible that Kanon could receive such a treatment.
edited 13th Oct '10 8:21:25 PM by Clarste
Pat. St. of Archive Binge
Okay,I saw my first Shout-Out in the anime - the class all laugh at Keima in the style of Peanuts.
Also, Elsee's boss is chief Dokuro.
But, that ED. Foot Focus, Foot Focus everywhere.
edited 13th Oct '10 9:11:52 PM by Billabong
You know, I kinda like this sorta whiny, sorta pathetic new anime Keima. Unflappable Magnificent Bastard manga Keima is fine too, but there's a perverse sort of satisfaction to watching him constantly get dragged down from his high horse.
The bright colors of the artwork still make my head hurt, but I'll still probably watch this to the end, if only for the seriously boss OP and the pretty fancy ED.
Please be gentle with me.I'm not seeing how Anime!Keima is different from Manga!Keima at the moment, save for the anime having him be less of a jerk. This may or may not be due to Keima not having many internal monologues like he does in the manga.
Of course, I'm probably too busy being distracted by El and Keima's mother to notice.
ED is... cute, although I wonder how much of a hit it was with foot-lovers.
Rereading the manga from the start, I can't help but notice that Anime!Keima isn't that different from Manga!Keima at all. It looks like Manga!Keima's personality wasn't very definite yet during this time period, making him already look a bit softer when compared to his later incarnation.
I'd say that the Keima we know and love didn't actually appear untill the Kusunogi arc.
Rereading the last chapter I noticed that Keima noticed the censor and maybe the chance of success he talks about is it.
Just noticed an interesting detail: Old-devil-girl-whose-name-I-keep-forgetting has the same sort of horn as Nora does.
That makes sense because, if I remember correctly, Nora claims to be descended from the Old Devils, and that's why her horns are like that. They would be more likely to rebel than just some random devil probable.
A friend is someone you trust to help you move. A best friend is someone you trust to hide the body.

This is serious business. I am a victim of your vicious slander. I don't think I can allow this to pass unremarked.
Did you misread petty as pretty on purpose? Anyway, let's just drop it.
I hope the Mio arc doesn't take too long. She was one of the characters that bored me most in TWGOK.