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Winter 2014 Anime |OT| I've got to find a dandy guy who killed my dad in the space
- Thread starter Branduil
- Start date
- Status
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
Mushi-shi 9
The trolley problem at work. So many ethical questions at play here.
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 15
Wait...so...that's it for
? That's...disappointing. They were building him up like crazy. Very anti-climatic.
The Garmilian's top brass are absolutely horrible strategists, goddamn.
This show's battle scenes are just absolutely fucking gorgeous.
Space☆Dandy 2
dat Google joke.
dat confirmation of Twitter's status as eternal and evil
dat sakuga
dat selection noodle shop names
dat touching ending part
KILL la KILL 14
YOU CAN'T STOP SEXY SENSEI
Are these all city stereotypes? Like, if this was in the states, you'd have Dallas full of guns and gun armour and gun-shaped bullets, San Fran with tie-dye flower armor and weed smokescreens, and NYC with bad-accent-attacks and shitty-cardboard-pizza-armor? I love it.
Mako, I love you. Never change.
Pupa 2
this short format really fucking ruins the horror atmosphere. so bad.
Golden Time 14
This one crazy love web-thing...and 2D-kun is left out allllll alone
DAT
did they really put super mario sound effects in this :lol
...brace for impact, Banri...
D'OH!
"Do you resign your start button?"
A theoretical Golden Boy 2 might, or at least come close.
The trolley problem at work. So many ethical questions at play here.
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 15
Wait...so...that's it for
Glorious Leader of Blue Korea
The Garmilian's top brass are absolutely horrible strategists, goddamn.
This show's battle scenes are just absolutely fucking gorgeous.
Space☆Dandy 2
dat Google joke.
dat confirmation of Twitter's status as eternal and evil
dat sakuga
dat selection noodle shop names
dat touching ending part
KILL la KILL 14
YOU CAN'T STOP SEXY SENSEI
Are these all city stereotypes? Like, if this was in the states, you'd have Dallas full of guns and gun armour and gun-shaped bullets, San Fran with tie-dye flower armor and weed smokescreens, and NYC with bad-accent-attacks and shitty-cardboard-pizza-armor? I love it.
Mako, I love you. Never change.
Pupa 2
this short format really fucking ruins the horror atmosphere. so bad.
Golden Time 14
This one crazy love web-thing...and 2D-kun is left out allllll alone
;_; I know that feel...I AM that feel...
DAT
KOKO BIKINI HNNNNNGGGGGGG
did they really put super mario sound effects in this :lol
...brace for impact, Banri...
D'OH!
So Microsoft actually shared this piece of 'fanart' earlier. I am not sure they realised it was intended to make fun of Windows 8 lol
"Do you resign your start button?"
A theoretical Golden Boy 2 might, or at least come close.
What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger
What? Explain!
I am the spirit of sdburton, woooooo~ woooooo~ (~￣ヮ￣
~I don't recall the book saying anything like that (though it could just be slipping my mind). My headcanon is still that Sugou makes all his subordinates use creepy slug avatars to bolster his own sense of superiority.
How can your mind even conceive this thought.
Did somebody say LIST TIME?! (Lists are my addiction, I'm sorry)
...I have a list prepared, but I'll hold off on posting it briefly, because I don't want it to get consigned to the bottom of the page >.>
Mushishi - 1~26 + Special
This is amazing. I loved every second of it. To be fair I found a little disappointing at first that it didn't have an overall arching story, that it was basically "monster of the week", but it manage to tell a lot in this format. That's the only bad thing I can say about it. The best thing to me was the sound design; it was AMAZING, and it matched the visuals and the stories told perfectly.
This is amazing. I loved every second of it. To be fair I found a little disappointing at first that it didn't have an overall arching story, that it was basically "monster of the week", but it manage to tell a lot in this format. That's the only bad thing I can say about it. The best thing to me was the sound design; it was AMAZING, and it matched the visuals and the stories told perfectly.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger
I am the spirit of sdburton, woooooo~ woooooo~ (~￣ヮ￣
The dead may outlast the living, but those who have never lived will outlast them both.
Po-chan save us ( ´ 3 ` )
Okay I'll go home now...
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
Detective Conan 285:
Great job at trapping the killer. It's always enjoyable to me when the killer winds up being tricked into revealing themselves in some way, rather than simply being identified by Conan, and this episode did a really nice job at playing off their conscience. The killer's final words as he was escorted away were really good, and then that segued nicely into Ran's memories being triggered, which was a very well executed scene, particularly the way the sound of the rain was used.
Now, at last, we head to New York for some iconic moments in the series.
Great job at trapping the killer. It's always enjoyable to me when the killer winds up being tricked into revealing themselves in some way, rather than simply being identified by Conan, and this episode did a really nice job at playing off their conscience. The killer's final words as he was escorted away were really good, and then that segued nicely into Ran's memories being triggered, which was a very well executed scene, particularly the way the sound of the rain was used.
Now, at last, we head to New York for some iconic moments in the series.
PhillipCostigan
Member
Well, it's time.
I'll let you know my choice asap.
I'll let you know my choice asap.
Theonik
Member
I shall prepare to judge your waifu ranking momentarily.
Okay, NOW it's list time! (I actually had a bit of a panic between that last post and this one, where my entire computer crashed and I thought I'd lost my beautiful list forever. Thankfully I managed to recover it >.>)
Tiers are tiertastic. Shows roughly in order of appreciation even within tiers.
BESTEST SHOWS OF BESTNESS TIER
Hunter x Hunter
It's too good. I can't. I can't even.
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
Because any cute-girls-doing-cute-things show focused on a character with a scientifically-proven cuteness of >300 mKn is a show worth worshipping. I worship it like the ignorant masses worship Benio-sama. (Also I find the dynamic between Kobeni and her stoic fiancé kind of sweet. There's a weird chemistry there.)
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
Inari is adorable. She has a familiar called Kon, who is also adorable. She associates with a fox god who is, despite appearances, surprisingly adorable. She has a crush on some guy, which is adorable. She can transform into other people, who may or may not be adorable, but will undoubtedly result in entertaining antics. This show is filled with adorable and happiness and I love it already after only one episode. Oh, and the Kansai dialect, it is everywhere.
Kill la Kill
Mako is amazing, which nobody can deny. Ryuuko is cute and pretty awesome and doesn't deserve the bad rap she gets around here. I love this show's fusion of over-the-top action with bizarre humour, and though I agree with some of the criticisms that the plot hasn't overall made quite as much progress as I might like, I don't think that hurts the show too much, and still really enjoy it episode-to-episode.
Samurai Flamenco
This show's engaging mix of intelligent characterisation, affectionate parody and sheer unpredictability continues to just work really well. I honestly can't really fault it on any level, outside perhaps the sometimes-iffy animation, but personally that has never bothered me. I appreciate how consistent the brisk-but-never-too-brisk pacing has stayed despite all the crazy twists and turns in the narrative.
Tonari no Seki-kun
Comedy skits done right, this show is both cute and hilarious. It single-handedly convinced me that there is merit in the super-short-show format, towards which I have previously felt nothing but scorn. Though I think more super-short shows would do well to follow its lead in lasting about 7-8 minutes rather than the 4-ish minutes that a lot of them seem to go for.
LEGIT SHOWS THAT ARE GOOD AND STUFF TIER
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
Chuuni is back, and its characters and antics are as endearing as ever. Can't complain about more of a good thing. I hold out hope for Yuuta and Rikka actually kissing by the time this series ends.
Golden Time
Despite the new OP which is about on par with murdering kittens, this show is still just as enjoyable as ever, with the sheer chemistry shared by the main couple never failing to put a smile on my face, and the sense of friendship between the various characters also very pleasant. The upcoming plot threads also look to be fairly interesting, and I'm glad Chinami and Mitsuo seem poised to get some of the focus that I felt they lacked in the first half of the series. Now let's just hope Ghost Banri doesn't manage to fuck everything up.
Nagi no Asu Kara
I must confess, when this show made the questionable move of
, I was worried it would never be the same again. Thankfully, my worries proved unfounded, and thanks to a cleverly-executed timeskip that created some interesting shifts in relationship dynamics, while also increasing the prominence of two of my favourite characters, the show is still as great as it's ever been.
Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
I'm tempted to put this show quite a bit higher up than this, even into the top tier, but I'm going to leave it here for the moment because after two episodes I don't feel like it's quite proven itself yet and it could still all too easily fall apart.
That said, I very much like what I've seen so far. The character designs are wonderful, with the central figure of Kate/Viniera-sama in particular standing out as nothing short of miraculous. I find her cuteness somewhat difficult to quantify, but I think it might actually be in excess of 300 mKn, possibly even 400, and that's amazing. There's a real charm to the whole dynamic of the Zvezda organisation, which feels like a casual club of ragtag misfits with a real sense of family, while also somehow being a legitimate military power on the way to conquering the world.
And of course the whole tone of the narrative is very fun - humorous, over-the-top, distinctly bizarre, but also potentially quite ambitious (if, as the series opening suggests, the show is actually going to depict this organisation rising to conquer the entire world...) After the first episode, I was a little worried that it might be too bizarre, but I feel like I've got more of a handle on it after the second episode, and if it sticks around this level, I think it could have a good thing going.
Silver Spoon S2
Despite the fish-out-of-water element feeling less and less relevant as Hachiken comes to feel more and more at home in the agricultural life, the first two episodes of the second season have made it clear that this show has lost none of its charm. Hachiken's still incredibly likable as a protagonist, and it's fun to just watch everything he gets up to and cheer him on in all his earnest efforts, while the fun cast of secondary characters always help to keep things lively and interesting. Hopefully we'll see some progress on the romantic front this season, as well.
Nisekoi
The choice of Shaft to adapt this manga always felt a little odd - Shaft, of course, are known for taking on quirky projects that would benefit from their distinctive visual style, whereas Nisekoi the manga is anything but quirky, a very standard shonen romcom/harem that I've come to enjoy as a sort of "comfort food". But after two episodes of seeing it in action, I think it's safe to say it works surprisingly well. Shaft's stylistic excesses help to make the material feel fresh, the adaptation feels well-handled and nicely-paced so far, and of course the characters themselves are just as enjoyable here as they have always been (and since they're largely what's kept the manga in my good books for over 100 chapters despite a chronic lack of meaningful plot advancement, I'd say they deserve some credit).
tl;dr Onodera best girl, haters can gtfo
Space Dandy
Not the saviour of anime, but pretty fun. I love Dandy's character with all his swagger and utterly unfounded self-confidence. I love the visuals, with all the freaky alien monsters and constant delicious sakuga. And the humour, though a little hit-and-miss, is pretty good when it hits, and has the sheer energy to entertain even when it's not actually being particularly funny.
Buddy Complex
This show isn't going to shake up any genres or win any awards, but it does feel pretty solid all round. It has a pretty decent hook in the whole
aspect, a likable protagonist and decent cast of characters, and some fairly slick-looking CG mecha action. I'm not sure where the narrative is ultimately going, but for the moment the tension between Aoba and the rest of the crew (well, mostly Dio), along with the
, is enough to keep me interested.
Wake Up, Girls!
It probably helps that I haven't really seen any "idol shows" before and so this feels entirely fresh, but I'm really quite enjoying this show. The girls are cute, their struggles relatable, and the whole concept of trying to put together a unit from scratch and make it big from humble beginnings appeals deeply to my underdog mentality.
The presence of a lone former professional idol in the mix helps to make their ambitions feel a bit less unrealistic, and adds that little "it's personal" dynamic with the big successful AKB-esque idol group that will presumably serve as their rivals in the long run, but honestly I don't feel like the show really even needs that. If anything, I'd say the actual former idol is one of the less interesting members - indeed, I prefer her relatively ordinary best friend as a character. At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses.
Yowamushi Pedal
Just a solid sports show that does a great job of letting the viewer appreciate the characters' love of cycling. Great cast, great energy, great friendships and rivalries.
SHOWS THAT WOULD BE GUILTY PLEASURES IF I HAD A CONCEPT OF SHAME TIER
ImoCho
Lewder than a lewd lewdness from Lewdville, Lewdtopia on the Planet Lewd. But Mitsuki is really cute, and come to think of it it's actually kind of fresh to have a show like this presented mainly from the main girl's perspective instead of placing the viewers firmly in the shoes of Mr Super Generic Male Protagonist (who is very much present and accounted for here, but doesn't actually do much beyond serving as a plot enabler).
And of course the fanservice is largely relevant to my interests. There's even yuri! So yeah, quite enjoying this.
SHOWS THAT HAVE PROS AND CONS TIER
Tokyo Ravens
The action continues to be this show's weakest point, though the last action-y episode wasn't too bad, so maybe that's a good sign. But when the show focuses on romance and school antics, it's really good, and any time Kon, Cuteness Incarnate is on screen, it's about 400 times better. Seriously why is Kon not on screen more often. Like...all the time. Why are there even any characters in this show that are not Kon. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
Sakura Trick
The girl-on-girl kissing is wonderful. The slice-of-life antics are inoffensive and sometimes somewhat entertaining, but I really wish they were better, because I would be able to enjoy the girl-on-girl kissing so much more if the show also managed to make me care about the characters for other reasons.
Noragami
I love this show's production values - it just looks really slick and well-made all around, and of course the soundtrack by Iwasaki Taku is great stuff. The characters are also pretty decent - the protagonist girl is likable, cute and has a wonderful tail, Yato is entertaining and suits his godly Kamiya Hiroshi voice to a tee, and Yukine seems surprisingly all right for a sullen-brat type character. However, the narrative isn't quite drawing me in just yet. If it gets better, this show could easily jump up quite a few spots on my rankings.
Hamatora
Similar to Noragami above, this show has tons of style, a pretty appealing cast of characters and plenty of potential in its detective-work-meets-urban-superpowers concept, but the I don't feel like it's quite shown me what it can do with that potential yet. Also a possibility to jump up my rankings and become one of the better shows of the season if its story goes interesting places.
Nourin
Though the concept sounds like Silver Spoon meets moe/idol culture, this doesn't really feel anything like its fellow agricultural-school show. It's much more hyperactive and gag-focused, and its humour seems to work pretty nicely so far. I'm not actually sure why it's so far down my list, to be honest. Hmmm.
Nobunagun
I'm mainly watching this for the protagonist, Shio, a genki but also rather self-conscious military otaku girl who's incredibly likable and pretty damn cute. She gains the power to summon the spirit of Oda Nobunaga as a giant gun apparatus thing to fight aliens as part of a special military unit, because hey, why the hell not.
The narrative so far seems pretty generic and weighed down by the whole standard military-fights-aliens framework, but it does have elements that could be appealing if they get a little more focus, such as the yuri-tastic newfound friendship between Shio and her classmate Kaoru (though it's difficult to see how she could play into the plot now that Shio has been completely removed from her normal life) and the fairly cool character of Jack the Ripper (who I'm definitely not biased towards because of his Suzuki Tatsuhisa voice).
Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono Encore
Basically just a continuation of the entertaining formula established by the first series last season - meta humour based around a group of friends joking around about the tropes surrounding various different school clubs and ways to make them more weird and wonderful. The CG animation works well for it, and the pre-recorded dialogue gives it the same great naturalistic comic timing as always. The only con is that it's so formulaic that it's starting to feel a little samey. Still, at only 15 minutes per episode, it's an easy watch.
Pupa
I love this show's delicious creepy vibe, and its unashamedly shocking body horror violence which is so overt as to border on comedy, but the disgustingly short episode length makes watching it an exercise in frustration. I kind of feel like I should just wait for the series to finish and watch it all at once, or else give up on the adaptation and just read the original manga, but for some reason I keep going. Go figure.
POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR DROPPING TIER
Mahou Sensou
Feels deeply generic so far, from the premise (there are wizards! at war! now learn to fight at magic school!) to the characters (none of them unappealing, but none really stand out either) to the whole flow of the narrative. But for some reason I don't feel like dropping it just yet. Maybe it's because the combat can be kind of cool, maybe it's because the main girl is kind of cute, maybe it's just because I'm a glutton for mediocrity. Either way, I'll see how long it manages to hold my interest.
D-Frag!
Feels like it should be much better than it actually is. I'm usually a sucker for these kinds of slice-of-life comedies, but this one doesn't quite seem to be hooking me for some reason. Maybe it's just that the girls aren't quite cute enough, I don't know. At any rate, I haven't actually disliked either of the episodes so far, and there have been aspects of each that I've quite enjoyed. They've just been a little underwhelming. I'll see how it goes after the third.
Nobunaga the Fool
I like Nobunaga's character, and I can appreciate the whole concept of a mad mecha remix of ye olden times with East versus West and all the characters being loosely based on famous historical figures. But for all its bombast, I'm not sure that this show is really grabbing me so far. Haven't watched yesterday's Episode 3 just yet, so I'll see how that one goes.
DROPPED TIER
Wizard Barristers
Just feels kind of messy. The magical/mecha (why are these two things related) action is cool and flashy, but tends to feel a bit pointless. The actual court drama feels disappointingly weak. And the character designs are just awful and make me feel sour on the show as a whole.
Witch Craft Works
Another show where I found the character designs unappealing (though compared to Wizard Barristers they're positively gorgeous). From the single episode I saw, the narrative just seemed generic, and while the magical action was vaguely entertaining, I wasn't at all impressed by the main girl's magic, which is awkward since it was clearly intended to be impressive. Just wasn't feeling it.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu
Not really my style of humour.
Tiers are tiertastic. Shows roughly in order of appreciation even within tiers.
BESTEST SHOWS OF BESTNESS TIER
Hunter x Hunter
It's too good. I can't. I can't even.
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
Because any cute-girls-doing-cute-things show focused on a character with a scientifically-proven cuteness of >300 mKn is a show worth worshipping. I worship it like the ignorant masses worship Benio-sama. (Also I find the dynamic between Kobeni and her stoic fiancé kind of sweet. There's a weird chemistry there.)
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
Inari is adorable. She has a familiar called Kon, who is also adorable. She associates with a fox god who is, despite appearances, surprisingly adorable. She has a crush on some guy, which is adorable. She can transform into other people, who may or may not be adorable, but will undoubtedly result in entertaining antics. This show is filled with adorable and happiness and I love it already after only one episode. Oh, and the Kansai dialect, it is everywhere.
Kill la Kill
Mako is amazing, which nobody can deny. Ryuuko is cute and pretty awesome and doesn't deserve the bad rap she gets around here. I love this show's fusion of over-the-top action with bizarre humour, and though I agree with some of the criticisms that the plot hasn't overall made quite as much progress as I might like, I don't think that hurts the show too much, and still really enjoy it episode-to-episode.
Samurai Flamenco
This show's engaging mix of intelligent characterisation, affectionate parody and sheer unpredictability continues to just work really well. I honestly can't really fault it on any level, outside perhaps the sometimes-iffy animation, but personally that has never bothered me. I appreciate how consistent the brisk-but-never-too-brisk pacing has stayed despite all the crazy twists and turns in the narrative.
Tonari no Seki-kun
Comedy skits done right, this show is both cute and hilarious. It single-handedly convinced me that there is merit in the super-short-show format, towards which I have previously felt nothing but scorn. Though I think more super-short shows would do well to follow its lead in lasting about 7-8 minutes rather than the 4-ish minutes that a lot of them seem to go for.
LEGIT SHOWS THAT ARE GOOD AND STUFF TIER
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
Chuuni is back, and its characters and antics are as endearing as ever. Can't complain about more of a good thing. I hold out hope for Yuuta and Rikka actually kissing by the time this series ends.
Golden Time
Despite the new OP which is about on par with murdering kittens, this show is still just as enjoyable as ever, with the sheer chemistry shared by the main couple never failing to put a smile on my face, and the sense of friendship between the various characters also very pleasant. The upcoming plot threads also look to be fairly interesting, and I'm glad Chinami and Mitsuo seem poised to get some of the focus that I felt they lacked in the first half of the series. Now let's just hope Ghost Banri doesn't manage to fuck everything up.
Nagi no Asu Kara
I must confess, when this show made the questionable move of
removing Manaka, the embodiment of all that is wonderful, from the picture
Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
I'm tempted to put this show quite a bit higher up than this, even into the top tier, but I'm going to leave it here for the moment because after two episodes I don't feel like it's quite proven itself yet and it could still all too easily fall apart.
That said, I very much like what I've seen so far. The character designs are wonderful, with the central figure of Kate/Viniera-sama in particular standing out as nothing short of miraculous. I find her cuteness somewhat difficult to quantify, but I think it might actually be in excess of 300 mKn, possibly even 400, and that's amazing. There's a real charm to the whole dynamic of the Zvezda organisation, which feels like a casual club of ragtag misfits with a real sense of family, while also somehow being a legitimate military power on the way to conquering the world.
And of course the whole tone of the narrative is very fun - humorous, over-the-top, distinctly bizarre, but also potentially quite ambitious (if, as the series opening suggests, the show is actually going to depict this organisation rising to conquer the entire world...) After the first episode, I was a little worried that it might be too bizarre, but I feel like I've got more of a handle on it after the second episode, and if it sticks around this level, I think it could have a good thing going.
Silver Spoon S2
Despite the fish-out-of-water element feeling less and less relevant as Hachiken comes to feel more and more at home in the agricultural life, the first two episodes of the second season have made it clear that this show has lost none of its charm. Hachiken's still incredibly likable as a protagonist, and it's fun to just watch everything he gets up to and cheer him on in all his earnest efforts, while the fun cast of secondary characters always help to keep things lively and interesting. Hopefully we'll see some progress on the romantic front this season, as well.
Nisekoi
The choice of Shaft to adapt this manga always felt a little odd - Shaft, of course, are known for taking on quirky projects that would benefit from their distinctive visual style, whereas Nisekoi the manga is anything but quirky, a very standard shonen romcom/harem that I've come to enjoy as a sort of "comfort food". But after two episodes of seeing it in action, I think it's safe to say it works surprisingly well. Shaft's stylistic excesses help to make the material feel fresh, the adaptation feels well-handled and nicely-paced so far, and of course the characters themselves are just as enjoyable here as they have always been (and since they're largely what's kept the manga in my good books for over 100 chapters despite a chronic lack of meaningful plot advancement, I'd say they deserve some credit).
Space Dandy
Not the saviour of anime, but pretty fun. I love Dandy's character with all his swagger and utterly unfounded self-confidence. I love the visuals, with all the freaky alien monsters and constant delicious sakuga. And the humour, though a little hit-and-miss, is pretty good when it hits, and has the sheer energy to entertain even when it's not actually being particularly funny.
Buddy Complex
This show isn't going to shake up any genres or win any awards, but it does feel pretty solid all round. It has a pretty decent hook in the whole
time-travel
interesting dynamic between Aoba and Hina, currently on opposing sides but apparently "destined" to become allies
Wake Up, Girls!
It probably helps that I haven't really seen any "idol shows" before and so this feels entirely fresh, but I'm really quite enjoying this show. The girls are cute, their struggles relatable, and the whole concept of trying to put together a unit from scratch and make it big from humble beginnings appeals deeply to my underdog mentality.
The presence of a lone former professional idol in the mix helps to make their ambitions feel a bit less unrealistic, and adds that little "it's personal" dynamic with the big successful AKB-esque idol group that will presumably serve as their rivals in the long run, but honestly I don't feel like the show really even needs that. If anything, I'd say the actual former idol is one of the less interesting members - indeed, I prefer her relatively ordinary best friend as a character. At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses.
Yowamushi Pedal
Just a solid sports show that does a great job of letting the viewer appreciate the characters' love of cycling. Great cast, great energy, great friendships and rivalries.
SHOWS THAT WOULD BE GUILTY PLEASURES IF I HAD A CONCEPT OF SHAME TIER
ImoCho
Lewder than a lewd lewdness from Lewdville, Lewdtopia on the Planet Lewd. But Mitsuki is really cute, and come to think of it it's actually kind of fresh to have a show like this presented mainly from the main girl's perspective instead of placing the viewers firmly in the shoes of Mr Super Generic Male Protagonist (who is very much present and accounted for here, but doesn't actually do much beyond serving as a plot enabler).
And of course the fanservice is largely relevant to my interests. There's even yuri! So yeah, quite enjoying this.
SHOWS THAT HAVE PROS AND CONS TIER
Tokyo Ravens
The action continues to be this show's weakest point, though the last action-y episode wasn't too bad, so maybe that's a good sign. But when the show focuses on romance and school antics, it's really good, and any time Kon, Cuteness Incarnate is on screen, it's about 400 times better. Seriously why is Kon not on screen more often. Like...all the time. Why are there even any characters in this show that are not Kon. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
Sakura Trick
The girl-on-girl kissing is wonderful. The slice-of-life antics are inoffensive and sometimes somewhat entertaining, but I really wish they were better, because I would be able to enjoy the girl-on-girl kissing so much more if the show also managed to make me care about the characters for other reasons.
Noragami
I love this show's production values - it just looks really slick and well-made all around, and of course the soundtrack by Iwasaki Taku is great stuff. The characters are also pretty decent - the protagonist girl is likable, cute and has a wonderful tail, Yato is entertaining and suits his godly Kamiya Hiroshi voice to a tee, and Yukine seems surprisingly all right for a sullen-brat type character. However, the narrative isn't quite drawing me in just yet. If it gets better, this show could easily jump up quite a few spots on my rankings.
Hamatora
Similar to Noragami above, this show has tons of style, a pretty appealing cast of characters and plenty of potential in its detective-work-meets-urban-superpowers concept, but the I don't feel like it's quite shown me what it can do with that potential yet. Also a possibility to jump up my rankings and become one of the better shows of the season if its story goes interesting places.
Nourin
Though the concept sounds like Silver Spoon meets moe/idol culture, this doesn't really feel anything like its fellow agricultural-school show. It's much more hyperactive and gag-focused, and its humour seems to work pretty nicely so far. I'm not actually sure why it's so far down my list, to be honest. Hmmm.
Nobunagun
I'm mainly watching this for the protagonist, Shio, a genki but also rather self-conscious military otaku girl who's incredibly likable and pretty damn cute. She gains the power to summon the spirit of Oda Nobunaga as a giant gun apparatus thing to fight aliens as part of a special military unit, because hey, why the hell not.
The narrative so far seems pretty generic and weighed down by the whole standard military-fights-aliens framework, but it does have elements that could be appealing if they get a little more focus, such as the yuri-tastic newfound friendship between Shio and her classmate Kaoru (though it's difficult to see how she could play into the plot now that Shio has been completely removed from her normal life) and the fairly cool character of Jack the Ripper (who I'm definitely not biased towards because of his Suzuki Tatsuhisa voice).
Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono Encore
Basically just a continuation of the entertaining formula established by the first series last season - meta humour based around a group of friends joking around about the tropes surrounding various different school clubs and ways to make them more weird and wonderful. The CG animation works well for it, and the pre-recorded dialogue gives it the same great naturalistic comic timing as always. The only con is that it's so formulaic that it's starting to feel a little samey. Still, at only 15 minutes per episode, it's an easy watch.
Pupa
I love this show's delicious creepy vibe, and its unashamedly shocking body horror violence which is so overt as to border on comedy, but the disgustingly short episode length makes watching it an exercise in frustration. I kind of feel like I should just wait for the series to finish and watch it all at once, or else give up on the adaptation and just read the original manga, but for some reason I keep going. Go figure.
POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR DROPPING TIER
Mahou Sensou
Feels deeply generic so far, from the premise (there are wizards! at war! now learn to fight at magic school!) to the characters (none of them unappealing, but none really stand out either) to the whole flow of the narrative. But for some reason I don't feel like dropping it just yet. Maybe it's because the combat can be kind of cool, maybe it's because the main girl is kind of cute, maybe it's just because I'm a glutton for mediocrity. Either way, I'll see how long it manages to hold my interest.
D-Frag!
Feels like it should be much better than it actually is. I'm usually a sucker for these kinds of slice-of-life comedies, but this one doesn't quite seem to be hooking me for some reason. Maybe it's just that the girls aren't quite cute enough, I don't know. At any rate, I haven't actually disliked either of the episodes so far, and there have been aspects of each that I've quite enjoyed. They've just been a little underwhelming. I'll see how it goes after the third.
Nobunaga the Fool
I like Nobunaga's character, and I can appreciate the whole concept of a mad mecha remix of ye olden times with East versus West and all the characters being loosely based on famous historical figures. But for all its bombast, I'm not sure that this show is really grabbing me so far. Haven't watched yesterday's Episode 3 just yet, so I'll see how that one goes.
DROPPED TIER
Wizard Barristers
Just feels kind of messy. The magical/mecha (why are these two things related) action is cool and flashy, but tends to feel a bit pointless. The actual court drama feels disappointingly weak. And the character designs are just awful and make me feel sour on the show as a whole.
Witch Craft Works
Another show where I found the character designs unappealing (though compared to Wizard Barristers they're positively gorgeous). From the single episode I saw, the narrative just seemed generic, and while the magical action was vaguely entertaining, I wasn't at all impressed by the main girl's magic, which is awkward since it was clearly intended to be impressive. Just wasn't feeling it.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu
Not really my style of humour.
PhillipCostigan
Member
too many waifus, how am I ever supposed to choose?
Theonik
Member
PhillipCostigan
Member
I shall give you a hint.
points already deducted.
She is top 5 with Miki, Azusa, Hibiki and Iori. Order not final.
So far Miki is winning after episode one.
Wizard Barristers: 02
The show seems interesting... but it feels a little disjointed, not sure what to be. I'd rather be watching an Ace Attorney anime when the court stuff shows up, and there is better action stuff available for the action bits.
I don't really have enough interest to continue, so... dropped.
The show seems interesting... but it feels a little disjointed, not sure what to be. I'd rather be watching an Ace Attorney anime when the court stuff shows up, and there is better action stuff available for the action bits.
I don't really have enough interest to continue, so... dropped.
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
It's so obvious too.I shall give you a hint.
points already deducted.
PhillipCostigan
Member
Scy is trying to corrupt me with gifs
this isn't fair
there's a hamaster piloting her
not fair
this isn't fair
there's a hamaster piloting her
not fair
Awwww yeah!
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
fangs in general are
"Hey Joan of Arc I know you're only really famous for praying to God but stop doing that so you can just be Ranmaru with enormous boobs."
KillerMan91
Member
Yes. Most like tale of memories more but I vastly prefered tale of melodies. It was reaaally good.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Memories was half amazing / half rage inducing. Basically there are two arcs going on at once that are only loosely connected and one is some of the sweetest, most charming romance I've seen in anime (the
Chihiro
All in all its a really great show. I never finished Melodies but I should get around to doing it.
Save 'N Quit
Banned
Admiral Woofington
Member
I've watched both seasons. And honestly it was one of the better romance dramas I've seen. The first season, the one with the eye patch girl and the love triangle, is much better than the second season imho. Much sweeter too. The second season also is pretty good, it's just that one of the two love stories isn't really that interesting and the second one tries to get a bit dark. And while the darker story succeeds in being the more interesting of the two, the pay-off is kind of crap.
So in conclusion, they're amazing and artistically great, but the first season could be a stand-alone and you'd never have to watch the second one, as good as it is it can't compare with the first.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Name one. Name an episode of Mecha that was better than this one. This was the kind of robot on robot brawl I haven't seen since Domon threw down with Sai Saici and Master Asia.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
...
I'm agreeing with you dude.
Well kind of. I think GBF is the best Gundam television series ever made, second to none
Then you agree that Episode 15 is the best episode of Mecha anime to come out in at least 8 years, right?
So I just watched Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Pretty cool I guess. The OP kinda scared me with them nude lolis, but good thing there wasn't anything creepy or fanservicey in the actual show. After finished it I found out there are movies the recapped the show... wonder if I should have just watched that instead.
Pretty cool I guess. The OP kinda scared me with them nude lolis, but good thing there wasn't anything creepy or fanservicey in the actual show. After finished it I found out there are movies the recapped the show... wonder if I should have just watched that instead.
It's sort of a margin of safety. If I were to voice my completely biased opinion then GBF 15 is the best episode of Mecha since Sousuke Sagara finished beating the crap out of 5 Venoms in The Second Raid. But since I'm aware that I haven't seen every single mecha show between 2006 and 2014 then I'm giving myself a little breathing space weighted in favor of the unfair, biased assumption that mecha anime in the early part of last decade was better than in the latter.
Unlike with Gundam, where I feel pretty comfortable saying that this is the best episode of any Gundam show since G. Unicorn was great, and SEED had some good moments, but this tops them. This fight was amazing.
lol what?
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
D-Frag! 2
Ok, I think I'm more on board now than I was after episode 1. The comedy's working better, not amazing but it's becoming more watchable now that the cast has expanded. Which is great because Takao is such a cutie OMG.
DUDE.
DUDE.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
IT WAS 2D.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
FUCKING
LASER CAPE PUNCH TO THE FACE KNOCKED HIS HEAD CLEAN OFF.
There wasn't anything in this episode but three men in two robots putting it all on the line to beat the shit out of each other. It was fucking incredible.
I have to go for a bit anyway, and while I may be over hyping the show (I really do need to get around to watching Star Driver, I guess) I think it's still safe to say this is the best episode of Gundam in a decade. Better even than Unicorn.
I wish I could just recommend the movie as it would probably hit all the high notes and reduce the amount of bad pacing but nobody has subbed the movie and I doubt anyone will anytime soon. So you're going to be stuck watching the TV series.
I actually haven't seen Unicorn so I forgot about it. I'm waiting for the last episode of Unicorn to come out before I watch it.
R_thanatos
Member
I am at work dammit stop hyping me up when i cant watch it yeeeeeettttt
Time is so slow today
Joe Molotov
Member
But his memories are still watching over us, Yamato-style.
Admiral Woofington
Member
It's a shame I can't stand the Children's Card Game/Saturday Morning anime feel of GBF. Or that I don't love Gundam enough to get all the references and sploosh alongside the other leads. Because the show seems to have a pretty big following here, and lord knows animeGAF got me into HxH 2011 which is amazing.
dakkumauji
Member
Seitokai Yakuindomo * 03
What a Kobayashi fun episode.
What a Kobayashi fun episode.
Unicorn is pretty damn good. Probably the best recent Gundam that isn't GBF, but Banagher is sort of bland compared to Kamille and Judau.
Dude it was so good.
He wrapped what was left of his beam cape around his fist and punched the Star Build Strike's head off. That was beautiful. I cried.
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