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[KuwabaraTheMan]

Kids on the Slope 3:
Amazing show remains amazing. I'm impressed by the breadth of emotion this show manages to cover in such a short amount of time. That's one of the real strengths of the series. I also remain impressed with the music, and the way the characters are coming together. Everything about the series is pure class.

 

[faridmon]

This show is bluntly obvious about what it's going to be up front. I have no idea how anyone could be disappointed in it unless they had wild expectations going in. Ano Natsu is a perfectly passable show in most respects that works as a decent romantic comedy.

Blunt in mediocrity is one thing, but adding elements just to strengthen the plot somehow is never a good thing. There were nothing romantic about it - unless you like trainwreck of angst and anxiety- neither was it funny...

Maybe this was my problem. I don't really watch romance anime, decided to watch AnoNatsu anyway, and it really just ended up reconfirming that this particular genre doesn't interest me.

Spoiler

Kaito and Ichika were still terrible characters

you should not gauge the whole genre based on this stupid Anime. There are plenty of good Romantic comedies that are funny and have a good sense of human sense. Toradora for instance.

 

[Makoto]

wow...the things that pass for comedy these days.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there was waaaaaay more crying and self-loathing than there was comedy.

 

[PdotMichael]

Why is Tsuritama so sweet? For me the best noitamina anime since Tatami Galaxy.

 

[madp]

Blunt in mediocrity is one thing, but adding elements just to strengthen the plot somehow is never a good thing. There were nothing romantic about it - unless you like trainwreck of angst and anxiety- neither was it funny...
you should not gauge the whole genre based on this stupid Anime. There are plenty of good Romantic comedies that are funny and have a good sense of human sense. Toradora for instance.

I dropped Toradora after a few episodes. I know that this isn't my genre, haha.

 

[Kagami]

Harem Anime in horrible Sci-fi Gimmick with lot of terrible one dimensional characters trying to create a complex love triangular situations, is just not my thing.

I don't think it makes sense to call AnoNatsu a "harem."
Other than that, though, I understand the rest of what you said.
It's a very narrow, focused show, so if you have any expectation/desire for anything besides the few specific things it delivers, it'll be disappointing.
On the other hand, if you like those things, it's pretty good at them.

 

[faridmon]

I dropped Toradora after a few episodes. I know that this isn't my genre, haha.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo

You should have stuck with it, it is one of the few series that becomes better and better as you go along.

 

[BGBW]

I wonder why YuruYuri makes such a big deal about rum raisin ice cream. I'm sitting here eating some and quite frankly vanilla is still better. Of course since they are yuris they are not really into vanilla.

 

[Crash Station]

Hayate no Gotoku s2 end

Kind of an underwhelming season finale, at least the first half was. 2nd half was much better and this seems like a good stopping point with the new semester starting and all that, but still...

Anyway, this was quite different from season 1. It was definitely more focused with consistent story developments and actual arcs with a sense of progression. The trade-off is it just wasn't as funny and more dull overall. That's not to say it's bad, but the major decline in references was definitely disappointing. The parody was pretty much pushed aside to make room for an actual plot.

I still liked it though even if it wasn't as good as season 1. I'm definitely going to read the manga now where this left off.

 

[Ryuukan]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo

You should have stuck with it, it is one of the few series that becomes better and better as you go along.

It's probably the best tsundere loli performance in anime.

 

[dimb]

Did I need to bold the word romantic or something? Romantic comedy implies a very specific genre that isn't a comedy strictly, nor is that the focus. It still treads into that territory pretty regularly, and generally has a lighthearted side. Ano Natsu has a whole character dedicated to antics with Remon.

Blunt in mediocrity is one thing, but adding elements just to strengthen the plot somehow is never a good thing. There were nothing romantic about it - unless you like trainwreck of angst and anxiety- neither was it funny...

I have no idea what you're referring to. How is it not a story about romance? The entire thing is about relationships.

 

[Branduil]

Kids on the Slope 3

You're not Rick's bread!

Another solid episode. The

Spoiler

love quadrangle

is pretty standard stuff in of itself, but it works here because we've had two episodes to establish the characters, so we can identify with them as people and not just as shipping tools.

So much of this episode was based around the idea of characters watching other people, so it was really interesting to see how they worked with facial expressions and the framing of shots. I liked the scenes early on where Kaoru visited Sentaro's home, the contrast between their families really hit home due to Kaoru's reactions; you could sense the sad feelings of envy in his eyes. And Kaoru taking the lead in their plan, and Sentaro's tentativeness, was a nice reversal of the usual roles.

I-it's not like I want to play jazz with you, idiot!

The performance scenes in this sure are awesome. This one even had a couple of shots where the piano-playing wasn't CGI!

Anyway, that was a smooth move, Kaoru. Chicks love Disney songs.

Spoiler

It's nice to see the confession come this early.

I haven't read the manga, but this compressed adaptation has been really impressive so far; this show has such nice pacing.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

It will, but probably not enough to make the crappy opening arcs worth it if it truly is only 12 episodes with no chance of more seasons. Quite a shame too.

They can not truly have it only planned for 12. That would be kind of waste with all this character introduction and interaction episodes and what not to end it at 12. I have faith it may get at least more episodes, I hope. After recovering from the first episode, the anime is entertaining and has potential.

 

[madp]

I have no idea what you're referring to. How is it not a story about romance? The entire thing is about relationships.

The central romance doesn't exactly develop as organically as I would have liked, which was one of my complaints with the show. It didn't feel like a "real" romance to me, and not even because

Spoiler

of the alien thing

. I need to see a process of falling in love for me to have any emotional investment in the development of a fictional relationship, and it was pretty much just a love at first sight thing for Kaito+Ichika from the beginning. The show relied on a series of misunderstandings rather than actual romantic development in order to further the story in the early episodes, which was just unsatisfying.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo

You should have stuck with it, it is one of the few series that becomes better and better as you go along.

I don't even remember why I stopped watching. Probably because of Taiga.

 

[Ryuukan]

I dropped Toradora after a few episodes. I know that this isn't my genre, haha.

Maybe you would like Koi Kaze

 

[panty]

"Hey, don't just join in"

 

[Branduil]

Capcom collaborating with Oshii for Steel Battalion short live action film.

If Oshii fans were interested.

Live-action Oshii, ewwww.

 

[Brazil]

They can not truly have it only planned for 12. That would be kind of waste with all this character introduction and interaction episodes and what not to end it at 12. I have faith it may get at least more episodes, I hope. After recovering from the first episode, the anime is entertaining and has potential.

If the show's ratings are anything to go by, those BDs won't leave the shelves.

 

[firehawk12]

Blunt in mediocrity is one thing, but adding elements just to strengthen the plot somehow is never a good thing. There were nothing romantic about it - unless you like trainwreck of angst and anxiety- neither was it funny...you should not gauge the whole genre based on this stupid Anime. There are plenty of good Romantic comedies that are funny and have a good sense of human sense. Toradora for instance.

AnoNatsu is fine as a romcom though. The fact that it's so short means that it doesn't have a chance to go crazy like Toradora's final arc.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

And that is another place where this Anime falters. They made you invest emotionally in a character that was supposed to be in a limbo and never gave you any chance of redemption. That is KEY-isque if nothing else. forceful emotive presentation should just die in Animes...

I find this criticism rather ironic from a self-confessed fan of Ano Hana, a show that was much worse at "Key"-style melodrama, culminating in that laughable shrine scene of tears. It went to the point of manufacturing dumb romantic entanglements and making someone as enjoyable as Poppo act out-of-character for the purposes of turning the melodrama up to 11. I couldn't take the resolution seriously after all the pointless detours and padding it had, which is all the more unforgivable in a short show.

I would never claim Ano Natsu is a particularly deep show, and it has some flaws in how it handled the early fanservice moments, but as a whole it's a solid, focused, well-executed example of its traditional story.

Also, if you want more Mari Okada writing, you have lots of shows to choose from! Black Rock Shooter TV, Aquarion Evol, the new Lupin, AKB0048 - perhaps you'll find one of those more to your liking?

 

[dimb]

The central romance doesn't exactly develop as organically as I would have liked, which was one of my complaints with the show. It didn't feel like a "real" romance to me, and not even because

Spoiler

of the alien thing

. I need to see a process of falling in love for me to have any emotional investment in the development of a fictional relationship, and it was pretty much just a love at first sight thing for Kaito+Ichika from the beginning. The show relied on a series of misunderstandings rather than actual romantic development in order to further the story in the early episodes, which was just unsatisfying.

Most of Ano Natsu's misunderstandings were resolved in the first few episodes, or shortly after they pop up. I don't really see the point in singling out Ano Natsu. It was a watchable show in relatively abhorrent season.

 

[Jex]

Fair enough. I am slow when it comes to those kind of stuff!

Spoiler

Okada for life yo!

You sir, are crazy.

 

[Jex]

I don't think it makes sense to call AnoNatsu a "harem."
Other than that, though, I understand the rest of what you said.
It's a very narrow, focused show, so if you have any expectation/desire for anything besides the few specific things it delivers, it'll be disappointing.
On the other hand, if you like those things, it's pretty good at them.

Well, it's not really a harem and it doesn't really rest on the whole sci-fi thing either, although it does have some importance. It's hard to argue that Kaito and Ichika aren't bland though, because they really are.

 

[firehawk12]

Most of Ano Natsu's misunderstandings were resolved in the first few episodes, or shortly after they pop up. I don't really see the point in singling out Ano Natsu. It was a watchable show in relatively abhorrent season.

It really wasn't about the silly love triangle stuff, since

Spoiler

Kanna had no chance whatsoever

. The angst is, to make it more relatable, whether or not

Spoiler

a long distance relationship is worth starting

.

You sir, are crazy.

He is!

---

I really can't decide between the normal one and this one. lol

Well, it's not really a harem and it doesn't really rest on the whole sci-fi thing either, although it does have some importance. It's hard to argue that Kaito and Ichika aren't bland though, because they really are.

Eh, I'm glad the stupid quirks were relegated to the minor characters. Would it have mattered if Kaito was the lady-killer?

 

[Ultimadrago]

I wonder why YuruYuri makes such a big deal about rum raisin ice cream. I'm sitting here eating some and quite frankly vanilla is still better. Of course since they are yuris they are not really into vanilla.

*rimshot*

He'll be here all week folks!

 

[Jex]

Eh, I'm glad the stupid quirks were relegated to the minor characters. Would it have mattered if Kaito was the lady-killer?

I don't have a huge issue with Kaito and Ichika, I found them to be inoffensive. Still, even though I enjoyed the series as a whole I didn't really care about the main pair. I can see why people complain about the, although I wouldn't go as far as to call them 'one dimensional'.

 

[BluWacky]

Kids on the Slope 3

The pacing and dialogue in this show are so natural I can't believe they're "rushing" through it. I wonder how much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the manga?

Regardless, the show has such excellent art (and also pretty good animation most of the time) that it would probably be a pleasure to watch even if the rest of the show didn't measure up, which it fortunately does.

Purely from a nitpicking point of view, it might have been nice to continue to explore some of the themes from the previous episode other than the love quadrangle. I don't think it's important at all, but Jun was a little conspicuous in his absence this week - I'm sure the show will return to him in due course.

Easily the show of the season.

 

[firehawk12]

I don't have a huge issue with Kaito and Ichika, I found them to be inoffensive. Still, even though I enjoyed the series as a whole I didn't really care about the main pair. I can see why people complain about the, although I wouldn't go as far as to call them 'one dimensional'.

Yeah, I think they served the plot more than anything else. Kaito's

Spoiler

dead parents

doesn't really factor into the story since it's not really that important to the main thrust of the plot. If anything, that part is more integral to Kanna's storyline.

 

[Cwarrior]

The central romance doesn't exactly develop as organically as I would have liked, which was one of my complaints with the show. It didn't feel like a "real" romance to me, and not even because

Spoiler

of the alien thing

. I need to see a process of falling in love for me to have any emotional investment in the development of a fictional relationship, and it was pretty much just a love at first sight thing for Kaito+Ichika from the beginning. The show relied on a series of misunderstandings rather than actual romantic development in order to further the story in the early episodes, which was just unsatisfying.

I don't even remember why I stopped watching. Probably because of Taiga.

You made the right choice in bailing out, it's down hill after ep2 and spirals to crap after the swimming episode.

My issue with the romance/ romcom genre is once you seen like 2 or 3 of them you seen everything the genre has to offer in all of it's mediocrity after that it's nearly all same crap also theirs a large..scratch that, all the focuses is on the girls cause there main draw/bait for the otaku crowd, the guys have as little personality,characteristics as possible basically there made as bland as possible so the target audience can relate to/ project themselfs in there place.

If you want a good anime romance recommendation I would say Berserk

if I had pick romcom for you to watch it would be school rumble(just make sure to not watch the ova ending or read the manga ending, trolololol)

 

[Ultimadrago]

Fujiko 3 (I'm a little behind)

The shadows weren't as obviously broken as they were in the first two episodes, by which I mean they don't end in a neat line. Also the music during the speeding train scene was pretty sweet.

I love your avatar by the way.

Best character in Archer.

 

[faridmon]

I find this criticism rather ironic from a self-confessed fan of Ano Hana, a show that was much worse at "Key"-style melodrama, culminating in that laughable shrine scene of tears. It went to the point of manufacturing dumb romantic entanglements and making someone as enjoyable as Poppo act out-of-character for the purposes of turning the melodrama up to 11. I couldn't take the resolution seriously after all the pointless detours and padding it had, which is all the more unforgivable in a short show.

I would never claim Ano Natsu is a particularly deep show, and it has some flaws in how it handled the early fanservice moments, but as a whole it's a solid, focused, well-executed example of its traditional story.

Also, if you want more Mari Okada writing, you have lots of shows to choose from! Black Rock Shooter TV, Aquarion Evol, the new Lupin, AKB0048 - perhaps you'll find one of those more to your liking?

I have already critises Ano Hana for its being a Key-Lite in many instances, and I never said it was the best thing ever. I merely said that I sort of like because it succeded in other areas. It had some likable characters (which many will not agree, but when you have Poppo in your Anime, then you have won), the character art were quite good, the animation were great and the plot was focused and never gave an excuse to bullshit you.

Ano Natsu, used a lot of different elements to use it as drive for its silly ''relationship'' plot. Sci-fi to bring Kaito and Ichika together, Harem to bring Kanna, Ichika and Kaori to create a more complex relationship. There were element of comedy in that nudist and Kaoris friend which also created another ''relationship'' thread between them and Tetsuro. Oh, and another flimsy stuff like Tatsuros sister to create jealousy and misunderstanding which were all flimsy and I don't call those a focused story telling.

I am not saying Ano Hana was great, but I liked and I can see why many would criticises it, but that doesn't change the fact that Ano Natsu took many of those negative aspect of Ano Hana and drove it to ground.

 

[faridmon]

Also, I really don't get why people are sayng that its not a Harem. there is 2 boys and 10 girls. 3 of them want to hook up with Kaito (4 if you include that silly dramatic episode with Tatsuros sister) while 2 of those were going after Tatsuou at the same time. There is fan service (albeit a mild one) and both males are naive. Those to me are some of the charctersistic of what makes harem a harem.

If I am wrong, could one of you educate me what makes a harem harem

 

[cajunator]

Polar Bear Café 04

dat swag (and dat smartphone propaganda oh my)

SWAG PENGUIN. Oh shit. gotta watch this now.

More friends and pirates came to visit!

The Pirates vol. 2 package is thicker than vol. 1...

...due to some kind of paper-craft SD figure things called Grafigs.

Also grabbed the opening theme to Queen's Blade Rebellion, sung by Tamura Naomi, an awesome singer who I've liked ever since she sang the first and third Magic Knight Rayearth openings in the early 90s. This is her 25th anniversary single and the first anime song she's done in a number of years, so I've been pretty hyped for it.

Kagami please tell me if these, any of these have english subs because Im so fucking buying those Space Pirates discs at whatever cost is necessary if they do. (and maybe even if they dont because I would totally double dip that show)

 

[Jex]

I find this criticism rather ironic from a self-confessed fan of Ano Hana, a show that was much worse at "Key"-style melodrama, culminating in that laughable shrine scene of tears. It went to the point of manufacturing dumb romantic entanglements and making someone as enjoyable as Poppo act out-of-character for the purposes of turning the melodrama up to 11. I couldn't take the resolution seriously after all the pointless detours and padding it had, which is all the more unforgivable in a short show.

I can't believe we're still discussing Ano Natsu. It's really left a scar on this thread.

 

[cajunator]

I watch Ano Natsu for Kanna and Lemon antics. that's the redeeming part of the show for me.

 

[RurouniZel]

I can't believe we're still discussing Ano Natsu. It's really left a scar on this thread.

The Kanna Defense Force is strong here, apparently.

 

[DiGiKerot]

my body wasn't ready

Dude, at least give some indication of what show you're talking about before posting things like that!

Dammit, I didn't want to see that.

 

[Jex]

Live-action Oshii, ewwww.

Shouldn't he hard at work on his comedy at the moment anyway?

 

[cajunator]

Honestly at this point I'd rather pay higher prices for US releases if it means more quality releases with extras. I'm sick of the barebones shit. Give me better quality, US companies, even if it comes at higher prices.

 

[Firemind]

A harem basically consists of multiple love interests where the one guy or gal that everyone else fawns over doesn't know who to choose until the very end and sometimes not even that. A love triangle is not a harem and Ano Natsu basically has two love triangles if you dissect it.

Speaking of love triangles, the misunderstandings are getting fucking stupid on Kids on the Slope.

Fucking love rectangles, man.

 

[faridmon]

Well, I see that my opinion was not a popular one so I'll let that slide

Spoiler

especially now that I haven't finished it yet

However, I did finish Chihayafuru few days ago and it was fantastic. I'll probably write a lengthy impressions of both of them some other time.

A harem basically consists of multiple love interests where the one guy or gal that everyone else fawns over doesn't know who to choose until the very end and sometimes not even that. A love triangle is not a harem and Ano Natsu basically has two love triangles if you dissect it.

You could argue the fact that more of those ladies are fawning on Kaito in some way or another.

 

[cajunator]

Well, I see that my opinion was not a popular one so I'll let that slide

Spoiler

especially now that I haven't finished it yet

However, I did finish Chihayafuru few days ago and it was fantastic. I'll probably write a lengthy impressions of both of them some other time.

You could argue the fact that more of those ladies are fawning on Kaito in some way or another.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! One of my recent favorites for sure!

 

[Brazil]

Speaking of love triangles, the misunderstandings are getting fucking stupid on Kids on the Slope.

Fucking love rectangles, man.

I honestly didn't think

Spoiler

Ritsuko was actually interested in Sentarou.

It surprised me a little.

 

[Jex]

I think Shoujo-tachi yo is probably the song that the current AKB0048 team is performing, and it inspires the girls when they're young, to make them want to join AKB0084. The OP/ED probably represents the actual 9 leads, so they'll be singing those themselves. I can see the current unit performing existing songs in the series, while the protagonists sing original insert songs later on.

It sounds like you're preparing to delve deep into the world of AKB48 duckroll. It was nice knowing you.

 

[faridmon]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! One of my recent favorites for sure!

Too bad it was not a complete story. Hopefully there is a second season along the road, but again, I am waiting for my 2nd season of Skip Beat! damn it!

 

[Brazil]

Too bad it was not a complete story. Hopefully there is a second season along the road, but again, I am waiting for my 2nd season of Skip Beat! damn it!

It's probably not going to happen. Chihayafuru bombed hard.

Thankfully there's still the manga. I'll need to check it eventually.

 

[Makoto]

It’s time to do some spring cleaning of this outrageous backlog. I started these shows months ago but they stand at the midpoint between decent and boring. Now I’m abiding by the 3-episode rule or giving them one more chance to see if any of them are worth investing time into.

Asatte no Houkou 2-3

As soon as I saw the hair sheen, I could tell this was a JC Staff anime. Dem Aoi Hana vibes at work. These few episodes are much better than episode one. If I had to drop all the shows collecting dust in the backlog and keep only one, Asatte no Houkou would be that one. The drama is getting kind of heavy but it’s handling the characterization very well.

Mawaru Penguindrum 3

I can safely say I don’t care. I don’t care about the two male leads. I don’t care about their sister. I don’t care about the penguins. I sort of care about the stalker chick. And if I have to listen to that Rock N’ Roll Night song one more time I’m going to punch a fucking hole in my wall.

Drip-dropped.

Sketchbook ~full color'S~ 2-3

This show is probably best to watch after a long day. It’s the type show you watch to help you fall asleep and I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s not particularly boring but I’m not enthralled by it either. Gotta drop it.

Planetes 4

I can understand the love for this show, but man does Hachimaki have the biggest stick up his ass. Even when he does something worth rooting for, he still does it in the most obnoxious way possible so that your opinion of him doesn’t change by the end of an episode. I will give it one more episode.

Fate/Zero 3

*first half*

Yup, gonna drop this.

*Saber shows up*

Well, I’ll give it one more episode.

*thinks about it*

Nah, I’m just going to drop it for now and if anything, put it on hold, watch the Fate/stay night dub and then maybe return to F/Z when the show itself gets dubbed because the Japanese VAs are doing nothing for me. I feel like I’m still getting thrown some bloat in the writing department. Saber is seriously the only character I enjoy watching. Everyone just seems uninteresting right now. Most of all that Waver kid is a clown and comes off more as some Harry Potter side-villain reject from the house of Slytherin than a character that truly belongs on this show.

Stratos 4 2-3

lol. So that’s what it sounds when Japanese voice actors try to do American accents. Had to replay that part a few times to make sure I heard right. Uh, I’m sure that was convincing enough for everyone who is not American. I remember picking this up from a GAF recommendation on shows that were somewhat similar to Planetes. It did come with the disclaimer that it was moe. There's also some classy (read: fanservice) shots like this one and this one.

I gotta drop it.

Ro-Kyu-Bu! 4

I only watched this show for a similar reason why someone would engage in those restaurant-specific eating challenges: to be able to say I endured something stupid that many others couldn’t do. After 5 episodes of this show, I am able to that I can’t eat this entire 12 foot burrito. Though I’m sure there’s a competent underdog story in this show, I just cannot endure it anymore. I hate the character designs. I hate everyone. Dropped.

 

[survivor]

It's probably not going to happen. Chihayafuru bombed hard.

Thankfully there's still the manga. I'll need to check it eventually.

The manga has a bilingual release by Kodansha. So you can read the manga and learn Japanese at the same time.

 

[Brazil]

Mawaru Penguindrum 3

I can safely say I don’t care. I don’t care about the two male leads. I don’t care about their sister. I don’t care about the penguins. I sort of care about the stalker chick. And if I have to listen to that Rock N’ Roll Night song one more time I’m going to punch a fucking hole in my wall.

Drip-dropped.

Wise choice. If you feel like it, you should watch episodes 20 (for the goodness) and 24 (for some closure).

The manga has a bilingual release by Kodansha. So you can read the manga and learn Japanese at the same time.

Oh, that's pretty cool. I'll definitely look into it.

 

[Firemind]

Well, I see that my opinion was not a popular one so I'll let that slide

Spoiler

especially now that I haven't finished it yet

Naw, I like Ano Hana more as well.

You could argue the fact that more of those ladies are fawning on Kaito in some way or another.

Not really. There are really only two contenders.

I honestly didn't think

Spoiler

Ritsuko was actually interested in Sentarou.

It surprised me a little.

She's not which makes the whole situation even dumber.