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Theron looks forward to autumn each year for the Pumpkin Pie-flavored Blizzards at Dairy Queen, the Deep Dish Apple Pie-flavored ice cream as his favorite ice cream place, the eventual death/hibernation of the cricket population, and immersing himself in fantasy (American) football nearly as completely as he does into anime. In what little truly free time he has, he contemplates the great mathematical mysteries of the world, such as why three-sided shapes are called “triangles” instead of “trigons.” ⏎ Kamisama Hajimemashita ⏎ Rating: 3.5 (of 5) ⏎ Review: Nanami Momozono is down on her luck. Not only is her father a deadbeat gambler, but he also took off, leaving behind a big debt and an evicted daughter. With no place to go, she runs across a curious man in a park who is being cowed by a dog. When Nanami helps him out and explains her situation to him, he suggest that she go stay at his place, which he hasn't been back to in ages and which needs an occupant. Nanami soon discovered that it's a run-down temple inhabited by the contrary, pretty-boy fox spirit Tomoe and two smaller spirits and that the stranger has proclaimed Nanami as the new local Earth Deity, who is in charge of maintaining the temple and hearing the prayers of the believers that still come by (and going through a big back log of recorded prayers, too). Tomoe absolutely refuses to accept Nanami, though, while Nanami has doubts about her own ability, as a high school girl, to be a deity, so she pursues Tomoe when he takes off. While in the process of getting into trouble, Tomoe learns of one certain – but undesirable – way to get Tomoe under her authority: make a contract with him that must be sealed by a kiss. And desperate circumstances definitely call for desperate measures when all sorts of otherworldly denizens start trying to turn her into a meal. ⏎ The concept here may not be terribly original; a human becoming a local god is territory covered in Kamichu and a young woman making a pact with a sexy, otherworldly being is a staple on both the shojo and shonen fronts. The premise also sounds like a melding of elements from Hayate the Combat Butler and Ah! My Goddess. What the concept lacks in originality, though, the first episode more than makes up for in raw enthusiasm. Everything about it brims with energy as the storytelling sets off on a madcap pace to establish the essential elements of the story and situation, with even the artistry and animation contributing to the fun. While Tomoe is more the typically snotty bad boy, Nanami is likable as a girl who not taken to extremes of earnestness and pluckiness (as one might normally expect here), instead coming off more as a normal, reasonable, and occasionally clever girl who struggles to deal with a situation which has left her completely over her head and unwillingly dependent on a capricious entity to help her out. ⏎ While this kind of shojo-styled fare may never challenge for consideration as one of the season's best shows, it nonetheless gets off to an entertaining start. ⏎ Hayate no Gotoku! Can't Take My Eyes Off You ⏎ Rating: 2.5 (of 5) ⏎ Review: It's been three years since the  last TV series, and two years since the movie (as Hayate tells us himself in the prologue), but the franchise known in English as Hayate the Combat Butler is back for another round of crazy antics involving the 13-year-old uber-wealthy hikkikomori Nagi Sanezin, her maid Maria, and her trust butler Hayate. This time, though, there is both a new director and a new production company (Manglobe, which also did the movie), and that brings a bold new look and feel to the series. ⏎ And the look in particular is what will undoubtedly catch the attention of established fans. The earlier series, while hardly ugly, were never paragons of artistic or technical achievement, instead placing their emphasis most heavily on sight gags hidden in the details. This first episode, though, aims much more for production quality, and the jump in that is almost jaw-dropping. In Manglobe's hands the Sanezin mansion has become an eye-popping wonder of interior design and characters have a more rounded, three-dimensional feel; this can be seen most clearly in the use of camera angles.  Colors are richer and more vivid, too, animation quality has improved markedly, and a point is made to emphasize new technologies; we get a focused, fully-animated shot of Nagi manipulating a smart phone, for instance. An apparent idol singer is used as a recurring gimmick, too, including a closer which plays like a music video for that singer. ⏎ One has to wonder if the emphasis on comedy hasn't been lost a bit amidst the technical achievements, however; either that, or perhaps this season is intending to take a more serious storyline, because the jokes do not come at the rapid-fire pace seen in earlier material. The plot threads established here are odd ones, too: Nagi is trying to dodge going back to school for the fall term by going to Nevada ostensibly to investigate some belongings that may or may not have been left behind by her long-dead father, though her real motive is to check out Area 51. A new girl shows up who tries to get Nagi kidnaped again (and Nagi's blasé attitude about the experience is one of the episode's funniest aspects), only to make a shocking revelation at the episode's end. The humorous shorts are still around, though, such as the mid-episode break where a mother resorts to social media to get her daughter's goat. ⏎ The downslide in effective comedy here is worrisome, but the technical merits are such a marvel they are temporarily keeping the series afloat. More comedy and/or a more substantial plot will be needed going forward, however. ⏎ Hayate the Combat Butler Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. ⏎ From the New World ⏎ Rating: 4....