Will it live up to its manga counterpart?

Opening Sequence:

“Puzzle” by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino

Closing Sequence:

“Odoru Akachan Ningen” by Kenji Otsuki and Fumihiko Kitsutaka

First Impressions:

Guess we can always start with first talking about the opening sequence Gonzo produced. Well, you have ROUND TABLE performing the show’s main theme, “Puzzle”. What can I say? I love their uptempo work. Last piece of music they put out was the closing theme to ARIA The Natural. So it’s not like we haven’t heard from them in awhile. Now as far as the visuals are concerned… I can say they were effectively done well. Quite unique indeed; fitting the mood of the song perfectly, (the name of the track even shows up in the video, which was kind of amusing to say the least.)

Getting back to the actual episode here, it pretty much stayed true to the manga’s first chapter, (with the exception of a few missing scenes and overall facetious atmosphere. But be aware that the later chapters from the manga will shift to a more somber mood.) Scenes related to drug-usage and suicidal tendencies seem to have either been downplayed or have missed the final cut altogether. Just how far will Satou’s demented behavior be toned down remains to be seen. (And just what about the loli story? “Welcome to the Lolita”)

The quick overview: NHK deals with a socially withdrawn young man named Satou Tatsuhiro who strives to overcome his discomposure of the outside world. The first episode does have its fair share of heavy dialogue and recurring flashbacks, which may turn off those who have not read the manga. Also keep in mind that due to it’s lack of head-on action sequences, NHK will focus more on its psychological factors.

Overall, a good/decent start to what may be the most anticipated animated series of summer. I’ll be looking forward to seeing next week’s episode for sure. (By the way, not too crazy about the closing sequence but what can you do…)