[wao]

Gah, I'm too braindead to make any proper comments - but let's just say it was exactly as good as I expected it to be. Perhaps the first episode didn't give so much of a hint as to what the characters were like (though I think it did, but then again I read all the scans and info and all that)... but one thing that definitely placed this as the best ep 1 I've seen so far is

a. The settings.
By this I mean the whole construction of the world and the way things work. I think it's very rarely that any work could feel so creative in its ideas (but then again, I am not well-read in the least so perhaps the idea behind this show has been expressed elsewhere). For one thing, the whole idea of walls being "fixed" and the 3D space aroudn us being manipulated into virtual functions and areas is simply amazing even on its own. There's something very indescribably "wow" about that idea, it just makes you sort of jolt your perceptions and do a double-take and jog your mind in the way good artwork does. Even more so when it's set in a contrasting background - a sleepy sort of town with old, well-worn buildings and a vaguely nostalgic feel to it.
The most amazing part is how it does all of this without it feeling contrived for one second, and all this happens completely smoothly. And you can tell that Iso has really thought very thoroughly about what are the complete implications of such settings - because you can see this through all the small details that make it come alive and work so well. Things like how there's individual information on various pets (god, that cat was called Hepburn! That has to rock), and how when you throw a bag onto a pet it kind of goes wonky for a while, and how there's a virtual "currency" and even down to the little little details like signal reception when Yasako's using the phone and how Isako could hide from the thingamablob by drawing a circle with chalk...

Honestly, I could just go on and on and on about it because I just love it so much. Some of the most cool things were like how the Kyuu-chans were literally reformatting the outdated virtual spaces, and even the fact that there were "old spaces" and you could run into them or create entrances into them... I'm looking forward to see if they have any more to offer us along the lines of the place of old things in a new environment.


b. The animation, duh? Do I even need to mention this? This is like a sakuga otaku's wet dream or something. If this was some battle game this would be some overpowered lineup or something (just like Gurenn Lagann and Paranoia Agent).
I think it's a waste of words describing how amazing the animation is, because you honestly have to see it for yourself. It's a standard that's hard for most TV anime to reach, and I expect there will be some eps with comparatively sub-par animation for sure, but it isn't just about merely fluid animation and pretty faces: the animation tells the story. That is exactly what the best animation should do, IMO. The movements, expressions, poses, etc. of the children describe their personalities and emotions and reactions at the point of time as well as further the sequence of events in a beliveable fashion. There's no need for long descriptions or explanations from the get-go despite the complicated designs, because they speak for themselves. Such as Fumie's funky Dennou Rod thing (I thought the way the "line" acted as a phone line as well was ingenious) and her seemingly limitless pocket. It's not as if Yasako's not surprised, of course.

Ugh, I'm going to crash on the keyboard at this rate... anyway, go watch it. You might not enjoy it if you're looking only for action though, but even if you just like cute stuff you should love this (maybe some other time I should blather on about how mind-bogglingly adorable this is, I want a Densuke right now and Oyaji is just multiple levels of awwww-some.)