As the season is somewhere around halfway done, it’s time to once again take a look at how the shows on my list are doing. Milky Holmes is not included, because watching it raw at my level of comprehension is just wasting the comedy. Insert an insulting comment on fansubbers here.
Facepalm level: Hugger.
High tier
This thing is starting to remind me more of ToraDora than Onegai Teacher. I stand by my previous verdict, and thus have nothing more to add:
It’s yet another teenage drama (which is what we all said about ToraDora back in the day), but doesn’t attempt any unnecessary trickery and sticks to doing all the basics right.
Definitely needs more naked Mio, though. Last week’s episode introduced a bit too much harem-vibes for comfort, but at least looks like the plot is now about to get to the juicy bits.
Perhaps the series I anticipate the most now. I’ve omitted Another from my listing thus far because I found it a bit difficult to judge (as usually I don’t really deal with its type), but by now I have a pretty good idea – and a positive one at that. Another is quite successful at building a brooding atmosphere of mystery, all the while being surprisingly subtle and leaving a lot of room for thought. It refrains from throwing in easy scares with depictions of evil spirits and haunting – instead, all the freak deaths happen completely naturally if only conveniently timed. Mei turns out to be just another schoolgirl, and there isn’t anything that would directly prove ghosts being at work, yet people around Class 3 keep dropping dead. Another manages to invoke and maintain a strong feeling of paranoia and doubt over a freakish mystery, rather than attempt to scare its audience with a “monster in the closet” approach. The audiovisual execution is also quite excellent – from snappy animation and character art to smart use of sound effects and seiyuu performance, Another displays quite high standards. As such, it has well deserved its spot among the top of the season.
I just love shows that can honestly laugh at themselves, and none can hope to beat DxD in this department. What can I say? It’s fucking rad to watch despite/thanks to its brilliant stupidity and demented plot. Issei is a true bro if I’ve ever seen one, and Rias is so god damn hot no amount of doujins will ever do her justice. What I’ve learned is to not underestimate Hikasa Youko’s sex voice. Just like with Horizon from the last season, I’d have to have no heart or dick to not like this.
People talking. You watch them talk, and hope to learn something. That’s Bake/Nisemonogatari in a nutshell, being perhaps the most misunderstood shows in their respective seasons. It amuses me that people think one must be a “deepfag” to truly enjoy them – and people who make this claim also tend to mention Madoka Magica for good measure, a show that’s about as straightforward and simple as they come. Look people, there isn’t anything more to the ‘monogataris than there is to any real life conversation. However, the dialogue is written in a gimmicky way that manages to grasp and lead the viewer by the balls even though the discussion is mostly just chatter stating the obvious 90% of the time. Not that this was a bad thing – this almost hypnotic effect is one the things I really like about the franchise after all. As its predecessor, Nisemonogatari leans mainly on its character chemistries to keep things interesting, and keeps poking that part of the mind that’s normally idle when watching TV entertainment.
Also, amusingly the character I could most identify with is Kaiki. Dude’s like the embodiment of my own personal ideals.
Mid tier
Same as always. SS+ is avoiding all drama like the plague, but I can’t really bring the hammer down on it for that. Perhaps because since we already have a bunch of shows doing the drama llama-thing this season, the one that’s just about heart-soothing silly romance derping strangely hits the spot for a change. How good SS+ is largely depends on how much of a waifu the girl of the week is for you. Currently it’s Sexhair, so I’m fucking in on this.
Daily Lives of High School Boys
Perhaps the first episode set the bar too high, but at least Nichibros has recovered from the dry season that followed. It isn’t gut-wrenchingly amusing most of the time, but delivers a lot of clever skits, and now that Milky Holmes is out of the game it’s not like it has any competition either. Very much approved.
It sure took its sweet time, but at last it seems like Pirates is getting down to business. Its concept of privateering is interesting to say the least, though I really hope we get to see some real battles soon, too. Last week’s episode concluded with some promise of that, so I will remain positive. It isn’t brilliant, but has a lot of promise. Plus points for snappy CG.
Low tier
Already had my say on another post. Aside from the meta world fights it looks bad, and the setting just isn’t working with Okada’s melodrama-heavy writing style.
ZZZZZZZZZ…
PedoKiki just can’t escape its pointlessness. It’s not credible enough to be a convincing drama, yet not raunchy enough to be what the setting and character designs would suggest, and definitely not funny enough to be a comedy either. HEALING SHOW, you shout now, but all in vain, because it even fails at that mostly due to unsuitable characters. I guess it all it can be taken as is another advertising series for the original manga. Banal and forgettable would be the first two adjectives I can think of.
Not the worst of the bunch, but the ridiculousness of Lagrange is just beyond my sense of humor. I’ll give it a few more eps, but that’s about it. I already have Guilty Crown to deal with.
With all things considered this has been a pretty decent season so far. With as many four high interest shows around plus the leftovers from the last season, I can’t find myself to be in the position to complain. I’m kind of hoping BRS goes full scale Fractale, but Okada’s writing should be able to at least save it from that. Oh well, here’s some hot yuri action to send you on your way. I’ll be here preparing for another week of 10½ hour days. Serves me right for doing a good job.
It’s not rape if she’s a gigantic slut!
I’m surprised Another is high tier.
IMO, i think it kind of sucks. The anime, that is, compared to the manga. They changed a few things, such as character design and also the animation in general. The style they use in the anime kind of takes away from the creepy factor, so i was disappointed.
BUT, as of right now, the manga is even making me go “What is going on here?”, I’m not sure what the mangaka is trying to tell us.
inb4 I DON’T GIVE A FUCK, I DON’T READ MANGA.
The only things I disagree is that PedoKiki is worse than Mouretsu Pirates. Mouretsu Pirates is soooooooooo boring! PedoKiki at the very least has an heartwarming story and cute lolis.
Btw, don’t forget to speak about Mirai Nikki. I’m curious about what you have to say about this one.
Heartwarming story in PedoKiki? Heartwarming as in “incest is the best, put your underage cousing to the test” kind of way? Brrrrrrr, dear lord that show makes my skin crawl. It’s like a bizarro world version of Usagi Drop, without any relatable characters, or characters with any personality for the matter.
You can call Mouretsu Pirates boring, but at least that one bothers to developt it’s characters and setting, which is unfortunately can’t be said about that many shows really (Horizon, still looking at you).
But yeah anyways, pretty solid list to be honest. I’d include Aquarion EVOL to the high tier, but not that many peoples outside those crazy-ass mechafan circles even bothers with that one. Oh, and Inu x Boku is pretty good too.
>I just love shows that can honestly laugh at themselves, and none can hope to beat DxD in this department.
No show laughs harder at itself than Seikon no Qwaser.
That being said I must have neither a dick nor a heart because I thought DxD was sorta meh.
@Yag
Of course I don’t give a fuck about the manga. This is a TV anime, which will be witnessed by both those who don’t know about the original and those who do. Someone needs to take the POV of the former, and that would be me. An adaptation will always have to be able to stand on its own two feet, or it’s shit.
@Lime
I don’t have much to say about Mirai Nikki at all. It looks kind of crappy, and the plot is full of holes yet it has some of the charm of the original story that keeps you going.
@Puuhakka
I was told to not bother with Aquarion if I haven’t seen the first series, so I passed on that one. As for Inu x Boku, it sounds way too much like GOSICK and that whatever internet detective loli thing.
Inu x Boku is basically straight up romance and cute stuff with some supernatural bits added for spice. It’s what I think of as a fairly shoujo take on romance, though, compared to AnoNatsu’s more shonen one; less love quadrangles, more confused people.
I’m honestly half-convinced that people who haven’t seen the original Aquarion will enjoy EVOL more, not less. To the extent that EVOL tries to invoke the original, it tends to use a club instead of anything more subtle.
@Yagami
i think the mangaka is trying to tell you to read the original novel that both the manga and the anime are adaptations of.
Just finished the manga for Another. Without spoiling it I’ve gotta say I’m disappointed by the twists in the last quarter of the series, and I’m not sure if I’ll bother to watch the anime now. At least the anime will be short if I change my mind…and I’m sure some people will love this show, but I’ve seen these tropes repeated in lesser horror anime before and I’d have liked the author to have kept walking the same path he did from the beginning, with the biggest emphasis on unraveling the secrets of the mysterious girl with heterochromiatic eyes.
Pretty much agreeing with everything Chris said. Inu x Boku is basically a shoujo show with supernatural topping. Gosick (which I liked btw) didn’t really come into my mind while watching it. I was more reminded about Otome Youkai Zakuro to be honest (which I also liked). But yeah, I tend to like stuff like Inu x Boku, and something in that series just keeps pulling me back week after week. It sure ain’t the best show this season, no sir, but it’s well above average.
The thing about Aquarion EVOL is that while the story has been seen a million times before it’s just very well directed, paced and scripted show (Mari Okada shows her prowess once again). The first Aquarion is just shit, but maybe because no-one had any expectations whatsoever EVOL kinda took everyone by surprise. I don’t think not seeing the original one affects your enjoyment of the new one. Sure if you’re brave and stupid enough you can go to internet forums to talk about who’s reincarnation of who and what it means, but that’s pretty much it. Heck, I quit Aquarion after episode 14 I think and just watched the last episode after that, and I don’t think I know anything that enhances my enjoyment (other than I really hope Zess is the reincarnation of Silvia because I fucking hate Mikono)..
@Chris
@Puuhakka
Shoujo is automatically nope-tier for me, so that’s not really any better.
As for Aquarion, at this point it’s too late to pick it up. I could say I’ll marathon it once the batches are out, but I never end up actually doing that anyway.
Die, please. Please die.