Valvrave the Liberator
certainly watchable and entertaining, but there's really nothing terribly interesting here, not with the characters or the carbon copy of Gundam Seed's plot. once the giant robots come out it improves, though nothing really worth mentioning happens until the ending becomes totally bonkers
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
echoing the previous show, the events onscreen are really nothing to write home about. however, the way they're told, in this incredibly over-the-top and melodramatic fashion, is weirdly engaging. it's impossible to look away.
Fate/Zero
i'm inclined to disagree with anyone who wants this show on Toonami; the first episode is going to send people running for the hills. it's a nearly hour-long exposition dump that doesn't hold back in just bombarding the audience with detail after detail after detail, many of which just seem kind of irrelevant. it's talking for the sake of the characters talknig almost. some freaky and memorable scenes aside, the main thing that really saves this is just that the subject matter is pretty fascinating.
Darker Than Black
like Fate/Zero, the subject matter is what you're here to see and the first episode gives you quite a bit to take in. but unlike Fate/Zero, it doesn't just dump things at the audience's feet; the world-building is integrated into the story. and while the stoner-looking protagonist is a little bland at the moment, the story being told is a good one and leaves you wanting to see more.
Steins;Gate
the great dialogue runs the risk of seeming a bit too self-consciously clever, though this is mitigated by the characters just being absolute weirdos that say these things because they're a bit off balance, not out of trying to seem cool and just ending up looking pretentious. they're simply fun to watch, though i'm a little confused as to why the visuals are washed-out and oppressive-looking when the bulk of this episode is kinda silly. i wouldn't call the integration of the plot subtle, but it doesn't really create a kind of urgency to see what happens next. it's obvious something weird is going on, but i never felt like i absolutely HAD to know what it was.
