Author Topic: The Season So Far...  (Read 57561 times)

Offline Hanover Fist

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #45 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
« Last Edit: October 10, 2013, 10:50:30 pm by Hanover Fist »

Offline Krozam

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #46 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.

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Offline Hanover Fist

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #47 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.

Offline Krozam

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #48 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.
« Last Edit: October 11, 2013, 03:39:14 am by Krozam »

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Offline Hanover Fist

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #49 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.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2013, 05:11:42 am by Hanover Fist »

Offline Krozam

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #50 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.

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Offline Hanover Fist

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Winter 2014 So Far...
« Reply #51 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
« Last Edit: January 24, 2014, 10:04:39 am by Hanover Fist »

Offline Krozam

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #52 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.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2014, 10:54:36 pm by Krozam »

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Offline kagami

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #53 on: March 26, 2014, 01:11:18 am »
one of the best seasons so far for me.

Offline Krozam

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #54 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

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Offline Nymphetamine2791

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #55 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.


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Offline Krozam

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #56 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.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2014, 10:02:05 pm by Krozam »

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Offline Hanover Fist

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Spring 2014 So Far...
« Reply #57 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
« Last Edit: April 13, 2014, 04:13:51 pm by Hanover Fist »

Offline Haxton Fale

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #58 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 - 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.

Offline Hanover Fist

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Re: The Season So Far...
« Reply #59 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),