What I just finished watching/reading and what I thought about it

[Shradow]

The latter.

[Nicο]

Tonari no Seki-kun

Just fun times seeing what Seki-kun plays with next. Every so often he makes things he had already done even more epic, and hilarious as well. I heard that some people weren't too fond of the anime's pace, but it seemed perfect to me. I know you go at whatever pace you can for the manga, and the anime is obviously stuck with the one it was really able, but whatever. Maybe I should give the manga a go, but it's just that one fun show, y'know. 

7/10

[Shradow]

I keep forgetting to visit this thread when I finish something, all my recent posts have been covering stuff from, like, a month or two ago. XD

 

Engaged to the Unidentified

A really nice romantic comedy with an interesting twist. The characters are fun and the humor is great. I felt the progression of the romance was a bit slow, but it was still very heartwarming and adorable. The older sister's siscon and overprotective tendencies did reach an annoying level for me, though. I'm sure we'll get a season 2, but until then I think I'll go read the manga.

 

7.5/10

 

World Conquest Zvezda Plot

The often-not-so secret society Zvezda plants on world conquest, and they're lead by a young girl? Shenanigans abound in this crazy series, with things reaching a surprisingly really serious final episodes. The show's probably the most adorably badass thing I've seen in a long while, and the characters are quite spectacular. I love the animation, and I often find myself doing the Zvezda salute. With how the finale ended, if there's not a season 2 I'll be thoroughly disappointed, I really adore this show.

 

May the light of Zvezda shine throughout this world!

9/10

 

Kill la Kill

Imagine Gurren Lagann but with superpowered outfits instead of giant robots (though there are some robots, and giant outfits that might as well be robots). From the get go the show kicks off with crazy action, and some not entirely wholesome attire. But I didn't really care about the fanservice in the show, I pretty much tuned it out a couple episodes in because everything else was so crazy awesome. The animation was cool, if a bit low budget in some places, and the amazing soundtrack comes from the wonderous Hiroyuki Sawano, who's composed for shows like Sengoku Basara and Attack on Titan. The whole thing was really epic and over the top, and I enjoyed the series so much I watched it three times in a single month because I kept watching it with different groups of friends.

 

9/10

[Nicο]

Engaged to the Unidentified

The older sister's siscon and overprotective tendencies did reach an annoying level for me, though.

That's the one other problem I had, as well.

but until then I think I'll go read the manga.

I'm not sure that's such a good idea... for one thing, there hasn't been anything translated until the anime finished, and it's been almost 2 months since the first chapter, with nothing else thus far. and another, although it's not surprising with how gaggy the thing is, and I love most 4komas I try out, the original, is a 4koma, and as one, doesn't seem to work as well as the anime did. And lastly if it's been so long since the first chapter came out, who knows how long it'll take until it gets to when the anime ended, as 4koma's do tend to be quite on the short side, this being no exception.

[Shradow]

Oh. Never mind, then.

[Aix]

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu

 

Legend of the Legendary Heroes is a silly name. Anyway, started out interesting enough, about ways to stop war, about chasing ideals, but then turned stupidly dark and edgy with magical eye powers, discrimination against people with magic eye powers, and how ideals were impossible to obtain partially due to a dumb implied prophecy plot device that they tried to be edgy and mysterious about, but in the end was not fully explained because this show needs a sequel though probably won't get one. Was enjoyable enough, I suppose, as a fantasy adventure anime.

 

6.5/10

[Shradow]

Gundam Build Fighters

 

Definitely my favorite Gundam series, though aside from this one I've only seen G Gundam and SD Gundam Force, so maybe I'm just ignorant. Though it does mean I was able to enjoy it purely for what it was instead of noticing all the fanservice from other series. The show started off as a happy-go-lucky toy fighting game, which steadily ramped up in epicness and seriousness. I greatly enjoyed it, and the ending even gave me lots of feels. I hope there was more than just that one giant crystal of Arista in Arian, or they can just create their own on Earth since Nils developed a way to make Plavsky Particles, gotta see more of the Sei/Reiji team.

 

Another season 2 I can't wait for.

9/10

 

[spoiler=Also, is Arian some kind of space colony or something?][/spoiler]

[Nicο]

One Week Friends 

Great heartwarming atmosphere for the majority of it, decent drama at the end of it. All too often has anime gotten a little too dramatic by the end of it but this is the kind of thing that I feel it's more justified, and it definitely does it well. All questions about the past are dealt with, and they provided 2 groups of 2 that are pretty obvious to become couples down the road, especially the one that doesn't actually stress the friend part of the show. Which, in and of itself is fine, as long as they do find someone to love somewhere down the line. 

9/10

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

I'm just really, really disappointed. Mostly with Zexal II. I'm gonna be honest, I had much more fun watching the filler duels than the huge card games in space bits, and I can only fault Yuma for being a little too stupid sometimes, and that I find him to be a fine enough protagonist. But I just don't like all the YGOs in general as much as the earlier parts when it actually comes down to saving the world/universe/world. This one also just made much less of a positive impact on me, not sure what else to say. Oh yeah, Kotori is useless. 

6/10

 

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to 

If I'm honest it degraded pretty spectacular after the first episode, but even after that comedy gold, there we still plenty of hilarious (read: hilariously perverted) moments. 

7/10

[mitchermitcher]

 

We. Chaika. Now.

 

Hitsugi. No. Chaika.

 

Great action. Very fun. Nailed atmosphere. Expertly. Chaika. Cute. Very. Decent ride. Split cour soon. Can't wait. However. Slow. Dragged on. A bit. OP. ED. Boring. Still. Fun. Lovely.

 

7/10.

 

[spoiler=In perfect english]Considering the artist of the LN can draw great ass, I was expecting more out of that department, but other than the saddening lack of nicely drawn posteriors I am not disappointed(There was one in the second last episode, with Vivi's friend, that was nice).[/spoiler]

[Aix]

Shiki

 

A refreshing change from usual anime. Shiki is a horror, and the amazing thing is, it's a horror that doesn't feature people with an IQ of 42. Beyond the doctor, though, the characterization was kinda weak. Natsuno ended up being a generic edgy, cool guy and the rest of them aren't even that worth mentioning. The monk was interesting, but executed poorly in my opinion. It ended up that most scenes that didn't involve the doctor seemed just like small deviations from what's important/side scenes that had little relevance other than to slam into your face that this is a horror anime. The villagers reactions to the truth, the savagery that ensued, and how they dealt with their trauma seemed really realistic though, and I quite enjoyed it. I wish they developed the moral conflict with vampires earlier, I liked the little girl vampire. And they should have given Natsuno more relevance and screen time, it seemed he faded out of relevance and just screwed around in the background while the doctor did everything. Kind of gory, somewhat scary at the start, and overall managed to engage me quite a bit.

 

8.5/10 Very Good.

[Fusion X. Denver]

[spoiler=Rounding up Spring]
Black Bullet
 
So many freaking contrivances. And I didn't like a single thing about that ending, down to the subject matter and the execution.
None of the characters stood out either. The masked guy had a cool thing going at the beginning that never got the time it needed and Rentaro was alright, but I felt like his development was at the whimsy of the plot needing him to advance and other characters showing him with praise or comedic misunderstandings when he should have progressed with his own merit.
Lackluster action too. 
 
3/10

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

 

I liked this one! It actually had me laughing out loud at a couple parts (which only happens here and there with me and anime) and the dysfunctional nature of all the characters played well off of each other. Even the straight-man MC came into his own by the time the show ended. And for anybody who's seen Sakurasou should check this out too, though there's not as much drama in this one.

 

8/10

 

One Week Friends

 

This show was sickeningly sweet. Fuzzy, light-hearted, all those apply here. And the main 4 characters are pretty likable in their own ways. The art's also really easy on the eyes.

That said, I actually wasn't too engrossed into this as I was with other shows, but I can't say anything bad against it either. If you're into light-hearted feelsy stuff though, definitely check this out.

 

6.5/10

 

Mushishi Zoku Shou

 

Pretty good. Honestly, everything I said about the first season applies here, with updated animation. If you liked the first season, then you'll be just fine with the 2nd season since it's more of the same. And watching this confirmed watching Mushishi is much better done weekly than in bunches.

 

7/10

 

No Game No Life

 

Awesome.

I was a little put-off by the show's description at first and the seeming genericness, but it pleasantly surprised me. The games and the tactics behind them were fun, the way characters interacted and played off each other made for entertaining exchanges, and the show's self-awareness and its humor proved to be its strong points. Honestly, this show is just fun, and while it may have a few flaws here and there, it's absolutely worth picking up. And if people were worried over hints of incest, it really isn't that big of a deal, or even there really. It's the same as people freaking out over Free for male fanservice.

Best title of the season, I'd say. Really looking forward to that 2nd season.

 

9/10

 

Ping Pong The Animation

 

This is the last time I'll ever prematurely judge a show based on its art-style. I almost missed out on a true gem because of it.

I got over myself and checked this out, and I was, once again, pleasantly surprised. The characters were interesting and had clear motivations and complexities that made you realize there was a lot more to them as the show went on. And even though one may scoff at the premise, they'll quickly realize their ignorance after seeing the hard work and effort behind the players and seeing what makes them and the sport tick.

The animation can be rough at times, but the ping pong matches are really cool to watch. 

I feel like this is going to become a hidden gem as time goes on since I've only seen a few people here and there talk about this, but this is a really good show (especially amongst sports anime) that everyone should check out. Definitely up there with NGNL for the season.

 

9/10

 

Soul Eater Not!

 

This show was eh. The girls didn't really do all that much for most of the show and it felt like filler most of the time. Seeing Sid and the gun twins before the main show was interesting and there were some standout moments. But overall, everything was just eh. Nothing really bad mind you, but nothing to write home about either.

 

5/10

[/spoiler]

[Nicο]

Smile Precure

"And also our beloved Candy." Wow, lol. Just wow. I love how that makes Candy not technically their friend. But not really. This was a real treat (pun not intended, but man, it isn't possible for there not to be one when I say something like this about Precure) after Suite, that's for sure. This is legit. This is super legit, entertaining, magical girls beating things up fun. The characters are so much better too. Some, or all, cliche, like they always are, but completely enjoyable. And you know, at first I thought they hadn't learned when they continued to introduce the FIVE cures in rapid succession again, but I personally felt they done a better job of that than Yes! Precure 5. Thing is, there wasn't a damn original thought put into this one, and I still found it so fun to watch. Probably because it is in all honesty pretty self aware. Well, there were some episode that focused on things previous entrys did not... but they all do that. And well, as expected from Precure, them FEELS. Pretty ironic given the name, and I will say it probably clashes with the general mood way too much, everyone smile and be ultra happy... though obvious happy end is obvious.

7/10

 

[spoiler=Decided to be more fair on the older Precure. I mostly have the same thoughts. Just mostly decreasing my scores a bit.]

Futari wa Precure 8/10

Futari wa Precure: Max Heart 7/10

Futari wa Precure: Slash☆Star 8/10

Yes! Precure 5 6/10

Yes! Precure 5 GoGo! 7/10

Fresh Precure! 9/10

Heartcatch Precure! 8/10

Suite Precure♪ 5/10[/spoiler]

[Agro]

I finally finished Beyond the Boundary.

 

I enjoyed the show and liked the characters, but like... I don't know why they thought Episode 11 and 12 were ever necessary.

 

First Mirai is dead, then she's alive, then she's dead again, then... back with no explanation.

 

Like many of the anime I've watched it the last few years, its ending does something stupid and then ends without earning it. (looking at you, Kokoro Connect)

 

I was disappoint.

[Nicο]

Stupid? Not even... it was more than stupid... they even announced a movie.

 

Clamp School Detectives

"You couldn't even find guys that perfect in a shoujo manga!"

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTT

I-it's interesting when that happens, it really is. This is a shoujo manga. It seems as if Clamp's more unknown manga are not all bad, as this has been pretty fun. The boys are cute, and I like the moments when Akira has dog ears and a tail for no reason. As a detective manga, the first chapter wasn't a detective case in any stretch of the word, but it was fun to see the silly way them rich kids dealt with that problem. Most of it was much more detective like, but mind you, it's always silly and/or extremely coincidental. 

7/10

[Aix]

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru

 

Oh dear, I greatly enjoyed this. One of the only anime comedy series that I actually found funny, and consistently funny throughout the entirety of it. Story and writing is decent, there were many parts which I thought they could have done better, but at heart it's a slice of life comedy and I was smiling, if not laughing, almost the whole time I was watching it.

 

8.5/10, doesn't have the oomph to push it to a solid 9 on my scale, and 10 is reserved for stuff that leave a deep impression on me or are nigh flawless in my book.

 

I hear a second season is coming and I am greatly looking forwards to it.

[Andx]

So I got home in early March from an extended absence and all that jazz during which time I did not watch any TV of any sort really. Getting back into everything's been fun so guess I'll list the things I've seen from March to now.

 

[spoiler=The List]

Gurren Lagann

So I've seen this before but getting back into things I just wanted to watch something fun. Gurren Lagann did it's job. Fun stuff, not a whole lot to say. Good in either language, went for English this time around. Not a whole lot to say without just allcaps screaming and stuff.

9/10

 

Sengoku Basara

See the above. Wanted to revisit a show I had fun with. It's entertaining stuff, what with the super powered samurais and all. Not much else to say.

8/10

 

Ouran High School Host Club

Again another show I wanted to rewatch for fun. Didn't disappoint. Alternated languages with odd episodes being english and even being japanese.

8/10

 

Spice and Wolf

So my brother was checking this out and I decided to watch along with him. This was sort of a start of looking into a different style of anime for me. Normally I've stuck to typical shonen (you know, super powers crazy fights and the like) but this showed that anime can be really good at character interaction and story. Glad to have seen it since it's led to me watching some anime of late that I've really enjoyed.

7/10

 

The Vision of Escaflowne

Older show and it's an interesting mix of mecha and fantasy and all of that. Nothing super over the top. To me the best part of the show was its pacing. It didn't waste any time but never really felt rushed. Towards the end of the show they had to cut things short though so the ending gets rushed a bit. It kept me entertained throughout though and never had me bored.

8/10

 

Wolf's Rain

Oh my goodness this show. The story grabbed me and kept me wanting to know what happened next. Not in a super eager can't wait sort of way either just I wanted to see the next part of their journey. Watched the dub and it was fantastic. Loved the characters and the ways they interacted with each other. It was one of the few times I felt invested in the characters of an anime. There were points when events made me mad because of what happened to the characters but it was like an actual emotional response that stayed on my mind after watching. Really well written too. It has the end in mind from the beginning which is always helpful. Just really loved the show, would recommend giving it a watch.

10/10

 

Digimon Tamers

Well this was for nostalgia purposes mostly. Though I checked it out in Japanese so it was fun seeing all the changes. Good show for Digimon with the plot and stuff but definitely a Digimon show. Nothing too complicated. Though the nightmare fuel towards the end has never really been matched.

7/10

 

FLCL

So I've heard about it here and there and I decided it was time to check it out. Only six episodes so not like it was gonna take a while or anything. Needless to say I was confused most if not all of the time. It was entertaining and the dub was really good. Gainax was having fun and it's interesting to see what that unleashed. By the end though I believe six episodes was the perfect length for it. I wasn't losing interest but something that makes that little sense going on for much longer might have been hard to watch.

7/10

 

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

So I'd heard about this show that it was magical girl stuff but very different and bleak and stuff. And oh my goodness the despair is real. It was strange how invested I got. It gets dark real quickly and though you don't want to see it get worse for the characters I couldn't help but want to keep watching. Watched the twelve episodes in five days because I just wanted to keep watching. The story was really well done. Character development had it's issues at points with things changing almost too suddenly at times but it didn't detract much in my opinion. Episode 10 is like the best piece of story telling with the given context from the show that I've ever seen in an anime. I'm just amazed that someone was able to completely turn the magical girl anime completely on its head like this.

10/10

[/spoiler]

[Aix]

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (The first season)

 

This series is a great sci-fi, the setting and premise is really well-developed, giving a very interesting and perhaps slightly chilling view of the future (it takes place in 2030 after numerous wars, including 2 World Wars, there is some alternate history from our perspective as the manga was written in the 90s). There really isn't anything I can fault the series on, but it lacked the real impact that makes it a 10.

 

9.5/10

[Nicο]

Negiho

I'm gonna first talk about the physically quality of the book just a bit. Same as every old Kodansha Comics book pretty much, except for one thing: There are color pages. Even when it is obvious that they changed a page or two from color to black and white, and I have learned that it is probably always because that's just the way the Japanese volumes do things that way, they seem to pretty much always do away with the color. One might think that it is because maybe they would have to make the book a little more expensive, but this very book has color pages. iirc, it was not any more expensive than usual, and those very pages are doubled as more black and white pages anyway, so why this one? It is bound not to be such a great seller, but I am kinda hoping that this was a love letter of sorts to the Negima fans. Trust me, it may look all kiddie (even has stickers, which I will proceed to not use yet cherish so), but it is not much different than the main Negima (besides being overall less plot centric, of course). Doesn't go into the same kind of fancervice, thankfully, but there are still plenty of pervy jokes and slapstickyness. Somehow a bit of action. A bit of crushes (although with Negi and Kotaro as adults, thankfully they don't seem to have any romantic feelings for the girls whatsoever. Especially with the girls' age too, it's even bigger an age gap than the main series). They do not change personalities, their roles are for the most part the same, just the same old Negima fun, with a bit more sillyness and cuteness.

8/10

[Shradow]

Fate/Zero

 

Honestly, it took me awhile to finish the last few episodes, since Rider is my favorite character and I knew things wouldn't work out for him (and really, most of the last part was a downer, especially the part with Saber). Aside from that, the show was fantastic. Great characters, particularly Kirei and how he developed, the animation and action was top, and both the premise and how it was carried out was awesome.

 

I can't wait until ufotable's Fate/Stay Night adaption.

 

9/10

 

Actually, naked Gilgamesh makes it a 10/10.

[Rodrigo]

Nichijou

 

I came in expecting a great comedy with over the top stuff and awesome characters, and I wasn't disappointed. If you want a good laugh off of a slice of life show, this is it. There's nothing "ordinary" in the life of those guys and girls, and every scene is exectuted in a admirably funny way. The art style also fits the theme (if you want SAO or SnK level animation, this show isn't for you). I liked both opening songs too, they're fitting.

 

Overall a great show made for people who want to have a great time and enjoy over the top funny stuff.

 

9/10

[Aix]

Bakuman.

 

I basically marathoned all 3 seasons of it (that's 75 episodes exactly) and though I like it (otherwise I would've just stopped), it was rather repetitive to be honest. They should have done it as a human drama focusing on the lives of the various mangaka instead of focusing on the creation of manga itself, that would have proved much better, but unfortunately, Bakuman is a shonen to the core and all you get is 75 episodes of shouting and screaming overdramatically about manga and weekly rankings. There's hardly ever time to breath, months go by in every episode, and almost always, the only emotions you ever get to see from the characters is surprise, tension/anticipation or excitement. The characters are quite weak, with Mashiro and Azuki being one of the blandest couples I've ever seen, and they all fall under some sort of archetype or cliche, seldom showing any further depth. Any depth that a side character might show disappears completely once their arc is over and they return to being boring though overdramatic human beings. As for strengths of the show, I won't deny that the excitement does get to me.

 

Overall, 7/10

[Just Crouton]

Crystal Triangle (OVA, 1986)

Archeologists search for God's message or something, some miko girl or whatever sends them on an adventure, they find sacred alien temple, various countries send armies to destroy it for stupid reason that every government in fiction sends military to destroy stuff.

 

Blah blah blah general anime drabble about how humanity is doomed to kill each other blah blah blah.

 

Watch it for yourself

 

Hi No Tori Houou Hen/ Phoenix: Karma (OVA, 1986)

Gaou's life sucks, he turns into a small-time killer, has a run-in with an artist, and mugs him. A major event early sparks a change in his character, and he starts to become a better person, while the artist he mugged becomes corrupted by obsession with the titular Phoenix.

 

There's a lot of stuff about karma and, in the manga's case, Buddhism and Japanese politics and whatnot.

 

The story was so amazing, I read the original manga later that day after finishing the OVA.

 

The OVA cuts out a lot of Gaoh's development, making the final act a little confusing as to how he got to where he was at the end. Though, before reading the manga, I found myself interpreting why the final act played out the way it did, only to have it made more clear in the manga.

 

Other than that, both the OVA and manga are incredible, emotional stories. The OVA is a visual beauty. The manga is more developed (and, has a better ending *spoiler*) Gaoh is one of the greatest manga protagonists I have ever seen, if not the greatest.

 

Also, the OVA theme is tear-jerkingly beautiful.

 

Watch and read both for yourself

 

Now, I have to watch the rest of the Hi No Tori OVAs.

 

Baoh (OVA, 1989)

I watched a riff of this, and it's pretty bad.

 

Some guy is a weapon of death, breaks free, hangs out with little girl with special powers, stuff happens.

 

The fight scenes are ripped straight out of Guyver.

 

Pretty bad.

 

The character designs were nice, I guess.

 

Watch it for yourself

[Rodrigo]

Love Live! School Idol Project

 

There's no way I can give this show less than 10 out of 10. Every aspect is executed very, very well. The character development is on a level I've never seen before. And it's not just a moe show, it has a very good plot idea and plot execution. Not to mention the visuals and animations, that are easily up there in the level of SAO and SNK. The voice actors were also very fitting of the characters and sung the songs amazingly.

 

10/10

[Nicο]

Sentimental Journey

 

Let me get this out of the way and say that I almost couldn't take something even this old, but it really interested me and I ended up being in a short story anthology kind of mood. I didn't care to have the audio or video normal though, and at times I found it too slow, so I upped the speed to finish it faster, but I still enjoyed what it was trying to do, and that ED in normal speed. All the stories come across as relatable. Of course, some more than others. But there is a main thing about each of the episodes that can be. The obvious wanting to believe in true love and fighting with your closest friends, to not so obvious like... many people can really be under the impression that spirits really exist and do things when at this time there are some things that absolutely cannot be explained in any way. The one thing tying every episode together is the one boy (with no features, may not be the same boy, but all of them have moved around so I really think it is the same boy, but really, it is more the idea of him and the impact he made) that like I said in the brackets, made an impact on all of them, but a few of them seemed to probably move on from him. What is good is that there is no way to know if it really is the same boy, but in the dating sim that this anime is based on, he comes back and revisits them all so there's your proof that dating sims are less realistic than anime.

 

7/10