Re: Spring 2014 Anime

by taerKitty Fri 18 Apr 2014 - 16:04

Even though it's a magical focus, Coffin Princess is slinging around an AMR. That's hard for me to reconcile.

Blade and Soul has the comic relief character (one of many) with revolvers and homing bullets. That and too many Gainax bounces have me really wondering why I'm watching it.

by Piero Fri 18 Apr 2014 - 17:46

Because you have nothing better to watch? Razz

There is that Ben-to series from 2011 that Funimation recently started streaming. It's got plenty of fan service too, but at least its creative about it. And it might actually have better fight scenes. sweat

by taerKitty Sat 19 Apr 2014 - 1:35

Well, it's more like I'm hoping that some show will generate the same joy that I once experienced watching stuff like Zeta Gundam, or Bubble Gum Crisis, or Caliogstro (well, that was a Miyazaki, so that may be hard to find.)

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 19 Apr 2014 - 10:02

taerkitty wrote:Blade and Soul has the comic relief character (one of many) with revolvers and homing bullets. That and too many Gainax bounces have me really wondering why I'm watching it.

For those who think there is no such thing as too many Gainax Bounces in their fantasy sword anime, Summer 2014's Momo Kyun Sword might be for you based on the first PV:

by taerKitty Sat 19 Apr 2014 - 11:50

Black Bullet has a pretty threadbare premise:

In the year 2021, mankind was defeated by Gastrea, a parasitical virus, and is forced to live within a wall made of Varanium Monoliths, a metal that is able to subdue Gastrea. Soon, the "Cursed Children", children born with the Gastrea virus who are able to control it—which gives them superhuman abilities—were discovered. Due to the Gastrea virus' intervention, the Cursed Children could only be female. Civil Securities are formed to specialize in fighting against Gastrea, operating with the pair of an Initiator, who are cursed children, and a Promoter, serving to lead the cursed children.

It looks like a good doppleganger for GsG, but I worried that it would just be a new reason to have the same old over-the-top fights and random bits of SFX. Episode one did not contradict my fears.

I figured I'd give it another shot, just one more.

Episode two wowed me. Toward the end there's a very nice scene of with character drama, some poignancy, and no superpowers.

===

I'm going to drop Blade and Soul. I figure if it can't impress me with three episodes, it won't be worth the time.

No Game, No Life didn't make it to that point. I dropped it midway through the second episode. It's just too pandering to the shut-in otaku subculture.

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 19 Apr 2014 - 13:05

My Japanese Blu-ray of the Puella Magi Madoka Madoka third movie just arrived and it is pretty nice in terms of packaging (have not seen the movie). The disc has English subtitles and it includes an English translation of the companion book and some really nice clearfiles.

It's pricey (I paid $95), but you can get it without the extra goodies (still an import) for around $55.

I imagine there will be a US-specific release down the road that will be cheaper.

by taerKitty Sat 19 Apr 2014 - 15:31

Oh, PE? There's a "pushing glasses back in place by the bridge" scene in The Irregular at Magic High School that is highly evocative of Log Horizon. Wink

It's a blink-and-you've-missed-it thing, but it's fantastic!

===

Oh, and end of The World is Still Beautiful episode two was great. It was almost fitting of a Miyazaki film. (The rest of the series isn't up to that level, just the ending.)

Is the Order a Rabbit? is cute girls doing cute-and-occasionally-baffling stuff. It's inoffensive, but not a must-see.

La corda d'oro - Blue Sky may be faltering in my eyes, but that may be because it has some plot arcs that it needs to satisfy its combination of intermural competition (in this case, music contests) and bishonen-filled shoujou romance. Still, there's enough good music there to keep me watching.

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 21 Apr 2014 - 9:51

One Week Friends, Captain Earth and, especially, The World is Still Beautiful [Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii] had great third episodes so I plan to stick with them to completion. I also plan to stay with Sidonia no Kishi [Knights of Sidonia] because I find the story and characters interesting and Gochūmon wa Usagi Desu ka? [Is the order a rabbit?] is a given.

Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei [The Irregular at Magic High School] is looking like it may end up as a "fight of the week" show, which I am in general not a fan of. All that there is also a bro-con subtext is not an endearing trait. Also likes to info-dump with technobabble. That being said, there are some elements (and characters) I find interesting so I may end up dropping it and then seeing what those who continue watching it say as I can always pick it up again at season's end.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr [Brynhildr in the Darkness] also put in a solid third episode, but still not 100% sure I am going to commit to it for the entire season (since, again, I can always come back to it).

And I agree, maverick375 that “Lunch” was a great episode of Tonari no Seki-kun, but so far the three shogi episodes have been my favorites.

And speaking of coming back to shows, did anyone keep going with Nisekoi and Golden Time, which are now in the second halves of their seasons? I dropped both last season, but as my load looks a bit light this season, if they ended up being better than I thought, I could add them back in.

And finally, the dubbed version of Attack on Titan hits Toonami on Adult Swim next month. Funimation went with a more visceral voice direction and casting to reflect the darker aspect of the show and they use the new cleaned-up animation (which looks significantly better than the original broadcast artwork of those scenes).

by Awinnell Mon 21 Apr 2014 - 10:33

Nisekoi has ended up becoming a harem show with the added twist that he is only interested in the one girl he can't tell he's interested in

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 21 Apr 2014 - 23:15

M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane [M3: That Black Steel] - Episode 01

There is distorted, deep blackness everywhere. That place, in which blackness swallowed everything and took away everything, has become known as the Avidya Zone. Strange beings assume the very form of the despair and chaos of humanity. They are known by this name: Imashime.

An expedition surveys the Avidya Zone which consumes human spirits. So, in the intricate intersection between the present in impending crisis and the destiny of the past... can eight boys and girls, assembled to confront the Imashime, find the bright future that lies before the Avidya Zone?

The last show of the Spring 2014 season I was waiting for and, IMO, not worth the wait. I found it so uninteresting I turned it off halfway.

by 0utf0xZer0 Tue 22 Apr 2014 - 2:50

Kiskaloo wrote:The last show of the Spring 2014 season I was waiting for and, IMO, not worth the wait. I found it so uninteresting I turned it off halfway.

I found it got interesting towards the end of the episode. The cast looks pretty uninspiring though.

Anyone here check out the Atelier Escha & Logy anime? I think it has a surprisingly good setting given that it's an RPG adaptation with a fairly saccharine tone.

by **Kiskaloo** Tue 22 Apr 2014 - 9:32

0utf0xZer0 wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:The last show of the Spring 2014 season I was waiting for and, IMO, not worth the wait. I found it so uninteresting I turned it off halfway.

I found it got interesting towards the end of the episode. The cast looks pretty uninspiring though.

Anyone here check out the Atelier Escha & Logy anime? I think it has a surprisingly good setting given that it's an RPG adaptation with a fairly saccharine tone.

Hey, welcome back.

I agree with you that the cast for this show does it no favors. Also wasn't a fan of the animation and the story read more interesting in the anime poster synopsis than it played out on the screen. It's being streamed by Daisuke, so I am dependent on fan subs, but I think I'm just going to go with my gut and drop it.

Speaking of characters, I am finding that it is the cast that have really influenced whether or not I stay with a show this season. Nike has me completely hooked on The World Is Still Beautiful, while Yuki Aito and Shirosaki completely turned me off to continuing with The Comic Artist... and The Kawai Complex..., respectively, and half the cast is keeping me interested in The Irregular at Magic High School while the other half is actively repelling me. Smile

by Piero Tue 22 Apr 2014 - 10:49

I'm back from Sakuracon and more or less caught up on the shows I'm following.

taerkitty wrote:Well, it's more like I'm hoping that some show will generate the same joy that I once experienced watching stuff like Zeta Gundam, or Bubble Gum Crisis, or Caliogstro (well, that was a Miyazaki, so that may be hard to find.)

Nostalgia is kind of hard to compete with. Ben-to is pretty fun though.

taerkitty wrote:Black Bullet has a pretty threadbare premise:

In the year 2021, mankind was defeated by Gastrea, a parasitical virus, and is forced to live within a wall made of Varanium Monoliths, a metal that is able to subdue Gastrea. Soon, the "Cursed Children", children born with the Gastrea virus who are able to control it—which gives them superhuman abilities—were discovered. Due to the Gastrea virus' intervention, the Cursed Children could only be female. Civil Securities are formed to specialize in fighting against Gastrea, operating with the pair of an Initiator, who are cursed children, and a Promoter, serving to lead the cursed children.

It looks like a good doppleganger for GsG, but I worried that it would just be a new reason to have the same old over-the-top fights and random bits of SFX. Episode one did not contradict my fears.

I figured I'd give it another shot, just one more.

Episode two wowed me. Toward the end there's a very nice scene of with character drama, some poignancy, and no superpowers.

I've heard good things about Black Bullet's second episode, but I was so put off by the first I'm not particularly enthusiastic about giving the second a try. It was pretty much my pick for worst show of the season for a while.

Kiskaloo wrote:M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane [M3: That Black Steel] - Episode 01

There is distorted, deep blackness everywhere. That place, in which blackness swallowed everything and took away everything, has become known as the Avidya Zone. Strange beings assume the very form of the despair and chaos of humanity. They are known by this name: Imashime.

An expedition surveys the Avidya Zone which consumes human spirits. So, in the intricate intersection between the present in impending crisis and the destiny of the past... can eight boys and girls, assembled to confront the Imashime, find the bright future that lies before the Avidya Zone?

The last show of the Spring 2014 season I was waiting for and, IMO, not worth the wait. I found it so uninteresting I turned it off halfway.

I at least made it through the first episode but I'll admit I wasn't very impressed. I'll see if I give it another.

Decided to check out Nisekoi and No Game No Life, otherwise I'm more or less watching the same stuff I picked out earlier, though we'll see how long I stick with some of them. There's nothing that completely blows me away this season, though Captain Earth and The World is Still Beautiful are stronger than some of the others.

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 27 Apr 2014 - 18:34

So I’ve finalized my “watch list” for this season and seven shows have made the cut:

Isshuukan Friends [One Week Friends]
A sheet cake of win on the order of Hōrō Musuko [Wandering Son] and Usagi Drop.

Sidonia no Kishi [Knights of Sidonia]
Easily the most interesting show I am watching this season.

The World is Still Beautiful [Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii]
The show as a whole seems to be as awesome as Nike.

Captain Earth
Sci-Fi and BONES always go well together for me. I really liked the two Eureka Seven series and this show’s lead is already far cooler, so…

Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei [The Irregular at Magic High School]
As much as I dislike Miyuki Shiba, I like the rest of the regular cast and I’m interested to see how they explore this world.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr [Brynhildr in the Darkness]
The girl’s story is intriguing enough that I am going to try and stick with it.

Gochūmon wa Usagi Desu ka? [Is the order a rabbit?]
The girls are adorable and I need at least one light-hearted comedy this season.

by **boomer_gonz** Mon 28 Apr 2014 - 20:00

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou
-Ep 3-4
-This show continues to delve into the character's motivations a bit, and some really funny bits come to fruition. I find Mayumi as a character I can oddly relate to. Also Sayaka has officially reserved her spot as my most hated character in this series and personally gets my rare ranking of "Fuck that Bitch!!".

However the series is beginning to endear itself to me as instead of attempting to coerce the viewer into sympathizing with a character who has no redeeming qualities or aspects, she is made the butt of many of the shows in-jokes which tickles my funnies. Furthermore the Granny steps out of the background only when necessary and does so without compromising her tenacious character dynamic. Something quite difficult to do, but so far this series pulls it off quite well. The pairing between Kazu and Ritsu continues to develop but in no way does it feel forced.

I'm not sold on the show just yet, but I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't fall into harem or 'red string' territory.

__________

Baby Steps
-Ep 3
-The story continues it's main premise with Eiichirō continuing to learn and perfect his tennis technique in his own unique way. He gains skill quite quickly, though the show does a nice job in showcasing his natural work ethic and not cheapening-out with a "he's a natural" approach.

An antagonist seems to have emerged in Takuma, but he seems to be more of the shows resident jerk. This show is already endearing itself to me even more so and quicker than "Suzuka" did. There does appear to be the roots of a veritable love triangle forming, but any pair shipping seems to take a firm back seat to Eiichiro's own journey. A route that I'm glad that the series takes.

__________

Ping Pong: The Animation
-Ep 2-3
-I have finally seen why this show has caught my attention for the time being. It reminds me of a Ralph Bakshi production in terms of animation. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have the same writing approach that Bakshi applies to his work(that is when some hotshot-my-daddy-is-a-big-deal producer isn't mucking it up...coughCoolWorldcough). Three episodes in and the intrigue that the first episode left me with has officially worn off. The characters are shallow for all the wrong reasons and the main plot seems to have topped out. The humor, what little there is, also seems to have topped out.

It was good while it lasted, but I'm going to say farewell to this series. Still, I have to give props to the series for having one sweet ass opening sequence.

__________

Akuma no Riddle
-Ep 3
-Now the real fun begins with this episode and the intrigue also continues as to why "those who shall not be named" want Haru dead. It's been a good long while since I've seen a series with more layers than an onion and this one does an excellent job with keeping the layers separate, but relevant as each assassin has their own agenda for being a part of the Black Class.

This is a classic case of allowing the viewer to be invested in the backstory in regards to secondary characters without having to be involved in the characters themselves as each character might not be around for the next episode.

by Piero Thu 1 May 2014 - 21:28

Kiskaloo wrote:Sidonia no Kishi [Knights of Sidonia]
Easily the most interesting show I am watching this season.

The World is Still Beautiful [Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii]
The show as a whole seems to be as awesome as Nike.

Captain Earth
Sci-Fi and BONES always go well together for me. I really liked the two Eureka Seven series and this show’s lead is already far cooler, so…

The World is Still Beautiful (Soredemo) is a very enjoyable show, as is Captain Earth. They're some of the top shows of the season.

Knight of Sidonia is one of those highly touted, supposedly different shows where I find the familiar elements end up standing out rather strongly.

Now for a few of the other shows I've been watching this season.

Coffin Princess Chaika is generally pretty decent but indulges some annoying modern anime conventions at times. The source material for this series is by the same author who wrote the source novels for Scrapped Princess. The differences between the two series are an interesting reflection on how the anime industry has changed over the last decade or so.

Blade & Soul is looking stronger after five episodes than it did after three. That being there's only one episode so far where the story has seemed very out of the ordinary and it could have used more subtle execution.

Nanana's Buried Treasure was looking in pretty bad shape after three episodes, but the fourth episode put it back in the running. It seems the show's protagonist has secrets -he's not the ordinary high school student he initially appeared to be. That being said the show still seems a bit messy and confusing, though some of that could be due to me not remembering things from previous episodes very well.

I found the wrap up to the arc of The Case File of Young Kindaichi Returns a bit too sentimental for my liking. I'm not that good with gauging mysteries (perhaps because of the need to remember earlier occurrences) so I'm not entirely sure how to grade it.

by PolosElite23 Sat 3 May 2014 - 21:31

Been playing catch-up with the anime i've been watching. School hasn't lent time for anime.
*ahem* Okies:

Sidonia no Kishi:
Love it. The characters are coming along nicely. The emergency burn scene was Amazing! AWESOME

I'm really enjoying this one. The characters are great, the feel mysterious to me, like I can't tell what they'll do...and I totally love it. I want to know more about teh characters. The animation and story is awesome in my opinion. Concept is pretty interesting...want mor!

Mekakucity Actors:
Very interesting few episodes, tied up the weirdness of ep1. I enjoyed it, characters are meh, but interesting enough that I'm enjoying it.

Gochūmon wa Usagi Desu ka?
Kawaii and very light hearted (to be expected). About how I thought it would go. I like it, but prob not the best SoL I've seen as of so far. I enjoy it still.

Captain Earth:
Excellent story and side plots with Teppei. This is a very good "thriller" like anime. Story is sound and I'm loving all the secrecy. Waiting for it all to smash back in there face. The episode preview was pretty cool.

Baby Steps:
If I get Kawaii from Is the Order a Rabbit? then this is comedy. Its pretty funny, and the characters are so dense in some ways. Its pretty fun...I still say they're copying the style of Prince of Tennis a bit. Not as flashy though for the tennis scenes...and Enji reminds me of Inui...so much...I'm half expecting Enji to play "Data Tennis."

Black Bullet:
I had my doubts...but this has turned into a solid keeper. I am slightly afraid or Enji...with the corruption level thingy...

*ahem* Annyyywayyy....Yeah I like it. Its not spectacular though.

So I'm surprised I didn't drop any, but meh. That's fine...though I may end up adding to my meager list with suggestions from Taer... Razz

by Alfisti Sun 4 May 2014 - 6:17

taerkitty wrote:Black Bullet has a pretty threadbare premise:

In the year 2021, mankind was defeated by Gastrea, a parasitical virus, and is forced to live within a wall made of Varanium Monoliths, a metal that is able to subdue Gastrea. Soon, the "Cursed Children", children born with the Gastrea virus who are able to control it—which gives them superhuman abilities—were discovered. Due to the Gastrea virus' intervention, the Cursed Children could only be female. Civil Securities are formed to specialize in fighting against Gastrea, operating with the pair of an Initiator, who are cursed children, and a Promoter, serving to lead the cursed children.

It looks like a good doppleganger for GsG, but I worried that it would just be a new reason to have the same old over-the-top fights and random bits of SFX. Episode one did not contradict my fears.

I figured I'd give it another shot, just one more.

Episode two wowed me. Toward the end there's a very nice scene of with character drama, some poignancy, and no superpowers.

So I tried picking Black Bullet up, and I'm glad I had warning about the first episode. As of now (ep.04), well, the jury is still out to be honest. There's some good character scenes, but some of those sit on very shaky foundations, and it gives something of the impression of not having quite worked out what it wants to be: GsG, Oreimo or Pacific Rim. Right now it feels a little like GsG, minus the atmosphere.

The introduction of a...

Spoiler:

...has me hopeful though.

For now, I'm going to keep watching.

by taerKitty Sun 4 May 2014 - 9:56

/me is off to get caught up on Black Bullet!!!

Edit:

/me is back from Black Bullet

Black Bullet Episode 4:

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 4 May 2014 - 10:16

PolosElite23 wrote:Been playing catch-up with the anime i've been watching. School hasn't lent time for anime.
*ahem* Okies:

Sidonia no Kishi:
Love it. The characters are coming along nicely. The emergency burn scene was Amazing! I'm really enjoying this one. The characters are great, the feel mysterious to me, like I can't tell what they'll do...and I totally love it. I want to know more about teh characters. The animation and story is awesome in my opinion. Concept is pretty interesting...want mor!

This show and One Week Friends are the ones I most look forward too each week. I agree Episode 04 was pretty intense - I was asking myself if Gen Urobuchi is ghost-writing this show. Razz

Those who are waiting for the entire show to debut on Netflix to marathon it might have the right idea, but I'm too hooked to wait.

Kiskaloo wrote:And speaking of coming back to shows, did anyone keep going with Nisekoi and Golden Time, which are now in the second halves of their seasons? I dropped both last season, but as my load looks a bit light this season, if they ended up being better than I thought, I could add them back in.

ANN just did their review of the second half of Golden Time and evidently the emotional impact of the story is so strong that series director Chiaki Kon's ham-fisted incompetence can't ruin it it so I plan to try and finish it since my current load if so light.

by taerKitty Sun 4 May 2014 - 10:29

I'm waiting on it so I can watch it in HD on my TV. Right now, all I can find are decent-res subs, but nothing HD.

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 4 May 2014 - 14:00

taerkitty wrote:I'm waiting on it so I can watch it in HD on my TV. Right now, all I can find are decent-res subs, but nothing HD.

I'm watching Underwater's fan sub of Sidonia no Kishi, which are available in both 1080p and 720p. As I assume the show is filmed in 720p and then upscaled for 1080p broadcast, I just download the smaller 720p version and let my AppleTV handle the upscaling.

by PolosElite23 Sun 4 May 2014 - 20:17

Sidonia no Kishi is in pretty high res on Gogoanime

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 5 May 2014 - 20:20

boomer_gonz wrote:Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
-Epi 1-2
-Two words...sooooo sloooooow. Unlike the DC-verse where I am a huge fan of certain characters only; I love the Marvel-verse with a passion and thus tend to immediately devour anything with a Marvel tag(so yes, this does mean I watched that Hulk monstrosity in a cinema and paid full price). As far as the characters go, they're using the latest Avengers roster in what appears to be a Yu-Gi-Oh esque platform.

To be honest the main plot looks promising even despite the collectible game subtext and if nothing else, this series manages to pull off a Wasp that isn't annoying. However, two episodes in and I can already tell that the pacing of this series will be as such. Gonna shelve this one in favor of an entire series/season marathon when it finishes.

You have a stronger constitution than I, sir. Smile

I was almost out at the OP and was done with it by the eyecatch.
I loved the Madhouse - Marvel collabs (X-Men, Iron Man, Blade, Wolverine) but this was just Yuck!

by **boomer_gonz** Tue 6 May 2014 - 1:12

Kiskaloo wrote:
boomer_gonz wrote:Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
-Epi 1-2
-Two words...sooooo sloooooow. Unlike the DC-verse where I am a huge fan of certain characters only; I love the Marvel-verse with a passion and thus tend to immediately devour anything with a Marvel tag(so yes, this does mean I watched that Hulk monstrosity in a cinema and paid full price). As far as the characters go, they're using the latest Avengers roster in what appears to be a Yu-Gi-Oh esque platform.

To be honest the main plot looks promising even despite the collectible game subtext and if nothing else, this series manages to pull off a Wasp that isn't annoying. However, two episodes in and I can already tell that the pacing of this series will be as such. Gonna shelve this one in favor of an entire series/season marathon when it finishes.

You have a stronger constitution than I, sir.

I was almost out at the OP and was done with it by the eyecatch.
I loved the Madhouse - Marvel collabs (X-Men, Iron Man, Blade, Wolverine) but this was just

Well when bad toy ideas need marketing...

I agree I may have went into this expecting a lot, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Not only because they managed to have a likable Wasp, but because I am hopeful that they do good by Pepper Potts which is something that even the canon comics and films did well, but not particularly great. Also yes, I am including the "Rescue" arcs.

by Piero Sun 11 May 2014 - 23:12

As usual watching stuff with my anime buddies broadens my horizons...

Brynhildr in the Darkness (one episode): Actually seemed decent overall, though parts of the episode were cringeworthy (notably the male lead's reaction to the female lead's introduction and that absolutely ridiculous near death by pool vent).
Dragonar Academy: (one episode) Kind of early to judge but doesn't seem that great. My brother deemed it this season's Unbreakable Machine Doll but while Machine Doll was a pretty questionable show it somehow managed to make me watch all its episodes.
Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san (more or less up to date): I literally facepalmed while watching this. It does have a certain entertainment value though.
Ping Pong (more or less up to date): Generally not a very interesting show.
Kamigami no Asobi (one episode): Reverse harems starring a cast of fabulously over the top bishounen can actually be kind of entertaining to watch, but wasn't doing so well by the end of the first episode despite featuring a cast of bishounen based on mythological character such as Apollo and Loki at an academy Zeus set up to teach them about humans.
Rowdy Sumo Wrestler Mitsuo (one episode): Have you ever wanted to see a show with a male lead who is a total asshole? If so check out the first episode of this show. The main character literally steals candy from a baby. Also notable for a very old school art style.

I was kind of expecting to see the sequels to Mushishi and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure with my anime buddies but aside from one episode of the new Mushishi that hasn't actually happened so far. Which could be problematic as while both shows have their merits they're the kinds of shows I like in limited quantities. Btw Mushishi might be a good series for people who want something a bit different from there anime.

Other than that there hasn't been a whole lot of change in terms of my preferences. Captain Earth has pretty much become my top pick at this poind. The World is Still Beautiful (Soredemo) is good too, but Nike's awesomeness can't completely compensate for the series' shortcomings. Coffin Princess Chaika has gotten pretty decent as well.

by **Kiskaloo** Tue 13 May 2014 - 10:28

boomer_gonz wrote:Little Busters EX
-Epi 1-3
-Okay; let me say first that this may be a bit biased because I am a huge fan of "Little Busters" since the 26 episode first season. From the opening title, I knew I was in for the same awesomeness I saw in "LB" and "LB: Refrain" and the episodes themselves did not disappoint. Granted, the plot takes a bit of a strange turn as now we have a bonafide supernatural menace (though if you know the series, then you already know this is the tip of some weird iceberg).

Riki is still the main protagonist, but newly introduced is Saya whom develops a strong interest in Riki over the course of the series. Oh yeah, also Saya is some kind of supernatural regulator or something.

A bit out there for "Little Busters"; but the change of pace is actually quite refreshing as Riki especially gets fleshed out a bit. Note though that aside from the opening, most of the LB staples are not in this one, but there are three more episodes left in this OVA and I am dialed in for the long haul.

I watched the first three episodes last night and it certainly has the comedic and supernatural elements from the first series. Refrain really burned me (to the point I almost didn't buy the Blu-rays of the first series) and I am guessing this story chronologically takes place after Refrain based on Rikki asking Kyousuke to "stop the game".

I'd say EX is the weakest show of the three, but overall I found it enjoyable enough. Episode 4 ends the Saya Tokaido Arc and I am guessing the two other girls each get a two episode Arc (as the show is scheduled for 8 episodes I hear).

I'm surprised Crunchyroll didn't pick it up since they carried the original and Refrain.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 16 May 2014 - 18:44

Patema Inverted

In a dark, cramped, underground world of endless tunnels and shafts, people wear protective suits and live out their modest hard and yet happy lives. The princess of the underground community, Patema, goes out exploring as always, inspired by her curiosity of the unknown depths of the world. Her favorite spot is the "danger zone", an area forbidden by the "rule" of the community. Despite being frequently chastised by her caretaker Jii, she cannot hold back her curiosity for the reason behind the rule, because no one would tell her what the "danger" was. When she approaches the hidden "secret", the story begins.

Directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, who gave us Time of Eve, this is the theatrical movie continuation to a four-part Original Network Animation (Patema Inverted: Beginning of the Day) released in 2012. The first 25 minutes is the ONA with the remainder new material that continues the story begun in the ONA.

The letter at the end of the episode is encoded in hexadecimal ascii. Someone on myanimelist.net translated it and it reads as follows:

Spoiler:

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 18 May 2014 - 18:29

Mid-Season Review:

Sidonia no Kishi [Knights of Sidonia]
My #1 show of the season. A very interesting story and a likable cast (even if they aren't shy about culling them).

Isshuukan Friends [One Week Friends]
Absolutely cherishing this show.

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii [The World is Still Beautiful]
Another show blessed with fantastic characters and story. Not amused that they're making us wait two weeks for the next episode.

Captain Earth
This show is definitely joining Eureka Seven and Eureka Seven AO on my Blu-ray shelf.

Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei [The Irregular at Magic High School]
Like Ayaka Kagari in Witch Craft Works, Tatsuya Shiba is so powerful he's kind of a deus ex machina by proxy. However, the overall story is interesting enough that I'm willing to roll with it even if I am evidently supposed to be ashamed about watching it (I've heard that the show is being savaged on social media as one of the worst things to come out of Japan in years).

Gokukoku no Brynhildr [Brynhildr in the Darkness]
Despite attempts to lighten the mood with comedic moments and fan service, this show at it's heart has a dark, even brutal story. And that it is cute, likable girls who are bearing the brunt of this brutality admittedly makes me uncomfortable at times.

Gochūmon wa Usagi Desu ka? [Is the order a rabbit?]
As cute girls being cute slice of life moe comedies go, this one continues to satisfy.

by **boomer_gonz** Sun 25 May 2014 - 19:52

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou
Ep. 5

So the story keeps chugging along with plot lines solidifying themselves and strengthening connections. Also, I see a bit of a love triangle forming in Mayumi and Usa as she proclaims to "enjoy shattering the dreams of youth". Underneath I think she views Usa as someone who can go wit for wit with her and that in itself sparks her interest...or it could be petty jealousy on the fact that she can't find her own dude. The episode finished with Usa getting into reading and further connecting with Ritsuko.

Again the pairing between these two is the center of the story. but surprisingly it doesn't feel forced. I honestly want to see where this goes. Thus this one has surpassed my Five-Episode-Limit obligating me for the full ride.
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Akuma no Riddle
Ep. 4-5

Seeing Haru's and Tokaku's personalities play off of each other is very much a treat in this series and makes for a nice break in the action. Also the intrigue of each character's motivations for being in Class Black brings a sense of mystery to an otherwise Frenzy piece. In particular I enjoy seeing elements from Tokaku's past, hopefully Haru's past will be explored as well further in the series.

I've already resigned myself to the full ride, but I admit that this is the first series that I've seen in a while that is so intensely character focused. I'm really interested despite all the subtle yuri references and as far as the character called Isuke...I'm calling it here and now, DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY. XD
____________________

Baby Steps
Ep. 4-5

The story continues Eiichiro's journey to become a better tennis player and a bit of a rivalry seems to have emerged with the club senior Takuma. There is also the emerging possible pairing of Eiichiro and Natsu, but it continues to take an increasingly deeper backseat to Eiichiro's tennis quest. How do I know it takes a backseat and the female love interest isn't just clueless, you might ask? Simple, five episodes in and a date hasn't even been subtly alluded to. A possible rivalry for Eiichiro's affections are also seem briefly, but again it takes a backseat.

This series has really grown on me. Although I've heard others draw comparisons to Prince of Tennis, I really don't see it. Prince of Tennis focused primarily on the tennis itself and not so much on the characters. So far I have yet to see a single generic character yet, with the possible exception of the rarely seen Mom.
_____________________

So that is all I will say on these series until their respective season conclusions where I will give an overall assessment. Unfortunately I like to keep my seasons to at least five series and I'm not including Marvel Disk Wars as I plan to marathon that one at it's conclusion and I'm not including Little Buster EX as it is an OVA and like most OVA's has a sporadic release cycle. Kinda like having cherries on top of my anime sundae. So as I have two slots empty I would appreciate PM's with any and all suggestions and recommendations.

by taerKitty Sun 25 May 2014 - 20:06

Brynhildr in the Darkness had me crying at episode 6. That means I'll be watching it to the end.

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 25 May 2014 - 20:38

boomer_gonz wrote:So as I have two slots empty I would appreciate PM's with any and all suggestions and recommendations.

I'd recommend Knights of Sidonia, myself. I am seriously enjoying it.

I just dropped Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei [The Irregular at Magic High School] with the latest episode (#8) because they're not even trying to hide the fact that Tatsuya Shiba is a massively powerful Bloom so to continue to play him off as a Weed is just insulting, frankly. If it was a 13 episode show I'd persevere, but it's 26 (and considering the light novel it is based on is 13 volumes plus it has a slew of manga, I expect this story is only just touching the universe).

by taerKitty Sun 25 May 2014 - 21:52

Black Bullet and Brynhildr in the Darkness.

by Alfisti Mon 26 May 2014 - 3:17

taerkitty wrote:Black Bullet and Brynhildr in the Darkness.

Black Bullet has some incredibly well done moments, mixed in with some incredibly mediocre/cookie-cutter-generic ones. It's almost as if someone was setting out to create a GsG-esque feel, but then got told by management to shoehorn in a heap of tropes to make it otaku-safe/saleable. That said, I think it has become significantly better since...

Spoiler:

Either way, my personal jury is still out.

As to the other I'm watching, Captain Earth: it's managing to remain interesting enough for me to expend 20-mins a week on... but only barely.

by Piero Thu 29 May 2014 - 0:57

I'd rate Captain Earth as the top new show of the season. I'd like to rank The World is Still Beautiful (Soredemo) up there as well but the latest episode really dragged it down -and even before that it was relying pretty heavily on the awesomeness of its main character.

Alfisti wrote:Black Bullet has some incredibly well done moments, mixed in with some incredibly mediocre/cookie-cutter-generic ones.

That's rather par for the course nowadays. Otaku fodder is everywhere. Personally, I didn't get past the awful first episode of Black Bullet, though given some of the stuff I've been watching like No Game No Life perhaps I shouldn't be talking. (No Game No Life is hyper-otaku, but can also be pretty smart.)

Actually, this is reminding me of something I've found out about Coffin Princess Chaika. Not only is it based on a series of novels by the same author as the novels Scrapped Princess was based on, the two series also share the same director. Those two series (and especially their main heroines) are a really good barometer of how the industry has changed over the past decade or so.

Then again, come to think of it there is a bunch of stuff that defies the current trends, though I think Ping Pong is a good illustration of how rebelling against all the current trends doesn't necessarily make for a good show (though one of my anime buddies absolutely loves it for some reason) and at least two of the others are sequels (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and Mushishi season two). Actually the two sequels -or at least the shows they're sequels too- might be worth checking out if you're looking for something outside the norm.

Actually depending on your tastes there's probably decent stuff this season if people are willing to look for it. Plus as I've noted previously, Funimation recently started streaming the incredibly awesome 2011 comedy series Ben-to! (For those that missed it, that's the one about starving students fighting over half price food.) That's one series I fully intend to own on disc.

by **Kiskaloo** Thu 29 May 2014 - 13:52

Well there is always Space Brothers. Smile

Seriously, I'm like a full season or two behind on that show now so rather than add another new show that I will probably find "okay", I'm going to instead start catching up on something I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past.

by Piero Thu 29 May 2014 - 17:18

Kiskaloo wrote:Well there is always Space Brothers.

Seriously, I'm like a full season or two behind on that show now so rather than add another new show that I will probably find "okay", I'm going to instead start catching up on something I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past.

I'm rather behind on that one as well. Danger of a really long running series (though didn't its broadcast run actually finish recently?).

My last post was really more in response to Boomer's request and Alfisti's comment, though the recommendation for Ben-to is for pretty much everyone here.

by **Kiskaloo** Thu 29 May 2014 - 17:35

Yup, it went 99 episodes (ending with the launch of the first manned mission to Mars). There was also a live action movie released two years ago.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 30 May 2014 - 16:28

Sidonia no Kishi - Episode 08

Spring 2014 Anime - Page 2 Tumblr_mnqsgrrT441rm146oo1_500

by **boomer_gonz** Thu 5 Jun 2014 - 4:18

Based on it's vast recommendation; I am giving Captain Earth a try. I can honestly say that after 5 episodes in; I have absolutely no fucking idea as to what's going on.

I think it's something about some guys wanting to bring an end to the world and then there's these other guys who want the end of the world to happen so they can run away and become space pirates or some such, but there's these other guys who are fighting against the guys who wan to destroy the planet because they happen to like it here or some such and there's this titanic grudge match between the three factions and that's what I got. Oh yeah...and there's mecha.

So far though despite the nearly ambiguous plot; this series has strong characters and character development to keep it running solid. So though it's a story that starts out slow, but begins to grip you as it goes on and I'm hoping it continues that momentum.

As I mentioned before the true strength of this show is in the four main characters and how independently the develop apart from each other. I've got four more to watch until I've caught up, but this show is so far in good shape to take a slot.

by **Kiskaloo** Thu 5 Jun 2014 - 9:53

boomer_gonz wrote:Based on it's vast recommendation; I am giving Captain Earth a try. I can honestly say that after 5 episodes in; I have absolutely no fucking idea as to what's going on.

Welcome to a BONES Sci-Fi show. I felt much the same about the two Eureka Seven series. Smile

boomer_gonz wrote:I think it's something about some guys wanting to bring an end to the world and then there's these other guys who want the end of the world to happen so they can run away and become space pirates or some such, but there's these other guys who are fighting against the guys who wan to destroy the planet because they happen to like it here or some such and there's this titanic grudge match between the three factions and that's what I got. Oh yeah...and there's mecha.

Best I can tell is the Kill-T-Gang are an alien entity who feed on the human libido. GLOBE was created to fight them off using Earth Impactors, but there is a faction called the Ark Faction who believe the Impactors will fail and want to save the “1%” on a space ark and abandon Earth and the rest of humanity to the Kill-T-Gang.

by PolosElite23 Thu 5 Jun 2014 - 12:15

Kiskaloo wrote:
boomer_gonz wrote:Based on it's vast recommendation; I am giving Captain Earth a try. I can honestly say that after 5 episodes in; I have absolutely no fucking idea as to what's going on.

Welcome to a BONES Sci-Fi show. I felt much the same about the two Eureka Seven series.

Yeah, Darker than BLACK was the same way... You don't understand what's going on for a while, but once you do...its so cool.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 6 Jun 2014 - 23:56

Spring 2014 Anime - Page 2 1014harmonie_key

Harmonie - A

Every person has his or her own little world. Among the 34 bustling students of classroom 2-1, there are many such worlds. Akio Honjō's world — my world — is filled with passionate talk about last night's anime with Yoshida, Watanabe, and other friends. It's an fun, comfortable place…. But, I always wonder. Wonder about the world of Juri Makina, smiling and surrounded by gorgeous friends on the other side of the classroom. One day, I enter her world. But it's not as simple as it sounds.

Ultra Super Pictures entrant in the 2014 Anime Mirai contest, it’s directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura so of course it’s amazing.

Spring 2014 Anime - Page 2 1014kuro_key

Kuro no Su - Chronus - B

Makoto Nakazono is a high school student with a small dark secret. Since he was little, he has had the mysterious power to see black entities that steal souls. One day, he is suddenly interrogated by one of the black entities. Akira and Makoto are having a strange conversation. At that moment, Makoto didn't notice the threatening shadow approaching his childhood friend Hazuki.

“I see (soon to be) dead people.”

Studio 4°C’s entrant in the 2014 Anime Mirai contest, it has elements that reminded me of R.I.P.D. and The Sixth Sense.

by taerKitty Sat 7 Jun 2014 - 0:04

These are summer titles?

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 7 Jun 2014 - 0:36

Both were released on March 1st, so they're Spring.

The summer anime season starts late June / early July.

by taerKitty Sat 7 Jun 2014 - 0:50

CrunchyRoll's not bringing their A game, are they?

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 7 Jun 2014 - 10:02

Tonari no Seki-kun [My Neighbor Seki] evidently finished it's run with last week's episode (#21). Overall, it was amusing, but at it's best when Rumi Yokoi is more invested in Toshinari Seki's antics than he is.

by taerKitty Sun 8 Jun 2014 - 11:17

Oh, ow. Brynhildr did it again to me.

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 8 Jun 2014 - 12:30

taerkitty wrote:Oh, ow. Brynhildr did it again to me.

As for me, I'm out. They would not commission a new OP for a show with 2 or 3 more episodes left, so I have to assume this is actually going to be 24-26 episodes and not 12-13. And if this show is going the route I believe it is, it's not for me.

by Awinnell Sun 8 Jun 2014 - 15:14

Kiskaloo wrote:
taerkitty wrote:Oh, ow. Brynhildr did it again to me.

As for me, I'm out. They would not commission a new OP for a show with 2 or 3 more episodes left, so I have to assume this is actually going to be 24-26 episodes and not 12-13. And if this show is going the route I believe it is, it's not for me.

This seasons only supposed to be 13 episodes long, Valkyria, the new girl introduced this episode, is kind of important to the series

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 8 Jun 2014 - 15:23

Awinnell wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:
taerkitty wrote:Oh, ow. Brynhildr did it again to me.

As for me, I'm out. They would not commission a new OP for a show with 2 or 3 more episodes left, so I have to assume this is actually going to be 24-26 episodes and not 12-13. And if this show is going the route I believe it is, it's not for me.
This seasons only supposed to be 13 episodes long, Valkyria, the new girl introduced this episode, is kind of important to the series

Weird that they would commission a new OP, then.

In that case, I guess I'll slog though the rest of it, but have to say in general the more I have seen the less I have been impressed.

by taerKitty Wed 11 Jun 2014 - 2:45

Seeing as we've seen her and Neko duel it out with massive urban-renewal-level splash damage in the old OP this long, I've been waiting for her. I'm just curious how they'll add in the other two or three that show up with her in those brief glimpses with only a few episodes left.

===

Switching to Black Bullet for a while.

Whoa. This show almost didn't make the train. It was a last-minute "Eh, I don't feel like these shows. Let's see what this Black Bullet is all about."

First episode, frankly, sucked. Over the top action. Very thin excuses for inter-character interaction. Almost punted it.

Actually, I did, until some *cough*Alfisti*cough* mentioned that there was a possible analog to my beloved deathclock in this show.

It's had some excellent moments (and some real dogs), but episode 10 nearly broke me into tears. Actually, my eyes did 'leak'. More than a little bit.

Inbetween the rom-com and the we're-too-broke humour, mixed in the over-the-top action and excessive over-emoting, there's a lot of what I like in a story: decent people trying to live up to their personal creed, no matter how sucktastic the world surrounding them.

===

Brynhildr isn't nearly as focused. It does lay honor at the power of friendship, of an innocent's wish to somehow save the world. However, he's just too naive, too terminally clueless for me to embrace the show as strongly as I do Black Bullet.

That's not to say Brynhildr isn't without it's moments. It too has two absolutely stellar moments that laud friendship, though both do it with heroic sacrifices. Yes, it's cliche. Yes, it's sappy.

Yes, it got me crying.

I have two shows that hit me where it counts - extolling the better side of humanity. Mere tragedy doesn't move me so much as what a good person does in that situation, either as the survivor or the sacrificial lamb to the Almighty Plot.

This is a good season. In fact, this is a great season.

by Piero Thu 12 Jun 2014 - 23:47

Mid Season Update. Not a complete list of what I've been watching but it covers some of the better shows.

Coffin Princess Chiaka has for the most part been serviceable but not great, however the latest episode really kicked things up a notch. The question of course is how things are going to play out from here. The series will be getting a second season in the Fall, so are they just hiking thing up a bit for the end of this season, or is this a sign that we're finally getting into the meat of the story?
Nanana's Buried Treasure also kicked things up a notch with its latest episode. Overall that show has a certain charm to it, but unfortunately it can also be a bit of a confusing mess to try and follow.
No Game No Life is a very mixed bag. Some of Sora's gambits are pretty interesting -even awesome. On the other hand, the show also has a lot of otaku pandering that can be pretty eye rolling at times.
The World is Still Beautiful has had its ups and downs but at this point its back in my good books.
Captain Earth, while not perfect, is generally pretty solid and is my current pick for best of season.

by **boomer_gonz** Sun 15 Jun 2014 - 8:38

All caught up with Captain Earth and despite five more episodes, I only have a bit more understanding of what's going on aside from that one glasses douche getting pwnd by Emo Git and Chesty Loli over there. Regardless, this series is solid and I'm gonna stick with it as the character development is superb. So good in fact that I am entirely invested in wanting to know how they turn out.

Now I'm on to the second place recommended series Black Bullet, wish me luck.

by taerKitty Sun 15 Jun 2014 - 9:37

Good luck!

by **boomer_gonz** Mon 16 Jun 2014 - 11:59

Two episodes into Black Bullet and damn does this show comes heavy with them feels early.

So far I'm drawing a strong resemblance to Hidan no Aria, the action sequences and humor in particular. However the dramatic feel of the show seems a bit of a tribute to X-Men, specifically from the 1960's.

The tension between Kisara and Rentaro is sweet, yet ominous at the same time. As if there's more to the two of them then what was so far revealed in their past and most likely has something to do with one or the others present state.

The relationship/partnership between Rentaro and Enju so far is half of the equation in me thinking this one might be a keeper. Not only is it diabeetus inducing, but after the second episode you can practically feel how much they care for each other, especially in how Rentaro despises those who regard the Cursed Children as anything less than human.

The other half of the equation is the antagonist(who's name I seemed to have forgotten at the moment). Through his actions and lines, he comes across as a man who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. As a result he appears to be potentially less of a direct antagonist and either more of a puppeteer working to assemble his pieces before enacting his master plan or as someone who knows what the real deal is and is working to fight against it.

Regardless...things are looking good so far. Good storytelling don't fail me now.

by taerKitty Mon 16 Jun 2014 - 15:19

Episode 10 made kitty cry...

by **boomer_gonz** Wed 18 Jun 2014 - 12:31

Alrighty now...

Six Episodes into Black Bullet and I must say that even after the loss of a quite unique antagonist, the show seems to be going strong. So far a new and potentially more dangerous antagonist has made himself known and the show now seems to be taking cues from Dance in the Vampire Bund.

Also despite going the Dr. Who route and having smaller arcs within a bigger saga, this show just keeps coming with the tension. Whether it's the fact that some of the main players might not be around for much longer due to reasons not their own, or the fact that Rentaro as the black sheep in life (no, really) seems to be the only one with the skill, heart, and drive to save them all; the emotional hits just keep on coming.

On the home stretch with a few more episodes to go before catching up and arriving at determination time. Gonna be crossing my fingers in hope that this show doesn't go south.

by taerKitty Wed 18 Jun 2014 - 16:38

Going south is a subjective judgement, but Black Bullet has become the show I most anticipate each week.

That said, the show still annoys me almost every episode with its forced humor. On the positive side, there isn't any fan service, or not enough for me to notice.

I'm at ep 11, and I'm going to miss it when it concludes in 2 more episodes.

At least there's the scanlated Manga...

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