Winter 2015 Anime Season

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 5 Jan 2015 - 23:35

http://anichart.net/winter

Looks like another quiet season for me, with SHIROBAKO and Your Lie in April carrying over from Fall 2014. I am stoked about a new season of Kamisama Hajimemashita as I loved the original.

by Alfisti Tue 6 Jan 2015 - 6:31

Nothing that immediately takes my interest... except for the new season of Durarara!! Though, from previous experience with the previous one and Baccano!, probably something to save and binge.

by Piero Fri 9 Jan 2015 - 17:15

There's not a lot that I find particularly interesting this season, but I've already got two solid carry overs in Akatsuki no Yona, a shoujo fantasy adventure with very good character development, and Shirobako, the anime about making anime.

Fafner: Exodus is a sequel to a series I've heard good things about. However I haven't actually seen the series it's a sequel too. sweat

Aldnoah Zero's writing was often rather questionable, but it was also highly entertaining, so I'll probably watch season two.

I've heard good things about Maria the Virgin Witch, though I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It kind of sounds like a raunchy piece of (not very) historical satire, but it also sounds like it may have a serious side. I guess I'll find out after a subtitled release becomes available.

I felt sick of Kantai Collection before it even started airing due to mass oversaturation (there are about 80,000 images tagged "kantai collection" on Danbooru at the moment). I also think the series' premise sounds ridiculous. I'll probably watch at least one episode if my anime viewing buddies do it at one of our screenings though. sweat

by Guest Fri 9 Jan 2015 - 19:32

I don't normally chime in here, but here is my two sense

Aldnoah sounds good given how much everyone here raves about it, so it is at least worth a look. My students like it to

Fafner- I need to watch the original first

Kantai collection- I agree with you piero except I won't be watching it at all. Maybe if they focused on kick ass battles instead of the cute girl cute things angle they could have gotten my interest

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 9 Jan 2015 - 20:17

KanColle - Episode 01

A mysterious fleet known as "Abyssals" appeared from the depths of ocean and attacked randomly. Fleet Girls are the only one who can stand against the Abyssals. Together with Tornado Squadron and others, they set to counterattack. Upon seeing Akagi fought, Fubuki earned admiration towards her and aimed to fight with her.

Honestly, is it any dumber an idea than Strike Witches? And that turned out to be a decent guilty pleasure.

MILITARY! - Episode 01

The story takes place during a conflict between the Krakozhia Dukedom and the Grania Republic. In the midst of the fighting, a savior appears to the Krakozhia Dukedom, and it is a high school student named Sōhei Yano. Two female soldiers, First Lieutenant Ruto and Second Lieutenant Haruka, appear in tanks to intrude on Sōhei's everyday life, followed by the enemy soldier Shachirofu, all of whom use firearms without hesitation at his house.

Chibi lolitas with guns. I'm assuming the manga it is based on is a 4-koma as each episode is only three minutes, which is at least one positive thing.

by Guest Fri 9 Jan 2015 - 20:26

Kiskaloo wrote:KanColle - Episode 01

A mysterious fleet known as "Abyssals" appeared from the depths of ocean and attacked randomly. Fleet Girls are the only one who can stand against the Abyssals. Together with Tornado Squadron and others, they set to counterattack. Upon seeing Akagi fought, Fubuki earned admiration towards her and aimed to fight with her.

Honestly, is it any dumber an idea than Strike Witches? And that turned out to be a decent guilty pleasure.

This is true, but I only watch a few episodes of strike witches, basically the fight scenes

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 10 Jan 2015 - 10:42

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! - Episode 01

A mysterious animal landed while Atsushi and En is taking a bath. The animal is asking the two to protect the Earth. Being disturbed, Yumoto went to ask the two but then stopped when he saw the animal whom he referred to as Wombat. In school, Wombat is still chasing Atsushi and En and being chased by Yumoto. The chase ended in Earth Defense Club room with Ryū and Io inside. Wombat asked the five of them to help protect the Earth and gave them 'Lovracelet', a bracelet that lets them transform into Battle Lovers.

I believe this is the first “Magical Boys” show and the first episode, at least, is full of win on so many levels. The three-female writing team (known collectively as Michiko Yokote) - who are also handling SHROBAKO - really hit it out of the park in terms of farcical comedy. This show is right up there with Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun in terms of wit and sharpness.

Totally makes up for the disappointment that is Sailor Moon - Crystal

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 10 Jan 2015 - 11:28

Saekano -How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend- - Episode 0

Male otaku Tomoya Aki, who works part-time to earn money to buy anime, meets a beautiful girl one day during spring vacation. A month later, he finds out that the girl is his classmate, Megumi, who is hardly noticed by the other classmates. Tomoya, who also has no special skills or abilities, goes to Eriri Spencer Sawamura, a well-known member of the Art Club, to provide the art for a game the club is developing, and to Utaha Kasumigoaka to write the game scenario. The three subsequently form Blessing Software, which they plan to sell at the next Comiket.

The show starts in media res, six months after the formation of their doujin game circle. The episode title is “Fan Service of Love and Youth” and if they’re trying to be ironic, they’re not succeeding. Wink

That being said, something about it makes me want to at least stick around for Episode 01. The original light novel was written by Fumiaki Maruto, who also penned White Album 2, which I really enjoyed. And director Kanta Kamei brings the same competence to the look and pacing of this show that he did to Bunny Drop and Oreshura.

This show will live or die for me on how they decide to execute the follow-on episodes. If they take it seriously (even in a meta way), I’ll probably stay. But if it turns out to be another fan service harem show that just thinks it is different rather than actually trying to be different, I won’t stay long.

by taerKitty Sat 10 Jan 2015 - 18:48

Just finished Aldnoah.Zero S2 E1 (a.k.a. E13). It's got all that I liked in the first season crazy OP unique mecha vs. GM-MKIII units, rather contrived plot twists, and general bad-assery. Hm, that's also what I didn't like in the first season. Oh, well. This might be the longest span a show has lasted on my "keep or drop" list.

Log Horizon seems to have finished the last plot arc, and it's a meh. However, S2 E 14 brings a long-awaited character to the fore: Kanami, and she's well worth the wait.

When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace has won a surprising place in my heart. I generally don't like chunni / NEET shows, but this one earns my admiration by actually working some thought into the plot and dialog about how the character's wish-magical view of the world actually shows a lot more thought and investment than simple fanboyism.

by Piero Sat 10 Jan 2015 - 21:55

Kiskaloo wrote:KanColle - Episode 01

A mysterious fleet known as "Abyssals" appeared from the depths of ocean and attacked randomly. Fleet Girls are the only one who can stand against the Abyssals. Together with Tornado Squadron and others, they set to counterattack. Upon seeing Akagi fought, Fubuki earned admiration towards her and aimed to fight with her.

Honestly, is it any dumber an idea than Strike Witches? And that turned out to be a decent guilty pleasure.

At least the girls in Strike Witches were based on people as opposed to being possessed by the souls of Imperial Japanese Navy warships. Anyhow, I saw the first episode with my anime buddies and it was really bad.

Other shows I saw were as follows:

Yuri Kuma Arashi: I've seen this essententially described as a "Too deep for you series about yuri and bears." It was... odd. But considering what little I'd seen of Penguin Drum (same director) that was kind of expected.
Koufuku Graffiti: While this is a SHAFT show, it doesn't seem to be saddled with their obnoxious style. On the other hand, I'm kind of wondering what the point of the show is. One of the girls makes food, and then eats it with the others?
The Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls: The most notable thing about this is how creepy and soulless the producer character is. He never changes expression and he practically stalked and harassed one of the girls into joining the idol team he's forming. sweat

The Rolling Girls: So it turns out its not about cute girls playing roller derby. Another weird show.
Absolute Duo: The best way to describe this show is as a "typical light novel adaptation."

I checked out Handsome High School Earth Defense Unit Love! on my own. It was okay, but thus far I'm not hugely impressed. Granted some of the previous shows I've seen from the same director took time to grow on me.

Okay, so it was kind of a sucky start, but I haven't seen some of the show's I'm more interested in yet, and if worse comes to worst I've at least got the two carry overs from last season.

by Alfisti Sat 10 Jan 2015 - 22:00

Kiskaloo wrote:Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! - Episode 01

A mysterious animal landed while Atsushi and En is taking a bath. The animal is asking the two to protect the Earth. Being disturbed, Yumoto went to ask the two but then stopped when he saw the animal whom he referred to as Wombat. In school, Wombat is still chasing Atsushi and En and being chased by Yumoto. The chase ended in Earth Defense Club room with Ryū and Io inside. Wombat asked the five of them to help protect the Earth and gave them 'Lovracelet', a bracelet that lets them transform into Battle Lovers.

I believe this is the first “Magical Boys” show and the first episode, at least, is full of win on so many levels. The three-female writing team (known collectively as Michiko Yokote) - who are also handling SHROBAKO - really hit it out of the park in terms of farcical comedy. This show is right up there with Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun in terms of wit and sharpness.

That looks fabulous, in every sense of the word.

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 10 Jan 2015 - 23:47

Yuri Kuma Arashi - Episode 01

Far off in space, the asteroid Kumaria blew up, sending bits and pieces to rain down on Earth. For reasons unknown, this causes all the bears ("kuma" in Japanese) to simultaneously rise up and begin attacking humans. Finally, a giant "Wall of Severance" was built to divide them from each other and end their ceaseless war and hatred. In the human world, at Wuthering Heights Academy, Kureha and Sumika are friends who've fallen in love. When they find a lily blooming in their favorite flower bed, their eyes meet...and all at once the Bear Alarm starts ringing, signalling that the human world is under attack.

“Lesbian Bears”

Enough said…

Seriously, ANN universally praised the first episode, which is why I went against my usual nature about strange SHAFT shows and tried the first episode, but it’s not for me.

by Piero Sun 11 Jan 2015 - 22:45

Piero wrote:Okay, so it was kind of a sucky start, but I haven't seen some of the show's I'm more interested in yet, and if worse comes to worst I've at least got the two carry overs from last season.

I should probably keep in mind when assessing what I've seen so far this season that one of the guys I watch anime with had to leave our first screening of the season early, so we decided to watch some stuff he wouldn't be so into. In fact my brother essentially selected Absolute Duo to watch at that point because it didn't make the cut. Razz

We like to torture each other sometimes.

Anyway, I checked out two of my more anticipated shows of the season.

Maria the Virgin Witch: This has some of the most realistic medieval warfare I've ever seen in an anime. Along with witches whose attitudes and outfits are very much not in line with the historical setting. sweat

Not as raunchy as one might expect given what I've heard about the source manga. So far it seems to be quite well done but I'm not really sure quite what to make of it.

Aldnoah Zero:

Spoiler:

Kiskaloo wrote:“Lesbian Bears”

Enough said…

Seriously, ANN universally praised the first episode, which is why I went against my usual nature about strange SHAFT shows and tried the first episode, but it’s not for me.

Yuri Kuma Arashi isn't a SHAFT show. The main studio is Silver Link. Though it does seem more like a SHAFT show than the actual SHAFT show this season (Koufuku Graffiti). It's probably the director (same guy who directed Penguindrum and Revolutionary Girl Utena).

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 12 Jan 2015 - 12:25

Piero wrote:
Yuri Kuma Arashi isn't a SHAFT show. The main studio is Silver Link. Though it does seem more like a SHAFT show than the actual SHAFT show this season (Koufuku Graffiti).

Seriously. The visual style strongly reminds me of what they did animating the Arakawa Under the Bridge and xxxmonogatari series.

Anyway, speaking of the actual SHAFT show…

Gourmet Girl Graffiti - Episode 01

Eighth grader Ryō Machiko lived with her grandmother until the good woman died last year, leaving her under the nominal guardianship of her Aunt Akira. Auntie has a very demanding work schedule, however, so Ryou is essentially living by herself. Her one great solace is cooking, which her grandmother taught her, and lately her meals have not been tasting as good as they used to.

As ANN’s Nick Creamer noted, this show takes the term “food porn” very seriously and Ryō’s eating is very much “kinda sexy”, as her second cousin Kirin notes. That being said, the manga this anime is based on is a 4-koma, so it’s far more about comedy than it is about sensuality. And unlike the vast majority of 4-koma adaptions I am familiar with, this episode presented a complete narrative as opposed to a collection of gags.

The animation is quite good and quite different from what I consider the “signature SHAFT” look. It looks like an improved version of the style they used in Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, but without the zaniness/ADD that show (and most SHAFT shows) have.

As to the show itself, the cute-girl quotient is high enough that I’d probably stay with it, anyway, but I like the dynamic between Ryō and Kirin (provided it doesn’t go yuri).

by Alfisti Tue 13 Jan 2015 - 5:15

Kiskaloo wrote:...but without the zaniness/ADD that show (and most SHAFT shows) have.

Personally I'm actually a bit of a fan of SHAFT's normal box-of-frogs art direction. Very Happy

by **Kiskaloo** Wed 14 Jan 2015 - 21:41

Maria the Virgin Witch - Episode 01

During the Hundred Year's War between England and France in the Middle Ages, a powerful witch named Maria lives in a secret forest with her familiars. She hates the war around her, and will sometimes stir up trouble against the church that does nothing to stop it. Her interventions into the world, however, run against the plans of heaven, earning her the attention of the Archangel Michael.

Really enjoyed this one.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 16 Jan 2015 - 19:55

The Rolling Girls - Episode 01

10 years after the Great Tokyo War, each prefectures in Japan had split up into independent nations. Each nations are ruled by a prophet called "Mosa" and an army called "Mob" as they start to compete to take over other countries. Four "Mob" girls from the Saitama clan, Nozomi, Yukina, Ai, Chiaya are ordered by their “Mosa” to travel around Japan riding their motor cycles to mediate multiple battles between nations and clans as they emerge.

It's like Kill la Kill, but with better production values and more awesome.

by taerKitty Sun 18 Jan 2015 - 1:59

Well, Log Horizon is pretty much running on fumes so far. If the first 20 episodes in Season 1 wasn't so good, I'd have dropped this show.

Aldnoah.Zero wasn't spectacular, but it's at least consistent. He was OP and stone-cold in S1, and he's more of the same, just with a bionic eye. I like how Slaine stopped sitting on the fence and started being a full-time villain. E14 (S2E2, effectively) shows the beginning of a beautiful Amuro-Char relationship.

On the other hand, Your Lie in April just took another step forward, one of those that warrants the change in OP/ED. I'm glad I've been following this show, but then again, I'm a sucker for music-competition anime. It looks to be another rip-your-heart-out-by-the-last-episode show, which will give me more fuel for the pyre.

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 19 Jan 2015 - 7:51

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! - Episode 02

Absolutely hilarious concept executed with absolute hilarity.

Gourmet Girl Graffiti - Episode 02

I have have high hopes.

KanColle - Episode 02

This show does remind me a fair bit of Strike Witches in style, though without as much fan service. So far not much in the way of world building, but then the purpose of the show may be more to appeal to existing fans of Kantai Collection who know everything already.

Maria the Virgin Witch - Episode 02

Really, really enjoyed this one. This could be my favorite show of the season if it continues to trend this strongly.

MILITARY! - Episode 02

If you like young girls, panties and guns, this show might be for you.

It is, however, not for me.

Saekano -How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend- - Episode 01

So now we return to the start of the story and Aki’s recruitment of the girls who will come to form Blessed Software. In some ways, it is almost playing out like a visual novel about creating a visual novel, which is kind of interesting.

The Rolling☆Girls - Episode 02

Most excellent.

Kiskaloo wrote:Looks like another quiet season for me...

Uh…yeah.

by taerKitty Tue 20 Jan 2015 - 5:20

Fafner Exodus: the reviews say it doesn't really work without having watched the first season and the movie. I haven't, so p-p-p-punt!

Maria the Virgin Witch: The fan service is getting in the way of the story. The witch, the familiar, the visiting witches, blah.

Absolute Duo: If the FS in Maria was bad, this is almost obscene (in the superlative, not the legal sense). The concept looks more approachable, if pedestrian (as in, well traveled). Maybe, but not likely.

See, most of the time, I watch my anime in my living room, and my family tends to look askance at such puerile panderings.

Boring Girlfriend: And we have the prize-taker for fanservice. And the prize is... my absence.

===

Rolling Girls: 'theme' gangs sound really silly. They sounded silly in "The Warriors", and they still sound silly, a score-and-half years later.

Kancolle: I'm going to be honest here - this is doubly damned. The concept is silly. At least Arpeggio tried to separate the vessel from the manifestation. I can accept that a self-standing AI-ish entity is wandering around. The harem and general lack of background got annoying. This one doesn't even have that. As for the second part, that's more guilt by association. I was WTFed by the artwork until now, and I'm not a fan of the general fanboy-ish marketing.

Military: At least Kancolle tries to have decent artwork quality. Military looks like it was rushed out the door, to appease/appeal to the same demographic. I'm not one. Add to that the pantsu factor, and it's outta here.

===

Most of my shows this season are to-be-continued shows from past seasons: Log Horizon, Your Lie, Aldnoah, and Yona. I'm trying to play catch-up with Durarara so I can start to get with X2, but it might happen, it might not. The asspull of having the everyman character being the secret found of the colourless flashmob gang really didn't float my fire.

Hm, I wonder if Psycho Pass wrapped up yet.

by Piero Tue 20 Jan 2015 - 23:43

I haven't done another screening with my anime buddies yet, so I haven't seen much past what I listed earlier. The four shows I'm actively following are the two carryovers (Shirobako and Akatsuki no Yona) plus the Maria the Virgin Witch and the second season of Aldnoah Zero.

I'm kind of surprised Kiskaloo liked Maria the Virgin Witch so much given how raunchy it is, but then it's a very different brand of raunchy than what you find in chintzy ecchi harem shows. For my part, I thought the first episode of the show was very promising. I didn't like the second episode quite as much. It's a show I'm still not entirely sure what to make of, but it's definitely one of the ones that has my interest.

As for Aldnoah Zero, one of the guys I know on Animesuki commented that the show has a strong enough sense of identity that it's flaws have an "AZ being AZ" feel to them which gives it an "odd sort of charm." Razz

Though I'm also inclined to see why another poster commented that Inaho had become "insufferable" in Episode 2. sweat

Well, I had something of a love/hate relationship with (or at least mixed feelings about) Season One, why not Season Two as well?

I'm actually thinking of giving a couple of the shows I didn't particularly like the first episode of a second episode. I'm curious how they're shaping up. sweat

by **Kiskaloo** Wed 21 Jan 2015 - 7:35

Piero wrote:I'm kind of surprised Kiskaloo liked Maria the Virgin Witch so much given how raunchy it is, but then it's a very different brand of raunchy than what you find in chintzy ecchi harem shows.

I find the sexual innuendo amusing because it's employment is in the British style rather than the American - it's clever as opposed to crass. And I like how they're mixing "pagan" religions (Maria / the Valkyries) and Christianity - and how Christianity is not what the practitioners of that religion believe it to be (based on the Archangel Michael's comments to Maria).

It's not a show I'll be watching during downtime at work, to be sure, but overall, I don't think it's all that risqué. Heck, Artemis' outfit covers more than Leeloo's did in the first quarter of The Fifth Element. Razz

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 24 Jan 2015 - 10:32

taerKitty wrote:On the other hand, Your Lie in April just took another step forward, one of those that warrants the change in OP/ED.

Not a fan of the new OP, only because the first one was so perfect visually and aurally.

Also was a bit worried about the new direction the show seemed to be taking, but the scenes and dialogue just before the eyecatch of Episode 14 shows that normal service has been resumed. Cry

Which of course made the next scene after said eyecatch grating, but I understand why they do it now. It's an emotional safety valve. After they tear your heart out, they add the slapstick to allow you to gather yourself back together to keep going.

And the production staff sure are fans of Studio Ghibli...

by taerKitty Sat 24 Jan 2015 - 19:35

Fanservice is my bane. ISUCA, World Break, Testament of Sister New Devil, Unlimited Fafnir, Absolute Duo, and one or two more I can't be arsed to remember are all being punted because the fanservice is too in-my-face.

I'm left watching KanColle, and while it's not as offensive as the rest in FS, it does have its share of shower, bath, and negligee shots. Damn faint praise.

Log Horizon is now splitting a single episode betwee three separate plots, which is even more annoying than spending countless episodes on plot arcs I don't care for. Maybe they'll all come together. I can home.

Aldnoah is consistent. It's consistently overpowered, but now that Slaine and Inaho are on opposite sides, we get interesting battles. And it consistently surprises, and in justified ways, too. I like this show more and more.

by Guest Fri 13 Feb 2015 - 6:56

Well it has finally happened, I have seen a bit of Kancolle. Now I have not seen a whole episode but simply some clips, and the clips I have seen have been amusing. Frankly Kongou and her sisters are hilarious. I find their zany antics highly amusing and I want to see more of that.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 13 Feb 2015 - 13:06

crazyidiot78 wrote:Well it has finally happened, I have seen a bit of Kancolle. Now I have not seen a whole episode but simply some clips, and the clips I have seen have been amusing. Frankly Kongou and her sisters are hilarious. I find their zany antics highly amusing and I want to see more of that.

The show is ridiculous, but it is a "good" ridiculous like Strike Witches or Girls Und Panzer. As such, I have found it continuously entertaining.

I think I shall have curry tonight for dinner... Wink

by taerKitty Sat 14 Feb 2015 - 14:01

KanColle was an "eff it, I'm bored" show. It has no staying power, and no internal consistency. It plays to wangst and pseudo-emotions, the kind that people try and want to feel, not ones that spring up in spite of oneself.

Aldnoah.Zero is a guilty pleasure. It's Gary Stu, but served at a four-star restaurant. It's incredibly well-drawn, and the characters are compelling. It's not just overpowered by one Gary Stu, it's got two. Fortunately, they're on opposing sides, so their balance doesn't make any conclusion foregone.

Log Horizon is finally starting to pick up. And, by pick up, I mean it's going sideways in a can't-miss fashion. Everything I thought I knew about the world just went out the portal-of-idiom. I don't know where it's heading. I don't even know half of the people who are involved. But it promises to be a hell of a ride.

And Your Lie in April? It's going to rip my heart out, I know. But for now, it's that crazy whiplash between serious ill teen music competition drama, and poorly- drawn caricature comedy with gaudy, clumsy punchlines.

I need to gut myself up to watch it, but I can't skip it.

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 14 Feb 2015 - 15:27

taerKitty wrote:KanColle was an "eff it, I'm bored" show. It has no staying power, and no internal consistency. It plays to wangst and pseudo-emotions, the kind that people try and want to feel, not ones that spring up in spite of oneself.

It's perfectly - and narrowly - tailored to appeal to otaku and otaku are big into emotional hurt/comfort (as in they want to be the ones to comfort the emotionally hurting girl). So the character traits and actions are written to that end.

taerKitty wrote:And Your Lie in April? It's going to rip my heart out, I know. But for now, it's that crazy whiplash between serious ill teen music competition drama, and poorly- drawn caricature comedy with gaudy, clumsy punchlines.

I need to gut myself up to watch it, but I can't skip it.

I've been a bit worried that I have not been weeping since the second half started, but they took care of that with "Twilight".

Once Your Lie in April is done, I immediately watch an episode of Cute Earth Defense Force Club.

by taerKitty Sat 14 Feb 2015 - 18:44

Twilight (the episode, not the franchise) didn't have me weeping, but I love how it ended. I love how they smoothly moved from one conceit to another - it's no longer "How high and Kosei and Kaori rise" and now is more about how they, well, fall.

===

Edit.

Comical Psychosomatic Medicine is pretty funny. Thankfully, it's in 5-minute doses.

by Piero Sat 14 Feb 2015 - 22:58

I've been watching Kancolle (and Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls) out of curiosity/for the sake of something to watch, but to be honest I generally don't even find it very entertaining, let alone something which has serious emotional punch.

taerKitty wrote:[...]

Aldnoah.Zero is a guilty pleasure. It's Gary Stu, but served at a four-star restaurant. It's incredibly well-drawn, and the characters are compelling. It's not just overpowered by one Gary Stu, it's got two. Fortunately, they're on opposing sides, so their balance doesn't make any conclusion foregone.

[...]

And Your Lie in April? It's going to rip my heart out, I know. But for now, it's that crazy whiplash between serious ill teen music competition drama, and poorly- drawn caricature comedy with gaudy, clumsy punchlines.

I need to gut myself up to watch it, but I can't skip it.

I've been rewatching a 2012 drama called Tari Tari that reminded me of what little I saw of Your Lie in April (both shows involve music and a character getting over the death of a parent). From what I've seen and heard, it does a vastly better job of balancing its comedy and drama, but you'd probably find its brand of drama pretty lightweight in comparison (Tari Tari is ultimately an optimistic show).

While it's still got some of the same issues as the first season, Aldnoah Zero's second season does seem to be a significant improvement over the first, and I think a big part of the reason for that is that Slaine has become more formidable. Not only does he provide Inaho with a serious opponent, his political machinations are interesting as well.

by taerKitty Sun 15 Feb 2015 - 23:23

I'm not that depressing, am I?

Never mind. I love how A/Z is making Slaine a sympathetic villain by having him face discrimination and prejudice from his comrades. He's probably the best Char-in-the-making that I've yet seen in the 30 years since the original.

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 16 Feb 2015 - 9:00

taerKitty wrote:Twilight (the episode, not the franchise) didn't have me weeping, but I love how it ended.

It's the thought that these kids are dealing with emotional trauma that I, three times their senior, am not sure I could handle that just levels me. So that Kousei might have to go through this again...

by Piero Fri 20 Feb 2015 - 1:07

taerKitty wrote:I'm not that depressing, am I?

Some of the shows that you really like are a bit dark for my taste. sweat

Also, as much as I love Tari Tari I'm not sure how well it would stand up if watched alongside another show that had similar themes but was much darker.

by taerKitty Sun 22 Feb 2015 - 11:47

Yep, Your Lie in April is setting up for the heart-rippage-outage. But, before that, it finally lets the other shoe drop for a 'minor' plot arc, one with a character that was just tossed in a few episodes ago.

And that plot arc conclusion had me smiling so big!

This big feelz-bomb will be epic.

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 22 Feb 2015 - 14:55

The manga recently ended, but I am trying not to find out how it ended so I can go into the anime's ending cold.

by Guest Wed 25 Feb 2015 - 19:19

Ok, so I know that Kancolle is by no means a fine upstanding anime, and that is has a lot of issues. But you know what I don't really care because it is a fun show and it amuses me. I blame you guys for this you know that. I just watched episode 8 and while it was lacking in the battles it was still amusing.

by **Kiskaloo** Wed 25 Feb 2015 - 19:58

You watch Kancolle because it has cute girls being cute. My favorite girls are Kongo and her battleship sisters. Overall, I find it inoffensive, even if I roll my eyes a fair bit at it (but then, it is based on a card game so the mechanics are pre-ordained and they have to work around them). And unlike Strike Witches or Rosario+Vampire, you don't have to try and make excuses for the content (though the latter two shows are better and much better, IMO). It's pleasure without being a Guilty Pleasure.

by MP5 Thu 26 Feb 2015 - 10:56

I need to catch up with Your Lie,myself. I'm lagging behind on AZ as well, but I may wait until I can binge-watch in one sitting.

The one series I have been following weekly, however, is of course Yowamushi Pedal, now in its second season, subtitled Grande Road. Having burned through some 18 episodes, it is very clear that this season is dedicated to ending the Inter-high arc from the manga. With participants dropping out of the race one by one, the stage is quickly being set for the final showdown between Onoda and Manami, the two underdogs of their respective teams.

If only the 2014 Formula One season had been anywhere near this exciting...

by taerKitty Thu 26 Feb 2015 - 12:10

AZ is probably best binged, but at the same time, there's a certain delicious agony in watching episode after episode end in either cliffhanger or in resolutions-that-open-more-questions-than-they-resolve.

Your Lie might be better spaced out. I've watched other feels-hammer anime, and I think I enjoy having some time to contemplate the week's events between shows.

by taerKitty Sat 28 Feb 2015 - 21:48

Log Horizon is ... bleh. Last episode left me so much promise, but this episode didn't seem to realize it. It did hit a nice subtle feelz note with the ending, though.

Aldnoah Zero is ... insane. We just passed a threshold, one that has me anticipating next episode, but that's long been the case. This one was one of those spine-chilling "oh, that's gotta hurt" sort of reveals, though.

Your Lie in April is my 'cake'. It's the last one of the three shows on my must-watch list. It's going to rip my heart out, but it does such a great job of setting it up, I can't look away. And the music is amazing.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 13 Mar 2015 - 11:30

In Episode 9 of Kantai Collection, Yūdachi gets updated and not only does she become bigger and hotter, she gets a really cool new outfit, moving her to the #3 position in the “My Favorite Fleet Girl” rankings behind Kongō (because - silly) and her sister Kirishima (because - glasses).

With the next episode, it’s Fubuki’s turn, and best I can tell, she looks and dresses exactly the same and they just hang a lot more stuff off her. I find her an average character at the moment and was hoping that the refit might address that.

Does anyone know if she is a Fleet Girl in the card game, or was she created solely for the anime? I could see them not changing her because she is the otaku darling, but based on artwork and cosplay, I have to believe that honor goes to Shimakaze. So I would think changing her physically to reflect her refit would not have caused any problems. *shrug*

by Awinnell Fri 13 Mar 2015 - 13:25

Kiskaloo wrote:In Episode 9 of Kantai Collection, Yūdachi gets updated and not only does she become bigger and hotter, she gets a really cool new outfit, moving her to the #3 position in the “My Favorite Fleet Girl” rankings behind Kongō (because - silly) and her sister Kirishima (because - glasses).

With the next episode, it’s Fubuki’s turn, and best I can tell, she looks and dresses exactly the same and they just hang a lot more stuff off her. I find her an average character at the moment and was hoping that the refit might address that.

Does anyone know if she is a Fleet Girl in the card game, or was she created solely for the anime? I could see them not changing her because she is the otaku darling, but based on artwork and cosplay, I have to believe that honor goes to Shimakaze. So I would think changing her physically to reflect her refit would not have caused any problems. *shrug*

she is in the game,

Winter 2015 Anime Season 01110

If the game follows the actual upgrades that were carried out to each class of ship during the war Fubuki changes very little, she gains extra armour and a lowered superstructure she also gets a AAA upgrade and Radar

Spoiler:

by **Kiskaloo** Thu 19 Mar 2015 - 18:12

Your Lie in April - Final Episode

Winter 2015 Anime Season Standing-ovation-o

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 8:07

So did Kancolle suddenly get really meta with Episode 11?

by Guest Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 9:08

I dunno but it finally introduced a couple of things that might be interesting but its a little to little to late. Personally I was hoping Kancolle would have had more fights, guns, explosions and the like. The allusions to WW2 were ok, but they were a little to much in my case. My other complaint is Fubiku getting the idiot ball on occasion.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 10:54

crazyidiot78 wrote:I dunno but it finally introduced a couple of things that might be interesting but its a little to little to late. Personally I was hoping Kancolle would have had more fights, guns, explosions and the like. The allusions to WW2 were ok, but they were a little to much in my case. My other complaint is Fubiku getting the idiot ball on occasion.

Yeah, it's pretty much just cute girls being adorable. Which is okay in and of itself, but it's no Strike Witches.

by Awinnell Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 11:39

Kancolle is basically WWII ,the Abyssals are the US and Allied forces, so all the cute girls are going to die or be taken prisoner, in fact the only battleship to survive the war was Nagato (the secretary ship) and she was used as a nuclear bomb test target !

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 14:32

Awinnell wrote:Kancolle is basically WWII ,the Abyssals are the US and Allied forces, so all the cute girls are going to die or be taken prisoner, in fact the only battleship to survive the war was Nagato (the secretary ship) and she was used as a nuclear bomb test target !

Yeah I figured that much since the current operation - MI - is clearly based on the Battle of Midway Island.

The "meta" part to me was that when Akagi-chan was having her dream about being scuttled by one of the Fleet Girl destroyers, she saw an image of the actual aircraft carrier Akagi being scuttled by torpedo, which is what happened at Midway.

by Awinnell Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 16:56

Tactically, the Akagi's fleet command sucked !

Left the only decent AA capable ship behind, That was the main reason for Fubuki's upgrades, Radar, more AAA

used all the aircraft of 4 carriers to attack keeping none for defence, you would think with all the prophetic dreams she was having that might have popped up as a bad idea !

carried out the attack without waiting for reinforcements, though really the Yamato would have been of little use in an aircraft based battle

Mind you I think they may fudge the real world facts a bit for the anime and some sort of last minute rescue will occur

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 20 Mar 2015 - 18:19

The above is my favorite scene in the movie Contact. Jodie Foster's character is so emotionally overwhelmed by the majesty and beauty of what she is witnessing that she cannot stand against it.

At it’s best, this is the effect Your Lie in April had on me. My feelings on this show are intensely personal and it is therefore very difficult for me to give a constructive, reasoned view of it. I just know that while I’ll never watch it again, I will happily pay whatever Aniplex of America wants for the blu-rays (I expect it to be between $150-300 based on their other releases).

by Sponsored content