Summer 2013 Anime Season

The little witch academia will be getting a second episode

Japan rocketnews wrote:Remember back in April when we brought you news of the explosively popular anime, Little Witch Academia? The short movie received such an overwhelming abundance of positive feedback from the online community that its creators Studio TRIGGER have decided to create a sequel to their highly acclaimed magical girl anime. And, in order to procure the funds for some extended running time, the team has turned to the American crowd-funding site Kickstarter.
The project began accepting pledges on Monday, July 8, and amazingly surpassed their desired US$150,000 mark after just one day!

The first Little Witch Academia was released at Anime Mirai 2013, an event funded by the Japanese government to encourage young animators into the field. The story follows a group of bright-eyed, young witches fighting to save their school from destruction.  The lead animator at Studio TRIGGER, Yoshinari Yoh, and writer for the series, Masahiko Otsuka, both have a history of working with the highly acclaimed animation studio, Gainax, on such stellar series as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion among others. Their work is of truly outstanding quality.

The online English-speaking community certainly thought well of their work, appearing in droves at the studio’s YouTube page and leaving many comments which begged for a sequel. More than a few mentioned their willingness to give money to the cause and suggested Kickstarter as a good crowd funding money source.

At the recommendation of many, co-founder of TRIGGER, Mr. Masahiko Otsuka, looked into the service and was drawn to the prospect of reciprocal gains, allowing the studio to work together with the fans and reap benefits on both sides. Kickstarter facilitates a fund-raiser for the animation project and orchestrates the provision of special gifts and favors to those who donate!

Donations to Little Witch Academia start as low as one dollar, but people giving $20 or more will be given a link to download the finished sequel and art book.
$50 or more gets contributors a printed copy of the art book and standard edition Blu-ray of Little Witch Academia 2.
The gifts continue on in this fashion all the way up to $10,000, where three lucky (and generous) fans will have the opportunity to visit Studio TRIGGER and the offices of its affiliates and have a meal with the working staff!

I'm certainly pleased that Little Witch Academia will be getting a sequel, as I thought the original was pretty good.  On a related note, maybe we should have a thread for upcoming anime...

Anyhow, I wasn't too impressed with the second episodes of Love Lab or C3.  The second episode of Genshiken Nidaime left a better impression, but I'm still not totally sold on the series.  I haven't been that inclined to watch the second episodes of Servant X Service or Free.

I also watched the first episodes of Silver Spoon and Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya.  Silver Spoon was okay.  Prism Ilya was good in some respects, but there were parts I didn't quite get (I'm not that up on my Type Moon lore) and there was more nudity related humor than I'm entirely comfortable with in a show with a loli for a main character.

Maybe there's some other shows I should check out but thus far it doesn't seem like the strongest season ever.

Awinnell wrote:The little witch academia will be getting a second episode...

I did the $100 pledge when they announced the KS project since that is about what I pay for the fancy NIS America Blu-ray releases that include art books and soundtrack CDs.

Kimi no Iru Machi (2 Episodes): I enjoy good dramas, so I decided to check this series out.  Despite seeming a bit like an older style harem show, suffering from story compression, and some oddities with camera position and voice acting, I actually kind of like it.  Enough to give it a chance at any rate.  Interestingly enough this adaptation seems to be starting in the middle of the series and doing flashbacks (which seems to have really pissed some people who are familiar with the source manga).

Despite my issues with the franchise's characterization, I actually rather enjoyed the second episode of Symphogear G.  There's just something about mecha inspired magical girls beam spamming and blowing shit up.

Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya's second episode also raised my impression of that series a bit.  That series definitely trends a bit towards parody, or at least comedy.

I think those three shows and Genshiken Nidaime are the main new shows I have tagged for following this season, though I don't yet see any of them being big winners (in terms of their popularity with me anyway -I think  Prisma Ilya and Symphogear G have pretty good chances of being successful).

Oh, and there's also Yamato 2199, which is awesome, but its not really getting regular weekly releases.

Futari wa Milky Holmes

In this story set two years after the previous anime works, the new "Milky Holmes Feathers" group are 12-year-old kōhai to the earlier four Milky Holmes girls.

This show appears to focus on the two girls, Kazumi and Arisu, who have enrolled in Holmes Detective Academy to become great detectives like their heroines, the famous Milky Holmes. Unlike the past series, the episodes for this show are 12 minutes.




Yamato 2199 - Episodes 19-22


The four episodes of the next to final volume concentrates mostly on plot development as opposed to action, which is probably a good thing as the plot of Yamato 2199 does have a number of rather significant divergences from the original 1974 television series (to it's benefit, just as they were for the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica). The final chess pieces have been set as the Yamato arrives at the Gamilas-Iscandar solar system and the final four episodes should be amazing (and to make us wait an extra month, now, is just cruel). I will say the action reminded me very much of the naval and air battles of WWII.

Okay, now that pretty much all the shows I have been watching are now three or four episodes under their belt, my “first quarter opinions” are as follows:


Tamayura ~More Aggressive~
As excellent as the original OAV and the first TV series. The show literally makes me happy.


Servant x Service
Definitely has that Working!! vibe, however I don’t feel this cast is as interesting or as entertaining as the folks at Wagnaria – perhaps because adults acting like high school kids does not seem as effective as high school kids acting like high school kids. Overall, though, it's a pretty boring show and I am pretty much just watching it for Lucy Yamagami, whom I find to be hella cute.



Chronicles of the Going Home Club (Kitakubu Katsudō Kiroku)
Standard “cute girls acting cute” anime, with the advantage the girls are pretty cute (especially Ando-san). Also pretty darn funny as these sorts of shows go.


Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 [Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu]
Have to say the ending of the third episode really turned me sour on the show.

Spoiler:

il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion
I just can’t take this show seriously due to it’s look, which appears to be aimed to appeal to lolicons and goths.


Kin-iro Mosaic
The show settled into it’s 4-koma format with the second episode and while it is not the gentle, low-key comedy in the vein of  Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth I was hoping for, it is heart-felt and adorable. At the moment, my favorite show of the season.


Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui! | Watamote | ~No Matter How I Look at It, It's Your Guys Fault I'm Not Popular!~
Supposedly meant to be comedic, I mostly feel sorry for Kuroki-chan in the face of her crushing social shyness. Her “creepy-cute” vibe is a change from the buxom beauty or moe cutie that have anchored previous shows dealing with this topic - I find her one of the more unique character designs I’ve seen in years. The show as a whole, however, I find to be just creepy and sad.


Kamisama no Inai Nichiyōbi | Sunday Without God
While the show does play on Ai’s inherent cuteness, it also is showing it can have a serious side – I did not expect the third episode to play out as it did and the fourth episode set the stage for what could be an interesting story arc.


Silver Spoon
While content-wise it is a very different show from the anime adaption of Full Metal Alchemist, Hachiken’s response to some of the things going on around him remind me of Ed in FMA. I should find it boring since it is a subject I have zero interest in, but the third episode was fun and I really enjoyed the fourth episode.


Recorder to Randiseru Mi
Just not in the same league as the original, but short enough that I can bang it out on my iPhone just about anywhere.

I watched all 16 episodes of Attack on Titan yesterday. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! I can't wait for the next episode!!

Eren and Armin are my faves. :3 A bunch of the side characters are great too.

I.
Hate.
Levi.

I'm not very inclined to like Attack on Titan.  I have very little emotional investment in the characters. It's also one of those shows thats gotten so big in the general anime fandom that its feels like its being shoved in my face a bit.

...and yet in spite of that I went and watched all the five episodes I was behind in one day yesterday. :sweat:I suppose that says something.

In other news, C3-bu is pretty freaking bad.  Not only is there that weird reality warping stuff, even the actual airsoft segments don't seem very realistic (wall running? Seriously?).  Though as someone who selected a Skorpion machine pistol for one of his OCs I found the fact that the main character in the show has an airsoft Skorpion as her primary kind of interesting.

Kimi no Iru Machi is a show that sometimes seems very good and sometimes seems very bad.  The show is basically a messy romantic drama, and its characters and relationships seem more down to earth than those in a lot of other shows.  On the other hand there are bits that seem a bit... well, I'm not sure anime clich-ish is quite the right way to put it, but hopefully that gets the point across.  Plus there were some parts that didn't seem all the realistic, though some of that may have been due to story compression.

Genshiken Nidaime has really grown on me since it started.  I wasn't sure about the new cast of characters but they actually seems to be doing decently well, and its not like the old guard never makes appearances.  Interestingly there seems to be a lot more direct references to current anime in Nidaime than in the original Genshiken -see the club members cosplaying Madoka Magica in the most recent episode for instance.

I'm behind on Prisma Ilya and Symphogear G.  The former has too much fan service for show with a loli lead character.

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is pretty darn awesome.  It has its share of flaws, but there are also things it does very well.

The shock and awe factor of Attack on Titan keeps me watching it. Needs less cliff hangars, though.

Tamayura ~More Aggressive~ and Kin-iro Mosaic continue to delight me with every episode.

As for C3-bu, I agree the show has imploded and I am just watching it for the fan service now. I think the girls should just be in their bikinis and web gear the rest of the series.


Kamisama no Inai Nichiyōbi | Sunday Without God has turned into a very pleasant surprise with two solid story arcs to date. Any fears this would be a lolicon-fest are completely ended and this is probably the show I most look forward to each week.

And Silver Spoon continues to deeply entertain me.

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. - Episodes 14, 15 and 16

As if the show wasn’t creepy enough already, they come up with these three ONAs, which effectively ret-con the Kyosuke-Kuroneko arc ( ) as well as Episode 13.

Kiskaloo wrote:Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. - Episodes 14, 15 and 16

As if the show wasn’t creepy enough already, they come up with these three ONAs, which effectively ret-con the Kyosuke-Kuroneko arc ( ) as well as Episode 13.

Haven't actually seen them, but my understanding is that they basically go the little sister route.  Kind of disappointing in a series that initially seemed like a parody of little sister series back near the beginning of season one.

Anyway, at this point I've kept up to date with Genshiken Nidaime, Attack on Titan, Railgun S2, and A Town Where You Live.  And for some reason Symphogear G.

Piero wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. - Episodes 14, 15 and 16

As if the show wasn’t creepy enough already, they come up with these three ONAs, which effectively ret-con the Kyosuke-Kuroneko arc ( ) as well as Episode 13.

Haven't actually seen them, but my understanding is that they basically go the little sister route.

Spoiler:

Piero wrote:Kind of disappointing in a series that initially seemed like a parody of little sister series back near the beginning of season one.

IMO this second series pretty much ruined the show for me. I'm hesitant to buy the R1 release when it's available for while I want it for the Ruri and Ayase arcs, on the flip side I don't really want to support this effort.

Piero wrote:Anyway, at this point I've kept up to date with Genshiken Nidaime, Attack on Titan, Railgun S2 and A Town Where You Live. And for some reason Symphogear G.

Thanks to Crunchyroll I'm still watching almost everything I started since it's always available and convenient to watch anywhere so I'm staying with shows that I normally would have dropped (C3 Stella Academy, Watamote, Servant x Service and Recorder and Randsell Mi).

The surprise shows for me this series have been Silver Spoon and Sunday Without God. While I really have no interest in the setting of the former, the cast are just such good people that I really enjoy watching them. And as for the latter, it turned into something far better than I had feared it was going to.

just seen Toaru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki , and the marketing is strong with this one, it has an Idol in it , so lots of singing, someones hoping to rake in the soundtrack cash !

Awinnell wrote:just seen Toaru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki , and the marketing is strong with this one, it has an Idol in it , so lots of singing, someones hoping to rake in the soundtrack cash !

That's on my to-do list.


Cleared the queue of some OVAs today:

Minami-ke Natsuyasumi

OVA DVD bundled with the Volume 11 tankobon, it is a cute summer episode of standard Minami-ke fare.

Kamisama Hajimemashita

OVA DVD bundled with the Volume 18 tankobon. I loved this show so happy to see an OVA. The first episode is said to be based on one of the chapters in Volume 15 and the second was all-new.

The iDOLM@STER: Shiny Festa

A set of three OVAs tied to the release of the three iDOLM@STER: Shiny Festa PSP games. Evidently each game has a fully animated opening episode and these are that. The openings and endings to all three are the same – the middle is different content.

Finally caught One Off... added to my "relax to it" list.

Cynthia's design though reminds me somewhat of Allison from Allison to Lillia:

Ah, Allison and Lillia... that was a series that should have been a lot better than it was.  Madhouse needed to spend more time ensuring their adaptation made sense and less time trying to disnefy the source material's violence. I actually find it kind of odd they went so far in trying to disnefy the violence but then had that bit where Allison tells her daughter she has no objections to her travelling on her own with Tristan because Tristan is a gentleman and therefore there will be no problem unless Lillia tries to jump him in his sleep when he's vulnerable.   Granted I think the way many North American get in an uproar about sex but are fine with their kids watching/playing very violent stuff is kind of ridiculous, but still...

I just downloaded it as it sounds like it could be interesting.

Sounds like I need to track down the Allison to Lillia manga...

To be honest, I never actually finished the anime series. I started, then something got in the way (can't remember what, but at a guess I would say I was pushing on the comic) and I never finished. Should re-watch it and finish.

Kiskaloo wrote:Shingeki no Kyojin - Special 01+02

Being reliant on Crunchyroll for my SnK fix, I suspect that I have missed a trick here...

Officer_Charon wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Shingeki no Kyojin - Special 01+02

Being reliant on Crunchyroll for my SnK fix, I suspect that I have missed a trick here...

They were released with the first two Blu-ray volumes in Japan and are being fansubbed at the moment.

Kiskaloo wrote:I just downloaded it as it sounds like it could be interesting.

Which one, One Off or Allison and Lillia?

Alfisti wrote:Sounds like I need to track down the Allison to Lillia manga...

To be honest, I never actually finished the anime series. I started, then something got in the way (can't remember what, but at a guess I would say I was pushing on the comic) and I never finished. Should re-watch it and finish.

Allison and Lillia is actually based on two series of light novels, Allison and its sequel series Lillia and Trieze.  Unfortunately I'm not aware of an English translation of those novels being available.  The info I know about the novels comes largely from TV Tropes.  But apparently they're better about providing hints/clues to the audience than the anime is.  On the other hand the anime does do away with the author's habit of going on at length about scenery and technical specifications.  

Also in spite of some issues I had with the first half of Allison and Lillia I seem to remember it was the second half that really didn't go over so well with me.  It was kind of ridiculous at times.

Piero wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:I just downloaded it as it sounds like it could be interesting.

Which one, One Off or Allison and Lillia?

Allison to Lillia.

I saw One Off a couple of months back (my comments on it are on Page One).

Suisei no Gargantia - Episode 14 [OVA]

Most anime series OAVs are fan-service fluff pieces that take place at a beach or hot springs, but fortunately this one chose an abandoned fleet and told a pretty neat story.

Oh, and Ridget was epic cute as a teenager.

Kiskaloo wrote:

Piero wrote:Which one, One Off or Allison and Lillia?

Allison to Lillia.

I saw One Off a couple of months back (my comments on it are on Page One).

Ah, that one.  I might check it out at some point.

On a different note, Kimi no Iru Machi may be more or less a soap opera, but I've actually found it quite good with some of its recent episodes.  Though I think the attachment I've developed to one of the pairings may end up hindering my enjoyment of the show somewhat, as things don't look so great for that particular pairing's chances.

Piero wrote:Allison and Lillia is actually based on two series of light novels, Allison and its sequel series Lillia and Trieze.  Unfortunately I'm not aware of an English translation of those novels being available.  The info I know about the novels comes largely from TV Tropes.  But apparently they're better about providing hints/clues to the audience than the anime is.  On the other hand the anime does do away with the author's habit of going on at length about scenery and technical specifications.  

Tech specs tend to bore me fast, but scenery I can deal with

Ah, light novels... I sort of got turned off those when I tried reading the FMP! light novels. I don't know if something got lost in translation, or if it was just that writer's particular style, but I found them impossible to deal with... and that's speaking as someone who was a bit fan of the show and manga.

Alfisti wrote:

Piero wrote:Allison and Lillia is actually based on two series of light novels, Allison and its sequel series Lillia and Trieze.  Unfortunately I'm not aware of an English translation of those novels being available.  The info I know about the novels comes largely from TV Tropes.  But apparently they're better about providing hints/clues to the audience than the anime is.  On the other hand the anime does do away with the author's habit of going on at length about scenery and technical specifications.  

Tech specs tend to bore me fast, but scenery I can deal with

Ah, light novels... I sort of got turned off those when I tried reading the FMP! light novels. I don't know if something got lost in translation, or if it was just that writer's particular style, but I found them impossible to deal with... and that's speaking as someone who was a bit fan of the show and manga.

There is something a bit jarring about how light novels put things at times.  I'm not sure if its the format thing or more of a general language thing though.  It could be that a lot of that stuff sounds just fine in Japanese and the translators didn't mess around enough to make it sound very natural in English.

Anyway, turns out there is an Allison manga, but AFAIK only the first story arc is translated.  From what I can tell its actually very similar to the anime in many regards but there are some rather notable differences.

I'm actually thinking of giving the show a rewatch now -I did actually enjoy it quite a bit despite finding things to criticize about it.  I may mention a bit more about the differences once I've refreshed my memory of the anime version a bit.

There's another Ghost in the Shell movie? Where the hell have I been?! Sounds like its not that great from the comments here, but anything GitS related should be worthwhile.

Oreimo 2 has had some good comedy here and there, but it seems like a downgrade from to season 1. The highlight of Oreimo was the beginning of season 1 with had some great drama, but this series can't seem to match that heading slowly downhill with season 2, especially with the focus on the really awkward romance. But I still enjoy it.

Attack on Titan might be far too popular for me normally, but I still love the hell out of this show. Kind of worried how they're going to resolve all the questions, especially since the manga isn't finished from my understanding. Either way though, it's been consistently a great watch. The internet has been lousy with unmarked spoilers everywhere though, so I'm afraid to look at anything about it.

I think its the first time I'm this current on recent anime . It's scary.

Still behind in all of the series though, so I'm weary of spoilers.

a couple of this seasons shows are only 10 episodes long, are they cutting back due to cost ?

Awinnell wrote:a couple of this seasons shows are only 10 episodes long, are they cutting back due to cost ?

Could be.

13 is the norm, but I have seen some 11 and 12 episode shows in seasons past.

Godot wrote:Attack on Titan might be far too popular for me normally, but I still love the hell out of this show. Kind of worried how they're going to resolve all the questions, especially since the manga isn't finished from my understanding. Either way though, it's been consistently a great watch. The internet has been lousy with unmarked spoilers everywhere though, so I'm afraid to look at anything about it.

I think its the first time I'm this current on recent anime . It's scary.

Seems silly to hate on a show because it's popular...unless you're a hipster, of course.  

Yes, the show has it's flaws, but it is popular because, as you note, overall it's pretty good. And while it is clearly popular enough in Japan and the US to guarantee a second anime series, with Kodansha working overtime to translate the tankobon into English to capitalize on said popularity, once this series is over I'll pick up the manga where the show left off (even if the manga artwork sucks more ass than the anime artwork, which is saying something).


Just finished today's episode.

Spoiler:

Kiskaloo wrote:

Godot wrote:Attack on Titan might be far too popular for me normally, but I still love the hell out of this show. Kind of worried how they're going to resolve all the questions, especially since the manga isn't finished from my understanding. Either way though, it's been consistently a great watch. The internet has been lousy with unmarked spoilers everywhere though, so I'm afraid to look at anything about it.

I think its the first time I'm this current on recent anime . It's scary.

Seems silly to hate on a show because it's popular...unless you're a hipster, of course.  

Yes, the show has it's flaws, but it is popular because, as you note, overall it's pretty good. And while it is clearly popular enough in Japan and the US to guarantee a second anime series, with Kodansha working overtime to translate the tankobon into English to capitalize on said popularity, once this series is over I'll pick up the manga where the show left off (even if the manga artwork sucks more ass than the anime artwork, which is saying something).


Just finished today's episode.

Spoiler:

I'm not sure about Godot,, but I know that I personally can find it annoying when a show I'm kind of lukewarm towards (and I'm still somewhat lukewarm towards Attack on Titan despite my eagerness at watching recent episodes) becomes so hugely popular it seems to be everywhere in the fandom.  It can be especially annoying if I'm already sick of something and then find its cropping up in places where it previously hadn't been.

Then again, I found Haruhi's popularity annoying years ago, but now that its died down I'm pretty cool with the show (well its first season anyway).

Piero wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:

Godot wrote:Attack on Titan might be far too popular for me normally, but I still love the hell out of this show. Kind of worried how they're going to resolve all the questions, especially since the manga isn't finished from my understanding. Either way though, it's been consistently a great watch. The internet has been lousy with unmarked spoilers everywhere though, so I'm afraid to look at anything about it.

I think its the first time I'm this current on recent anime . It's scary.

Seems silly to hate on a show because it's popular...unless you're a hipster, of course.  

Yes, the show has it's flaws, but it is popular because, as you note, overall it's pretty good. And while it is clearly popular enough in Japan and the US to guarantee a second anime series, with Kodansha working overtime to translate the tankobon into English to capitalize on said popularity, once this series is over I'll pick up the manga where the show left off (even if the manga artwork sucks more ass than the anime artwork, which is saying something).


Just finished today's episode.

I'm not sure about Godot,, but I know that I personally can find it annoying when a show I'm kind of lukewarm towards (and I'm still somewhat lukewarm towards Attack on Titan despite my eagerness at watching recent episodes) becomes so hugely popular it seems to be everywhere in the fandom.  It can be especially annoying if I'm already sick of something and then find its cropping up in places where it previously hadn't been.

Then again, I found Haruhi's popularity annoying years ago, but now that its died down I'm pretty cool with the show (well its first season anyway).

Yeah, that's is pretty much it. I tend to like shows that are either not too popular or popular years ago, and I always find it refreshing to find the rare other person that likes it too. With the massively popular shows, you can't walk a metaphorical 2 feet online without bumping into more of the stuff, and it's not quite as gratifying. I tend to believe that nothing is as popular as it deserves to be.

You also get more fan made stuff out of ridiculously popular shows, which could be a good or bad thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh1Ko3wlqqs


Don't get me wrong, I think Attack on Titan is great. I'm on episode 15 so far, and as I mentioned, I'm worried how they can satisfactorily answer all the questions that keep popping up, especially with an ongoing manga. I'm really hoping the end or the inevitable next season manages to wrap up everything neatly, but otherwise I've been enjoying the ride, cliffhangers and all.

I do kind of identify as a hipster of sorts though

Long time, no see Piero!

The Summer 2013 Anime Season is coming to and end, so it's time to start handing out grades for the shows I watched. Overall, it's been one of the better seasons in recent memory.


Silver Spoon - A

Kiskaloo wrote:Pretty much a straight played for laughs "fish out of water" high school comedy, but the first episode was amusing and the high school setting is completely different from the grand palaces most such anime shows take place in so it has the novelty factor going for it.

I was hoping for something like Hanasaku Iroha, but ended up with something even better. As I have noted, the actual concept and setting of the show never really interested me, but what a great bunch of people to spend 220 minutes over 11 episode with. Evidently it has been cleared for a second series which makes me a very happy panda.

My favorite show of the Summer Season by a fair margin.



Tamayura ~More Aggressive~ - A

The works of Junichi Sato are known as "healing" anime and his works (Aria, Tamayura, One Off, Ikoku Meiro no Croisée) are definitely salves for the soul. His latest show, the third installment in the Tamayura series, is no different. His shows leave me with a sense of contentment and peace and he's rapidly becomming my favorite anime director. His works have also inspired two Idyllic Lives stories and I am giving some thought to branching out into Aria fan fiction...

Attack on Titan is ending tomorrow. Idk how I'm going to handle this... D: I'll probably pick up the manga is it ends off at a huge cliffhanger.

Kin-iro Mosaic - A-

Kiskaloo wrote:Based on a 4-koma manga, you'd never guess based on the opening episode, which was some kind of wonderful for the part that took place in England. I expect the rest of this show will not be at this level of epic awesomeness, which is a tragedy, considering. That being said, I'm praying this is a gentle, low-key comedy in the vein of  Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth and equally as heart-felt and adorable.

The opening episode to this show was the most wonderful thing I have seen since the ending of Anohana and while the show never again approached that transcendental brilliance, the final episode was close and the middle 10 were the best adaption of a 4-koma I have seen since Azumanga Daioh.

The OP was also my official Song of the Summer:

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyōbi | Sunday Without God - A-

Kiskaloo wrote:As a concept played seriously, this could be a pretty interesting show as the first episode did raise a lot of intriguing questions and gave very few answers. However, like Day Break Illusion, this show has a big disconnect between being serious and being cute fluff. The producers know who buys anime merchandise, so Ai is 12, cute, moe, genki and wears an outfit that while mercifully chaste, is also totally unfit for mortuary work. The rest of the female cast looks equally designed to appeal to otakus or lolicons.

The premise is enough to give it a second episode, but I hope it plays more to it's story strengths then sales strengths.

I am very pleased to say this show chose to play to it's story strengths, and what great stories it told. A really pleasant surprise of a show.



Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui! | Watamote | ~No Matter How I Look at It, It's Your Guys Fault I'm Not Popular!~ - C-

Kiskaloo wrote:Nothing special, but does have some entertainment value.

Alas, the more it ran, the less entertaining it became. I'm sure a major part of this was that I could not relate to Tomoko in any way, since I was popular and outgoing in high school where Tomoko is non-existant and crushingly shy. As such, I found the show depressing and at times downright creepy.
 
 
Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 [Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu] - C

Kiskaloo wrote:If I had to draw a parallel to another anime series, I'd say it's closest to Upotte!! (just with real girls instead of girls who are anthropomorphic guns).

On the plus side, the fan service delivered. Otherwise...

Servant x Service - C-

Kiskaloo wrote:A rare sight in anime - a show featuring an all-adult cast. However, since it is the brainchild of the creator of Working!! (Karino Takatsu), it's not to be taken seriously and the first episode is indeed funny and entertaining, though I don't think it will be as good as Working!! was.

Uh, yeah. It was nowhere near as good as Working!! with boring characters in a boring setting doing boring things. Quite quickly I started watching it only because I think Lucy Yamagami is the cutest character of the season (and in Episode 12, she's downright adorable ).


Recorder to Randiseru Mi - F

Kiskaloo wrote:Man, they totally ruined this show…

Man, did they ever. The first two series, while formulaic, were at least mildly amusing. With this third season, I felt the need to shower after each three-minute episode. First, they cut the animation budget to a couple of Yen so it looks like absolute drek. They then ratcheted-up Sayo Takahashi's crush on Atsushi Miyagawa to creeper level. Mary Kay Letourneau joins the cast in the role of Atsushi's teacher, Kawauchi, and just to totally sink the show, they add a lolicon high school kid - Yoshioka - who spends his time leering and drooling after every elementary school girl in the show and who sees salvation in Atsumi Miyagawa because she is a "legal Lolita" (being a fellow high-school girl, even if she looks like she's still in elementary school).


Teekyū Season 2 - C

Kiskaloo wrote:And I want to see if the fastest-talking seiyuu group in history can keep it going.

Yes they could...

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 - A+

The most epic reboot of a show since 2004's Battlestar Galactica and 2002's Top Gear. Pretty much perfect (I'll give them the Hollywood ending) and that tease with the Comet Empire fleet fighting the Gamilas better be a nod that they are going to be doing that story next year.

Futari wa Milky Holmes - C

While Kazumi and Alice were cute, this show suffered from the same problem the prequel - Milky Holmes Alternative - did: competence. As in Kazumi and Alice were competent detectives, even if young and inexperienced.

What I loved about Tantei Opera Milky Holmes and Tantei Opera Milky Holmes Dai-ni-Maku is that Milky Holmes are portrayed as Inspector Clouseau-level nincompoops who succeed far more by sheer luck than skill. Without it, I find the characters boring.

And closing out the Summer 2013 Anime Season...

Chronicles of the Going Home Club - B+

Exceptionally well-animated. Five very cute girls with a self-awareness and willingness to break the Fourth Wall I haven't seen since the ADV dub of Ghost Stories. All-in-all, quite entertaining version of the "cute girls being weird" type of show.

Piero wrote:Genshiken Nidaime has really grown on me since it started.  I wasn't sure about the new cast of characters but they actually seems to be doing decently well, and its not like the old guard never makes appearances.  Interestingly there seems to be a lot more direct references to current anime in Nidaime than in the original Genshiken -see the club members cosplaying Madoka Magica in the most recent episode for instance.

I'm starting to think I can judge how much of a sleep-debt I've accumulated by I'm watching and enjoying at the time... if I'm on to slice of life, it probably means the only thing keeping me vertical and mobile is copious amounts of caffeine.

Needless to say, Nidaime went down quite well. I enjoyed the first two Genshiken instalments whilst at uni, and seemingly this one was no different.

What I did like was that, recent anime references aside, Ogiue's shelf was also stocked with Aliens, Doctor Who and Torchwood box-sets... which makes me wonder how they get permission/money to use so many different IPs, as I think the BBC is pretty protective of those last two. Or is there some arrangement going on that I'm not aware of?

I wouldn't be overly surprised if they didn't have permission, actually.   They may be counting on no one really caring all that much.

Did you ever ready the manga version of Genshiken?  There's actually some manga material that was skipped between season two and Nidaime.

Piero wrote:Did you ever ready the manga version of Genshiken?  There's actually some manga material that was skipped between season two and Nidaime.

Can't say I have, probably should.

Stella was one of my favourite shows during the summer, although not maybe for the reason its producers intended...

And the rabbit hole goes deeper and deeper...