I got this in the same shipment as the remastered Nadesico DVD Box. I ended up watching this and the first disc of the new Nadesico set back-to-back. The contrast between the two was simply too great and so I realized that HAL Film Maker's animation production is pretty bad. I'm actually kind of disappointed at myself for ever thinking that it was okay. Actually, looking back, I see that the first two episodes weren't as bad as the current two, but they still lack compared to better productions like Petopeto-san.
Many of the current animation production companies have improved the digital animation process enough to prevent my brain from revolting while watching, but HAL Film Maker isn't one of those companies. To be precise, I have no problems with current productions from GENCO, Kyouto Animation, Xebec M2, Brains Base, Sunrise, and many others. I do have problems with productions from GONZO, J.C. Staff, HAL Film Maker, and some others. J.C. Staff case is kind of sad because they did a good job with the original Mahoromatic, which was cell-based. Strictly speaking, even Azumanga Daiou isn't that great in terms of animation quality.
The problem is that the animation lacks spirit and will. Lines are blurry and unsure of themselves, and color lacks impact. It's as if they're afraid of showing their mistakes. Mistakes don't bother me unless they're careless types. Great things can't be created by people who are afraid of mistakes!
This is really an unfortunate trend for one of my favorite directors, Satou Jun'ichi. His recent works were both animated by studios on my negative list -- Kaleido Star (GONZO) and ARIA (HAL Film Maker). Wake up, sir! Get your business from a better studio! Otherwise, I'm going to have to stop buying your work! Hell, I only paid $30 for the entire Kaleido Star R1 DVD set. I wouldn't have paid any more for it, either.
Seriously, look carefully at these screen captures. Go ahead and compare them with screen captures from Nadesico or recent great works like Petopeto-san, Kamichu!, and AIR TV-Series.
