Gen'ei o Kakeru Taiyō - 1

MAMI REINCARNATE, indeed the first thought that crossed my mind upon seeing the main protagonist. Not a carbon replica, but I was firmly reminded of my beloved heroine, and nostalgia certainly bloomed in a dark corner of my heart. Another Magica Quartet strikes the scene, but Puella Magi Madoka Magica has already set the long-standing precedent for that role. Will Day Break Illusion be the first Mahou Shoujo anime that can come close to claiming a near equal footing with PMMM? Onto the review, and I'd just like to mention this is an anime I have high expectations for. Heck, after watching PMMM, I've never tried to see the Magical Girl genre in the same light ever again.

Fueh??!!??

So, Akari Taiyo takes the stage, her special power revolving around... Elemental Tarot Cards. Now, from what I understand, this entire series will be based around the conflict between the Elemental, and Diablos Tarot Cards. Though JoJo's Bizarre Adventure immediately flashed into my mind, mainstream shonen doesn't have a place here, and a brief reference will do.

ShanHaxx divines the future: Subsequent girls will look like the figures on each card

Chance encounter between fated Magical Girls, and the quirky music sounded vaguely familiar to the point I almost cried out plagiarism. However, I ended up sparing this moment of outrage, just so I could zone on the impending plot-significant twist. What a disappointment, nothing happened after the encounter, though I have to say the suspense began steadily building up around here. Cue a boring moment in which Akari goes into nerdy depths on Tarot Cards, and if there's anything I hate, it's time wasting by explaining this sort of stuff I can just Google rather than using the screen time productively. Anyway, her family circumstance is explained well, and we're introduced to the seed of darkness. That is to say, her cousin Fuyuna.

Crackling in effect

Strangely, I almost regret comparing this show to PMMM. While PMMM had an extended grace duration in which we were granted a calm before the storm, this show wastes no time in thrusting us into a world of darkness. Tightly wrapped on the concept of fortune, and misfortune, all the interlinking events lead to a predictably tragic conclusion. This was done very well in itself, with the ominous buildup giving me a feeling of unease, and I almost felt scared. No, I felt very scared, considering the whole turn was completely unexpected. Extra credit goes to the crackling screen, which is used to an indescribably astounding effect. You'd have to watch this in order to understand my raving.

At the start of the Fire vs Fire battle, I thought 'Any noob knows that Fire isn't effective against Fire, this battle will be prolonged, and uninteresting' (imagine two Slugmas battling). However, these fears were assuaged once our Ice-type joined the field, with her band of Magical Girls, and proceeded to smite the foe once and for all. Though everything I knew about Pokemon was crying out in pain, I held it in, and accepted Ice defeating Fire is quite a common concept too.

Unless you can burn fire like Admiral Akainu, you'll be having a hard time

Suffice to say, I just hope they don't overdo the dark elements. Overdrawing from the most powerful aspect of the show will only serve to cause instability, while will gradually weaken any atmosphere or emotions invoked once we've seen enough. The main reason I compare this show to PMMM is that both incorporate such cute, and brilliant art styles, which serve as a large facade for the dark, brutal occurrences in their respective storylines. Raw emotions are vividly portrayed upon each individual characters face, so that we feel their pain, and suffer alongside them. Truly powerful stuff. Difference is, this time, the animation quality is near perfect. I couldn't ask for any better. This title will have to duke it out with other prominent shows this season to achieve the title of my favourite. Monogatari SS is currently at the top of the running, with the revamped Hanekawa being so glorious, I couldn't place it anywhere lower than first. Overall, Gen'ei o Kakeru Taiyō had the most impact as a first episode this season, and I'll definitely continue watching and reviewing it. This also warrants the triple thumbs up recommendation.