Vividred Operation episode 11: Holy pomegranate that ending. It's a bit late for them to give us so much plot now just before the end, but whatever. I always assumed Rei's plan was to revive her parents, but the truth is on a much larger scale.
That crow is pineappleing scary. There should have been more of the insane form changing creepy eyes bird before /* it went all one-winged angel. */
Robotics;Notes Final:
The slow(er) robot fight was kinda refreshing. Closer to what I imagine an actual giant robot fight would be like in the early days of giant robot fights. Show was a bit above average. Many plot points felt disjointed, but in a way that probably wouldn't have happened if I'd marathoned the show.
Vividred 11 - Ehhheheheeehee
Spoiler
Psycho-Pass Final: HNNNNNG DAT FULL CIRCLE ENDING.
Spoiler
Stuck that landing. Love the grain field as a setting for a showdown, unique and stark. Love that music as Kougami chases down Makishima. Between that piece and Ode to Joy back in episode 10, the show had some amazing musical moments. Love that they took a few scenes to get the hunting dog persona across with Kougami tracking the blood. Love the yin and yang between Kougami and Makishima. LOVE THE FULL CIRCLE EPILOGUE. Ginoza becomes his old man. The friend of one of the girls' school "art pieces" becomes an enforcer. OOOOOH MAMA. And Akane's "I seen't some pomegranate" eyes.
Also lesbians. Because why not?
Big winner, this show.
Last edited by madanthony; 2013-03-22 at 11:50 AM.
I'm disappointed with how Robotic;Notes ended personally. It was full of cliches and kind of anticlimactic. WHY DIDN'T AKI AND KAI DO SOMETHING AT THE EPILOGUE
Yah, I must agree the ending was pretty...simple?. Not only it felt pretty rushed, it felt like it went from being a worldwide conspiracy to wipe humanity to being the work of a little goofy gang that was beat by the neighbors and a group of kids with tubes and pipes. It only got more and more silly as SUMERAGI turned into a real anime mecha, then the guys defeated it.
Still, because of the many reference to Steins;gate and Chaos;head I will keep my 8/10.
I probably didn't pay as much attention to the overall story as I should have, but the series really lacked an overall urgency to it. I had initially heard the VN did poorly, but I never followed up on the situation. The plot really lacked a defining feature for the protagonists to work towards/against. It was primarily doing the robot contest at first, and then just making a big ass robot, but why? Just because. And then suddenly, these reports. Let's read them, but why? Just because. And then finally, it starts to pick up, but there's a glaring lack of conflict from episode 1 to whenever Misa died in my opinion. The confession scene was expected to occur, but at the same time, I didn't feel it as strongly. Kai was always depicted rather stoicly, and while he does show a lot of concern, it's never really stressed as much affection, let alone love. So while it does happen, and reaffirm all our hopes and dreams, it fell flat at the same time for me. The last episode felt way too grandiose as well. I know we're supposed to expect technology to have improved significantly a couple of years from now, but having reflexes down to nanoseconds would not help your gigantic brick dodge projectiles moving at the speed of sound. Also, a pineappleing app that shoots a missile and deletes an AI. What. I did like the NOAH reference though. I enjoyed reading Chaos;Head quite a bit. I wonder if they'll be continuing with this franchise though. I hope they learned a lot from this.
5/10
Psycho-Pass:
Spoiler
This show had a really strong flow throughout its entire run. Its a type of show I rarely find myself watching, but it's one of my favourites over the past year. The initial episodes really set it out to feel like a standard crime drama, but it drew a really vivid (or somber) atmosphere. The overall continual conflict between Makishima and Kougami had a lot of strong impact, especially showing the fight scene in the first episode in a flashforward. I read a few comments around after finishing the last episode, and a lot of people seemed confused as to why Makishima just gave up, and waited to be shot, and why Akane didn't destroy Sybil. I would like to point out that, rather than giving up, Makishima knew he lost. He had suffered a rather serious wound, losing a significant amount of blood, and then having crashed a large vehicle, he crossed a field, and climbed a rather steep hill. I was personally expecting a Sherlock Holmes ending going into this episode, as Kougami and Makishima I feel have a lot of influence drawn from Holmes and Moriarty, where Kougami and Makishima would seemingly both die.
One of the strongest points to the show though, I always felt, was Hanazawa Kana's performance and Akane's growth throughout the series. The final scenes showing her accepting the necessary evil that is Sybil, rather than destroying the world as they know it brings another level of depth to the possible future story I feel. I think it shows a greater conflict over whether humans can truly improve themselves to a point where a system like this isn't needed, compared to whether a system like this needs to improve itself much more (i.e. The Matrix). If I were more educated in literature, I'm sure I would have a much more meaningful connection to a lot of the references that I end up having to wiki later, though I do recognize some of them.
Of all the characters, Kunazuki Yayoi had the lowest amount of impact throughout the entire series. I think her role played a more significant part towards dehumanizing the Sibyl system through her flashback, but her active role itself was never that great, especially compared to Shion, where she has the technical skills. But dat yuri.
10/10
Seitokai no Ichizon Lv2:
Spoiler
I think this series was heavily overshadowed by two things: GJ-bu this season, holding a superior animation quality and being a new series, and the fact the original was much better. My memory may not be that great, but I remember a much better feeling of interest thinking of the first season compared to this. I think there were a few good episodes, such as the later ones involving Ringo, and Asuka, but the leading episodes felt a lot less interesting. Maybe the content wasn't as interesting to the me of now, compared to when I watched the first season, but the general consensus around is that it's worse. I believe sales are abysmal, so the chances of a sequel are poor, but given that a sequel would have a completely new cast of girls, I'm not sure if I would even want that, given the attachment of the current cast.
5/10
Shinsekai Yori:
Spoiler
It's finally over. The rather significantly low animation quality of this show is a large putoff. I feel the overall story may have been able to be condensed into a 13 episode show instead of 25. A lot of the episodes are for exposition about random pomegranate that sets the "tone" but isn't really used significantly. A lot of it just didn't seem necessary. The overall conclusion at the end wasn't that shocking, though I wouldn't say it's something you'd predict prior to that episode. A lot of it felt dragged on, and there was a large focus on "lore", but there were significant parts that didn't play a part in the overall story at all. I thought the show overall was okay, but I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone unless they want something very specific, especially if the BluRays are not significant improvements to the eyecancer. Also, those tainted cats at the end were adorable.
4/10
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's I rewatched 1st yesterday, and I thought the cinematography in it was very good. I was considering watching them back-to-back, but the download for 2nd was horrendously slow, and I likely didn't have enough time. Seeing 1st really set the mood up really well for the expectations in 2nd, as it's been quite a long time since I'd seen the originals. Both movies are amazingly well done, and I would recommend them to anyone who hasn't seen the originals, as the content is almost identical, and what was removed isn't important in my opinion. As proof of such, I didn't even remember the pomegranate that was removed ever even happened until I read about it afterwards, and thought, oh okay.
Spoiler
There are a lot of amazing scenes in this movie. It starts off really strong with the reunion scene, and leads up to an amazing fight with Nanoha vs Vita, with a bit of action from Fate vs Signum. After getting the cartridge system, the transformation scenes were AMAZING. A little bit of tension was lost transitioning from Nanoha's to Fate's since there's a gap of silence switching tracks and scenes, but it felt really good seeing such a long, well animated scene with their own themes playing out, and showing Raising Heart Excelion and Bardiche Assault afterwards. All of the fight scenes were fantastically done. Nanoha solo vs Reinforce was especially amazing, with them intertwining the Fate + Alicia scenes, and then having that MAXIMUM OVERBAWWWWWW farewell, and Fate coming in and saving the day. The scene had a lot of impact, with a really strong track playing in the background, especially after watching 1st yesterday, with the scene where Alicia asks for a little sister. T_T The music overall in this movie is perfect, especially for this fight, transitioning from the sad cut to the heroic fanfare as Nanoha begins to lose, and Fate comes and saves her. I'm not 100% sold on CGI being used like the last boss was though, but the overall cooperation fight scene was really something, especially with Starlight Breaker + Plasma Zanber + Ragnarok.
I had completely forgotten about the conspiracy aspect they left out, but I honestly don't think it was a significant selling point to the story to begin with, just something to drag out 12 whole episodes.
There's apparently a 3rd movie in the works now, and I'm hoping it's not StrikerS. It's a lot of content to condense into a single movie, and I doubt it would work well being divided. It's also not as good as 1st or A's. I'm always hoping that one day, they'll revisit the story and fill in the gap between A's and StrikerS (TEN YEARS), as that's a lot of potential content (TEN YEARS)that can pad their pockets ($$$$$$) quite thickly, I would imagine. I also want to see some ViVid, and Force as well. It's just been a long time since StrikerS, and it's such a successful franchise.
10/10
A lot of the other shows I've seen this season were much more entertaining to me than Robotics;Notes, Shinsekai Yori, and Seitokai no Ichizon Lv.2.
For example, that pineappleing crow scene in Vivid Operation 11. That was pineappleing insane. I'm still hoping for a Vivid Purple/Black ending to defeat the final boss =]
I thought Shin Sekai Yori was pretty alright actually. A little rushed perhaps, but not the worst I've seen.
I totally want an anime adaptation of Nanoha FORCE. I'm fine with ViVid remaining manga-only (though an anime adaptation would be nice), but FORCE just has to get an anime.
Heh. Joe, your Shin Sekai review reads like, "I am not one to succumb to world-building". However, I do hope the QUALITY gets some reworking. Not counting on it, given the pomegranate-level sales of the show.
Shin Sekai is a lower top ten show for me. Psycho-Pass pretty easily pads out my top five. Still need Jojo and Tempest to finish up so I can marathon those.
Edit: Maoyuu 11
So much going on. ESPECIALLY DAT MAGE. For some reason I listened to the OP 3 or 4 times. And who thought it was a good idea to make next week's episode title a(n obvious) spoiler?
Last edited by madanthony; 2013-03-24 at 12:01 PM.
Ok, I know it's not a currently airing anime but I HAVE to write ~something~ ~somewhere~. So, I had watched the second season years ago, and it wasn't until yesterday that I found out that the full third season aired some time ago. So I watch the last episode of season 2 to refresh my memory, and then I start watching this episode.
Magi about to go the way of Ao no Exorcist and pineapple things up with its original ending. Why not just stick to the manga, finish the arc, and even if your show doesn't run for 300 episodes... oh well? Seems like these things usually sell well enough. Now they're just forcing themselves into a corner.
I've been confused throughout this entire anime. I sorta get the story line now but this had to be the best episode. The ending was so beautiful. Going to miss Orion..
Ok, I know it's not a currently airing anime but I HAVE to write ~something~ ~somewhere~. So, I had watched the second season years ago, and it wasn't until yesterday that I found out that the full third season aired some time ago. So I watch the last episode of season 2 to refresh my memory, and then I start watching this episode.
What the flying pineapple?
Biggest mindpineapple in recent memory.
Shana III was terrible. Oh God.
Senran Kagura:
Spoiler
Overall, this was a 'bad' show to me. I found that it at a gratuitous amount of fanservice, which is fine, but at the same time, the protagonists are shown to be utterly incapable of winning at anything against the antagonists with the exception of Yagyuu, which can also be implied to be due to Mirai being bad, rather than Yagyuu being good. The severity with which everyone else lost to their opponents was staggering. Then, in the final 3 episodes, they've powered up (which is reasonable to believe in my opinion), and can manage to win finally, but at this point there's all this empathy flying around that would have been useful to build conflict earlier on, rather than showing the enemies being unjustifiably angry at the heroes. The largest issues I had with this show was how weak the protagonists were initially, how useless Hibari was overall, and how Asuka's background had no real conflict, unlike Ikaruga, Katsuragi, and their contemporaries on the dark side. Meanwhile, in the final episode, we finally see what lead Homura to the dark side, and we still see that basically everything has gone perfectly well for Asuka in her life. I thought the conflict in the final 3 episodes were actually well done, and the fights were decent, but the episodes leading up to it were stale. Along with that, the overall open-ended-ness of the finale involving Homura's gang is offputting to say the least. While they, and all the serpent academy students are alive, there is basically no place for them to go, as the light side has proven they will not accept them, and the dark side will easily betray them for their own gain which would lead to Homura, their defacto leader, refrain from leaving anyone in their care. I actually expect if they did well enough with sales for a second season, hopefully starring Homura's crew, as with the games, from what I've read. But that's just me speaking as a huge Kitamura Eri fan, and Homura was exceptionally delicious in regards to this. dat tan. While I am tempted to give this a higher score from enjoying the last few episodes, the earlier stuff combined with Hibari being excessively annoying leads me to this:
4/10
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Spoiler
I have conflicted emotions with regards to this show. I did enjoy a lot of the drama involved, but at the same time, Sorata is one of the most dense protagonists I have ever seen, especially given the situations he's put in. He may actually suffer from some sort of denial complex like Kodaka from Haganai. It was rather irritating to watch all the pomegranate he makes Mashiro and Nanami put up with. In particular, the early scenes where Mashiro is confused over whether what she feels is love or not, and him blaming her for his failures. That being said, I quite enjoyed Nanami's character throughout the show, as well as the interactions between the cast, as much of an pimento as I may perceive Sorata to be. Rather than the helpless airhead who needs constant babying that is Mashiro, I prefer the hard-working and serious Nanami type. I think they aimed too hard for that angsty feeling from the "talentless" though, and there was a rather large amount of shipping, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. Rather I think I personally would have liked to see more story involving Hau-hau and Mr. President, as they appear to be somewhat interesting, of all the mobcharacters involved. The setup for the future continuation of the story seems interesting as well, though I'm not sure if I would enjoy the perverted archetype vs the serious studious archetype for the billionth time. Overall, we know that Mashiro and Sorata's relationship is 'progressing' but it's likely to be played off as a misunderstanding given how generic romcoms are, and the denial that Sorata seems to enjoy participating in.
6/10
Girls und Panzer:
Spoiler
After a lengthy hiatus, we're finally through with one of the best autumn shows of 2012. I thoroughly enjoyed this series the entire way through, and thought it was amazing. The attention to detail on design, animation, and combat were quite amazing, though some aspects can be left to be thought unbelievable. There was also not a gratuitous amount of fanservice (outside the Specials anyways), especially considering the all-girl cast. There's a good reason this is one of the highest selling anime of 2012. I'm glad they took the extra time to finish the final two episodes, as the quality is truly amazing, compared to the stagger that occurred during the regular production. One of the largest issues outside of budget this show faced, in my opinion, was the characterization of such a large cast. Specifically, the M3 Lee crew had such a tiny spotlight, given how unique the StuGIII crew was, and how prominent the 38t/Hetzer crew was comparatively.
Despite this, a lot of the individual characters appear to have a fanbase, aided with the summary episodes introducing everyone, and it leads to more prospects of developing them further, as individuals and as a crew in a possible sequel/side stories/OVA. I think they did an amazing job with regards to characterising the crews themselves as a group of people with like interests and mindsets, having the M3 Lee being somewhat cowardly 1st years wanting to put the effort to improve, or the StuGIII historians always showing a lot of gusto comparing analogies.
I enjoyed the concept of having them show the Ooarai team be a ragtag group of non-uniform tanks that were put together last minute, but succeed through hard work, teamwork, and dedication. Having played over 10 000 games on World of Tanks, I can attest that teamwork and strategy over sheer force of numbers is usually the difference between victory and defeat, as is the case in most tactical combat.
That being said, I think a lot of people wouldn't understand the finer details of the show that I'm attracted to, such as the difficulty of firing at a moving target, while moving, or the comparative cost of lengthy reload against missing, and the value of strong teamwork against difficult (to say the least) odds. I would expect most people watching this to be fans of cute girls doing cute things, and perhaps have some experience in regular 1st person shooters, especially in Japan, with the fair minority understanding in depth how a tank works. EP12:
The detail in the combat vs the Maus was interesting, though I'm not sure I can find it believable that the Hetzer (17t) would be able to withstand the mass (188t) to wedge it. It was cute to see the Type 89 Medium tank block the turret and then have the PzIV shoot at a downwards angle into its engine. Minus the Hetzer wedge surviving so long, the scenario I felt was believable enough, especially with the poor accuracy of the Maus, contributed when it jammed its gun against the building wall when they first encountered it.
I felt a lot of sympathy for the Elefant and JagdTiger against the M3 Lee. The Elefant faced a Tank Destroyer's worst nightmare, being boxed and having an enemy appear behind you. The JagdTiger got facehugged so hard, and I just kept imagining the gun passing through the M3 Lee model to shoot it, since they're not solid in WoT. Barely scraping a shot parallel to your armour is such a lucky thing, and being lured off a cliff like that... I don't think I've ever been lured off a cliff in my JagdTiger, though I've had my fair share of parallel ricochets on things I penetrate 10x over.
I'm surprised the Tiger P withstood so much punishment, showing so much side armour when it blocked the entrance though, but it's definitely possible that it could not be flagged after so long.
The final fight between Maho's Tiger and Miho's PzIV was quite interesting, using a lot of tactics such as reversing into their side so they miss, or staggering their passes at intersections so they cannot be led. This showed a lot of prowess on Maho's side being able to keep track of the PzIV across buildings and ordering the fire, compared to Miho's being able to command the stopping to get missed. I enjoyed how the final battle mirrored the St. Gloriana fight with the exact same maneuver resulting in victory this time.
I am very much looking forward to future GuP projekts, hopefully developing the newer crews more, and replacing some of their trashier tanks.
10/10
Ookami Kodomo Ame to Yuki:
Spoiler
A fairly long styled coming of age movie. I really enjoyed the growing up segments, showing how Hana starts her life in the country-side, and the kids growing up. I'm not too sure I like the direction Ame went, but whatever. Personal preference. I was kind of expecting to see a bit further forward with Yuki's story as well. The pacing was slow, and I think it felt good to absorb in the nature aspect of the imagery that way. The poster image(?) that uses the LN Cover Art is misleading towards the quality of the animation inside though. =/ It's really a story that appeals to a very wide range of audience, like a good movie should, rather than a niche anime audience. I can see why it's rated so highly and sold so well.
8/10
http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=576081
Also, holy pomegranate, am I reading this right? Tamako Market vol1 sold 600? I knew the show wasn't for me, but I didn't expect it to tank that badly.
and lol OP's av is my sig.
Shana was a bummer. They had such a good fantasy premise that they proceeded to throw out the window. I know the point was the romance and the action/fantasy elements were merely flavor. That only makes me sadder. Rie Kugimiya's short tsundere characters are at the top of the pomegranate heap for me. Zero no Tsukaima is one of about 4 series I actually regret watching. Even worse than Shana. After those two, I couldn't even bring myself to try Toradora.
Vividred Operation final episode: Fairly slow for a finale.
Spoiler
It was cool seeing all the vivid forms at once, and it was completely obvious that Akane was going to merge with Rei to form VividRed, but knowing didn't make it any less glorious when it did happen. Only thing I was disappointed in is the lack of Rei transforming into the Purple ranger. I was sure it was going to happen all the way throughout the series, and it KINDA did since Akane merged with her, but still. No transformation, no costume, lame.
Kotoura:
Cute but forgettable, punctuated by a few strong episodes including this last one.
Vividred:
Shi't-tier show. Gets added to my extremely small and very special list of shows I regret watching, but for some reason finished a season of anyway. So congratulations, Vividred.
Ixion Saga DT:
Ended the way it began, and with its strongest trait throughout the show - penis humor and cheap sex jokes. A fun ride. It's not every day you can say, "I watched a supernatural testicle transplant".
Maoyuu:
I'd like to think that during the credit roll, Head Maid was suggesting a three(four?)some and everyone freaked out. Didn't really feel like a conclusive ending, but an all-around decent show that achieved its purpose of subverting fantasy archetypes. I liked it.
Last edited by madanthony; 2013-03-31 at 10:54 PM.
Little Witch Academia was amazing. I know the Young Animator Projects are just one-shots, but is there any path they could take to turn into real shows? Has that happened before? Moe Harry Potter in a wicked Disney-ish style has awesome potential.
The overall slice-of-life kinda theme was okay. It wasn't particularly funny, or cute, or interesting at all. It started rather slow, with a possible plotline towards the song Tamako was always humming, and what the hell Dera was going on about. Finding the song was a pretty good episode. All those feels. The prince thing was just a jumble of blah. Not really interesting. Best parts of the show were Anko and Choi. Basically, every girl except Tamako actually. Too daft for my tastes, overall boring show, and rather underwhelming coming from KyoAni of all things. Also, look at them BluRay sales.
4/10
GJ-bu:
Spoiler
First off, whoever wrote the OP... I hate you. One of the best shows this season for me. I enjoyed the overall のんびり leisurely paced feel of the show. Despite being called GJ-bu, there wasn't really much trying at anything. If I had to say, it would be similar to Tamako Market in terms of ambiance, but actually funny, with interesting characters. I would say this series was similar to Yuru Yuri, which was produced by the same studio, or Acchi Kocchi as well, though less romantically based, and more gag-focused. Though sometimes Kyolo's interactions with the girls can have a boring reaction, I found the cast to be quite likable. I think this series heavily overshadowed Seitokai no Ichizon and Tamako Market in terms of the type of comedy produced, which I find to be in a similar style. In the end, I'm one of the subscribers to cute girls doing cute things and this fits the bill quite nicely. All dat imoutos. I'm rather sad that the series ended definitively, but at the same time, thank God there was some semblance of closure this season. I do hope there's more content from this though. Dem imoutos have a lot of potential. Also Mori-san. Oh God yes delicious Mori-san. Go look up Tenchisouha's Mori. *drool*
8/10
Kotoura-san:
Spoiler
I may have to say the show was overdramatized, but I enjoyed the whole friendship is power theme. The mix of drama and comedy was a bit odd, and really downplayed the seriousness, i.e. Haruka's abandonment issues, the assaults, etc.. I was somewhat surprised with the culprit situation, and I did find that interesting, though the playing with the victim to give time for rescue is too cliched. The whole emphasis of how Kotoura has friends means she won't walk down a similar path was well played. The final episode with the reconciliation with her mom was great, I think they did that really well with the crying flashback. Overall, I really enjoyed this show, especially with such a great cast with Kanemoto Hisako and Hanazawa Kana. Maybe in the future, we'll have a second season with less srs and more laughs and bawwws. Poor Yuriko. T_T The ED was quite good by the way. Very enjoyable. All three of them. Kibou no Hana has a really great ambiance, and hearing Kotoura sing it at karaoke was hilarious. The Tsurupeta song was great. ESP Ken no Theme equally hilarious.
7/10
Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT:
Spoiler
I had the first season rated 8. I recall it being enjoyable, and Fall 2011 was a really good season, so it couldn't have been a relative rating. That being said, I did not enjoy this season as much. I didn't find it as funny this time through compared to the last season. The extensive use of English swears as a way to sound more... badass for a lack of a better word just hurt me on a metaphysical level. That being said, I can't really put my finger on much more specifics on why I found this season to be less interesting. What I can recall off the top of my head is Kate being introduced, Yozora's hnnnnnnnnnng boyish look, the Homoanime, Yusa, Maria & Kobato 'BFFs', and Kodaka being a spineless coward. Maria, and to a lesser extend, Kate, annoy the pomegranate out of me. The obnoxious annoying loud that is Maria is what I'd think is wrong with a real imouto. Kate is just lacks charm with all that... =S The episode with buying clothes and Yozora's hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggg boyish look really boosted her appeal to new levels. That was pretty good. I liked the implication that Kobato and Maria are such good friends, being able to argue and whatnot like they do but still play and have fun etc. I enjoyed Yusa Aoi quite a bit, and am sad she didn't get more screen time. It really bothered me how DENIAL Kodaka was about everything though, and then at the END WHERE EVERYTHING IS ABOUT TO BE SOLVED SUDDENLY OPEN ENDED NO CLOSURE pineapple YOU GUYS. Yeah. I'd like to thank Rika for beating the pomegranate out of Kodaka, but at the same time, the flying balls were stupid. I enjoyed a lot of the show, but I disliked a lot as well. I will watch whatever sequel they're pushing for, but I am in favour of Sena over Yozora by the smallest of margins. Though a harem end would be great. Might look into the LNs if I have time to read them. I find it rather tiresome to sit still for so long reading plaintext that is usually grammatically incorrect.
5/10
Vividred Operation:
Spoiler
I thoroughly enjoyed this show, with its gratuitous amounts of loli-ass, spats, and jiggle. The WakabaxHimawari pairing is so good. It might have had a needless episode or two, and I was wondering how they would fill 12 at the rate they were blasting through transformations (which were amazing by the way) and monsters of the week. The last two episodes really upped the stakes in terms of drama, but at the same time, the final episode was really drawn out. The amount of time between the monster going on the loose, and the girls jumping into action was staggering. The overall final fight with all transformations, and finishing with VividRed was expected, but still great. I am sad Rei didn't get her own transformation, but oh well. The overall closure provided, with her world being restored, but then returning to see Akane was so satisfying, especially after pomegranate like Haganai's ending. That being said, I have to be more objective with my rating, and weigh less on loli-fanservice, as amazing as it was. I wonder if they'll do a second season with Rei coming back... Would be interesting.
7/10
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha:
Spoiler
The obvious comparison here is to Spice & Wolf, which is an amazing series. I think the overall concept of bettering society, in such a setting is interesting. The viewer has a (general) understanding of the benefits of the technologies introduced by Maou, and empathises with what rejection may occur, as well as the successes afterwards. This series really played strongly on wanting to improve quality of life, with the Serf theme, Maou introducing technology, Yuusha not wanting to fight wars, and bridging the gap between Demons and Humans; combined with the (somewhat obvious) revelation that the Church is corrupt at the end and the lead-in to season 2 (all of that lack of closure) draws a lot of parallels with the real world developments in the similar era, and I think people relate to that well, whether they realise it or not, since it's such an obvious thing in retrospect with out current society. That being said, Onna Mahoutsukai didn't get enough screen time, combined with the confusing monologue and what appeared to be DID, made her character feel less developed. Yuusha was egregiously overpowered, with the nuke at the end...
9/10
Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shurabasugiru:
Spoiler
This is by far the worst show I watched this season. I picked this up because the artwork looked interesting, Tamura Yukari, and I needed to fill some time on Saturdays, but it was just embarrassing to see. I'm not sure where to start. First off, the OP is not only dislikeable for being spineless, he also somehow attracts a harem and doesn't want it, "hating love" or whatever the pineapple. The first episode seemed okay, and really leads you off with a nopan Tamura Yukari character, but it just spirals out of control there. Of all the characters, Chiwa is the most normal, and she's given no chance at all. All that empathy the viewer throws at her is just tossed into the garbage whenever one of the other girls speaks. Himeka is obviously insane. I mean, I enjoyed the chuu2byou with Rikka, but you're given reasons to empathise with her. Himeka is just plain crazy. Ai is autistic or something. "I'm gonna go outside and run". "Epic win". pineappleing. It's not even the liberal take on translations, she's just that obnoxious and delusional. At least Masuzu is given reasons to be empathised with, but way too late into the story. 90% of the time, you just see her as a peach, and I felt almost no sympathy at the final episode when the crowd was whispering that. Masuzu's character type is one I like, actually. Beautiful, stylish, top grades, ojou-sama with nothing wrong, except deep down she has all these issues from the pressure of her lifestyle, lack of confidants, etc. But damn. Emphasize that, not her terrible personality that she hides behind. The only dere you ever see out of her for more than one second is in the final episode, and then they start the "bloodbath", which I though was too corny, even for this. Followed by a lack of closure. Poor Chiwa. At least she got a kiss.
2/10
AKB0048:
Spoiler
To be quite frank, I hate the idea of AKB48, and its derivatives. That being said, I did enjoy this show to some degrees. Friendship and entertainment > being Nazis, etc. I think they outlined the conflicts well this season, though last season was superior (5/10) because it didn't feel like they were peddling an agenda. The girls striving towards a goal, and then finally achieving it was great, but at the same time, I understand there's dozens of others there that don't make it, and you see them as background characters a lot, which is... heh. The trollfest mob-mentality at the end was trying too hard to make the audience empathise with the girls. I had a really NGE feel about it when Chieri was walking towards the soldier shooting at her. And then, she splits into three and teleports into the battleship... Totally not 3rd Impact there. Definitely. Right? And Yuuka about to kiss her crush, and then having to stop because she's in AKB0048. Ahahahaha. That gave a great laugh. "The girls are free to pursue whatever romantic relationships they want." Oh Lord. My sides. Anyways, I disliked the whole, "loss of individuality" on succession thing they preached. Because that's what it is. Your name means nothing. You're a nobody. But when you make it big, you can imitate this already famous person and be named after her instead. I did enjoy the OP&ED though. Every insert was garbage I believe.
4/10
Love Live!:
Spoiler
The true idol show. The characters drove this show really well. There was a lot of significance put behind in the individual character's personalities, especially compared to AKB. *shudders*. The animation was amazing, starting from the first episode, and keeping it fairly strong to the last. This really shows the prowess of the powerhouse that is Sunrise. They really focused on what it is to be an idol, but didn't make it a super serious dog-eat-dog thing out of it, since it's a School Idol concept instead. I think this is one of the things that puts it on a more enjoyable level. The slow accumulation of members, starting with their first 3-person live to their final full group, performing Start:Dash both times was really satisfying. I think the drama near the end with Kotori leaving was a bit too sudden, especially the telling her to stay scene. I was half expecting a kiss with the seriousness thrown in there, and the cliched situation. The overall impressions left by this, combined with the inserts, and past singles, shows a very well developed brand that can be easily identified and consumed. Though there may have been a larger cast (9), the characters were specifically individualized for the audience to easily identify with the ones they liked most. Combine that with the slow introduction of each character throughout several episodes leads to a great developed attachment, while still broadening the overall plot with the conflicts that they have to overcome as the new member comes to help; the 1st years joining to actually make a group that will get an audience, Nico with her professional experience, and finally Nozomi and Eri, the Student Council members and saving the school at last. All of this mixed into school life and music =]
9/10
Mangirl:
Spoiler
Oh God what a terrible OP. A lackadaisical approach to manga editorial and publication. Some okay gags but not too memorable. Given the shortness, it was acceptable.
5/10
Yama no Susume:
Spoiler
Compared to the other shorts I watched this season, this piqued my interest more. I think it helped when I watched all episodes back-to-back. The overall story was decent, and existent, unlike a pure-gag like Mangirl or Osaka-okan. The cast was exemplary, Asumi Kana <3, Iguchi Yuka, Hikasa Yoko, Ogura Yui. More cute girls doing cute things. I hope this gets a full season one day, because I think it has a lot of potential for a good slice-of-life nature thing; hiking, camping, "mountain-climbing", etc.
7/10
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai:
Spoiler
I am once again amazed and confused at what SHAFT shoves down my throat, and why I keep asking for more. I think the most enjoyable part of this show was Asumi Kana and Hanazawa Kana interacting, not to mention Saito Chiwa and Nonaka Ai. The overarching story was a bit confusing, but when put together (carefully, with glue, tape, and staples), it's coherent and well done. That being said, it's a challenge, especially if you're not good with names and don't know anything about Japanese Mythology. I'm still not sure what to make of Sasami's brother, but I guess he really is Susanoo, given the clues Tsurugi dropped the last two episodes, and his appearance to kill the dragon. I enjoyed the initial developments of Sasami being a good for nothing hikkikomori who ran away from her responsibilities, but the eventual revelation that she honestly believes her responsibilities aren't needed etc. The arc involving her mom was quite well done. The final episodes with Edogawa paralleling Sasami's life, with the whole "you don't understand me" had some heart strings being pulled there. I think Asumi Kana really delivers that sad and lonely emotion really well. I hope they have a second season. The ED is quite nice as well. Can't wait for the release.
7/10
I still have to marathon Little Busters, and maybe Magi.
Magi 25: Eh. Better than Ao no Exorcist. Season 2 confirmed for fall, and from the manga readers it seems like they just squished two arcs together in the last half and made up Alibaba's transformation. Shouldn't be hard to continue from there I guess. I'll keep watching.
Marathoned Zetsuen no Tempest:
Pretty damn good. I'd put it at my third favorite of the shows that just finished up, behind Shinsekai and Psycho-Pass. Followed the Gurren Lagann plot pattern of a really intense first half followed by a half dozen oddly slice-of-life-yet-still-plot-advancing material then finishes up intense again. Aika was a really great character and the other MCs were also quite watchable. Nice to get some relatively alpha, decisive MCs. The Shakespearean elements were well blended and well explained, considering I've not at all familiar with Hamlet or Tempest. My biggest complaint is the extent to which Hanemura seemed to be some sort of half-retarded MacGuffin.
Felt good to clean out 26 GBs of shows I won't be saving. All that's left to watch is GLORIOUS JOJO
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Originally Posted by Alex123123
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