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Summer 2013 Anime Thread Zero: grown men playing with dolls/who but WB Masochism

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Ok, I'm still a casual anime fan at best (like 'em, don't really watch 'em) and I had the urge today to check what's new this season. Unfortunately, and that's not a critic, I can't make heads or tails about the OP. Like reading something really cool and fun but missing the first 80 episodes :-S

So I will ask the consensus about some banners that caught my eyes.

Are...

Blood Lad
Gatchaman
Servant x Service
Silver Spoon
Uchoten Kazoku

...good ?

Other suggestions greatly appreciated, please no prank suggestion ( '°~°)

Eh
Seems Neat
Neat until Tsundere Sister appeared
Good adaptation so far.
No clue, think it's on a potential drop list
 

survivor

Banned
Ok, I'm still a casual anime fan at best (like 'em, don't really watch 'em) and I had the urge today to check what's new this season. Unfortunately, and that's not a critic, I can't make heads or tails about the OP. Like reading something really cool and fun but missing the first 80 episodes :-S

So I will ask the consensus about some banners that caught my eyes.

Are...

Blood Lad
Gatchaman
Servant x Service
Silver Spoon
Uchoten Kazoku

...good ?

Other suggestions greatly appreciated, please no prank suggestion ( '°~°)

The bolded ones are good or at least promising to turn out great. Blood Lad is only good depending on your tolerance of battle shonen tropes. Also a good comedy anime about cute girls doing cute and funny things is Love Lab, but you might not be sold on the premise.
 
Ok, I'm still a casual anime fan at best (like 'em, don't really watch 'em) and I had the urge today to check what's new this season. Unfortunately, and that's not a critic, I can't make heads or tails about the OP. Like reading something really cool and fun but missing the first 80 episodes :-S

So I will ask the consensus about some banners that caught my eyes.

Are...

Blood Lad
Gatchaman
Servant x Service
Silver Spoon
Uchoten Kazoku

...good ?

Other suggestions greatly appreciated, please no prank suggestion ( '°~°)

I think Blood Lad is pretty good for casual anime fans.

What have you seen and liked?
 
Big O 7 Dub

Normally I'm not a fan of episodes that start with the characters in a predicament and flash between the build up of how they got there and them interacting in the present but it worked really well here. The ending felt really rushed and it looks like the series is going to start to segue into being more plot focused.
 

Li Kao

Member
The bolded ones are good or at least promising to turn out great. Blood Lad is only good depending on your tolerance of battle shonen tropes. Also a good comedy anime about cute girls doing cute and funny things is Love Lab, but you might not be sold on the premise.

Yup I knew my first post wasn't really good since there was no indication about my tastes :-/

Casual, so not really into some type of anime over others, but...
Real life is cool.
Girl thing not a problem, I should really watch K-ON some day.
Tsundere is cool, you bunch of miscreants. I was a Love Hina fan, I can take tsundere.
Yandere is uncool, if I see any girl near a axe I will personally curse you. Every day. Of my life.

Not really helpful, I fear... :-/
Well let's say modern setting over fantasy and no trauma inducing stuff please.


Edit for cosmicblizzard -
Hmm, not watched a lot the last few years. I really liked Chaos;Head and the few I saw of Nichijou.
The fishing anime from some seasons ago seemed really cool.
 

survivor

Banned
Yup I knew my first post wasn't really good since there was no indication about my tastes :-/

Casual, so not really into some type of anime over others, but...
Real life is cool.
Girl thing not a problem, I should really watch K-ON some day.
Tsundere is cool, you bunch of miscreants. I was a Love Hina fan, I can take tsundere.
Yandere is uncool, if I see any girl near a axe I will personally curse you. Every day. Of my life.

Not really helpful, I fear... :-/
Well let's say modern setting over fantasy and no trauma inducing stuff please.


Edit for cosmicblizzard -
Hmm, not watched a lot those last years. I really liked Chaos;Head and the few I saw of Nichijou.
The fishing anime from some seasons ago seemed really cool.

Silver Spoon is a good character drama with decent comedy moments. There is also Genshiken, but I think you are better off if you watched the previous seasons of it first. Uchoten Kazoku has some fantasy elements to it, but the first episode was really promising.

Gatchaman Crowds is by the same director of the fishing anime, Tsuritama, so you might like that.
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
Ok, I'm still a casual anime fan at best (like 'em, don't really watch 'em) and I had the urge today to check what's new this season. Unfortunately, and that's not a critic, I can't make heads or tails about the OP. Like reading something really cool and fun but missing the first 80 episodes :-S

So I will ask the consensus about some banners that caught my eyes.

Are...

Blood Lad
Gatchaman
Servant x Service
Silver Spoon
Uchoten Kazoku

...good ?

Other suggestions greatly appreciated, please no prank suggestion ( '°~°)

I'm assuming that you read the synopses for each of these since you mentioned looking at the banners in the OP, so apologies if you didn't because my advice is pretty worthless in that case :lol

Blood Lad - feels like it's targeted toward young adolescents. Protagonist is kind of an unlikable jerkass, lots of unfunny humor.

Gatchaman Crowds - problematic first episode, but it has room to grow. Depending on your personal tastes, you might find the protagonist endearing or annoying and the art direction pleasing or ugly.

Servant X Service - decently funny when it sticks to its core cast with comedy poking at bureaucracy, but there are some really annoying supporting characters.

Silver Spoon - consensus seems to be that it's a good adaptation of the manga.

Uchouten Kazoku - very smartly-written with naturalistic dialogue and some really lovely background art and scene framing. My personal show of the season.

There's honestly nothing that I would actively recommend from this season so far outside of Uchouten Kazoku, so I'll leave recommendations to others.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
I'm no fan of -monogatari dialogue either, but I don't think the intent is to be a representation of real-life conversation. Nisio's dialogue, with its wordplay and allusions, seems to me to be incredibly authored, to live in its weird specificity. The characters have to act more clever than people would act, to stick more stubbornly to their particular thesis than would actually happen in a conversation. Even if it's not trying to advance plot, it still feels artificial, like the screenplay in Clerks.

That sort of thing can have its charms, but at least in the case of Bakemonogatari, it just wasn't for me. I don't mind watching people I know talk about nothing, but everyone in Bake felt really empty to me, so it was hard to be interested in what they were saying.

I definitely see that. In my time through all of bake and some of nise I see some of the clever, intelligent writing that seeps through. However, for the most part I feel the conversations are extremely boring and hollow.
 

cnet128

Banned
Are...

Blood Lad
Gatchaman
Servant x Service
Silver Spoon
Uchoten Kazoku

...good ?

None of those shows are bad. Blood Lad is probably the weakest of the lot, since it looks like it's going to go down a fairly generic shonen battle manga route, but it has a lot of energy and seems enjoyable to watch nonetheless.

Of those five, I'd pick out Gatchaman Crowds and Uchouten Kazoku as the most promising. Gatchaman Crowds is a "sentai" (hero team) style show with tons of visual flair and energy and generally seems really nicely put together. The Gatchaman franchise is actually a really old one that started in the 70s, but this new installment seems to be very much doing its own thing and doesn't really require any knowledge of the old show. Uchouten Kazoku, on the other hand, is a much more laid-back and quirky series with tons of atmosphere and nice characterisation, based around supernatural beings from Japanese folklore living their lives in modern Kyoto.

As for the other shows you mentioned, Servant x Service is a fairly unexceptional but well-executed slice-of-life comedy. Its most notable feature is probably the office setting, which you don't see a lot in anime, so it feels pretty fresh. If you're interested in this series, I would also second other posters' recommendations of Love Lab, which is the most enjoyable of the slice-of-life comedy series this season. Silver Spoon, meanwhile, is a pretty down-to-earth take on farming life, with some comedy elements. It seems fairly engaging if you can get into the material, and a lot of people swear by the manga it's based on.

As for other recommendations...you might want to try Watamote. It's not for everyone, but a lot of people here (myself included) are enjoying it a ton. And if you're open to anime that aren't currently airing, I'm sure people could come up with a multitude of recommendations for you (though you may want to give more indication of what types of series you're most interested in!)
 
Uchouten Kazoku - 2

A more subdued episode than the first, simply presenting us the family (the English title is "My Eccentric Family", so it was clear the MC's family was important), his mother and brothers, and their situation in respect of Tanuki's society.

That said, even it was more a simple episode, that doesn't mean it wasn't less well done, the episode makes a good job of presenting each family member, the quirkiness of each one and their own place in the world in a natural way that didn't feel very forced.

There is an interesting style in this show, that magical realism of Ghibli with a relaxing but interesting slice of life tone and the whole magical talking animals but with a more realistic/dark flair mixed in ("be proud Tanukis, but be aware, as you may be boiled alive in a pot by your past love)".
 

Midonin

Member
I've never seen Tsuritama. The main thing that got me to watch Crowds was knowing that Maaya Uchida is in it. Ever since Akibaranger, I've turned into something of a fan of hers. That the voice she's using for Hajime is similar to the one used for Mao in GJ Bu is also nice.
 
Yup I knew my first post wasn't really good since there was no indication about my tastes :-/

Casual, so not really into some type of anime over others, but...
Real life is cool.
Girl thing not a problem, I should really watch K-ON some day.
Tsundere is cool, you bunch of miscreants. I was a Love Hina fan, I can take tsundere.
Yandere is uncool, if I see any girl near a axe I will personally curse you. Every day. Of my life.

Not really helpful, I fear... :-/
Well let's say modern setting over fantasy and no trauma inducing stuff please.


Edit for cosmicblizzard -
Hmm, not watched a lot the last few years. I really liked Chaos;Head and the few I saw of Nichijou.
The fishing anime from some seasons ago seemed really cool.

If you liked Chaos;Head, you absolutely must see Steins;Gate. And yeah, the fishing anime is called Tsuritama and it's pretty alright.

Other than that, it sounds like you're open to a lot, so it's hard to recommend things without listing a hundred different series. I guess try whatever people say in here.
 
Blood Lad Episode 2 Back Home, But Not Really
tumblr_mpxrgrBauh1qbxqfpo1_500.png


Alright episode, I think it did the events faithfully or maybe too much as sometimes felt like it was lacking excitement or whatever, but it had its moments.

Mainly just glad for the tiny bits of Yoshida screentime and then some Wolf, cant wait for next episode, been waiting for it ever since the anime was announced.
 

Li Kao

Member
Mmh, thanks for the replies guys ! Very passionated folks here but I already knew it from the few times I posted in this topic.

My question was about the new shows, hence why I didn't include Genshinken as like someone has guessed I didn't watch the prior seasons.

Older stuff wise I'm interested in, don't have the list at hand but...
Baccano / Durarara
Tsuritama
Genshinken
Moyasimon
Slice of life stuff like K-on etc...
Eden of the east
Steins;Gate and Robotics;Note evidently

Surely a lot more.
 

dimb

Bjergsen is the greatest midlane in the world
My question was about the new shows, hence why I didn't include Genshinken as like someone has guessed I didn't watch the prior seasons.
I have no prior experience with Gensinken but it's one of the shows I enjoy most this season.
 

Li Kao

Member
If you liked Chaos;Head, you absolutely must see Steins;Gate. And yeah, the fishing anime is called Tsuritama and it's pretty alright.

Other than that, it sounds like you're open to a lot, so it's hard to recommend things without listing a hundred different series. I guess try whatever people say in here.

Yeah but Steins;Gate being at last localized is making me hesitate. Same thing with Danganronpa.
You are right about the vagueness of my initial demand. I'm a little too open in my tastes for specific recommendations, sorry.
Let's just say : Is there a must watch show this season ? (yandere can jump off a cliff) And if there is not, are there good, solid shows ? (kill the yandere with fire)
 

Dynedom

Member
Gargantia 09-13 (Fin)

Okay so I kinda marathoned the rest. I COULDN'T HELP IT. SHOW = GOOD.

I felt that Pinion's arc was a little bit uneven but I think it was still well done.
Dat Lukkage being the one to give him the nudge is quite interesting

The revelations that
the whalesquid are human isn't quite as shocking as I imagine the creators would have liked. The entire sequence of Ledo crushing all the babies was a bit disturbing though. Same thing goes for Chamber disintegrating the innocent one in his hand
.

I think the internal conflict Ledo has and the way it "resolves" itself
once "Kugel" reappears is another interesting aspect of his development. He is clearly lost and latches on to the one thing that reminds him of what he once was. He left the Gargantia and his sole purpose for doing so is thrown on its head. I think it also reflects indirectly on his age. I wonder if the same thing would have happened as an adult.

The truly disturbing nature of
Kugel's colony I think was a great final nail in the coffin into representing what Ledo was searching for was wrong. Gargantia seems to have represented a way for him to be reborn and live the way he wants whereas the Kugel colony represents everything in his past and what was wrong with his old way of thinking. Very symbolic. The borderline lobotomized nature of the citizens was a disturbing touch which highlighted that.

Ultimately I guess the series came down to a
religious argument although I guess you could axe the whole idea of god and replace it with dictator and the debate still applies. It's Machiavellian. One absolute power above all, keeping people in line by instilling fear in the alternative. In order to rule, you must be able to instill terror. Etc. Maybe that's a bit too generalized, I dunno. I mean, we've seen these types of messages done before but the way it was done through a character drama, through the establishment of the 2 colonies, earth vs space, etc. It was a lot more thoughtful than most attempts.

I really enjoyed this show. It's surprisingly thoughtful, had some great characters, awesome music (I could have sworn Mitsuda was composing some of this stuff), great art amids the awkward CG and just overall good execution. I can definitely see myself re-watching this in the future, something I haven't been able to say about most recent anime.

Overall Series Rating: 9/10
 

cnet128

Banned
Futari wa Milky Holmes 1

Okay, first thought: the OP isn't very catchy at all. This is a big disappointment for me, since I have adored the OPs for all the previous Milky Holmes series.

Second thought: These two new central characters seem pretty...generic. They're not really doing a lot to draw me in at this point. Also this series doesn't seem to have much if any of the crazy energy or madcap comedy of the previous Milky Holmes anime series so far; it seems closer to the more standard supernatural-detective-school-life style of the games. This is supported by the fact that the original Milky Holmes girls actually have their Toy abilities and do actual competent catching of bad guys in this episode. Then again, the original Milky Holmes girls barely got any screentime yet, so there's still time for them to lose all their abilities again if the series wants to go that route...

Third thought: Ooh, that girl has a magical bow and arrow. I'm such a sucker for archers. That said, such an ordinary offensive ability does seem a little out of place in Milky Holmes, since the series isn't really about combat per se. The only ability the other girl has displayed so far is the power to put up a MAGICAL SHIELD, which seems even more generic and similarly combat-focused and out of place. Did these girls get lost on their way to a different series?

Fourth thought: Oh, I didn't realise this was a short-form anime. Looks like episodes are only about 12 minutes (OP and ED included), which...I guess could be a decent fit for Milky Holmes? I kind of wish this episode had been longer though.

Conclusion: Reserving judgement on this series. It seems fun enough, and I'm sure I'll stick with it because I love Milky Holmes and because it's only 12 minutes per week, but it does seem to be making some questionable decisions.
 

Hattori

Banned
Yeah but Steins;Gate being at last localized is making me hesitate. Same thing with Danganronpa.
You are right about the vagueness of my initial demand. I'm a little too open in my tastes for specific recommendations, sorry.
Let's just say : Is there a must watch show this season ? (yandere can jump off a cliff) And if there is not, are there good, solid shows ? (kill the yandere with fire)


gatchamam crowds, love lab, c3-bu, servant x service are just some that comes to mind.
 

duckroll

Member
I don't think Gargantia came down to a religious debate so much as a fundamental examination of the dangers of a militant society. The themes are definitely exaggerated and not very realistic because of how extreme the negative examples are though. What made the show work for me were the characters, the ocean setting, and the awesome art direction. The writing could definitely be improved in terms of tackling some of the deeper social and psychological aspects with a bit more finesse.
 
One Piece Z


excellent stuff. Probably the best 'annual shounen jump movie thingy' i've seen so far. A story that actually ties itself into the main canon somewhat, some really slick fights with a really nice blend of cg and 2d.

And much broness. Goodie stuff.
 

Dynedom

Member
I don't think Gargantia came down to a religious debate so much as a fundamental examination of the dangers of a militant society.

While the somewhat
fanatical nature of that colony's worship of Striker
lends itself to a religious debate, I'm inclined to agree. It's about the need of an absolute authority.

The themes are definitely exaggerated and not very realistic because of how extreme the negative examples are though. What made the show work for me were the characters, the ocean setting, and the awesome art direction. The writing could definitely be improved in terms of tackling some of the deeper social and psychological aspects with a bit more finesse.

I think Ledo's development was tackled well enough but I guess we could have done with a few less scenes of him just moping around. I also think his development might have started to drag towards the end but that's just me. Like I also mentioned, I think Pinion's development was a bit uneven. It seemed too much like switches just kept going on and off for him. I think overall it was good but it could have been great. Maybe some more meaningful inner monologues.
Having to destroy his brother's treasure could have been emphasized a bit more
.

It's for the reasons above that I can't give this show a 10.
 
Mmh, thanks for the replies guys ! Very passionated folks here but I already knew it from the few times I posted in this topic.

My question was about the new shows, hence why I didn't include Genshinken as like someone has guessed I didn't watch the prior seasons.

Older stuff wise I'm interested in, don't have the list at hand but...
Baccano / Durarara
Tsuritama
Genshinken
Moyasimon
Slice of life stuff like K-on etc...
Eden of the east
Steins;Gate and Robotics;Note evidently

Surely a lot more.

Watch Steins Gate, Tsuritama and Moyashimon. Baccano / Durara are decent, but not as good, still watchable. Eden of the East has a very promising start but it went to shit.
 
everyone itt that watched yuyushiki should totes read the manga

This is so lewd that I think I'm going to take a cold shower.

No one will watch it. :( lol

I've watched the first season. The best part about the show was the ends with Yayoi and Kanako.

Found some anime that I wanted to try out while raiding the local library, earlier today. :3
Which do you think I should tackle first: Tsubasa, Haruhi Suzumiya or Azumanga Daioh?

Azumanga all the way. Sakaki da bes.
 

Metrotab

Banned
Today is one crazy day on the GAF forum. I'm pages late, but sad to see two of my favorite posters get swept up in the flames of heated anime debate. One day, I'll really need to see SAO for myself because surely that show must be something quite special, at least.

Meanwhile, OT is exploding with that trial verdict.

Excited to watch the LoGH finale today. Feels like the end of a journey.
 

Envelope

sealed with a kiss
I don't think Gargantia came down to a religious debate so much as a fundamental examination of the dangers of a militant society. The themes are definitely exaggerated and not very realistic because of how extreme the negative examples are though. What made the show work for me were the characters, the ocean setting, and the awesome art direction. The writing could definitely be improved in terms of tackling some of the deeper social and psychological aspects with a bit more finesse.

That's every Gen show ever though :p Subtlety is not his strong point
 

cajunator

Banned
Yup I knew my first post wasn't really good since there was no indication about my tastes :-/

Casual, so not really into some type of anime over others, but...
Real life is cool.
Girl thing not a problem, I should really watch K-ON some day.
Tsundere is cool, you bunch of miscreants. I was a Love Hina fan, I can take tsundere.
Yandere is uncool, if I see any girl near a axe I will personally curse you. Every day. Of my life.

Not really helpful, I fear... :-/
Well let's say modern setting over fantasy and no trauma inducing stuff please.


Edit for cosmicblizzard -
Hmm, not watched a lot the last few years. I really liked Chaos;Head and the few I saw of Nichijou.
The fishing anime from some seasons ago seemed really cool.

A few older series worth your while:

Kinos Journey
Baccano
Steins Gate
 

Envelope

sealed with a kiss
Mmh, thanks for the replies guys ! Very passionated folks here but I already knew it from the few times I posted in this topic.

My question was about the new shows, hence why I didn't include Genshinken as like someone has guessed I didn't watch the prior seasons.

Older stuff wise I'm interested in, don't have the list at hand but...
Baccano / Durarara
Tsuritama
Genshinken
Moyasimon
Slice of life stuff like K-on etc...
Eden of the east
Steins;Gate and Robotics;Note evidently

Surely a lot more.

Baccano, Tsuritama, and K-on are the best on that list by far, moyashimon and stein's gate are good as well, not qualified to speak on the rest.
 
Yup I knew my first post wasn't really good since there was no indication about my tastes :-/

Casual, so not really into some type of anime over others, but...
Real life is cool.
Girl thing not a problem, I should really watch K-ON some day.
Tsundere is cool, you bunch of miscreants. I was a Love Hina fan, I can take tsundere.
Yandere is uncool, if I see any girl near a axe I will personally curse you. Every day. Of my life.

Not really helpful, I fear... :-/
Well let's say modern setting over fantasy and no trauma inducing stuff please.


Edit for cosmicblizzard -
Hmm, not watched a lot the last few years. I really liked Chaos;Head and the few I saw of Nichijou.
The fishing anime from some seasons ago seemed really cool.

Watch Hidamari Sketch.
 
Yup I knew my first post wasn't really good since there was no indication about my tastes :-/

Casual, so not really into some type of anime over others, but...
Real life is cool.
Girl thing not a problem, I should really watch K-ON some day.
Tsundere is cool, you bunch of miscreants. I was a Love Hina fan, I can take tsundere.
Yandere is uncool, if I see any girl near a axe I will personally curse you. Every day. Of my life.

Not really helpful, I fear... :-/
Well let's say modern setting over fantasy and no trauma inducing stuff please.


Edit for cosmicblizzard -
Hmm, not watched a lot the last few years. I really liked Chaos;Head and the few I saw of Nichijou.
The fishing anime from some seasons ago seemed really cool.

Watch Precure K-On!! and Girls und Panzer... and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)
 
Mmh, thanks for the replies guys ! Very passionated folks here but I already knew it from the few times I posted in this topic.

My question was about the new shows, hence why I didn't include Genshinken as like someone has guessed I didn't watch the prior seasons.

Older stuff wise I'm interested in, don't have the list at hand but...
Baccano / Durarara
Tsuritama
Genshinken
Moyasimon
Slice of life stuff like K-on etc...
Eden of the east
Steins;Gate and Robotics;Note evidently

Surely a lot more.
Watch K-ON!
 

cnet128

Banned
Watch Precure K-On!! and Girls und Panzer... and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)

I'd point out that Jojo is basically the opposite of his "real life is cool"/"modern setting over fantasy" specifications, except...well, it's Jojo. Everyone should watch Jojo.

Actually, I think what this guy really needs to do is get into the Monogatari series. Go watch Bakemonogatari, now!
 

cajunator

Banned
I'd point out that Jojo is basically the opposite of his "real life is cool"/"modern setting over fantasy" specifications, except...well, it's Jojo. Everyone should watch Jojo.

Actually, I think what this guy really needs to do is get into the Monogatari series. Go watch Bakemonogatari, now!

Monogatari might be a bit much. Its very wordy, and kind of difficult to get into.
I would agree its worth a shot.
 

Syrinx

Member
If you're interested in K-ON!, then watch it. It's pretty much the best show of its kind by most measurements, at least that I've seen (which is admittedly little). I'm not an overly huge fan of that genre, but if that's the kind of show you're looking for, K-ON! is the place to go.
 
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