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Discussion Forums => Anime => Topic started by: Dys on July 12, 2011, 10:22:38 am

Title: The Season So Far...
Post by: Dys on July 12, 2011, 10:22:38 am
Wondering people's opinions on the current season after the first episode or two of everything.

I haven't seen much myself yet.

Mayo Chiki was a let down though... ;_;
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Nanakoto on July 12, 2011, 04:59:13 pm
I think Itsuka Tenma is pretty good and rokyubu looks pretty nice. I havent seen much at the moment myself either but I don't think Mayo Chiki was that much of a let down.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: R3MB0 on July 12, 2011, 06:32:36 pm
I think I already wacthed almost all of this season anime's first episode that have been released, except Manyuu Hikenchou.. Mayo Chiki still good i think.. for me, the most anticipated anime this season are baka test ni, natsume yuujinchou san, and usagi drop.. and guess what, i'm very satisfy, they really didn't make me down.. ro-kyu-bu! is one of the 'unexpected interesting' for me.. nekogami yaoyorozu is a total let down for me, cannot watch for half episode..
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on July 12, 2011, 07:28:38 pm
So far, Usagi Drop is my favorite new show of the season. I read a couple chapters of the manga online, but ages ago, over a year(?). So for now I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu and I know I'll like this series. Natsume Yuujin-chou San is another happy and familiar tale as it goes into it's third season and the same is true with Blood-C. I'm also happily continuing Hanasaku Iroha and Steins;Gate from last season. I'm looking forward to Higurashi's new OVAs and Appleseed XIII.

It would be nice if Mayo Chiki turns out as funny and offbeat as MM! but it's too soon to say. I might also follow Kamisama Dolls and No. 6. This all depends on the next few episodes. R-15 looks like it might be good once the blue rays come out ;).

I haven't seen Kamisama no Memochou, Ikoku Meiro and Vitamin X Addiction, but I'm curious about them. I may also check out Manyuu Hikenchou.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Zarich on July 13, 2011, 04:08:37 am
Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi- Has a KoreZom? feeling and is pretty enjoyable for a first episode
Ikoku Meiro no Croisée- Nice Slice of Life. Has a Relaxed Feeling like Aria
Kamisama no Memochou- A cool mystery with a NEET loli. I approve of the fan-service in the end of Ep 1
Mayo Chiki!- I've read the manga so I have my hopes up. It accomplishes that so far.
NBA-Lolis- Nice and Fun Sports with Lolis. Probably the fist Sports anime I have seen
Yuruyuri- its Shoujo-ai. 'nuff said.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: APOCALYPSE on July 13, 2011, 04:21:06 am
Yuru Yuri - I liked ep 1/2. As long as it doesnt get any further than breast fondling or hugging or stuff like that, I think it'll end up being pretty good. The first 2 episodes have already gotten more than a few laughs from me :D

Kamisama no Memochou - Loved the first ep, Both the main girls seem awesome and the main male doesn't seem like a tool. This series definitely has potential and is already pretty cool.

Itsuka Tenma - Awesome. Himea is damn good lookin. Maybe a little too much ecchi for what I expected, but as long as it's in good taste, doesn't matter.

Mayo Chiki! - I enjoyed it a lot. The art is pretty good and the girls are good looking, and tsundere is always welcome. Hopefully it can keep up the laughs.

Ikoku Meiro - I like it. the loli is cute :D

No. 6 - Shonen-ai

Baka to Test 2 - AWESOME. I was laughing most of the time up to the very end. The entire first episode was hilarious and I hope it can keep this up.

R-15 - Had plenty of (censored) fan service. Has a few good laughs too. The BDs will definitely be worth getting if the TV version remains so censored -.-
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Mimori on July 15, 2011, 10:53:55 am
NBA-Lolis

This cracks me up every time I see it. Every single time. :'D
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Elvin21 on July 15, 2011, 06:20:01 pm
For me No. 6 is a great one, then Usagi Drop. Kamisama Dolls is kinda getting better as it progresses (in my opinion). And the NBA lolis... hehehe!
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: AzureHakua on July 15, 2011, 10:31:12 pm
NBA-Lolis

This cracks me up every time I see it. Every single time. :'D

Yeah me too! I've also seen people call it Loliball which makes me laugh as well.

This season has been pretty good with the moe category, so I'm enjoying Yuruyuri, im@s, Loliball, and Usagi Drop. I can't forget BakaTest 2 either.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Zarich on July 16, 2011, 03:31:13 am
New Show for Today. Dantalian No Shoka. I love the Manga....and I love the anime. The first episode just made it my favorite of the season so far. Plus, the ED is Glorious.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Zerpo on July 16, 2011, 05:30:36 am
I have to say that so far ive enjoyed watching Itsuka Tenma, NBA lolis, Mayo Chiki, R-15, and Yuruyuri. So far they have all kept me wanting to watch more :)
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: APOCALYPSE on July 17, 2011, 03:36:49 am
New Show for Today. Dantalian No Shoka. I love the Manga....and I love the anime. The first episode just made it my favorite of the season so far. Plus, the ED is Glorious.

Yeah I liked the first ep a lot :D

Except WTF is with that ED?
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on July 23, 2011, 06:28:31 pm
Above and beyond my definites from last post, I'll certainly be following Kamisama no Memochou. Mayo Chiki is funny enough to follow, but not outstanding to me. Kamisama Dolls - maybe - I'll give it another couple eps. No. 6 just isn't holding my interest - dropped. R-15 can wait until BDs are released.

Ikoku Meiro and Manyuu Hikenchou I have, but they're on the "To Watch" list when I have time. I'm also checking out the Baka to Test s1 ... maybe I'll finish it and get to s2.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on July 24, 2011, 03:58:45 am
Let's see... I still haven't tried everything I intend to, but here are my opinions so far:

Mayo Chiki - After the first 5 minutes I already knew I wouldn't like it, so I stopped right there. There's something about the concept and storytelling style that I just don't like.
Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi - I've read a few chapters of the manga, so I already knew the story starts interesting. It's not great, but it's above my dropping line.
Dantalian no Shoka - One of the best of the season. Reminds me of Gosick, only with none of its weaknesses.
Kamisama no Memo-chou - This one reminds me of Gosick, too, lol. Far higher quality mysteries, though. The characters, unfortunately, are only so-so.
Ikoku Meiro no Croisée - Cute, great backgrounds, but at least the first episode was slightly boring. Stalled it, I'll need to be in a very special mood to really enjoy something like this.
Nurarihyon no Mago S2 - I'm really annoyed that they skipped the Jami arc, but otherwise it starts with the same great quality that marked the first season.
Sacred Seven - Hardly a quality anime, but it's great light entertainment to me, so it's actually one of my most anticipated anime each week.
Usagi Drop - I'll marathon it once it's complete, to take the most enjoyment out of it. I've read the pre-timeskip part of the manga, and it's one of my top favourites, so I'm expecting this anime to be my favourite of the season.
Ao no Exorcist - It was a bit meh for a while after the start, but the last few episodes have been great again.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: libertypo on July 27, 2011, 12:58:04 pm
For now I'm watching only Hanasaku and Nichijou which I like for the moment. I have planned to watch Memochou and Usagi Drop.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on July 29, 2011, 02:44:52 am
My self-control failed, I just had to check out the first episode of Usagi Drop. Looks like a good adaptation, already the first ep almost made me tear up. The only thing bothering me is one of Daikichi's lines missing around the part where he decides to take care of Rin. I was kinda looking forward to that particular line. Still, looking like the best of the season indeed.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on August 19, 2011, 01:58:56 pm
After weeks of Portal & Portal 2 replays taking much of my time I'm finally starting on this season's backlog. I've started watching and liking Ikoku Meiro no Croisée a bit. It's a visual and atmospheric show with a lot of it's attraction in the detailed visuals. The setting is nicely different in the late 1800s Paris. The depictions of the dual culture shock between Parisian and Japanese culture is also interesting. Not much action so far (through ep.4) so for me it's something to watch in large chunks when the mood is right.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on October 10, 2011, 07:02:32 am
Now that we're into the fall season, here's what I'll be watching. What about you?

Definitely
Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai has a pretty art style (like a successor to Denpa Onna), but the plot is more interesting so far. I find the instant hatred between the two characters funny.
Fate Zero Certainly.
Guilty Crown is looking awesome. I love Production IG and the complex story so far.
Mirai Nikki: Yeah, this just moved from probable to definite after Ep1. The preview had faded from my mind, but Future Survivor is now in the forefront of the creepy as fuck category.  >:D
Shakugan no Shana III another one for completionism.
Shinryaku! Ika Musume s2 is as fun as the first season so far.
Steins;Gate OVA whenever it's released
UN-GO This one snuck up on me, but it's looking intriguing, Meiji era detective stories recast in the near future.
Usagi Drop OVA (Oct 28 on BD1)
(and of course The Big Bang Theory s4 and Dexter s6 for my non-anime awesome).

Probably
Bakuman II is interesting enough for me to follow. No grand sweeping plot, but I like the insight into the manga world.
Beelzebub remains fun brainless humor. I'm not expecting much except for a few laughs.
looked like it was going to be a typical fanservice based on Ep1 but got a lot more interesting with Ep2's darker plot.
Chihayafuru looks to be interesting, doing a game-based show in a good way, like Hikaru no Go.
Last Exile s2 is a faint but good memory, so I'll give s2 a shot.
Phi Brain is promising. The puzzle or die aspect isn't overdone.
Sket Dance is another light show I watch when the rest of the week's offerings are done.
Towa no Quan film series: I liked the first two, and I'll see how #s 3-6(?) go.

Maybe - the list is getting long, I may have to drop or wait/marathon some of these.
Bento I've watched the first episode and I'll give it one more. Another battle show. I'll see how it goes.
Kimi to Boku is interesting in how the friends don't really get along that well, much like reality. Worth watching a few more.
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai still has me curious after the first couple episodes. A battle-harem in the making?
Maken Ki reminds me a lot of Freezing but not so sadistic, I figure I shouldn't expect much outside of fanservice from this one. I might give it another ep, but there are too many battle shows already this season.
Mashiro-Iro Symphony it looks OK. Some suspension of disbelief is necessary with the catball pet - not quite reality.
Working!! Like s1, I'm not archiving this, but it's keeping me entertained for at least the one watch.

Dropped
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Dropped. Couldn't make it through the second ep. As one reviewer said, it's like you're dropped into episode 5 with no backstory.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on October 10, 2011, 07:51:04 am
Doesn't seem like a very interesting season to me. Mirai Nikki is a must watch, but otherwise, I'm only mildly interested in anything. Boku wa Tomodachi seems pretty entertaining based on the first ep, and I'm a fan of Sena's character design (not that the other girls weren't pretty). Mashiro-iro seems okay - likely nothing more than just another romance VN adaptation, but I happen to like those, and the first ep left me wanting more. Maji de first ep isn't to my liking at all, requires way too much suspension of disbelief, but in honour of They Are My Noble Masters (the original VN's are from the same company), I must give it another ep. C3 first ep was moderately interesting, I'll give it at least one more ep.

F/Z will probably be worth a watch, but right now I have no interest, so I'll probably wait till it's complete. Maken-ki manga is actually kinda entertaining, I've read a dozen or so chapters, so I'll give the anime a try. And of course, I'll continue watching NuraMago S2.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Chadwicke on October 10, 2011, 10:23:39 am
Based on my loose standards, this season is quite interesting. My list is too short for now because I've only watched a bit of this season, but I reckon this list will get even longer than last quarter's. Also based on the number of comments, suggestions and violent reactions, I'm sure I'll pick up more than I can watch so many of these I expect to watch only after they finish airing.

Watch every week:

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai - My #1 show so far - yeah, I'm weird like that. I really like the protagonist's wise and moderated confidence in his skills and flaws - he knows what he can and can not do. Greatly promising according to my weird standards, and also, I admit I'm a fan of harems. This would be my new weekly dose of action-comedy.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai - Have not yet watched ep 1 but I was instantly taken in by the Preview. No doubt about it, I'll watch this week per week. It's also been taken up by Doki, so that's definitely a plus.

Guilty Crown - Peer pressure urged me to research and it piqued my interest pretty quickly while reading about it.

C3 - Would be my new weekly dose of cutesy comedy.

Nurarihyon no Mago Sennen Makyou - Continued from last quarter.

Watch when completed:

Fate Zero - Of course.

Mashiroiro Symphony - I really like Seinen Drama/Romance, as most of them does not hold back the story; it becomes cruel where it needs to be cruel, it portrays sex where sex needs to be, etc. Sometimes I get tired of those Shonen innuendoes.


List to be updated later, as I'm really delayed this season. I need to watch more.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on October 15, 2011, 08:05:24 am
Maji de might actually be worth watching if not for Momoya, who annoys the hell out of me. Reminds me of Shinra from KimiAru, but Shinra had enough depth that I eventually came to like her, and she wasn't such a broken and bitchy character even in the beginning. The beginning scene of the second ep is damn hilarious, but then there's a long period of utter boredom, until near the end it picks up and shows some interesting plot development. I might watch one more episode to see if anything comes of the interesting plot development right away, but I don't know...

C3 ep 2 turned out to be quite interesting towards the end of the ep. I'll watch further.

I'll be following Maken-ki. The first ep was quite well adapted. Also, the battle music is surprisingly good. The second ep went way overboard with the (unfortunately low quality) ecchi, though. -.-' The next ep should be much more interesting.

Mashiro-iro ep 2 has too many misunderstaning situations for my taste, but otherwise it's quite good. I like how the protagonist is somewhat more enterprising than the average harem lead and actively seeks to improve his circumstances. Also, according to his sister he's actually "good with girls". A bad lead character is what usually spoils a harem romance, but this guy seems quite promising, he's neither useless nor boring.

Boku wa Tomodachi ep 2 is another fairly good episode. Kodaka is a bit too much of a pushover, but otherwise it's quite fun to watch - and the girls' character designs are, after all, very beautiful. Too bad the dialogue is nowehere near Denpa Onna's level, only the art.

Mirai Nikki... Well, I expected it to be good, and I have no complaints about the first ep. Yuno is awesome.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Chadwicke on October 24, 2011, 05:07:15 am
Ben-Tou actually piqued my interest this week. Yes, it's silly fighting for packed lunches but the characters and their relationships with each other are becoming quite the focus here. It's also the first time in a long time that I found physical abuse of the MC by a female character very funny and amusing. This one is now included in my watch every week list. Ben-tou kinda reminded me of Highschool of the Dead because I'm kinda like "wow, that's so cool of him/her" for most of the characters.

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai's Miyako attracted me and made me more hooked to the show, while Mayu weirded me out a bit because of the overused horsey – other than that she's also quite cute. Then I'm bombarded by Mayu fans and now I think I'm the weird one. I swear it's just the horsey that bothers me; I admire her during battle and her cute reaction when praised. Fair enough, Mayu fans? Hehehe. The censorship is starting to bother me though. Freaking horsey... again.

Cubed Cutthroat Cutie (C3) grabbed a small bite of Blood-C gore and it became more interesting.

Guilty Crown started strong, but at the end of episode 2, it is in danger of losing its momentum. Also, we all know that most series that start too strong end up like "meh, it was okay." Still worth following because of the female protagonist, who is definitely one of my type. Confidence is just oozing out of that hot chic.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Haxton Fale on October 24, 2011, 08:23:49 am
Ben-To turned out great. At first I was kinda put off because of Shiraume (after reading through Infinite Stratos, this kind of girl is a bit tiring), but then ep3 makes the show worth it. And there's a completely new level of fanservice, which makes it the more interesting.

C3 looks fine too. I have yet to watch ep4, but at first there's good comedy with loli with screens in her eyes (heck, these icons were good), and after that a good fight. Looks like it's going a good way, and I hope they'll still keep some comedy.

Fate/Zero is probably the first TV adaptation of Nasuverse series, which is faithful to the original. Great looks with TYPE-MOON's original style, although some things were omitted (at the beginning of his summoning we already get to know one of his crest's abilities).

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai gets better with each ep. At first a great battle and some Momoyo. Then some more fine battling, and moar Momoyo. Eps 3 and 4 have a great deal of service, which makes me want to wait for BDs, since I don't have time for re-watching. Also, the best ep4 ever - for about a half of it Chris is standing stark naked on Yamato, when he's trying to convince her it's good to be seen the way she is now. And I found out that Momoyo likes girls. The only bad thing about this show is somewhat crazy censorship.

Mashiroiro Symphony is a case similar to Shiraume from Ben-To, but a lot lighter - Shingo's got lots of bad luck, Sena's not violent and there's also nora-maid and Miu. Seems like there'll be a lot more dere, so...

Shakugan no Shana Final started off at least strangely, with no explanation (these never were a strong point of this series). I've heard it makes some sense in novels, but not here. I'll probably watch it till the end to see what happens due to sentiment.

Morita-san wa Mukuchi, Shinryaku!? Ika Musume, Working'!! and Tamayura ~hitotose~ are good as expected; a bunch of amusing sequels, without any traces of disappointment.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: lolpopoi on December 09, 2011, 12:44:56 am
For the season, Steins;Gate was the greatest of all in my opinion. Now waiting for the new winter animes (cross your fingers for HOTD Season 2!!)
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on January 05, 2012, 02:33:25 pm
Fall shows that differed a lot from my first impressions:

Plus:
Ben-To - despite it's silly premise, it became a must-watch-every-week show. The show did a great job of not taking itself seriously. I still chuckle at how Satou lives up to his wolf name. ;)
Chihayafuru is another that shot to the top of my To Watch list: A cute and sweet show that focuses on the characters rather than the odd poem-based card game of Karuta. Almost as cute as Usagi Drop.

Minus:
Guilty Crown I'll still watch the rest of this as it airs, but the initial shininess has faded into cliche.
Phi Brain was interesting for a few episodes but became tedious to me fast and I dropped it mid-season.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Chadwicke on January 09, 2012, 05:38:29 am
I'm a bit delayed this season. Anyone care to give some 1st episode reviews so far?

Watching out for:
Nisemonogatari
High School DxD
Zero no Tsukaima F
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on January 09, 2012, 03:32:57 pm
I've barely started this season. I'll probably do a The more comprehensive post in a couple weeks, but... listing is below

High School DxD is this season's boobs show, but as one group put it "It has demon chicks." ;) The first two eps have a more interesting plot than say Queen's Blade or Manyuu Hikenchou. I'm not expecting too much, but it's fun and I'll watch it.

Mouretsu Pirates is looking like a cool action show: Everyday girl learns that she's the heir to a space pirate's ship. Interesting and funny.

Natsume Yuujinchou s4 is holding up well to the other 3 seasons.

Nisemonogatari is looking quite similar to Bakemonogatari with some puzzling developments in the first ep.

Also, Random Curiosity (http://randomc.net/) is a great site for first impressions (and screencaps).


Winter shows I'm guaranteed to watch every week:
Amagami SS Plus - it will be interesting to see how well they can condense things into two episode arcs.
Ano Natsu de Matteru - while it has the vibe of a Please Teacher remake, it's fun and I'm loving it so far.
Chihayafuru - cute and interesting character driven continuation from last season.
High School DxD - yes, it's cheesy fan service, but entertaining so far. And that ED ... DAMN!
Mouretsu Pirates - has the relaxed feeling of a great show taking its time on the buildup.
Natsume Yuujin-Chou Shi - season four is looking good.
Finally, The Big Bang Theory over in live-action-land.

Probably:
Another - building up a nice creepy tension so far, more suspense than horror.
Black Rock Shooter - I've been waiting for this one since the OVA.
Brave 10 - good ninja fun.
Daily Lives of HS Boys - pretty stupid, but fracking hilarious slice of life show. Subdivided into micro-skits. Squid girl usually had three per ep while ep.2 of this one had eight.
Gokujyo - six minute short episodes, looking like a combo of goofy, funny and ecchi.
Guilty Crown - Ep 12 wrapped up a lot of things nicely, but we'll see if it escapes the land of cliche in the 2nd cour.
Inu x Boku SS - I'm impressed that the tsundere knows she needs to change. Funny so far.
Mirai Nikki - definitely more horror than suspense, creepy continuation from last season.
Nisemonogatari - I liked Bakemonogatari. So this one would be FakerStory? It's keeping my interest to date.
Zero no Tsukaima F - worth watching once. I liked the first three seasons, even if I didn't archive them.

Collect and marathon later:
Carnival Phantasm, Fate Zero, Last Exile-Fam, Shana III Final, The Walking Dead

Something's gotta give:
While I like all these to some extent, I don't have time to watch them all ... Area no Kishi, Bakuman II, Beelzebub, Kill Me Baby, Papa no lu Koto wo Kikinasai, Rinne no Lagrange, Sket Dance


So what are your picks?
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on April 09, 2012, 02:35:09 pm
So what are your picks for Spring?

There are fewer shows that really catch my attention. It's certainly a season of the abnormal: VR, zombies, ghosts, Lovecraft mythos - and my personal WTF Japan?! moment - moe assault rifles. Here are my plans for now (and edits).

Definitely:
Accel World - I wonder what kind of ulterior motives Snow Black has in mind? Looks good though. Ep 2 was good. Still promising.
Of course I need to finish the last Mirai Nikki ep. I didn't mention it before since it was virtually done.
Mouretsu Pirates - continuing the slow buildup from last season, I'm still liking it.
(click to show/hide)
Sankarea - while it's another on the zombie bandwagon, it looks shiny and original otherwise. But really - a zombie girlfriend fetish? :o Episode 2 gives a much darker tone to the story as well. I like it.
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia - nice art, interesting story, and I'm liking the humor of the one ditz who is oblivious to the ghost.
Finally I've got The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones on the non-anime front.

Probably:
Acchi Kochi - I hadn't planning on following it, but I'll give it a couple eps after the RandomC (http://randomc.net/2012/04/07/acchi-kocchi-01/) review. *watches ep.1*Cute so far and the nekomimi are used very well. *watches ep.2* Too cute and funny ... brain asplody! *moves from maybe to probably*
Kimi no Boku s2 - I liked the first season, a calmer (if more boring) Nichibros.
Haiyoru! Nyaruko-san - the flash shorts from last year were disappointing to me, but the anime is much more promising: A little Lovecraft, a goodly helping of fanservice, lots of humor along with some insanity.
Nazo no Kanojo X - A rather strange and kinky premise of being addicted to a girl's saliva. But the pacing is excellent and this is a great first role for Urabe's seiyuu.
(click to show/hide)
Uchuu Kyoudai - With at least a year-long run it looks like this will take it's time. Reminiscent of Planetes and Moonlight Mile - favorites of mine - but I'm not a big fan of the animation and character designs so far.

Might follow, might drop:
Hyouka - I'm waiting to see what the first episodes bring.
Jormugand - very serious (and pretty action packed) anime. The intro & OP gave me a little deja vu for Black Lagoon. I'm undecided but leaning toward following it.
Lupin III/Fujiko Mine - the 70s character designs and music in the first ep put me off some. I don't know - I was never a big Lupin fan.
Medaka Box - I'll give it another episode or two but it might be an early drop.
Sengoku Collection - a good deal of cliche here, but the story shows some promise for humor.

Marathon Later: Eureka Seven Ao, Fate Zero s2 and Kore wa Zombie s2 - low priority for me. I'll get to them eventually.

Not for me:
I never got past ~3 eps of Area no Kishi and changed the perma-stall to dropped. Next, about a year each of Beelzebub & Sket Dance was enough for me. Last season they were "watch and delete"s. This season dropped. Finally, I broke my pack-rat habit and wrote off any chance I'd ever continue Bleach. I think I'd finished 40 or 50 eps years ago? That freed up 60+ gigs.
Phi Brain s2 - I dropped the first season after just a few eps.
Queen's Blade: Rebellion - boobs are great and all [HSDxD ;)], but I was never able to make it through more than a couple eps of the QB franchise.
Upotte! - I hoped there might be more comedy but it just left me with a creepy feeling after the first ep: Moe middle school girls who are really assault rifles having near orgasms/uncontrolled bursts of fire when visualizing the new teacher holding them.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Haxton Fale on April 11, 2012, 08:16:10 am
Spring shows, eh?
I will definitely continue Mouretsu Pirates. While Marika sometimes has it too easy, the show is still brilliant. High school pirates in space - who needs more? Accel World enticed me with its preair, which is why I'll try to follow it further. For now it's considered a must-watch. Acchi Kocchi bought me during its first moments. Tsumiki surpasses (http://i.imgur.com/3CVUO.gif) nearly all moe I've ever seen, plus Hime and Mayoi being rather original. Haiyore! Nayrlko-san should explain a bit more of the universe, which was kinda skipped during the (rather amusing) flash animu. And I almost forgot about Kore wa Zombie desu ka? of the Dead, with ep1 fulfilling all my expectations about it. Poor Hiramatsu-san...

As for might continue part, I shall see about Medaka Box. I'm still not sure whether I like Medaka-chan, since she is the show's main issue, being kinda too perfect. Though all would be fine, if not for her attitude. I have also started Fate/Zero S2, which appears to be more dynamic than S1 and I hope it stays that way. Gun porn Upotte!! is... weird, and being produced by Xebec (dem noseless faces) does not help. High chances of dropping early. There is also Natsuiro Kiseki about middle school girls doing girly stuff and aiming for becoming idols. Why not? Especially with all these voices.

And it seems that my I don't think so list this season would be considerably longer. Sankarea, Nazo no Kanojo X... I might reconsider not watching Tasogare Otome x Amnesia though, since interesting summaries don't always mean interesting animu, and vice versa.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Seiryuu on April 11, 2012, 11:25:56 pm
Continuing from last season/long running.
Fairy Tail - and so we start a filler arc...sigh >.>
Hunter x Hunter - Seems like were going to have a recap ep every 13th ep...
Mirai Nikki - Waiting for the last ep and hoping they don't do what they did to the manga.
Moble Suit Gundam AGE - I gotta say this show started slow...but its getting better.  Also... so much angst!!!
Mouretsu Pirates - Still kind of slow but I'm still liking it.
Sket Dance - Eh no comment really. Its episodic comedy cant say much.

I've already watched 1 or more episodes from these series and I will continue following them.
Accel World - This was on my to watch list since I the announcement that Accel World and Sword Art Online (both are light novel series from the same author) were going to be animated. The AW novels have been on my to read list for a while but sadly the translation for them is going slowly. Anyways as for the 1st ep I rather enjoyed it and the preview for ep 2 is making me want more.
Acchi Kocchi - Wasn't really going to watch this but was bored one day and said what the hell, why not. As soon as I started it I was bought. Tsumiki was so hnnng.
Fate/zero 2 - Read the novels about a year ago and would wait for the BDs to marathon all 25 eps if I didn't know whats going to happen already.
Haiyoru! Nyarlko-san - Another one I wasn't going to watch but I really like Lovecraft's works and the Cthulhu mythos so again I said why not. I enjoyed it enough to dl the flash anime and ovas, both of which I found kind of lacking but they had their moments.
Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? of the Dead - Kind of feels like more of the same sadly. The 1st ep felt almost like a copy pasta of the 1st ep from season 1. The thing I found weird was that theres only 10 eps from what I've read so thats a bit of a downer even if it is more of the same. Anyways...I'll keep watching for more Eu.
Nazo no Kanojo X - Have followed the the manga for a few years now and have to say the 1st ep was pretty faithful. I also absolutely love the seiyuu they picked for Urabe.
Ozma - Another show from Leiji Matsumoto so its a must watch for me. I've watched up to ep 3(only 6 eps) so far and I'm liking every minute of it.
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 2 - Season 1 just ended last week and from the 1st ep of season 2 it already seems like it will be better than season 1.
Sankarea - Another one that I've followed the manga for about a year and I can't say much besides that it was faithful. I am wondering how much they will censor though.
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia - I've followed the manga for around a year and a half. I did have some problems with the 1st ep. While it does follow the 1st chapter mostly there was 2 chapters published before the 1st chapter(something like a chapter 0 part 1 and 2) which introduce Teiichi and Yuuko and show how they meet in part 1 and again with Momoe in part 2. I believe that those chapters should have been eps 1-2. Also Kirei should not have been introduced this early. She was introduced in chapter 4 so thats why I think that this ep1 should have been something like ep 4-5. Well I'm interested to see how they fix this.

Going to watch.
Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 - 26 OVAs or 7 movies or both. I don't care which I watch but I will watch it as soon as someone subs it.

Maybes~
Jormugand and Zetman - Heard(read) some people in cbox talking about them and might give them a try later on.
Hyouka - Hasn't aired yet going to wait for the 1st ep.

Stuff I won't watch and have a reason for...
Eureka Seven Ao - I already suffered through 50 eps from the 1st series to have it throw some total bs ending in my face. Not gunna let that happen again.
Basically thats it. The rest of the stuff I'm just not interested in.

Also...
* high fives hano*
Game of Thrones S2!!!!
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on April 12, 2012, 04:42:10 am
* high fives hano*
Game of Thrones S2!!!!

Oh hell yeah!  ;D  *high fives*
I just wish George R.R. Martin wrote faster.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on April 17, 2012, 06:08:53 pm
Hmm, let's see... I started a break in anime almost at the start of last season, only getting back now, so I'm not currently watching any of those that continue from last season.

Watching:
KoreZombie S2 - I like the first season, so naturally I'm watching the continuation. The first two eps are amusing enough, but I'm looking forward to the plot kicking in again. (Yes, I'm watching KoreZombie for the plot rather than the comedy, is that a problem?)
Acchi Kocchi - 4-koma and their adaptations aren't really my cup of tea, but this is funny and cute enough that I'm enjoying it.
Accel World - The season's pleasant surprise, for me. There are several elements that I don't like in principle, but it's simply so well written and executed story (so far) that I'll definitely keep watching.
Hiiro no Kakera - Seems interesting, judging from one episode. For a change, it's nice to watch an anime full of shoujo clichés instead of the shounen ones. :P
Shining Hearts ~Shiawase no Pan~ - Reminds me of Campanella: so full of happiness that it might get boring after a while, but a dose of adventure should prevent that problem. I like the male lead, he seems level-headed and dependable.

Will check out:
Sankarea - I've read a couple of chapters of the manga, seems interesting.
Kuroko no Basuke - Again, have read a few chapters of the manga and it seems okay.
Medaka Box - You know the deal, read a bit of the manga etc...
Hyouka - Summary sounds interesting.
Ozma - I doubt I'll like it, I'm very picky about my Japanese scifi, but it sounds remotely interesting...

Might check out:
Zetman, Kuromajo-san ga Tooru, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, Jormungand, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san...

Also, I really hope that someone will re-sub the remastered Nadia.

Edit: Well, I checked out Nyaruko, and to my surprise I actually found it pretty good. It's giving me some nice laughs, and for some reason I really like the OP.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on April 24, 2012, 06:20:12 pm
Well, under half an episode into Hyouka and I'm hooked:

First was my pleasure at finding that Mazui wasn't going to be idle this season. Next, less than a minute in I realized I'll be hearing echoes of both Tomoya Okazaki and Youhei Sunohara in similar roles with their voice actors. Then 10:48 to 11:15 hits ... guh! Beautiful art, incredi-moe lead female, great story with intriguing subtleties (and fun things you catch on the second view).

Yep. Moving this one from "maybe" to "definitely every week".

Edit: Ooh! And I liked the Bach cello at the end! :D
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on April 24, 2012, 08:01:58 pm
Meh. Hyouka ep 1 was unimpressive to me. It's got potential, and a male lead I can definitely relate to, being lazy myself, but the mysteries and dialogue were disappointing. Art is enjoyably above average, though after Denpa Onna, everything feels lackluster. >.< I'll have to see 1-2 more episodes to know whether I'll keep watching.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on July 30, 2012, 09:17:50 am
So, time for my impressions on this season's shows:

Sword Art Online - Looks pretty good based on 2 eps, but a bit rushed adaptation. I've read some of the original material, and the short story covered in ep 2 really needed another ep. I haven't been in the right mood for a while, and it's possible I'll stall this and marathon it later, when the right mood hits.

Campione - This could've been epicly awesome, but unfortunately, the people responsible for adapting these great light novels into anime are utter idiots. 5 novels crammed into 12-13 episodes, WTF were they thinking? The first 3 eps are painfully bad, but at least the 4th ep is decent. Still, as a fan of the light novels I intend to see this to the end. This story concept is perfectly up my alley, it could be written by me, so I'm very glad that the novels are getting translated at a good pace over at Baka-Tsuki.

Oda Nobuna no Yabou - Unexpectedly, my favourite of the season. I thank Thingy and heyman for the fact that I even checked this out. The premise doesn't sound too interesting, but this anime has excellent production values (art, animation and musics) and good writing and direction. There is an actual plot, in addition to entertaining battles and cute female characters. The male lead is pretty awesome, he's powerless in battle but he has courage, intellect and a likeable personality. Most importantly, this show has exceptionally good dramatisation.

Tari Tari - I checked out one episode, and this seems like a show I'd enjoy, but only when in a certain mood. Like Hanasaku Iroha, I decided to stall this and wait for the right mood.

Hagure Yuusha no Estetica - Gotta love a badass, over-powered (and perverted) male lead. An entertaining show, but somehow I'm not getting properly into it, I fail to care about any of the characters and I'm not even really interested in the plot.

Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai - Unusually high quality ecchi, that's all there seems to be to this show. The battles are repetitive, there's no plot to mention, the male lead isn't bad but not really great either... Well, it's just interesting enough for me to bother watching it.

Arcana Famiglia - Seems pretty interesting, but so far it's not really reaching its potential. Ep 4 is better than the earlier eps, though. I like the character designs and premise, and actually the characters as well, but I was kinda hoping to see them use their weapons and powers more. Well, I don't mind patient story building and character development, if it leads to something awesome later on.

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - I rather like this show, based on 2 eps, it reminds me of Seitokai no Ichizon. Good dialogue, an actually funny harem lead, and it seems there might even be a somewhat interesting plot somewhere there.

Hyouka - This show turned out to be quite good. Mystery is one of my favourite genres, and it's pretty amazing how this story makes such seemingly trivial mysteries so interesting. The characters and dialogue are good, and KyoAni lives up to its reputation as a great studio that doesn't compromise quality.

Accel World - Stalled for now, at ep 9, but I might continue any day, when the right mood hits me. Still my favourite of last season.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Seiryuu on July 30, 2012, 07:47:37 pm
Well its been a few weeks since the start of summer so its time to do this.

First up the shows continuing from last season/long running shows.

Accel World - One of my favourites from last season and its still holding strong but recently the mc has been.....well an idiot.
Fairy Tail - Still the damn filler. Its making the main characters look so damn weak.
Hunter x Hunter - Well first off...we didn't have another recap! \o/ And so starts the Auction arc. Time for some slow eps about well...buying and selling until we reach the good parts of this arc.
Hyouka - Still one of my favourites from last season and still loving every minute of it.
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE - Needs to end already.
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 2 - Has been somewhat lacking recently but it seems to be picking up a bit again with ep 16.
SKET Dance - Same as last time I did this I don't really have any comments.

And now for the new shows.

Arcana Famiglia - 4 eps watched. I agree completely with what Krozam posted. I hope we can see some fighting soon.
Campione! - 3 eps watched. Everything has seemed so rushed from what I've seen and I don't really know what's going on. I'll probably read the LNs after I finish the little I have left of SAO and then Muv-Luv.
Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai. - 4 eps watched. Not really much to say here...lackluster story and characters but what more can you expect from an ecchi anime? Though I'll keep watching cuz I'm a sucker for red heads.
Hagure Yuusha no Estetica - 4 eps watched. It seems I would need to read the LNs for the full experience to this story. I wouldn't say its rushed but it just kinda throws you in without much backing. Again its another ecchi anime idk what im expecting tbh.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita - 2 eps watched. This is probably one of my favourite anime for summer. Its random but hilarious and it just makes me want more.
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - 2 eps watched. When I watched the beginning of ep 1 I was wondering if I dled the right show. I was really surprised that this anime might be more than just another generic harem. Its got likeable characters and some good laughs with a possibly drama heavy plot hidden within.
Kokoro Connect - 2 eps watched. Its been ok from what I've seen so far, not really good or bad. Theres not really any plot and the characters are just ok.
Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! - 4 eps watched. The first few eps I was considering dropping this. Its your regular generic harem and I didn't like any of the girls, but when Ikusu was introduced it kinda saved the show for me. It brought in a few laughs and now that im at ep 4 I'll just power though it till the end.
Moyashimon Returns - 4 eps watched. I was surprised when this was announced since its been over 4 years since the 1st anime. Well its back and its time to brew again! Moyashimon is still the great show that it was 4 years ago. The story was picked up exactly where it was left off with the same great characters.
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse - 5 eps watched. This is in my top 3 along with Jinrui and Oda Nobuna. I haven't played the VNs yet but I will soon. This anime is just great, its got some awesome battles, the story is pretty good, and the characters are likeable.
Oda Nobuna no Yabou - 4 eps watched. One of my surprising favourites for summer. I wasn't really going to check it out because it didn't seem like it would be the type of show I would enjoy. I've got to thank Thingy and heyman for talking about it all the time in cbox which made me dl the first 2 eps which I found amazing. The MC is awesome, its got a good plot, cute girls, great battles and excellent music. What more can I ask for?
Rinne no Lagrange Season 2 - 4 eps watched. Hmm...not much to say I loved the first season and this is just a direct continuation. Its still awesome and I just want more every week.
Sword Art Online - This would have probably been my favourite anime of summer until ep 2 happened. I've read most of the original material out and I've got to say it could have been so much better. Ep 1 (vol 1 chp 2-3) was wonderful they adapted it perfectly I had no complaints. Ep 2 (SS Aria in the Starless Night) was just so...SO rushed. They crammed a 120~ page novel into 20 minutes which really didn't do it justice. Quite a bit of material and character development was cut or changed and even a whole character(Argo) was cut out. As for ep 3 (vol 2 Red-nosed Reindeer SS) it got better significantly. Yes I do have some complaints about it where they changed some things, but they are all minor nothing like what was in ep 2. Ep 4 (vol 2 The Black Swordsman SS) again like ep 3 I have some minor complaints but nothing like in ep 2. If anyone was wondering why theres so much skipping around in the material its because its being shown chronologically. Ep 5 will cover events from vol 8 A Murder Case in the Area SS.
Tari Tari - 5 eps watched. Good art, characters, and music, Not really anything else needs to be said.
Yuru Yuri ♪♪ - 4 eps watched. Good laughs and cute lolis.

I also planned to watch Binbougami ga! and Joshiraku but I refuse to watch anything from gg. So I guess I'll wait for BDs to see if someone else does them/edits gg subs.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: no_good_name on November 13, 2012, 10:49:22 am
Girls und panzer- i have a hard on for cute girls in tanks.

Title: Fall 2012 So Far ...
Post by: Hanover Fist on November 15, 2012, 06:09:12 am
Now that there have been few weeks for things to settle it's looking like a fun quarter overall.

Favorites of the season:
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! - this has me laughing loudly every episode. The characters are goofy and fun but not shallow. The animation is good, I like the art and the plot is very believable - from the real to the fantasy. The six Lite shorts are also excellent and shouldn't be missed.
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo - is also funny, but heavier on the fanservice. The different insanities in Sakurasou are great fun for me.
Sukitte Ii na yo - a sweet little romance that has become better in my eyes as the season progressed.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - this hilarious rom/com started off with excellent and unusual character development. It also keeps a great balance between the romance, comedy and drama.

Other excellent shows: Girls und Panzer (cute girls doing tankwondo), Little Busters (KEY, a bit of a given in this forum), Psycho Pass (great dystopian SF), Robotics Notes (getting very interesting now), Shinsekai Yori (a compelling future, amazing ED song) and Zetsuen no Tempest (good balance between thought and action).

BTOOOM!, Kami-sama Hajimemashita and Onii-chan Dakedo Ai range from OK to good and I'll finish them. I've only made it through one ep of Magi so far - it's a maybe. One factor on its plus side is seeing what new CRCs GotWoot will come up with next. ;)

Ongoing shows: Bakuman S3 is slow but still interesting for me. Hayata no Gotoku S3 and Jormungand S2 are collect and watch later. Nogizaka Haruka Finale is some light ecchi for series-completion's sake. Sword Art Online I still enjoy a lot, but the new villain is pretty tedious and cliched. I can make it through To Love Ru: Darkbeams, the censoring isn't as bad as say R-15 or 30-sai where the TV versions were unwatchable. Finally there's Big Bang Theory, Dexter and Walking Dead over in Live Action-land.

Drops: Busou Shinki - mini-loli-mech show to sell figurines. Meh. Code Breaker - the female lead was the only interesting character to me. The others felt two-dimensional and I didn't care. K just couldn't hold my interest and my backlog of shows to watch is too large as it is.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on November 15, 2012, 04:13:45 pm
My favourite of the season is Zetsuen no Tempest - not because of what I've seen so far (though it's been really good) but because of what is to come. Zetsuen is one of my top 3 manga, and the anime is slowly getting into the good part after a beginning that was meh in the manga, but greatly improved in the anime adaptation. The main characters are badass and the plot delivers far more twists and mindfuck-moments in 20 chapters than most stories in their entire length. Seriously, don't be fooled by the beginning, very few things in this story are as they seem at first.

Second-favourite is Sakurasou. It's got the same kind of charm as Denpa Onna, with all the quirky (yet also surprisingly deep) characters and great comedy, and quite similar concept. Mashiro is almost as adorable and eccentric as Erio. :)

Other very interesting ones are Shin Sekai Yori (3 eps watched), Magi (5 eps) and Psycho-Pass (2 eps). Shin Sekai has a powerful mood, and somehow it doesn't bore me at all despite very little having happened so far. For some reason it reminds me of Banner of the Stars, my favourite Scifi anime. Magi is very entertaining and I love the settings. Psycho-Pass has potential, it seems like it could be a pretty deep dystopia story.

K (2 eps), Chuunibyou (5 eps) and OniiAi (5 eps) seem okay. I've only seen 1 ep of Kaibutsu-kun, but it seems pretty promising as well. Little Busters (2 eps) and Ixion Saga (5 eps) hang just above the dropping line.

That's all I'm watching this season - so far. Irie has been urging me to check out Sukitte Ii na yo, and I will, but I don't know when.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: kiritoakito on November 19, 2012, 01:56:21 pm
 :yami:

sword art online desu~ :shana: :hina:
(click to show/hide)
Title: The Winter Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on January 13, 2013, 09:23:53 am
Out of the new shows, I only have one real favorite this season. Maoyuu Maou Yuusha has a lot of the feel (and of course the voices) of Spice and Wolf but the comedy isn't quite as restrained, maybe it's the somewhat dumb hero. Anyway, quite the interesting plot, good comedy and maybe some romance too.

I'll probably be following these too: Kotoura-san had a good transition from the heavy start to the fun lightness later and I like the development of the perils of telepathy. Ore no Kanojo is promising, I'll see how the comedy and probable harem develops. With Tamako Market I'm waiting to see how much more of the annoying bird they focus on - it jars my suspension of disbelief - but I like the rest. Yama no Susume - cute little 3 minute shorts.

Most are continuations from last season or previous seasons: Bakuman S3, Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT, Chihayafuru S2, Little Busters, Magi, Minami-ke Tadaima, Psycho-Pass, Robotics;Notes, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, Shinsekai Yori, Uchuu Kyoudai and Zetsuen no Tempest. There are also Big Bang Theory and Castle for my live action quota.

Finally there are the maybe shows, where I'm waiting to see which drop out after the next few eps: Even given the Amnesia, the heroine is a bit too bland and there are more bishounen than I need to see. Dropped it, the heroine is too much of a non-entity for me. Mondaijitachi feels a lot like Dog Days. Too much perhaps. Funny enough to continue, but not archiving. Sasami-san@Ganbaranai might be too niche for me. A little more comprehensible after the 2nd ep. Watch and delete so far. Senran Kagura looks like a present-day high school version of that boob-ninja show a few seasons back - oh yeah, Manyuu Hikenchou - without as much fan-service. 3 eps in, I'll probably continue. Finally, Vividred Operation has a bit of a pedo-vibe so far, Negima crossed with Rinne no Lagrange perhaps? However, it's kinda cute and the plot is interesting enough to follow. Oh yeah, Cuticle Detective Inaba didn't make it past one episode for me before I dropped it. Its humor doesn't match mine.

So what are your picks?
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Haxton Fale on January 14, 2013, 11:51:58 pm
Much less to say, for my second term at university has certainly started.
I was planning to pick up Maoyuu, especially considering the fact that I greatly enjoy the manga and even wrote a manga diary entry for Krozam. But then I did not pick it up yet, possibly wary of seeing everything once again for no good reason, maybe other than staring at the blatant volume of... err... Maou. And the art style does not entirely convince me either.
My first pick from this season is Kotoura-san. Escaping the dark topic presented within the first ten minutes with very light-hearted comedy and no hint of dark humour seems to be not an easy task, and yet the show seems to have succeeded in it so far. Kotoura-san will be probably very enjoyable, up to the point where they turn to joking about her quite painful past. Which, I hope, will never happen.
My second pick is Sasami-san@Ganbaranai. This shows confirms SHAFT's expertise in adapting weird series of all kinds. Sasami-san herself is quite cute, though I suppose the "relationship" she shares with her brother does not help much (for I am a sucker for such cases of brocon). Other than that, the show seems to be emanating weirdness, even despite the choice of the studio (if memory serves me right, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita was not adapted by SHAFT either, and yet it turned out quite... peculiar. Not that I mind, though).
Waiting for watch is Senran Kagura, mostly for Katsuragi. Her habits, as well as somewhat mysterious relationship between two of the other girls, have certainly piqued my interest - though not so far as to have me sit through one episode completely, making it a very likely candidate for being dropped before first episode.
Another show I am not certain about yet is Vividred Operation - various opinions call it similar to Strike Witches, and that might be enough of a reason for me to watch it. So, whenever I have time this week, probably.
Tamako Market as KyoAni moeblob, GJ-bu with interesting synopsis, maybe Mondaijitachi due to Hano's comparison above - no clear opinion, tempting to at least try. Shouldn't hurt to do so...

I could end it here, but I will spare some space for two shows. Firstly, OreShura - rarely do I use the phrase "generic harem shit", but I might start to do so more often if series like this will continue to be adapted. Main character's indecisiveness, as well as the comedy in general falling within the pattern of "a gag where every girl reacts to <insert event/challenge/item here> in her own single-dimensional and typical way" make the series go stale and boring, even close to becoming repetitive.
Haganai NEXT is equally as bad, though for completely different reasons. Well, save for repetitive comedy - the plot is mostly driven by Yozora and Sena's sickening obsession over one another, and visit to Sena's house does not help the case. Yukimura might as well be replaced with a prop, rare occurrences of comedy stemming from the conflict between Maria and Kobato, with the characters themselves being almost as intolerable as the others. Over-the-top tasteless humour with schematic, one-dimensional characters is what I do not enjoy watching nor reading. The only saving grace for Haganai would be the series of events between Kodaka and Rika, who turns out more sensible than she looks - though that is only in the ending of volume 7 and the beginning of volume 8.

And so ends up my "much less"...
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on April 29, 2013, 01:27:20 pm
So... 9 series I'm watching this season, plus 1 I'm waiting to complete before I marathon it. Overall kinda meh season, but some shows have potential.

- Railgun S2 is the one I'm waiting to complete. I expect it'll be very good, as the first season was.

- Red Data Girl I almost dropped after the first ep. The guy was an ass and the girl was pathetic. Well, someone convinced me to give it another chance, and after 3 eps I think it has potential. Still only just above dropping line, though. Nice art.

- Nyaruko S2 is as amusing as the first season. I'm not entirely sure why I enjoy the anime, but I find it quite entertaining.

- Hataraku was, despite the awesome first minutes, unimpressive at first. Again, I was convinced to give it more time, and after 3 eps it seems to have some potential. Barely above dropping line.

- Yahari seems pretty interesting. At first I was struck by the similarity to Haganai, but after 3 eps, I think Yahari has much more substance, it's not a simple romcom.

- Gargantia is probably my favourite so far. Balancedly good, it drew me in nicely and gets better by the episode. I'm just dreading when the Urobutcher effect is going to kick in...

- Karneval has been hanging just above the dropping line since the first ep. Decent action, some cool characters, potential for an interesting plotline, but so far it has left me pretty cold.

- Dansai Bunri is another one of my favourites. Great musics by Takanashi Yasuharu, interesting MC, nice mood.

- Date A Live seemed pretty entertaining at first, but for some reason I hated the second ep. Third ep was decent. Typical romcom, hanging barely above the dropping line.

- Hentai Ouji could also be desribed as "typical romcom", but Kantoku's character designs are moe as fuck, I find the comedy hilarious, and as the second and third ep demonstrated, these characters could end up having decent depth to them. My second-favourite ATM.

As for Shingeki, I'm staying away from it for now simply because it REEKS of despair. I'm leaving it for one of those rare times when I feel like watching something really dark and violent.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on May 01, 2013, 07:31:55 am
This is a rather light season for me

Good:
Hataraku Maou-sama is keeping me entertained. It's balancing the day to day comedy well with the ongoing demon world plotline.
Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko isn't quite worth all of the hype, but it is funny and building up more depth in the characters. The character design is a little too moe for me.
Suisei no Gargantia is well balanced between the mech and character interaction. It does a good job with the contrast between a total military mentality and a more down to Earth (heh) nature.
Yahari - the cynical humor is keeping this one fun for me. It has similarities to the Haganai and Chuu2Koi plots but is a show of its own.

So-so:
Date a Live - harem rom-com, I wasn't planning to watch it but got curious and marathoned the first four eps. It's interesting in a good enough way.
Namiguchiwa no Muromi-san - goofy half-length episode mermaid comedy. Amusing.
Photokano has all the similarities (with good reason) to Amagami, but seems to be going the harem route. The main character started out nice, but is becoming more of an ass as the show progresses.
Red Data Girl - beautiful backgrounds, so-so story.
Shingeki no Kyoujin - Krozam is right. It does reek of despair. Right above the drop line for me.
Sparrow's Hotel - amusing three minute show, ninja-trained bouncy bellhop.

Continuations of past shows and seasons:
Chihayafuru 2 - this had a great pace last season, but has recently switched to Bleach mode with multiple episodes per fight match.
Game of Thrones - waiting until I have all ten to consume at once.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W - still offbeat and hilarious, great fun.
Hayate no Gotoku! s4: Cuties - meh, just for completionism.
Hyakka Rouran Samurai Bride - fan-service heavy harem comedy much like the first season. Watch and delete.
Ore no Imouto S2 - it's been doing a good job of filling in backstories of the side characters while keeping the plot moving. Moe as ever, but not overwhelmingly so like HenNeko.
Railgun S is building up well with all the comedy of the first season. The little details you might miss at first glance remain important for the continuing story.
Uchuu Kyoudai keeps chugging along.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on October 06, 2013, 03:27:31 pm
First impressions on some of the new anime airing this season:

Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku wo Ketsui Shimashita: Ugh... I'm getting strong Hataraku vibes here. Conceptually very similar, right down to the misleading action-beginning. Slightly better comedy than in Hataraku, but still awful. Filled with low-class service. At least it takes place in a fantasy world, but I'll need to learn more about it than about the magically powered household-appliances to know whether it's an interesting world or not. However, I've learned from Sora no Otoshimono (manga) and Hataraku that even if 80% of the show is crap, the rest can be so good that it makes the whole worth watching. So I'm only putting this on hold, until I get some opinions about several episodes forward, not dropping it instantly.

Log Horizon: Conceptually, seems like a SAO ripoff. Still, I actually liked the first ep more than the first ep of SAO. The main character is the intelligent type, I have some hopes for him. The comedy is also pretty good. Overall, surprisingly promising beginning, I'll be watching this one.

Outbreak Company: Despite the premise being completely out of whack, the first ep was actually fairly entertaining. The comedy is ok and there are some hints of racial unequality issues akin to Eien no Aselia. This could be good, or it could fall flat on its face. I'll watch at least a bit further.

Strike the Blood: My favourite first ep in this season, so far. Some interesting mystery, decent action and a promising protagonist. Reminds me of Index, a little. Will definitely watch.

Golden Time: As an anime based on another work by the author of Toradora, this is one of the two anime I've actually been looking forward to. The first ep didn't disappoint, though it wasn't a pleasant surprise either, mainly due to the male lead being about as bland as they come. Well, I expect some character development, so I'm not too worried about it. I expect an enjoyable romcom, nothing more, nothing less.

I'm still waiting for Tokyo Ravens to air, it's the second anime I'm actually looking forward to this season. I'm reading the manga adaptation, and it's pretty good. I don't remember if there was anything else I was going to check out this season, that hasn't aired yet...

Edit: I forgot Kyoukai no Kanata: Maybe even better than Strike the Blood. Awesome dialogue reminiscent of the Monogatari series. Standard KyoAni quality animation and moe character designs. A nonchalant protagonist, just as I like them. All in all, a promising start.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on October 06, 2013, 11:00:40 pm
There's a lot to choose from this season. Here are some quick first episode impressions.

Favorites so far:
Galilei Donna: The youngest sister is AWESOME! You think the scooter is cool? Just wait ... >:D Mysterious story, shiny animation and visuals, good action and funny comedy parts as well. One worry - it only has 11 eps. I have a feeling I'll want more.
Golden Time: It's been months since I caught up with the manga, time to stop reading it to let the anime stand on it's own. The show looks like a lot of fun and has a good feel to it so far. I didn't know until today that it was written by Toradora's author, so another reason to keep with it.
Kyoukai no Kanata: Great visuals, occasional hilarious moments and a very interesting story so far.
Outbreak Company: From previews and summaries, I kept thinking of the Gate manga. After the first episode, it's taken on a feel of it's own: A lighter comedy with more of an otaku focus and without the battles and military used in Gate. It looks fun and entertaining.
RWBY: We're out of the first action-packed arc and into a more character-driven arc. I'm still enjoying it, but wish the episodes were longer.
Strike the Blood: I'm loving the reluctant vampire and the goofy girl sent to watch over him. With 24 eps, I won't have to worry about it being cut off abruptly (like last season's Blood Lad).

Good. Will watch:
Gingitsune: A cute supernatural shrine maiden story, with signs of good character development.
Log Horizon: Looks fun as long as you can keep your mind away from all the SAO similarities.
Nagi no Asukara: Beautiful scenery-porn as always from P.A. Works. The friction between land and sea dwellers looks interesting for future plot driving. The characters are believable, if a bit excitable. Romantic polygon forming quickly.
Non Non Biyori: Quiet slice of life show set out in the countryside with pretty visuals and a relaxed pace. Exchange student from Tokyo in mild culture-shock. Reminds me of Higurashi without any psycho vibes or mystery.
Super Seisyun Brothers: Four minutes of fun every week, silly comedy between brothers and sisters.
Tokyo Ravens: A promising start. The story has my attention, but why does the MC blush so damn much? :P It looks good, but I have a small fear of some overwhelming angst on the way.
Unbreakable Machine-Doll: The doll reminds me a bit of the little sister from Onii-Ai. Interesting main, good action, comedy, ecchi. Looks fun.
White Album 2: Apparently the VN source was exceptional, so there's potential for a good plot here. The main character also seems solid and someone you don't have to hate - unlike the first White Album which I rewatched recently. It's intriguing so far with pretty visuals.

Mild interest:
Infinite Stratos 2: More adventures with the most oblivious harem lead ever.
Kill la Kill: From the first episode alone, it looks about as crazy as FLCL. Rather retro animation. Since I could never stand to finish Gurren Lagann, my ambivalence here has the same feeling to it.
Miss Monochrome: Somewhat interesting fast-moving shorts, worth four minutes.
Walkure Romanze: Pretty girl jousters, a cardboard cutout male with drama from the past, uses many cliches from fantasy world harem setups. Surprisingly though, the airhead female character can actually retain info and learn from it.

Uncertain, give it a couple more episodes:
Arpeggio of Blue Steel-Ars Nova: Humanity battles alien ships which have cute girl avatars. Waiting to see if this has a feel like Gargantia to keep watching or more like Guilty Crown and drop.
Coppelion: Lots of rave reviews and an interesting concept. However, the visuals were blurry and muted and it just hasn't lived up to the hype for me yet.
Kyousougiga: I'll see if the TV version makes any more sense to me.
Yuushibu: I'm not expecting a lot from this one. The over-the-top fan service seems out of place without a Hyoudou Issei inside the show to appreciate it.

Continuing shows:
Big Bang Theory, Castle, Monogatari series S2, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Uchuu Kyoudai

Marathon later? Watch and delete?
Freezing Vibration, Little Busters! Refrain, Magi S2,

Drop?
Noucome/Ore no Nounai...: A hard-to-believe premise, jokes that didn't make me laugh and characters that don't really interest me. Bug lady reminds me visually of Ben-To.
Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!: Idol/wrestling fan service with a creepy perv feel to it. The story has an OK premise - that both idols and wrestlers deserve respect. But then the show contradicts itself with the creepy fan service crotch shots and cries of hentai-sounding pain. Animation and character designs remind me of Senran Kagura.
Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono: A bit tough to watch if nobody subs it. The reviews I've seen so far are on the negative side.

Curious, but haven't seen yet:
Pupa: I hope they actually air this one, the total news blackout since July or so has me worried. Looks like a good creepy horror show.

Updates in blue
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on October 09, 2013, 01:59:09 am
Gingitsune: Kinda boring first episode, but I like the atmosphere and Gin's character, so I'll give this at least another episode.

Tokyo Ravens: A bit early to judge, but it looks like this might become a good adaptation. Good musics, both the OP and BG musics. Rather skilled dramatisation too, IMO. The only thing I question is the choice of HanaKana to voice Natsume, IMO she's not the best option for the role of a cross-dresser (she'll dress as a boy later in the story), her voice is too obviously feminine. Also, I've missed Hokuto...

That should be all I planned to check out this season.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on October 10, 2013, 10:57:15 pm
... That should be all I planned to check out this season.
Well, I have one more for you:

Based on first episodes alone, Galilei Donna has shot to the top of my favorites for the season. The mystery surrounding the descendants of Galileio Galilei is intriguing. The characters are all well defined and three-dimensional. The pacing was good: I was curious what the hell was going on, but with enough revealed in the background to keep going. No monologuing or walls of text explanations needed. It's looking great so far and I truly hope it keeps its momentum.

I've pretty much finished updating the other shows in my previous post, so I'll call it good for now. I'm just waiting to see which shows pan out after three eps and if any more need to be dropped.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on October 11, 2013, 03:12:18 am
You're right, the youngest sister in Galilei Donna is awesome. Overall it didn't really pull me in, but despite all the mecha shit, it just might be worth watching. I'll give it at least a one more episode.

I also tried watching NouCome ep 1, but it was so bad that even if I skipped the worst parts (which was about half of the episode), it was still awful. Absolutely horrendous, there's no way I'm giving that a second chance. *shudder*

Kyoukai no Kanata ep 2 is as good as the first ep. Hilarious dialogue and nice battle animation.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on October 15, 2013, 12:59:51 am
Initially I had no intention of following Yowamushi Pedal, thinking "meh, a sports show," but after watching the second episode I found myself chortling loudly a number of times. So I'll give it a few more and see if I want to follow for its long term of 39 eps.

Walkure Romanze is on the edge of dropping: Another unlucky guy accidentally tripping into multiple ecchi situations. I also felt that the off-screen innuendo scenes that sound like sex, but are actually something else trope was repeated too much. Same old, shame old. The only new thing is the jousting, and while I like the character designs, that can only take you so far. Even Yuushibu is slightly more interesting now that it's calmed down a little from the first episode fan service explosion. High School DxD has really raised the bar for cheesy ecchi shows and made it hard for them to compete. Waiting impatiently an OVA release date (and S3). :P

NouCome - dropped after the first episode. Sekai de Ichiban - I didn't make it more than five minutes into #2. Buh-bye.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on October 19, 2013, 01:07:24 am
Kyoukai no Kanata and Strike the Blood (I'm at ep 3 on both) are still my two favourites this season. KnK is still full of witty dialogue, and StB is a well-balanced fantasy action show. Both with a cast of likeable characters who're already gaining some depth.

Outbreak Company (ep 3) is surprisingly maybe my third favourite. There was finally some action in the third ep, and as I hoped, despite the silly premise, this does have some depth and thought to it. The protagonist is surprisingly okay, I feared he'd be a lot more pathetic.

Golden Time (ep 2) has been pretty entertaining so far, despite the unbelievebly bland protagonist. Still, can't stand comparison to Toradora.

Log Horizon (ep 2) is another show I'm enjoying a lot more than I expected. This season has unusually many good male protagonists, and the guy in this one is near the top of my list.

Galilei Donna (ep 2) didn't convince me with its first ep, but the second ep sure did. This time it drew me in. The youngest sister still did nearly all the work, but but since she's apparently the main protagonist, I don't really mind. Her weak moment felt a bit forced, but otherwise, an all-around strong episode.

Gingitsune (ep 2) still hovers a little above the drop line. I'm obviously not among the target audience for this kind of a show, but so far I've enjoyed it enough to keep watching.

Tokyo Ravens (ep 2) continues as well as I could expect. Strong dramatisation. I always liked this first arc, kind of a prologue, the best so far: I have faith that they'll end it as well as they started it. It should end in the next ep.

Nagi no Asukara (ep 1) has interesting settings and pretty scenery, but I dislike the main character almost as much as the bland guy from Golden Time. Though for different reasons. Bland is bad, but always angry, hostile and jealous doesn't make a character likeable either. Also, there are few hints of a plot so far, just a lot of drama. Well, I plan to check at least another ep.

White Album 2 (ep 2) I originally skipped without even considering it, because I've only heard bad things about the other White Albums. Well, I'm glad I decided to check it out after all. With a casual and intelligent protagonist, promise of strong romance elements, nice music, and a pretty nice mood, it quickly drew me in. I'm just afraid that the drama might get too serious and unpleasant in the end. But I'll definitely keep watching for now.
Title: Winter 2014 So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on January 11, 2014, 12:02:18 pm
*Ep.3 edits* As a whole, it's a pretty "meh" season with few new highlights. I'll probably coast through more shows by inertia than anything else. I'm getting mostly 480p - when I can't be bothered to spend the bandwidth or HD space. *just counted, 2:1 ratio of 480p:720p dls*

Favorites:
Chuu2Koi Ren - I've been eagerly awaiting this (still waiting for the BD release/fansub of the film). The first lite and first full episodes confirm my continuing love of the series. A good balance of new scenes with moments of recap here and there. Lots of laughs with the well-established characters. The first episode battle scene was great. :D
Gin no Saji S2 - after a three month gap in real time, the agricultural adventures with Hachiken continue smoothly from the first season.
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (Engaged to the Unidentified) - a cute play on the arranged marriage story. Introduces two sisters living in the household with mom. Quickly adds a newly intruding brother/fiance and his little sister from the countryside. Excellent character building, with hilarious dynamics between the four of them. The first episode gave some laughs and left me with a happy, sappy grin. So far it's the only new show to really catch my interest without any previous seasons/history.

Will probably watch:
Nisekoi - this is looking pretty good. Everything flows smoothly, the voices are well matched and the visuals are shiny. At the end of the first ep I thought I had some things figured out, but one blue scene in the OP threw that for a loop. It seems there will be some mystery here after all.
Noragami - humorous, has potential with the 5-Yen god.
Toaru Hikushi e no Koiuta (Pilot's Love Song) - more story in the universe of the Princess and the Pilot film. Good aerial action.
Tonari no Seki-kun - funny off-the-wall 7 minute shorts: A girl has a quiet yet very distracting neighbor in the back of the class.
Witch Craft Works - has some funny bits ("princess") and the ED was freaking excellent. Might be good, might fail.
Wizard Barristers - There are an awful lot of females in that legal office and a few other things seem unlikely. There's good action, shiny visuals and the fanservice isn't overwhelming. I'll keep watching it.

Maybes:
D-Frag - wacky high school comedy with delinquent males and possibly insane females in the game creation club. I got less interested by the time I finished the third episode. Downgrade to "maybe."
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha - the manga looks interesting with a good character-driven plot: Fox shrine deity and human friendship (wow, Gingitsune deja vu) and learning when not to use your power. See how the anime stands up to the manga. Still watching it, but the anime is only so-so without foreshadowing knowledge from the manga.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu - it's not bad, just that the very dry humor requires a lot of context and Japanese cultural knowledge for the jokes to succeed. I'm sure many jokes slipped right past me.
Mahou Sensou - magical action show. It might turn out OK but a mediocre start in my eyes.
Nobunaga the Fool - is a strange mix of mecha, alternate history and other worlds. It has nice art and animation and I'm intrigued by the Nobunaga, DaVinci and Arc crossovers from our world to their two worlds. However, it's not yet holding my interest well.
Pupa - rather than the full (or even half-length) episodes this kind of horrorshow/psychodrama needs to build suspense, we get four minute shorts. The art and animation was underwhelming. Strangled by a low budget, it's not living up to my previous hopes. Also, why animate that kind of gory blood spray if you're just going to censor it out with black (yeah, BD sales, but still)? I can't quite call it a waste of time since it's so short but disappointing so far.
Seitokai Yakuindomo - I finally finished S1 this time. S2 is low-priority, occasional laughs.

Guilty Pleasures?
No-Rin - a fanservice and idol romcom set in an agricultural high school out in the countryside. There is some good humor, but a lot of cliches (and even other shows) are scrambled together here. I'm hoping there's enough story to balance the fan/idol service - like Yuushibu managed to last season. That hope seems less likely at the moment.
Onee-chan ga Kita (My Sister Came) - almost like Cyclops Shoujo Saipu grew up and went after another brother: 3 minute shorts where the brand new stepsister has a heavy-breathing brocon fetish for her new ototo.
Saikin, ImoCho - newly married parents, the new stepsister is driven against her will toward ecchi by a perverted ghost hot for onii-san and a bizarre chastity belt. I gave it a chance since the manga wasn't so bad. Nope. Dropped at episode 2.
Sakura Trick - is cute and fast-paced and all about the yuri. The alpha yuri bakauple waste no time: They've kissed multiple times in the first episode while the two beta yuri couples begin to gravitate together. It can get a little too sweet at times, like the syrup they dilute to make soft drinks. Also, so many flashes of fantasy pink background can get tiresome. Maybe.

Waiting to see:
Ghost in the Shell Nyuumon Arise - see if these background shorts are a) subbed, b) good, while I impatiently wait for GitS-Arise #3.
Robot Girls Z - the 4 minute preview was crazy and funny. Said to be 10 minute eps. Meh. I liked the inept villains more than the "heroes." Not going to bother with this one.

Continued from last season:
Golden Time - still watching, but it looks like a forest full of bad ends at the moment. Wait a minute, Banri should go for Nana! Yeah, like that would end well. I do like the in-jokes/plot ties with the old NANA anime.
Kill la Kill - better than I feared. Crazy action and fan-service.
Log Horizon - one of my favorites is from last season. I got impatient and cheated by reading the light novels last week. I have high hopes/expectations for the second half of the anime.
Magi - collecting, but haven't watched any of S2. It will be a watch and delete show sometime that I'm bored enough.
Nagi no Asukara - still has scenery porn all over, the characters aren't as annoying anymore. Going along with this weekly.
Strike the Blood - enjoying the ecchi accidental vampire.
Tokyo Ravens - The male lead is slowly but finally becoming less oblivious than IS' Ichika.
Uchuu Kyoudai - another show I'm collecting to eventually watch (one of these years).
Yowamushi Pedal - holding my interest weekly despite being a sports anime.

...and on TV:
The Big Bang Theory, Castle, Dragons-Defenders of Berk, The Walking Dead
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on January 12, 2014, 12:08:03 pm
Still waiting for a couple of shows, but I guess I'll make a quick post now...

D-frag - Checked it out, wanted to like it, but the comedy is just not my type.
Noragami - Fairly interesting beginning, I think I'll like this.
Chuunibyou S2 - The first season was pretty good, and the first ep of S2 shows no sign of diminishing quality.
Witch Craft Works - Damsel in distress with reversed gender roles. I went in with low expectations, which were quickly confirmed. So many little things about this irk me, from the useless male lead to the senseless worship of the female lead, I won't be watching any more of this.
Nourin - Gave it a chance despite my prejudice against everything with idols, couldn't make it past the first half of the episode.
Mahou Sensou - Conceptually up my alley, but pretty mediocre beginning. Amusingly, the most unique thing about it is probably the fact that the protagonist has a girlfriend. Pretty rare in "sudden girlfriend appearance" anime, that the guy is already hooked to another girl.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu - Weird. I kind of enjoyed that episode, but this seems to be plotless, so I'm not sure I'll bother following this.
Mikakunin - The only positive surprise for this season so far, I very much like this. Good comedy, potential for a good romance, and the characters are interesting (well, the guy is so quiet, it remains to be seen if he's bland or just slow to open up). Even though it's told from the girl's viewpoint, this is no shoujo crap, she's a sensible girl and the guy is neither perfect nor mean, not even a bishie.
Wizard Barristers - I don't like most of the character designs, but otherwise, not bad. Plenty of flashy magic action, promising soundtrack and God voicing a frog familiar.
Koi Iroha - This has the female version of the useless, annoying male protagonist, and no remarkable good points so far. Dropping it.

Continuing from last season:
Log Horizon - Sneaked up to the spot of my favourite of last season, and it'll most likely stay as my favourite for this season as well.
Strike the Blood and other shows from last season (except KyoKana, which I finished yesterday) are currently stalled.

Sooo... Overall this looks like a pretty mediocre season.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: kagami on March 26, 2014, 01:11:18 am
one of the best seasons so far for me.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on April 09, 2014, 01:32:58 am
Not all the shows I'm planning to check out have started yet, but here are my first impressions on a few shows:

Black Bullet: Decent. Don't really like most of the humour, this is another scifi series that craps all over the laws of physics, and the premise isn't really my thing anyway, but it was still somewhat entertaining, so I'll give it at least one more ep. Oh, and there's a cute loli, for those who might be interested. In my case, it barely even enters the calculation.

Blade and Soul: Again, decent. I can't really point my finger on what is wrong with it, it just somehow feels cheap and soulless. Will give it at least another ep.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr: My second favourite show so far. One of the few in this season with a shred of intelligence in it. Nice OP and interesting mysteries.

Isshuukan Friends: Quite nice. Very nice, atmospheric art style. A sickness causing one to selectively lose one's memories relating to any friends and excluding family members every monday is of course completely unrealistic, but it opens up interesting possiblities for the story.

Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara: Quite hilarious, actually, with its totally exaggerated characters and parodied up clichés. The flashbacks, and in places the dialogue as well, feel pretty forced, so this wouldn't really work if the story took itself seriously. Fortunately, it doesn't. There are serious elements, but even those feel parodied up.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Not a bad first ep, somewhat promising start. I've heard both good and bad things about the novels, so we'll see.

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to: Dropped at the halfway point. Couldn't bear the sheer idiocy.

Mushishi Zoku Shou: As expected, brilliant from the first ep. Without doubt, my favourite of the season.

Seikoku no Dragonar: Decent. I was disappointed to find that the art style is nowhere near as good as in the manga, of which I've read a few chapters. The premise holds some potential, but honestly, I don't expect much.


Going to watch or check out:
Hitsugi no Chaika - Having read the manga as far as it's out, and knowing who the original author is, I have quite high expectations.
Escha & Logy no Atelier
Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Nymphetamine2791 on April 11, 2014, 06:00:23 am
So it's been about a year since I've been on Doki forums and as far as I can see (in terms of forums) not too much has changed.

This season's spring anime is actually what brought me back here. I came back here for a couple reasons 1) being I'm starting to download anime from other subbers again and 2) mainly because I saw that Doki was subbing Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei on MAL. I'm usually a romance-genre based person ever since I started watching anime but over the past two years I've been watching mainly action since there has been so many that are great up to this point (Ippo, Kuroko, HxH, Fairy Tail, etc.)

The fact I've been busy these past couple months has tremendously cut down my time spent watching anime and I haven't honestly watched a romance series I was really engaged in since Amagami. When I saw Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei is a romance made by Madhouse it instantly caught my eye and I have high hopes that it will be entertaining for me (downloading episode 1 right now).

I've never waited until a series has finished airing at the end of the season but since my schedule isn't as open as it used to be and I'll be out of the country for a couple months starting May I'm just considering picking up any series that are good/recommended when I get back.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on April 12, 2014, 04:40:24 am
Hitsugi no Chaika: No better or worse than I expected. Lacks some good scenes that are in the manga adaptation, and overall feels more fast-paced, but not to a degree where I'd judge it "rushed". Probably wouldn't notice had I not read the manga. Anyway, this was one of my most anticipated anime in this season, and it looks good so far.

No Game No Life: I originally discarded this based on a summary I read, but Dasuu got me interested, so I checked it out. It turned out to be quite okay. The male lead is pretty cool. The main characters remind me of Keima from TWGOK, and the concept reminds me of Mondaiji-tachi, but I think this'll be quite different from both.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin: A very enjoyable first episode, even more so than Chaika and Brynhildr, making this my initial second favourite of the season. The characters are fun, the comedy is pretty good, there are some quite interesting mysteries, and the concept doesn't remind me of anything I've watched/read before. Er... except the To Arus, just a little, because of the academy island settings.

Escha & Logy no Atelier: Moderately interesting, I suppose. Better not expect much action or humour, but the settings are interesting and there's good romance potential. I lol'd when I actually found a Finnish sub of this before any other language subs were available... it was pretty weird, since I don't watch TV, it's been ages since I've watched anything subbed in my mother tongue... but those subs are actually quite good.

That completes my first round of this season'a anime, no shows left that I'm interested in checking out. This season looks quite okay. Mushishi alone raises the season's level quite a bit, but Chaika, Brynhildr and Ryuugajou are very promising as well. Isshuukan, Flag, Mahouka, No Game and Atelier have some potential.
Title: Spring 2014 So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on April 13, 2014, 09:30:40 am
Based on the first or second episodes, it's looking like a promising season.

Favorites:
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - it's a refreshing change having a two person romance again rather than the now-usual polygon. The colors and character designs take me back a decade or two in a nice way, while retaining today's animation quality. The side characters are the funny sort of annoying, in a setting reminiscent of Sakurasou Pet no Kanojo with a larger age gap from H.S. to office workers.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - I've been enjoying the light novels for a while now, and I think they're doing a great job in this anime adaptation. The intro "Mahouka for Dummies" shorts helped clear some infodumps from the main series, but there's a lot of characters to introduce and a lot of world to build here. Good series in my eyes.
Mekaku City Actors - fascinating! Introduces the hikkikomori guy with the cute but obnoxious AI assistant Ena [Asumi Kana sounding much like her Nyaruko the Crawling Chaos role]. A soda-induced keyboard failure forces him to go outside for the first time in two years. Then watch the improbable shit go down. Great visuals, backgrounds reminiscent of Bakemonogatari and perhaps some similar humor. A story that has me laughing and intrigued. Quickly became a favorite after the first ep.
Mushishi Zoku Shou - so glad to have this show back after nearly a decade. The look, feel and sound are just like the original. It's not a show for those that need lots of action, but the slow and thoughtful atmosphere is like almost nothing else today.
Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin - I'm hopeful for this one, I love the Indiana Jones-type opening, and it is building up well. I can't wait to see more of this.
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii - an arranged marriage with the Sun king will provide the tiny Rain dukedom with limited autonomy from the world-spanning empire. Nike, the kick-ass rain-calling princess gets Jan-Ken-Pwned by her elegant older sisters and has to be the bride. Intelligent plot, good visuals, interesting characters with depth to them. Looking great to me.

Will watch:
Captain Earth - the Mecha genre usually isn't for me, but this one finally has a decent excuse for a combining mech (orbital delta-v), and the character building is strong so far. No Shinjis here. :P
Gokukoku no Brynhildr - I laughed at "sitting at a times table." The story is original and intriguing with a more believable-than-most "magic" tech.
Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san - silly three minute shorts that remind me of Super Seisyun Brothers with a cat/dog lovers (and yuri) twist.
Isshuukan Friends - cute designs, pastel visuals, warm and fuzzy little story. The weekly amnesia is unlikely to the extreme, but the story built around it is interesting and believable once you get past that one barrier.
Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara - goofy and fun, non-serious entertainment playing well with cliches.
Soul Eater Not - a well conceived spin-off, lots of cameos, but with it's own feel and story separate from the heavier main series.

Give them three episodes?
Baby Steps - I heard much about the manga being so awesome, so I'll give it a shot despite it's tennis focus and my distaste for most sports anime.
Black Bullet - not expecting much, it was on the drop edge for me before the first ep. Hard to suspend my disbelief.
Hitsugi no Chaika - Chaika's stilted speech pattern is annoying. The fantasy setting is generic, but the magic/tech is interesting. The fast-moving plot succeeded in getting me curious about the backstory. Maybe.
No Game No Life - hikkikomoris transported to a game-type world, but unlike other shows, they don't want to go back. A smooth first ep with potential.
Seikoku no Dragonar - near the edge of dropping. The manga didn't hold my interest either.
Sidonia no Kishi - full-CGI animation like Arpeggio of Blue Steel. Intriguing and gritty space/SF setting. Worth a look.

Dropped already:
Akuma no Riddle - assassin classroom survival game with a yuri tint. Didn't make the cut for me.
Blade and Soul - meh. IRL MMORPG anime tie-in. Krozam is right - "cheap and soulless." Like ... Queen's Blade without (much) fan-service or any humor?
Escha & Logy no Atelier - the setting reminds me of Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita. Cute romantic buildup but unbelievable (for me) alchemy. Not bad, just below my drop line.
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka - cute girls doing cute things. Reminds me a little of Yuru Yuri in a small European town. Neither are my type of show.
Kenzen Robo Daimedaler - ugly mechas, annoying MC, tedious heavily ecchi humor and bad art. Dropped like a rock.
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to - similar ecchi humor as Daimedaler, good art and character design, but mangaka rather than mech driver. Might work for people liking shows focused on ecchi humor. For me, no.

Eagerly Awaiting: Hanamonogatari/"Monogatari series S2 +a" - May 31

Continuations:
Date a Live II - I didn't save S1, it will be a watch and delete show for when bored. Still amusing though.
Nisekoi - this show in a word would be "tease" but I'm still enjoying it and laughing.
Tonari no Seki-kun - happily, I think there's another 6 of these hilarious 7-min shorts still coming.
Yowamushi Pedal - I'll probably delete it once it's done, but it's a rare sports-based anime I don't mind watching once.
(click to show/hide)

Finally, live action: Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, Orphan Black
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Haxton Fale on April 15, 2014, 07:07:24 am
So I ended up watching things I least expected to, so far.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei is about as good as expected so far, even more so since it's going to be 2 cour (Scorched Halloween will probably close off the second cour). The only thing I can complain about now is the choice of some VAs - I didn't expect HanaKana voicing Mayumi, or Hayami Saori for Miyuki, and I still don't think this was the right choice. But that's not my call, so... And the "visualization" of the magic casting, there's a (mildly) plot-relevant reason why I don't suppose Tatsuya's casting would have looked the way it did during practice, but I digress.

Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara (http://a.pomf.se/ejulbl.webm) - Underwater picked it up, so it's quite neat. I've only read the manga (LN isn't even among teaser/pending projects on Baka-Tsuki, sadly) and I notice numerous differences, but I suspect that's because the manga itself reordered a few things. Playing with clichés, decent plot and great girls make this show a good watch.

I picked up Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka?, but the first episode wasn't all that great. It's cute and fun, but not enough to keep me watching. And then there's Akuma no Riddle, which I hope will skip to some fun action soon. I'll probably wait a few weeks, see if there are any recommendations, and maybe pick up something in addition to all that.
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Hanover Fist on May 08, 2014, 05:59:56 am
So it's been about a year ... This season's spring anime is actually what brought me back here ... I'm just considering picking up any series that are good/recommended when I get back.

5 episodes in, here's some suggestions when you return:
Romance: Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou, Isshuukan Friends, Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii,
Action: Captain Earth (if you don't mind mecha), Sidonia no Kishi (especially if you liked Arpeggio of Blue Steel),
Title: Re: The Season So Far...
Post by: Krozam on April 11, 2015, 08:18:28 pm
I think I've more or less checked out all the anime I'm interested in this new season. Except Yamada-kun, that one I probably won't watch until the season is complete.

Denpa Kyoushi seems rather meh in terms of production quality, but it's mainly a comedy, so it doesn't matter that much. I've read a few dozen chapters of the manga, so I more or less know what to expect. Should be pretty entertaining througout its run.

Arslan charmed me immediately with its high production quality and beautiful scenery. As I watched the first ep further, I was very inrigued by the premise, which reminds me of the time of the Islamic expansion. The kingdom or Pars might well be based on Persia, and the Lusitanian fanatics might as well be Muslims. I look forward to learning more about the world, seeing how far the similarities extend. On the other hand, I was disappointed by the bland protagonist (but he's only 11 in the first ep, and the next ep takes place 3 years later, so it's possible he's already different in the second ep, and anyway, I expect plenty of character development).

Dungeon Girls seems clichéd as fuck and lacking of anything that could be called plot. Add a meh protagonist and no number of cute girls can save it. I'll give it one more ep, a chance to get started on a plot, but I'm expecting to drop it after that.

Kekkai Sensen has a pretty confusing start, and yet another meh protagonist, so I'm not too impressed. However, on account of the original author (same mangaka who did Trigun), I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt, and at least a couple more eps.

Rinne is off to a decent start. Since it's based on a Takahashi Rumiko series, I'm going to give it a fair chance, even if many who have read the manga tend to say that it's the weakest of her works. I can at least say that I wasn't bored by the first ep, though neither was it particularly interesting.

Re-kan is actually pretty amusing. Amusing enough that I'm watching it even though there are no significant male characters. Girls only -shows aren't usually for me, but this looks like it might be worth making an exception for.

Yahari S2 is, well, more or less the same as the first season. An excellent anime, if perhaps a little bit overrated. Probably the best MC of the season, seeing as this season seems pretty weak in that regard.

I might still check out Ore Monogatari, but otherwise, I don't expect to pick up any more shows. Overall, not a particularly good season, but at least it has Yahari and Denpa Kyoushi, and Arlan seems fairly promising.