General Anime/Manga Discussion 14: Second Cour

[Sith_Happens]

I can't remember. Between her appearance and the final arc Cure Sunshine did nothing else I found memorable.

You mean like

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nearly taking out Sasorina? Because Blossom and Marine never even thought of trying that when it was just the two of them.

Does she even get a catchphrase?

Haven't heard it enough to remember it precisely yet, but it's something like "That darkness in your heart, I will purify it with my light!"

[Quild]

Twelfth and last episode of One Punch Man really was impressive. I loved the whole thing, but that last episode... wow.

It's going to be a long wait for season 2, even with some OAV between

[Closet_Skeleton]

You mean like

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nearly taking out Sasorina? Because Blossom and Marine never even thought of trying that when it was just the two of them.

Spoiler

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Don't remember.

But I got used to seasons where Sasorina would have been dead by episode 7. Its not like any of the generals are really a threat in Heartcatch apart from Dark Pretty Cure who doesn't do any of the general things. The idea that a late comer party member would even get to fight the first episode boss is kind of odd genre wise. But that's mainly due to me not having seen the other series where long lived generals are common.

Strategically, killing Sasorina doesn't make any sense. Desert Apostles creating Desertarians for Pretty Cure to purify is a net positive in this setting. Keeping wimpy generals like Sasorina around and farming them for Heart Seeds is just good tactics. Which is most of the problem with the Desert Apostles as villains in general. Pretty Cure would be useless at fixing anyone's problems or helping the heart tree if there was nobody around to create Desertarians.

If Itsuki and Eirika hadn't gotten possessed, they never would have had the character development to become Pretty Cure in the first place. This gets even worse later with an event I won't spoil even though you've probably already guessed its going to happen.

Which basically ends up meaning that if the bad guys hadn't created any Desertarians, earth would have been doomed. Nobody expects to be recommended a magical girl show for smart villains, but even in its genre Heartcatch's are dumb. When most villains accidentally give the heroes a power up its because they underestimate the hero's resolve, the Desert Apostles just do the same thing week after week knowing it only really helps the good guys.

In Furari wa, sending out generals also helps the good guys but only when a general dies and the bad guys have a time limit and limited resources that they have to risk. Splash Star and Yes! actually have proper Xanatos Gambits so their villain plans actually make sense.

Heartcatch's generals aren't badly developed, they just don't seem to have 6x the development of other series generals despite lasting for 6x as long. Killing off generals every 7 episodes isn't the deepest form of narrative progress but at least it feels like progress.

Its not like I don't like sunflower macross missiles or find it interesting when people like characters who aren't normally fan favourites, I just found the obvious directorial change between Sunshine's first appearance and the subsequent monster of the week episodes jarring.

Haven't heard it enough to remember it precisely yet, but it's something like "That darkness in your heart, I will purify it with my light!"

Which just has none of the idiosyncratic oddity that makes Blossom and Marine's ones memorable.

[Sith_Happens]

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Don't remember.

But I got used to seasons where Sasorina would have been dead by episode 7. Its not like any of the generals are really a threat in Heartcatch apart from Dark Pretty Cure who doesn't do any of the general things. The idea that a late comer party member would even get to fight the first episode boss is kind of odd genre wise. But that's mainly due to me not having seen the other series where long lived generals are common.

Strategically, killing Sasorina doesn't make any sense. Desert Apostles creating Desertarians for Pretty Cure to purify is a net positive in this setting. Keeping wimpy generals like Sasorina around and farming them for Heart Seeds is just good tactics. Which is most of the problem with the Desert Apostles as villains in general. Pretty Cure would be useless at fixing anyone's problems or helping the heart tree if there was nobody around to create Desertarians.

If Itsuki and Eirika hadn't gotten possessed, they never would have had the character development to become Pretty Cure in the first place. This gets even worse later with an event I won't spoil even though you've probably already guessed its going to happen.

Which basically ends up meaning that if the bad guys hadn't created any Desertarians, earth would have been doomed. Nobody expects to be recommended a magical girl show for smart villains, but even in its genre Heartcatch's are dumb. When most villains accidentally give the heroes a power up its because they underestimate the hero's resolve, the Desert Apostles just do the same thing week after week knowing it only really helps the good guys.

In Furari wa, sending out generals also helps the good guys but only when a general dies and the bad guys have a time limit and limited resources that they have to risk. Splash Star and Yes! actually have proper Xanatos Gambits so their villain plans actually make sense.

Heartcatch's generals aren't badly developed, they just don't seem to have 6x the development of other series generals despite lasting for 6x as long. Killing off generals every 7 episodes isn't the deepest form of narrative progress but at least it feels like progress.

Its not like I don't like sunflower macross missiles or find it interesting when people like characters who aren't normally fan favourites, I just found the obvious directorial change between Sunshine's first appearance and the subsequent monster of the week episodes jarring.

Spoiler: Desert Apostles

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Given what a partial Tacting did to Sasorina I got the impression that a full one wouldn't have killed so much as magically turned her good somehow (something something Flower of the Heart).

As for whether the villains would have been better off doing nothing, in the first episode Cure Moonlight more or less says that the only way to kill the Great Heart Tree is by withering enough Flowers of the Heart. So it's sort of a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation; sure, every defeated Desertarian directly works against their cause, but if they don't keep trying it anyways they'll for sure never get what they want.

If you're looking for plot holes here the question is actually "Why does the Great Heart Tree need to have foliage when just the trunk and branches are sufficient to keep the world from becoming a desert," which at least as of episode 28 no one has answered.

EDIT:

O_O

*spits coffee*

Three words:

PRECURE SHINING FORTISSIMO



(What can I say, I'm a sucker for new special attacks.)

EDIT 2:

Spoiler: Watching episode 33 be like

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[Closet_Skeleton]

If you're looking for plot holes here

Villains being stupid isn't a plot hole unless the villains are supposed to be smart.

There is a better no prize for why the villains aren't actually acting strategically, but I've reached the point where I can't discuss anything about this series without spoiler territory.

Spoiler: episode 37 spoiler

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Most of the villains for the previous episodes are basically irrelevant to the actual villain's plan.

The series does more or less just get better from around episode 32.

[Sith_Happens]

Spoiler: Heartcatch Episode 34 in a Nutshell

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EDIT: Why does nothing good ever seem to happen after school festivals!?

[Sith_Happens]

Aaaaaaand done (except for the movie, but that can wait).

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[Ibrinar]

to be honest i'm all about the mystery genre but the fact that the entire first season of what was ostensibly an action/adventure anime turned into a locked room mystery was off-putting for many viewers in its own right

That is the only thing that made it an interesting show though, the first episodes, before it revealed what kind of show it actually is, weren't all that good. Good enough to give it a few episodes but not all that interesting. (Personally I'm not bothered by the ending. Not well executed maybe, but I think many people are bothered because they think a new seventh member resets everything and the other complaints are exaggerated by that.)

[Thanqol]

So I just blindly watched the first episode of Kill La Kill.

I feel like someone should have been filming me for a youtube reaction video or something. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't that.

[Sith_Happens]

So I just blindly watched the first episode of Kill La Kill.

I feel like someone should have been filming me for a youtube reaction video or something. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't that.

I feel confident in saying that this perfectly describes literally everyone who watched it when it aired.

[Morph Bark]

I've mostly been watching older anime rather than new ones from last year, but I've been sorta keeping up with One Punch Man and enjoying it quite a bit.

In the past weeks, I've watched a bit of Witch Hunter Robin, but none of the characters really resonated with me, so I dropped it after the second episode. Still, it's got a decent premise and the animation looks good, with especially the environment creating a nice atmosphere.

I've continued to crawl through Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Your Lie In April). Since it's Slice of Life, I don't really feel like watching much of it in one go, but I'm really enjoying it, and I'm roughly halfway now.

Watched two episodes of Prison School, one the second dubbed. It's... it's something alright. I really like the delivery of the lines, turn something that might otherwise be a minor joke into a hammy dramatic moment, but the entire premise the concept is based on is way, wayyy too much.

Which now brings me to No Game No Life, which also has plenty of ecchi moments, but is less far beyond what I'd like to see, and delivers it much better than many anime do. I'm enjoying the cleverness and humour a lot, and the characters nearly all seem to be pretty interesting. Wish it used a bit more of the side characters though, even just by naming them. Seems a bit like wasted potential.

Eh, Unlimited Blade Works without the Fate route? Really, even if it's wrong, I would have to recommend what I did: Fate/Stay Night anime, Fate/Zero, Unlimited Blade Works... or just the visual novel, which I'm in the middle of at the moment. But the problem is the original Fate/Stay Night anime has issues.

While this discussion is from a while ago, I'd like to say that I started with Fate/Stay and got absolutely turned off by it. Most of the characters it focused on were really bland, and it wasn't well-paced. I hesitantly tried out Fate/Zero, and was drawn in immensely. Sure, some of the characters are cliche, but they were less bland than in Fate/Stay, and there were plenty of other characters with a lot of screentime that were very likeable.

Because Unlimited Blade Works is essentially a retread of much of Fate/Stay (from what I've heard), I've never bothered with it.

[Eldariel]

Because Unlimited Blade Works is essentially a retread of much of Fate/Stay (from what I've heard), I've never bothered with it.

I wouldn't say that's fair. It's a different story, focuses on different characters (more specifically, the servants get more air-time) and things develop more naturally IMHO. Also, given it's just a superior product, I think it'd be a safe bet the reactions to the old FSN aren't a good predictor of your reactions to UBW. Give it a go; it's actually quite different. Shirou is a very different character between UBW and Fate (and the story has a different focus character-wise), and the small chunk of UBW that was included in the old FSN is really just a bastardization anyways.

[Marqod]

What's everyone planning to check out in the upcoming season?

Personally, I'll be following GATE, which is back after a 1-season break, at the very least.
Schwarzesmarken will get at least a few episodes to see if they mess things up as badly as in the Total Eclipse anime, which was also set in the Muv-Luv setting, although at a different point in time.
Dagashi Kashi also seems decently interesting.

Beyond that, things seem a bit dull.

Going past the upcoming season, I'm already pretty interested in watching Macross Delta after seeing the preview of most of the first episode.
Looks like it's going to take some of the interesting aspects from AKB0048, another Kawamori project, plus some of that Macross 7 vibe with the singers properly being a part of the action.
Has anyone else here taken at look at it so far?

[mallorean_thug]

I'm a couple days late, but the end of the year means its time for numbered lists.

Here's my top 10 anime tv shows that finished airing in 2015:

First, some honorable mentions: One Punch Man, Blood Battlefront Blockade, Parasyte, Noragami S2, Ore Monogatari, Knights of Sidonia S2

Spoiler: #10

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Death Parade


When Death Parade was announced, I was cautiously excited. Death Billiards was a pretty great short when it aired, and the concept definitely had some promise for an episodic tv show. Really, the only problems it could have if it stuck to that formula was being a wee bit heavy handed, and possibly having a difficult time selling us on the presumable recurring character Decim, who was a bit of an emotionless enigma in the short.

As it turns out, the show enthusiastically plowed into both of those things, not really caring if it came off too melodramatic, and adding in an overarching story to try to develop its recurring characters. The former meant that it had enough self-confidence to successfully pull off some pretty ridiculous drama beats, but the latter is where the show stumbled for me and ended up this far down the list. While Chiyuki's personal story ended up working really well, in part due to the stand out figure skating scene in the penultimate episode, I never felt like there was any reason to care about any of the arbiter characters, their machinations and politics, or the setting, and the episodes spent on that could have definitely been better spent on another game or two.

Overall the show is strong enough that most people should probably give it an episode or two, and I could definitely see it ranking higher on other people's lists.

Spoiler: #9

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Your Lie in April


What can I say, I'm a sap for very well executed melodramas, and shows with a focus on music. This one had both of those things!

Yeah, I can't really think of anything interesting to say here.

Spoiler: #8

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Garo Honoo no Kokuin


Another show that started in 2014 but ended this year, and contributed to how ridiculously good Winter season was this year. Garo never really attempted to be more than an animated but otherwise standard tokusatsu show (unlike, say, Samurai Flamenco last year), but it did so with such consistent style and confidence that I couldn't help but enjoy myself. And more amazingly, it made heavy use of CG in a way that never felt out of place or bugged me, and didn't even strictly limit itself to keeping all the impressive action scenes purely in CG, as exemplified by the scene from the above screenshot. Heap on top of that both of its great OPs, and a well developed cast of characters, and you have a show that people will hopefully put out there as a solid action show rec for years to come.

As far as the other Garo show that started airing this year . . . the less that is said about it, the better. If I was giving out a "Disappointment of the year" award, it would probably win it, despite the fierce competition on that front this year.

Spoiler: #7

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Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders


Honestly, I thought that much of the first half of Stardust Crusaders really didn't live up to Battle Tendency, or even parts of Phantom Blood. Not because I disliked the stretched out episodic format, but because that format also lead to a lot of fights without interesting villains or high stakes. The conclusion of the show definitely remedied that. Dio and his trusted lieutenants were a far more interesting and formidable cast than what came before, and despite that, the show never lost its signature humor either.

I'm very much looking forward to Diamond is Unbreakable this coming year.

Spoiler: #6

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Prison School

Honestly, the fact that I enjoyed this show this much is a bit of a surprise given my usual tastes, which don't normally include raunchy sex comedies. But I do enjoy shows that push the word ridiculous to its breaking point, and I especially enjoy shows that Mizushima directs (Girls und Panzer, Shirobako, ect), so given the reputation the manga has, I had to give it a chance. I'm glad I did.

Everything about this show is about taking ideas to their logical breaking point and beyond. Nothing is done in half measures, and the show is better for it. While it does slavishly recreate the manga, the comedic beats are well adapted to the change in pacing from switching formats, and the voice cast is well worth it, especially Hana and Gakuto.

I'm not sure whether I'd say that people should actually give this show a shot, but you should definitely know that, for what this show does, it does it perfectly. Maybe that's your cup of tea, maybe it isn't.

Spoiler: #5

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Gatchaman Crowds Insight


Everybody here probably knows how much I love Kenji Nakamura's work. And the first season of Gatchaman Crowds was no exception. Its ending message was a wee bit optimistic, and it had the snafu around how the last episode aired, but the show overall was bright and colorful, but with meaning, purpose, and a message. Just how I like my anime. That said, I was kind of worried about how a second season would go. Like, sure I wanted more Gatchaman Crowds, but only if it was going to live up to the first season. Otherwise, I'd much rather Nakamura jump into another new, fresh idea.

Well, Insight not only managed to match the first season, but in some ways even surpass it. It used the first season's thoughts on the internet and society as a spring board to jump into a surprisingly nuanced political critique that I found far more convincing than Nakamura's last attempt ( in fact, I so strongly disagreed with his message in [C] that I don't think I can give the rest of the show a fair shake independent of it). And while I liked his understated approach towards Hajime in the first season, it definitely lead to a lot people misunderstanding her purpose in the show. This time, he approached her with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, ensuring that nobody could mistake her for something she wasn't this time.

Really, my only complaint about the show was how it sidelined and ignored Rui this time around. Sure, this outing was Tsubasa's turn to be the protagonist, but of all the threads that were advanced from the first season, his definitely felt the most lackluster. It honestly reinforces my slightly negative feelings about the optimistic end of the first season, as it makes it seem that Nakamura really didn't have a good idea of "What next" and how his "solution" would really play out.

Either way, Gatchaman Crowds is definitely worth your time, and in a weaker year would definitely be a couple spots higher.

Spoiler: #4

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Owarimonogatari


It was more -monogatari . . .

Oh, I should probably say more than that.

Ougi Formula, Sodachi Riddle, and Sodachi Lost, but especially Sodachi Lost, were all up there with the absolute best arcs the franchise has to offer. Ougi is a fantastic villain, and while Second Season showed us how interesting it can be to take a break away from Ararararagi's viewpoint, coming back to him to finally give him some much needed character development is definitely the direction the show needed to head towards.

And with Koyomimonogatari airing as ONAs during winter season, its a direction we get to continue in right away.

Even better, Aniplex USA announced that Kizumonogatari will be making a run through US theatres starting in February, so I'll probably get a chance to see that too!

Its a good time to be a -monogatari fan, and I hope anybody else that hasn't joined us yet will give it a try.

Spoiler: #3

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Yuri Kuma Arashi


Even the worst Ikuhara show is much much better than most things. Yurikuma was hurt by its very short runtime as it struggled to get viewers invested in its characters from the beginning of the show, but when push came to shove towards the end, I found that I had grown to love its main cast of lilies and bears.

And that's honestly the only thing pulling the show down. Its symbolism worked, its presentation was phenomenal if slightly limited by production constraints, and it probably flat out had the best ending of anything that aired this year. Sure, its no Penguindrum or Utena, but that's an incredibly high standard to hold a show to. Everybody should watch this one. Gao Gao.

Spoiler: #2

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Sound! Euphonium


If there's any overarching story to my favorite shows this year, its that good directors continue to make great shows. Despite initially missing the buss on K-ON!, Naoko Yamada has easily made it onto my shortlist of directors to pay attention to (I don't think I ever squee'd in this thread, but her giving Koe no Kotachi the movie treatment was the best news of the entire year). And Euphonium is a large part of the reason why.

It just effortlessly captures so many of the small (and large!) details of adolescence and the struggles involved in finding and caring about the things your enjoy. I was in band throughout middle school and high school, so maybe part of my enjoyment was based in how much it reflected my own experiences, but Sound Euphonium managed to capture that essence in a way that many "sports" shows don't always find the time to, between their focus on training and on tournament drama.

I'll eagerly be awaiting the already announced second season, and hopefully anybody that dismissed this season as another "Cute girls doing cute things" show will reconsider in time to join me.

Spoiler: #1

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Shirobako


If you never heard the buzz around this show, I don't know what rock you've been hiding under for more than a year (and it definitely wasn't in this thread given our conversation topics about a year ago).

Shirobako was a great workplace drama that focused on the stress and struggle involved in the industry we all hold dear. It was a love letter to anime, and deeply committed to showing the love that creators everywhere pour into their craft. I really don't know what more I can say. Should I talk about how great Mizushima's self-caricature director was throughout the show, and how the storming of the publisher building at the end was the perfect capstone for his arc? Or the scene represented by screenshot above gave the perfect payoff for a certain other character? Or how Anno saved Christmas last year? Or how much fun the Bluray bonus episodes of the in-show shows were, and how the fact that the staff actually produced them was really really cool?

For me, just about everything about this show was perfect. And the amount that it helped pull back the curtain on anime production and elevate the conversations on that topic around the community was only icing on the cake. Please watch this show.

Wowow, that ended up being a lot of words. I think I've used up my daily allotment. I'd love to hear what everybody else's favorite shows were from last year. I /think/ that I managed to watch most of the good ones, but I do still intend to go back and finish Concrete Revolutio and Akatsuki no Yona when I get a chance, based on what I've heard here and elsewhere. Either way, while Summer and Fall ended up being a little weak, I think that I can say that the year overall was a pretty good one, and almost definitely better than last year IMO.

Here's to a great 2016 too!

[DoctorFaust]

What's everyone planning to check out in the upcoming season?

Akagami no Shirayukihime, Dagashi Kashi, GATE, Akagami no Shirayukihime, Phantasy Star Online 2, Luck & Logic maybe, Schwarzesmarken, Akagami no Shirayukihime, Macross Delta, Mahou Shoujo Nanta Mou Ii Desu Kara.

Oh, and Akagami no Shirayukihime. Maybe even Akagami no Shirayukihime, if I can fit it in.

Has anyone else here taken at look at it so far?

Yes, and I did so in an entirely legal fashion. I don't have a lot of thoughts about it so far, since we've only gotten one episode, but I do like Freyja. Kind of reminds me of a combination of Ranka Lee and Momo Kisaragi. Also, two of the VF-31s and their pilots appeared to have the same color scheme as Alto and Ozma, but I might just be looking for similarities between Delta and Frontier. I am fairly certain that Hayate was wearing a fold quartz pendant, though.

And on an unrelated note, I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts about the Animator Expo shorts that have been released recently, especially ENDLESS NIGHT and Neon Genesis Impacts/

[Kurenai Misuzu]

I was in band throughout middle school and high school, so maybe part of my enjoyment was based in how much it reflected my own experiences, but Sound Euphonium managed to capture that essence in a way that many "sports" shows don't always find the time to, between their focus on training and on tournament drama.

It isn't just the band experience it resonates with. The workings of the band and the eternal push and pull between passion and relaxing and to figure out what you even want and what you ought to do also captures what my student council experience in high school was like. I imagine it's the same for people who did high school sports or really any kind of formalized activity at that age. And beyond that, it just reflects the high school experience really well. Only thing that could make the mountain climb seem more like the stuff we got up to back then would be if they got drunk and/or high at the summit.

[kamikasei]

What's everyone planning to check out in the upcoming season?

I'll be watching Dagashi Kashi unless it actively pisses me off at some point, and continuing with Iron-Blooded Orphans. I'll check out Macross Delta, and certainly give Sekkou Boys a go. I'd like to hope that Myriad Colours Phantom World will be good, based on the studio, and Dimension W has some points of interest, but both seem like I should wait and see what others have to say before trying them out. And a friend recommends both Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! and Boku Dake ga Inai Machi/ERASED, so I'll probably give at least one of them a shot. The availability of easy streaming will affect what I'm likeliest to watch. Mostly, though, barring surprises, it looks like a fairly quiet season, which is fine by me. I've got several shows from recent seasons and older that I want to catch up on.

[cobaltstarfire]

I'm not in touch enough to know what's coming out soon! But I'm sure we'll end up looking at a few as we work on finishing up our list. (or in between trying to find it anyway...)

Speaking of which we finished Bodacious Space Pirates, and I'm very sad to see it go. It was just so fun , and I really liked the way the ships were designed and how space in general were handled. The sci-fi bits of it were also very enjoyable.

Of course over the holidays there's been a lot of shuffling around so we lost the list (again) I'm sure the poor old battered and food stained thing will reappear eventually and when it does I'll let you all know what we'll be trying next.

[mallorean_thug]

What's everyone planning to check out in the upcoming season?

GET HYPE tier:
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Should be Good tier:
Boku Dake ga Inai Machi
Prince of Stride: Alternative

Might be Ok tier:
Myriad Colors Phantom World
Dimension W
Haruchika
Active Raid

Sequels
Koyomimonogatari
Teekyu 7
DRRR s2 part 3

Continuing from fall:
Osomatsu-san
Haikyu 2
Gundam IBO

I'm legitimately excited for Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. Its been in production for quite a while, the source material is supposedly pretty good, the premise is something I find interesting especially because adult casts are something of a rarity in anime, and this PV looked great. Oh, and its being directed by Omata Shinichi, the talented ex-SHAFT guy that did Sankarea and new Rozen maiden, both shows that weren't that great but had excellent direction. This show also had an OVA that released back in March of last year that as far as I can find, never got translated (which is also when I started hearing great things about it). Maybe the new tv anime will spark some interest so I can finally watch that as well.

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi is another manga I've heard good things about, with an adult protagonist, a talented director I like (Itou Tomohiko), and an ok looking PV. I'm less sure about it actually being good than the Rakugo show, especially because while I enjoy mysteries a great deal, they also have a lot of room to disappoint, something that's definitely on my mind after The Perfect Insider last season.

Prince of Stride: Alternative is an otome game adaption, which would be an instant turn off if it wasn't for the fact that its being directed by Ishizuka Atsuko (who, by now, everybody should know for her incredibly colorful directorial style seen in Hanayamata, Sakurasou, and No Game No Life) and the PV shows it. Oh, also the series comp is being handled by Kishimoto Taku, who's also recently handled both seasons of Haikyu, Silver Spoon, and Usagi Drop, all excellent adaptions (he's also doing Boku Dake ga Inai Machi this season, so I guess that's another point in its favor). And I've been a bit of a sucker for sports shows recently, even though this is likely to be as much of a sports show as Free was.

Phantom World could be good. I mean, if nothing else, it has Kyoani's normal production values, with all their good action animators finally done done working on Kyoukai no Kanata stuff. PV. I'm just not sure if its a show I'm going to like, given my reaction to Kyoukai no Kanata. Hopefully it will be a lot closer to Chuunibyou's first season than anything else.

Dimension W could be interesting. PV. Ok, so maybe only half the things in that pv were actually interesting. I'm at least giving it a chance anyways.

Haruchika is, depending on who you talk to, either PA Works trying to do Sound Euphonium, or PA Works trying to do Hyouka. Based on the PV, both of those comparisons seem to be off the mark. If I'm worried about Boku Dake ga Inai Machi going down the path The Perfect Insider took last season, I'd be worried about this going down the path that Sakurako-san took last season. But, I'm compelled to give any of these mystery shows at least a look on the off chance they're good.

Active Raid sounds like the kind of show that I really liked when I was a bit younger. And Taniguchi Gorou is a great director . . . but he's only co-directing, and the PV really doesn't look that good to me. That said, its 1 of just 3 anime original, non-sequel shows that's airing this season, so I have to give it the benefit of the doubt.

With all of that, I probably have enough things to watch this season. There seems to be some buzz around Dagashi Kashi, but after I've looked into it a little bit, I can't seem to figure out why. Maybe somebody else could give me a sales pitch for it?

I'm also ignoring most of the shorts, because I'm both terrible at actually keeping up with short shows, and the first episode of them is such a small time commitment that I don't really need to research them first. I can just give them a try and then forget to keep up with them.

And I'll definitely watch Macross Delta when it airs, but a couple people here seem to be confused about that. Despite the early ep1 preview, the show isn't airing until spring season. So we have a little bit to wait on that.

[Kato]

So... apparently OPM was the best rates tv series on imdb for a day or so. And by that I mean THE BEST RATED TV SERIES. I mean, it was fun to watch but... what?


sidenote: Really need to watch more shows. Only managed to keep up with Yuru Yuri San last season and even Iron Blooded Orphans I fell behind on, even though I am generally interested. Partially due to a lack of time but also because... it seems I've gotten out of touch with what is airing and what is worth seeing Guess I'll have to look for you guys recommendations more often.

[Sallera]

Well, the non-sequel stuff looked a bit sparse this season, but I'll certainly give Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, and Haruchika a chance. Been kind of warming up to mysteries lately, at least when they've got solid casts and character interactions.

There seems to be some buzz around Dagashi Kashi, but after I've looked into it a little bit, I can't seem to figure out why.

Not sure about that one myself; looked into it a bit and the best I could tell from the PV was that there seems to be a chance of multiple snarky deadpan characters, which is my favourite type of comedy. Not exactly a glowing recommendation, though, that.

Edit: Oh, and I finally got around to finishing Crowds insight. Cor, that was even better than I expected; thanks for the recommendation.

[ex cathedra]

What's everyone planning to check out in the upcoming season?

k i z u

akagami no shirayukihime is genuinely exciting. dimension w, boku dake ga inai machi, musaigen no phantom world, and haruchika are also tentatively on my list for a variety of reasons; i'm most interested in haruchika, honestly, if for no reason other than that p.a. work's good moments are really really good. i'm expecting something a lot closer to true tears or tari tari in terms of quality, though, which would be acceptable.

[DoctorFaust]

There seems to be some buzz around Dagashi Kashi, but after I've looked into it a little bit, I can't seem to figure out why. Maybe somebody else could give me a sales pitch for it?

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but the eyes were what got me interested. Specifically, the glorious, glorious Yandere eyes.

Also, can anyone more knowledgable on the subject tell me whether or not Kaiki Deishuu's theme from Nisemono is based off of In the Hall of the Mountain King?

[kamikasei]

I'm legitimately excited for Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. Its been in production for quite a while, the source material is supposedly pretty good, the premise is something I find interesting especially because adult casts are something of a rarity in anime, and this PV looked great. Oh, and its being directed by Omata Shinichi, the talented ex-SHAFT guy that did Sankarea and new Rozen maiden, both shows that weren't that great but had excellent direction. This show also had an OVA that released back in March of last year that as far as I can find, never got translated (which is also when I started hearing great things about it). Maybe the new tv anime will spark some interest so I can finally watch that as well.

I haven't heard a single thing about this. If you're that excited I might give it a shot.

There seems to be some buzz around Dagashi Kashi, but after I've looked into it a little bit, I can't seem to figure out why. Maybe somebody else could give me a sales pitch for it?

What DoctorFaust said, but mostly I'm operating on a recommendation from a friend. Who likes yanderes with weird eyes.

And I'll definitely watch Macross Delta when it airs, but a couple people here seem to be confused about that. Despite the early ep1 preview, the show isn't airing until spring season. So we have a little bit to wait on that.

Huh, looks like you're right. I think I was misled by a previous list which had it down under OVAs/specials. Maybe that was for the preview, or something.

And I forgot to mention this weird little thing that looks to be of interest. Finally, a protagonist with an obsession we can all identify with!

[ex cathedra]

did anyone watch all of subete ga f ni naru: the perfect insider last season? i threw it on my list at the beginning of the season for my typical post-season binge but since then i got the impression that it was received really poorly, and my backlog has grown large enough that i wouldn't mind skipping it if i wouldn't be missing out on much. the last experience i had with watching a seasonal anime for nothing other than the mystery tag turned out to be a rather unfortunate affair.

Also, can anyone more knowledgable on the subject tell me whether or not Kaiki Deishuu's theme from Nisemono is based off of In the Hall of the Mountain King?

i assume that it's the case. it's both typical of the series to contain classical homages and typical of ItHotMK to portray ominous/insidious characters in popular culture.

[Sallera]

Oh, I don't know. The central mystery as a mystery may have been somewhat mediocre, but I enjoyed it for the character interactions regardless. (And it had an excellent soundtrack.)

[mallorean_thug]

Also, can anyone more knowledgable on the subject tell me whether or not Kaiki Deishuu's theme from Nisemono is based off of In the Hall of the Mountain King?

i assume that it's the case. it's both typical of the series to contain classical homages and typical of ItHotMK to portray ominous/insidious characters in popular culture.

I don't really think so. The similarities seem superficial to me. And the music for the toothbrush scene isn't really referencing anything either, its just a bog standard waltz.

i'm most interested in haruchika, honestly, if for no reason other than that p.a. work's good moments are really really good. i'm expecting something a lot closer to true tears or tari tari in terms of quality, though, which would be acceptable.

I'd manage expectations a little bit here. Haruchika is an adaption, while all the PA works you just cited are anime original, and the only one of those that it shares main creative staff with is Tari Tari (Same director). Like, the directors of Nagi no Asukara and True Tears might show up as episode directors, but its more likely that they've both been hard at work on their own unannounced projects.

That said, I want to be optimistic too! Its just incorrect to think of most studios as monolithic entities, especially given that PA Works best stuff was done with outside directors (Mizushima, Ando)

What you should definitely be looking forward to more is the project that Mizushima and Okada are working together on that's set to air Spring season.

did anyone watch all of subete ga f ni naru: the perfect insider last season? i threw it on my list at the beginning of the season for my typical post-season binge but since then i got the impression that it was received really poorly, and my backlog has grown large enough that i wouldn't mind skipping it if i wouldn't be missing out on much. the last experience i had with watching a seasonal anime for nothing other than the mystery tag turned out to be a rather unfortunate affair.

While The Perfect Insider is miles better than Ranpo Kitan was, I still thought it was a disappointment in the end.

The story was rather wrapped up in details of the mystery, so when the reveal showed that everything was just as stupid as I was expecting, it kind of lost me. Which would have been a lot more forgivable if the character stuff was a little bit better done. While Moe (the female lead) felt rather fleshed out, both Dr. Magata and Prof. Saikawa never felt like actual people despite the amount of focus they got.

Part of this might have just been hype backlash though. The OP and the ED are among the best of the year, and everything about the production (except the washed out palette) said that it should be really good. Its probably still better than your average show, but because of how important endings are for mysteries and how endings stick with you, I'm sure that it will get bashed as awful for years to come. And I'll probably join in.

[ex cathedra]

I'd manage expectations a little bit here. Haruchika is an adaption, while all the PA works you just cited are anime original, and the only one of those that it shares main creative staff with is Tari Tari (Same director). Like, the directors of Nagi no Asukara and True Tears might show up as episode directors, but its more likely that they've both been hard at work on their own unannounced projects.

That said, I want to be optimistic too! Its just incorrect to think of most studios as monolithic entities, especially given that PA Works best stuff was done with outside directors (Mizushima, Ando)

What you should definitely be looking forward to more is the project that Mizushima and Okada are working together on that's set to air Spring season.

'similar to tari tari' is already about where my expectations placed haruchika's quality, which is a pretty low bar. i'm hopeful and i think it could have potential, but, thankfully, none of my feelings resemble hype.

oh hey, thanks for the heads up re: mayoiga.

[DoctorFaust]

I don't really think so. The similarities seem superficial to me. And the music for the toothbrush scene isn't really referencing anything either, its just a bog standard waltz.

I'm not really sure I would call the similarities "superficial" considering that they seem to share essentially the same note progression, though Imitation sounds like it's been shifted down a ways. And actually, on the subject of the toothbrush scene, can I just say one thing?

Spoiler: Nisemonogatari Ep.8

Show

What the actual ****. Like, seriously, what the actual ****. Almost, almost, makes me want to not like Nisemono, this is so goddamn disturbing. And it takes up the entire goddamn episode! Genuinely, there are three redeeming things about this episode, and two of them are the OP and ED. And the other one is that Tsukihi was going to murder them for what they did!

*pantpantpant*

No, but really, this was genuinely, genuinely disturbing. And FFS Arararagi, you have literally said that the only people who fantasize about seducing their siblings are people without siblings, and now you're goddamn fantasizing about your giant little sister!

[mallorean_thug]

Nisemonogatari is very much a low point for the series for various reasons.

It gives each arc too many episodes, which drags down the pacing.

While it had much more consistent animation than Bake ( which is a pretty easy feat given that Bake had two episodes air completely unfinished and aired the last arc almost 9 months later as ONAs), the highs aren't nearly as good, and the direction overall is the least interesting in the series (later stuff tends to split the difference and end up a little closer to Bake's style).

While it doesn't really have /more/ skeevy scenes than Bake, they stand out more and feel more egregious, both because the two main girls are Arararagi's sisters, and because having skeevy scenes for other characters felt like fanservice cameos.

And then the stuff it has to say just isn't quite as interesting as other arcs.

Kaiki's scenes, Hitagi's scenes, and Shinobu getting introduced all save it somewhat, and there's some later arcs that are just as weak, but yeah, it's a slog.

EDIT: The sheer over the top nature of the toothbrush scene made it work for me. Nadeko Snake was much much creepier, and some of Arararagi's stuff with Mayoi is just as bad.