As a whole, Spring 2013 was a nod towards the old school. None of the titles captured the best of their respective genres – this will probably be remembered mostly as a spring season of mediocrity across the board – but the pleasant throwbacks to older times made each series pretty worthwhile for the hardcore anime fan. As usual, we got a lot of variety to pick from.
I’ll start off by singling out the titles I think everyone should watch, my own opinions of quality aside. I like anime, so I try not to be too harsh on it, but if you’re not hardcore about it and you don’t have the time to consume as much anime as I do, I wouldn’t say there was much released recently that is worth keeping up with in the scheme of things.
Of course, you should all be watching Attack on Titan. It’s basically a Hollywood film in substance and style, except animated with lots of still frames. I actually don’t like this show as much as I should. It takes the main character three episodes to pick up a rock. Fuck him, I say. I don’t like any of the characters very much. But it is extremely stylistic, dark – in the nihilistic way – and very, very manly. If you like dark superhero type movies and you hate “cutesy moe shit”, you should like this show, or at least the idea of it. This is an anime that is popular with people who don’t actually like anime as a genre very much. A good – if not great – gateway anime. I don’t have anything against mainstream hits and I’m glad AoT caught on as well as it did. It’s good for the industry and for the fandom. So if you consider yourself an anime fan, you should watch it so you can formulate your own opinion on it.
The other solid recommendation for the season is Demon Lord at Work!, or Hataraku Maou-sama! It’s funny, for a start. Good characters, witty jokes. Unlike a lot of anime comedies, I consider it extremely accessible to Western viewers because there are little to no otaku jokes and the comedic timing follows a similar rhythm to Western sitcoms. Speaking of which, the comedy is very situational, and although it sometimes devolves into a fairly substandard action show it never loses its atmosphere of fun. Nothing about the plot or the characters is very original, but it’s got good mainstream appeal and it sold really well, too. I fully expect another season of this to get announced soon enough, so this will be a mainstay in the fandom for at least another year yet.
Everything else is either disposable and won’t be remembered in a year’s time or the appeal is too niche. I don’t recommend the following titles for casuals, but I did find things to like in all of them. And if you’re one of those hardcore fans, you would probably have already watched most of these so you’re just reading this for is my opinion to see if I agree with what you thought about them. I see how it is, mate. Well, let’s take it in alphabetical order:
Arata Kangatari: Wow… this sure was a flop. Like, no one paid any attention to this show at all, did they? This might surprise some of you, but I really like Yuu Watase’s manga, actually. I still have the nostalgia feels for Fushigi Yuugi. Arata is basically what you get when you cross Fushigi Yuugi with Inuyasha. It’s shonen for girls, but I have nothing against that. The only thing that disappointed me was that the adaptation itself was so obviously subpar and this really needed at least four or more cours to actually develop as a story. Shonen problems, really. Go read the manga.
Chihayafuru 2: Compared to the stellar first season of this anime, Chihayafuru 2 is a bit inconsistent in its focus and pacing. It details more heavily the sports aspect of the show, which stand up well in its own right, thankfully. Only in a handful of episodes, though, does this series summon up the powerful emotions that it did in me in the first season. Those moments are still enough to remind me why Chihayafuru is among my favourite anime of all time. A truly heartfelt and inspiring piece of work.
Date a Live: I’m still watching this show, but it’s really not as terribad as some assume. It’s ridiculous in the genuinely amusing way – and I really like the quirks of some of the girls. Otherwise, not much to say. The harem element speaks for itself.
Devil Survivor 2: You know, I don’t think Seiji Kishi actually likes the Shin Megami Tensei games. That’s the only way I can explain how soulless this adaptation was. Persona 4 suffered from this too. The only good parts in it were the anime-original comedy segments. DS2 suffered from cheesy speeches, weak characterisations and a plot that was too fast-paced and condensed to have any emotional impact whatsoever. Fundamentally, I felt it was a very lazy production, though there were some small touches in the presentation that helped bring some of the game to life. Nice OP and ED combo, too.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W: All in all, this was a pretty unnecessary sequel, but I happen to like Nyaruko-san a lot as a whole. The referential humour may be a bit too repetitive and blatant, and Nyaruko may be a really annoying love interest, but I have genuine fondness for the characters. Kuuko is the Best Girl and shipping her with Mahiro was some of the most fun I’ve had as an anime viewer in a while.
Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties: Manglobe continues on their dogged quest to remove every layer of funny from Hayate. They’re succeeding spectacularly.
Karneval: Karneval was not a good adaptation. It felt aimless and ultimately never came together. For a story that obviously caters to fujoshi, it did surprisingly little to engage emotionally. Most of the time, it kept the secrets of its world close to its chest, choosing to portray an air of whimsical mystery over developing its characters beyond a few perfunctory quirks. It’s got a striking visual style and the OP is really quite good, but ultimately, I didn’t get very much out of this show.
Mushibugyou: The hero is annoying and the singer of the OP absolutely cannot sing to save his life, but Mushibugyou isn’t bad. It’s got some really neat ideas in the setting going for it. I’m a shonen junkie, though, and by my standards this show doesn’t really hold up. It’s hard to see any sense of progression in this.
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai.: I never hated Kirino as much as everyone else seemed to. I’m also not opposed to wincest. I think the dialogue and the character interactions are genuinely well-written and creative. There are also some buried social commentaries about what it means to be an otaku or to have a sibling here, virtually indistinguishable from its cheap tropes it uses as a foil. To me, that’s what actually makes the show really clever, though. You get from it what you put in. I’ve always thought OreImo in general cops way more flak than it should, just because it’s one of those incest titles that happened to become mainstream. I can’t on good conscience recommend the second season because it lacks structure and any real narrative focus, but the series as a whole isn’t shit. I really, really like it.
Red Data Girl: I haven’t finished this yet. The guy’s a dickhead. The girl’s a wuss. The atmosphere of the show, though, is mesmerising.
Suisei no Gargantia: I only watched one episode of this. I think I watched this show correctly. I put it aside planning to marathon it later on, because that is what I do with plot-driven shows like this, but the feedback from other bloggers told me this anime gets progressively worse after episode 1. Guess I won’t finish watching it, then, so I can keep my good impressions of this series still intact. The only thing I can say about this show in review is that I think Ledo has a really nice ass. W-WHAT WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME LIKE THAT??
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S: Railgun is my favourite show about cute girls doing cute things. It’s also the most plot-driven show about cute girls doing cute things there is. Yeah, that’s probably not a coincidence, is it? The blend of the cute and the action in Railgun strikes me as fascinating, though. As a reimagining of the Index-verse, it really adds its own spin while retaining the integrity of the original. The fact that this season is covering the Sisters arc, which was my favourite arc in the entire Raildex franchise, is the cherry on top. One of the greatest spinoffs ever made, I cannot praise this show enough.
Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 2000%: I blogged this show. It was pretty awesome. You’ll find a more substantial review if you scroll down here.
Valvrave the Liberator: This was a really controversial show and it inspired a lot of discussion, mostly for the wrong reasons. I enjoyed it rather unabashedly, though, since I think there’s a lot to be said for the unpretentious, straight-faced ludicrousness that this show has going for it. But it’s also sensationalist, exploitative and I’m uncertain about whether it’s a parody or not. Despite the fact that it tries to include every anime trope in the book in an attempt to appeal to mainstream sensibilities, I feel that this is the kind of show that only those with very specific expectations could ever like.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru: The art in OreGairu does not suck. It might be a little rough around the edges, both plot and art-wise, but I think it’s a genuinely interesting and honest take on high school life and the teenage existence. The main character’s pessimistic attitude towards life is fleshed out and nuanced – and ultimately, this anime never tells us whether being a cynic is good or not. I’m pretty proud of myself, actually – before this show even aired, I had it called as “that Light Novel adaptation that will end up surprising everyone by being genuinely smart and funny”, and that’s what this anime ended up being. My personal pick of the season.
Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san Z: Offensive, disgusting yet somehow witty and penetrating, I find myself vacillating between thinking Azazel-san is brilliant and utter garbage. This sequel somehow managed to be dirtier than the original. Imagine that. It’s not for everyone, but having this kind of irreverent humour is good to shake up the otherwise stale formula of anime comedy. I’ll be thankful towards this series for that, at least.
Yuyushiki: Cute girls doing cute things. Full review here.
–
Oh, yeah, and Hunter x Hunter is still awesome. Episode 85 made me tear up. It’s good shit, go watch it. Naruto Shippuden is still doing fillers. Sounds about right.
Frogkun.com 
the fact that HxH impacted you so much leads me to believe you haven’t read the source material like I did. Good, it’s more interesting to see the opinions of those looking at it with fresh eyes (episode 85 reactions were something I was anticipating since the series started)
Yeah, I’m not a manga fan in general, really. And I lean more towards the old HxH than the new. I picked up the new version after the Yorknew arc, but so far this adaptation has not let me down. Honestly? It’s better than everything else I mentioned in this post.
Attack on Titan – The pilot decides whether the manga will get serialized, so it gets worked to perfection, and then in a few chapters everything gets weird. That’s what I thought watching this. Great first 2 episodes, but the recent pacing has been really meh.
Demon Lord at Work! – See above, except light novels suffer this after the first volume. Felt fresh and funny during the first arc, not so much in the second.
Chihayafuru 2 – I felt this went Great->Slow->Great. By all means still a very good show, though not as beautifully consistent as the first series (which was my top anime for 2012).
Date a Live – Only didn’t drop this after ep.1 because I wanted to see Yoshino in action. Dropped soon after. I really liked the concept when they first announced it back in 2011/early-2012, but the execution felt extremely flat. Best part of the show was the girl going “kimochi warui wa~” all the time :>.
Devil Survivor 2 – The show kept on performing a crazy dance on my keep/drop line throughout its entire run, and somehow made it to the end. There are actually some interesting religious ideas in the Shining One/Lucifer parallels, but what are subtle undertones like that worth when the show can’t handle really basic stuff? Liked the OP/ED, too :).
Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties – Hayate is my #1 manga by far, but at times I start wishing they just gave up those adaptations. (I liked the movie, though.) Just give us Greece/End of the World in OVA form or something and be done with it.
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai: The second half of the show worked really well just by /getting back on topic/. What all that random filler in the first half was supposed to amount to I have no idea. Looking forward to the concluding episodes whenever they come out.
Red Data Girl: Too complex for its own good. First you introduce concepts and mechanics, then you milk them. This show just decided to introduce, introduce, and keep on introducing until the very last episode. Pretty, of course. But difficult to get emotionally involved in.
Suisei no Gargantia – watched a few episodes. I’d say the technical aspects of the show are pretty consistent through what I’ve seen, but the plot drifts rather than flows, and before I noticed I was not downloading the next episode…
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S – I loved the first season, so this one had me nervous. After all, it adapts the sisters arc, probably my least liked arc of the franchise (xD!). After all, half of the major characters involved have to suffer incredible attacks of plot induced stupidity for Touma, whom I hate as a character, to shine here. Not only does Accelerator have to try really hard to lose to Touma (I mean, the guy can fly if he wants to, while Touma’s attack patterns are limited to right punches…), if you compare the Mikoto strategizing against ITEM to the Mikoto unable to notice how Touma’s power works, you really have to wonder if they are the same character. Things get worse if you have read the Railgun manga, which reveals much more of how smart and perceptive those characters can be. What’s worse, the main idea of this arc (Mikoto all alone against the system) contradicts a major piece of character development that appeared in the anime-original second half of the first season. So I was really afraid what this would season would do with all that. But I must say, the director/writer once again show their class here, salvaging as much as possible without introducing changes to the original story. I can’t wait to see the new anime original arc to come after sisters are done with, since that will be a return to the main Railgun cast (and season one already proved the producers can handle anime original material perfectly well).
Yuyushiki – Suffice to say, I agree with most of what you say in your review. I enjoyed this like I enjoy most CGDCT shows, nothing ground-breaking, but I was thankful for having this consistent show in a very rocky season.
Didn’t check out: Arata Kangatari/Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W/Karneval/Mushibugyou/Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru/Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san Z/Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 2000%/Valvrave the Liberator
I also tried Henneko (1st ep drop), Aku no Hana (3rd episode drop) and Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (got really far into it only to drop it after possibly the worst fight scene I have ever seen – one guy dangling from a hang-rope and flailing about with his scissors, hoping to stab another guy… for like five minutes. And then an off-screen attacker just shoots one of the two. 0_0). Aku no Hana and Dansai Bunri, while not good, certainly cannot be called your-average-shows xD.
So yeah, not counting 1st ep. drops, I actually dropped five series this spring. A horrible season for me :). Thankfully, summer looks tasty (and campy) enough to possibly make up for it.
Well, everyone loves doing this, so (in no particular order):
Devil Survivor would have been better if it ditched being a game adaptation and just wrote an anime-original story, perhaps involving weird alien-looking monsters like the first one the MC met, where people had to use cellphones to meet up and survive after a catastrophe.
Karneval didn’t know what evolution was, so I dropped it when it started also showing signs that it didn’t know how to tell a story. First ep was promising though, so it’s a shame it became so bleah.
Arata was just bland. I got nothing from it after 4 episodes except a slightly schizophrenic setting, so I dropped it. Felt like a mashup of the most bland elements of Twelve Kingdoms, Escaflowne, et al. These kinds of stories really need a good hook, and Arata almost had one (with two people being displaced) but didn’t seem interested in following through on that (the characters were pretty iffy too, which didn’t help).
Nyaruko was as pointlessly reductionist as Zombie season 2 and BakaTest season 2. You got more of the absolute minimum that some people liked, and everyone else will wonder why the hell it even got made. The repetition sure didn’t do it any favors, since I wanted to like it.
Railgun’s not for me. I tried it, but it’s too horribly (or at least lazily) written and asks way too much of its viewers for far too little payoff. It’s basically certain aspects of K-on crossed with DBZ to me, minus the childish pomp that made DBZ almost bearable. The concept and setting could be done far better justice (much like Index) if they tried, but then that’s not the point anyway.
Titan’s just a standard flimsy pulp action/horror movie mixed with a very basic shounen. It lacks anything to really latch onto and care about, and it’s intellectually quite vapid, but at least it really knows how to creep me the hell out with those smiley and angry-looking Titans. It’s kind of this season’s SAO (the first half of SAO, anyway).
Gargantia simply wasn’t worth it. Others put it best: it meanders around in search of a plot after it basically gives up on a seemingly-solid one. The places it goes just aren’t that interesting or cohesive, and the characters aren’t at all compelling. It’s only worth it for the first 2 eps, tops, before it zags too hard and the rocket spirals off into the ocean instead of heading into orbit.
Crime Edge had some semi-interesting art direction and kinkiness at times, but the underlying story and characters couldn’t really carry it. The “plot” was far too safe and uninteresting and the romance wasn’t really given a chance to properly blossom and make up for it.
Maou-sama was (barely) worth it for the solid comedy performances, but it really lacked something to bring the whole thing together. It’s the type of sitcom you wish would go on forever, or at least it would be if it found that one key element it seems to be missing.
RDG was.. monotonous. Once in a while some nice art direction came along to wake me up, but nothing going on seemed to matter at all. It felt like a movie where someone’s being perpetually chased down, except it lacked the exciting bits 9 times out of 10, so all you had to watch was characters that would need to study under Keanu Reeves to learn how to be wooden.
Aiura was for leg fetishists, it seems. There wasn’t anything else there aside from the frenetic crab/Steve Jobs OP. Would have been better if the jokes had some staying power or something was added to shake things up.
Muromi-san had a few good jokes and most of the characters were actually not that bad considering that Muromi was supposed to be annoying. The few truly fun eps weren’t worth the price of admission overall, but it DID have some surprisingly out-there moments that kept me watching and wondering what the point was.
Azazel lost me during the insultingly bad hemorrhoids arc. I might watch the rest sometime, but that arc was so terrible I think it gave me cancer.
Valvrave was a disaster more than a trainwreck. After the novelty wore off I was left with the worst aspects of Geass. It seemed to served cliches more than it served its viewers and lacked the one thing that made Geass bearable: the Lelouch. I agree that some people will like it more than others, but there’s only so much random nonsense I can stand when I’m being asked to care about such uninspired characters.
Yahari felt like a good teenage drama with solid characters that was being held back by trying to also be a typical highschool romcom anime. They talked too much like hip anime characters, the teacher was infuriating, and the heartfelt moments only seemed worthwhile when it involved the leads. But at least it was solid enough to enjoy compared to the rest, except for..
..Chihayafuru, which was still the same weirdly-engaging show. It slowed down in the middle, sure, but it lacked the too-lengthy childhood arc of season one, so it balances out for me. If it wasn’t airing the entire season would have been a write-off for me (or I would have had to catch up to HxH or Space Bros, neither of which I have time for right now).
I think you really hit the nail on the head with most everything here. And I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on Suisei no Gargantia if/when you get around to watching more of it – it’s been an incredibly divisive show among anime fans I think, with plenty of people hating on it and plenty of others claiming that it’s one of the best titles to come out in years. Personally I can see that it has its flaws, but I actually really dug it. The first half was probably stronger than the second, but I didn’t have any major problems with the ending and in general, I felt the storytelling was especially compelling.
Your article bears no mention of Majestic Prince. How dare you call it a “roundup.” :)
Seriously, MJP is worth checking out if you’re into robot shows and 90s anime comedy. IMO, it is superior to both Valvrave (which I liked) and Gargantia (which I didn’t so much).
MJP is one of those shows I plan to check out sometime during this summer. It’s the very definition of the “old school” anime I was thinking about when I made mention of it in my post. I have nothing against Hiraifaces, since I liked Gundam Seed back in the day, The posts you’ve written about it on your blog have really made me want to check it out.
I’ve just started watching Romantic Comedy Snafu, and it’s a fairly curious take on the “Default Light Novel.” Will be curious to see how it all plays out.
I just watched Red Data Girl, Maou-sama, and Valvrave during spring. I enjoyed Valvrave; I’d actually say that show’s best if you don’t have any expectations at all, since it’s all over the place. Maou-sama was generally amusing enough, though it ultimately felt like a meandering diversion. RDG unfortunately had a difficult time with its plot and characterization–a shame, since I really liked the premise and its traditional atmosphere.
Watch so much shit, but not Flowers of Evil, smh. If anything is the sort of show to marathon once it’s over, it’s Flowers of Evil.
Welcome to this blog and my shit tastes ;)
A marathon for Flowers seems like a good idea… if I ever get the time for it. I’d already read the manga, so I wasn’t too interested in the anime adaptation as it aired.
Valvrave the liberator- loved absolutely every minute of it. The plot was complex and deep enough for me to care what was going on and the characters(especially the high school students) broke out of the usual stereotype to make them stand out and I genuinely cared for them. The mecha action was great(including the space battles,OH the glorious space battles), and let’s not forget the opening was done by two great singers in anime(nana mizuki and TM revolution for the win). If we were deciding on was the best mecha anime this spring, this one definitely took it for me. Such a shame that many people gave it a hard time though. Oh well, better hope for fall then!
Zettai boei leviathan- I’m not the only one who continued watching this after episode 3 right?!? Still the show is at best, average. The girls(Leviathan, bahamut, jormungand and syrop) were funny and cute enough to keep me watching and all, but that was it.
Dansai bunri no crime edge was sort of weird, in a good way. The idea of the whole killing goods from ancestors thing was very intriguing. I enjoyed it, if not the very least i was entertained by it.
Arata the legend- I liked the series more than others did. It kind of felt like this should be a show from the mid-90s, like slayers, or inuyasha a bit. Still, there BETTER be a season 2 to pick up where the anime is from the manga(since like froggy-kun, I’m not that really into manga, AT ALL) Still, a decent check-out.
Hataraku maou-sama was hilarious I LOVE chiho
Date a live contained more plot than I expected. Surprisingly dark for a harem series, though the series first episode is a decider of wether or not you continue
or not with the show. 7.5/10 very good show
Henneko- same with valvrave, characters broke out of their usual stereotypical roles and I absolutely loved it. Had more plot than I expected it too with date a live and it was genuinely hilarious from start to finish.
Red data girl………talk about confusion at it’s absolute greatest peak
Karneval was semi-decent but I enjoyed it nonetheless
Aku no hana- atmosphere was there and it kept on the edge of my seat every time. The scene at the end of episode 7 was absolutely brilliant.
Photo kano’s first four episodes were really looking like it was going in a different direction. But after that 5-13 are kind of hit-or-miss
Yuyushiki was like every single slice of life story you’ve ever seen. Only this was more entertaining than lucky star could ever hope to be.
Oregairu turned out to more smart, charming and genuinely funny than I thought it could be. Hachiman, best protagonist in a series EVER(valvrave still #1). I liked all of the characters and was a nice sit altogether.
Namiuchigiwa no muromi-san was funny and all, but I kind of felt indifferent about it all-around
And now we save the the absolute WORST for last, GARGANTIA. Dear god this show drives me up a huge fucking wall. To think this directionless, slow, boring and all around just unengaging piece of work from Gen Urubochi got more praise than valvrave did just frustrates me to a damn max. Hogart perfectly sums up why I hated it so much. Plot goes nowhere for an entire excuse other than just to have religious bullcrap thrown in to make up for the fact that the series just finally realized that ledo was an alien who had just landed in the gargantia universe with just a mecha robot there for no other reason than to spill out exposition at the worst of times. As for the characters, ledo’s schtick of ‘not knowing of how human life works’ got suprisingly got old way too fast and Amy’s relationship with ledo felt empty and unnecessary, seeing of how she was in no way connected to any big part of organization that ledo took part of invested in and took absolutely no part in the final conflict, hense she just came off as a personality-less plot device just for ledo to have feelings of ‘not wanting to destroy gargantia because everything is so nice and lovey-dovey’
Ugh! But enough of my ranting! Let’s go on to something else
Still, pretty good-to great season(awesome mech battles with a great cast of characters like valvrave and as for gargantia……yeah let’s skip that)
I’m currently watching about 17 summer anime right now and I’m going to make sure not to drop any of them.
Until next time, bye
You’re watching 17 shows right now? Impressive. Glad to see you’re enjoying so much anime. If it’s all right with you, why not tell me what you’re watching so we can compare our currently watching lists?
Why certainly!
Inu to hasami wa tsukaiyou- good premise for a show, comedy is hit or miss, characters are likable so far(especially that author LOL)
Kamisama no inai nichiyoubi- plot was difficult to point out in the first episode, the color shadings of purple in the series are kind of distracting, but kept my interest great op, good ed
Brothers conflict- I kind of like harems, but I think this genre works better for one girl surrounded by boys instead. Nothing’s really compelling so far but I’ll keep watching
Free!- now this is coming from A GUY, but I’m really loving the first two episodes so far. I kind of hope that Kyoto animation keeps this up since I’m in absolute love with the animation. Also shout out to OLDCODEX for that brilliant op
Kitakubu katsudou kiroku is enjoyable ‘school girls doing whatever they want’ type of show’ It’s pleasant and funny, continue watching.
Servant x service is like watching a slice of life school anime, only with adults instead of teenagers and an office building instead of a high school(well that’s basically what the show is, really -_-)Indifferent about the first episode, Visually breathtaking opening though.
Danganronpa:the animation- I’m a huge fan of these survival horror type of shows and I absolutely loved ‘King of Thorn’ and so generally I am very intrigued by it all so far. Haven’t played the games, but it can definitely stand out on it’s own so far. I am possibly the only one who hasn’t seen Devil survivor 2:the animation yet, so I can’t tell you what the director is planning to do with the series yet. Great ending song btw
C3-bu- well this was……interesting
Girls who play around in a airsoft club in an apparently ‘Prestigious’ Women’s academy all day?!?………Meh I’ll take it.
Gen’ei wo kakeru tai you- first episode was great, Beautiful animation and a DARK magical girl show(haven’t seen Madoka magica yet, sorry) YEAH I’m going to definitely keep watching this.
Kiniro mosaic- DAT ENGRISH!!!!
Nothing to complain about about so far, the main characters are likable enough, and it’s generally going to be a pleasant sit though I think.
Uchoten kazoku really feels like Yojouhan shinwa taikei in a sense. First episode was amazing, I’m not a huge fan of P.A. Works, but their animation fits the show quite well. I will keep watching. Love the opening(Milktub is great) and the ending.
Blood lad- I don’t usually read that much manga, but I was genuinely liked the first episode without nothing anything much about that at all. Also, the main character………Love him!
Good kind of soul eater-ish type of animation as well, like the op
Makai ouji:Devils and realist kind of reminds me of the same atmosphere that Black butler gave me. Still, it’s hooked my interests thus far. I just hope it’s explores more of william’s backstory in the future.
Watamote! I’m not so sure about
First episode was good but not great. Loved the death note reference when she typing with her computer though! Still, I’m going to continue watching. Winner goes to……. The most brilliant out-of-place opening I have seen in a while. Still love it though ^_^
Silver spoon was good as well. Though I’m not a big fan of agricultural type of things, I laughed suprisingly much as I thought I never would. Main character is decent-to-good, love the keiji character though, he’s a laugh riot!
I still have yet to watch the first episodes of A town where you live and Hyperdimension Neptunia yet, but I’ve get the feeling they’ll probably be good.
I’m carrying over attack on titan, mushibugyo and majestic prince from the spring season which makes 20 shows techically, but it still makes 17 shows from the spring season nonetheless.
Don’t really pay that much attention to season 2’s unless it’s shows I’ve already seen first(which is why I wasn’t following oreimo 2 and to aru kagaku no railgun s last season sadly ./\.)
Enjoy! ^.^
Interesting. I usually follow sequels instead of picking up too many new shows in a season because original projects can be pretty hit-and-miss at times, while there’s an assured fanbase in a show that got a sequel. But out of the stuff you’re watching, I am following Free, Watamote and Blood Lad. At least, they’re my absolute favourites. I checked out some of the others and they weren’t my cup of tea so much.
But we’ll see. I end up picking up more and more shows as the season progresses and there are lots of interesting stuff that’s come out! Thanks for the input.
My thoughts on stuffs that you haven’t covered and I’ve watched:
Danball Senki Wars: Despite the weak first few episodes with the initially most annoying main protagonist of the season, the good use of battle choreography (better than Valvrave, but worse than Majestic Prince), solid team dynamics and epic soundtrack pretty much makes it a good, if not excellent mechanical toy show.
Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince: Despite the medicore character development with awkward blending of humour and seriousness in the initial espisodes, things improve as time progresses, culminating into the best battle choreography of the season with a strong front on everything else. The soundtrack and the actual humour used, however, could be improved more.
Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live: The main protagonists’ antics in the initial episodes made her a bad protagonist, second only Danball Senki Wars, but mature plot, proper character development and good use of CG makes this anime on par on Aikatsu!, but the soundtrack needs significant improvement.
Zettai Bouei Leviathan: It is a bad show if watched as a fantasy action anime, but as a fantasy slice of life, it is great. The soft but engaging character interactions, interesting adventurous exploration and good use of soundtrack makes it a good iOS game adaptation. The character designs, especially Leviathan’s transformed form are somewhat questionable.
Any thoughts, anyone? ;-)
I guess I’ll try giving OreGairu a watch by the end of the year. I’ve heard good things about it from some people I like, so it kinda makes me want to give it a try. But it seems so blaaaaaaaaaand. :(
Kuuko by far Best Girl.
“I’m also not opposed to wincest.”
What are your feelings on the “not blood related” copout? Do you want your wincest 100%, or is that a nice way to go about it? Also, tWincest > wincest, or are they about equal?
Such deep questions… I mean, it’s like being asked what the meaning of life is, you know?!
If siblings are not blood related, then it just defeats the point of incest. Also makes me mad because if you grow up with someone seeing them as a sibling, then it’s pretty much still a sibling relationship, only it isn’t, and with all the hotness taken out of it for no apparent reason. Gah. Writers. Can’t understand ’em.
Twincest… I like twincest. Especially yuri twincest. Delicious.