Final Thoughts for Fall 2014
As we here at Infinite Rainy Day get ready for the season of gay bear weather, we need to wrap up some loose ends. Fall is finally over, and it has been an insane season, easily the strongest of the year 2014. We've followed a mess of shows, and we're ready to give you our final reviews on all of them. From the stunning masterpieces to the shockingly dull, we got 'em all!
But, as always, the cream of the crop comes after the cream of the crap.
Dropped Shows
BONJOUR: Sweet Love Patisserie
Megan R
Covering this and Orenchi no Furo Jijo have been something
of an illustration as how to and how not to craft a functional short series,
and Bonjour has been a sterling example of what not to do with a short series. It breaks up its narrative artificially by
forcing it to fit into five minute chunks, leaving the story as a whole feeling
disjointed. Its limited running time
leaves no time to build up the paper-thin characters into anything other
than the tired otome stereotypes they are. There’s no
sense of joy or humor in this production, as it lurches its way through
each route. You’d think that a show that
features bishonen flying through space on pastries in its OP and magical-girl style cooking montages
would be willing to embrace the silliness inherent in its premise, but instead
everything is presented in somber seriousness, and it kills any sense of fun or
ironic amusement it might have held. This
truly is a show that would have benefited from being a full-length series if
simply because the creators would have been forced to fill out the run time by
giving the show some sense of personality. As it is, the show was a chore to watch even for the short time I
watched it, and it’s well on its way to being rightfully forgotten. Six episodes: 3/10
Celestial Method
Jonathan Kaharl
I do not like Celestial Method. It is a beautiful show, on par with the best works of PA Works, but the writing is simply dreadful. A good drama needs characters with relatable flaws and problems, but Celestial Method fails to properly convey their issues in understandable ways. On top of that, most of the cast is dull or downright unlikable because of how idiotic their issues are (at least from what the first three episodes show). It fails where it needs to succeed the most, and I do not have the patience for it. Three Episodes: 4/10
Girlfriend Beta
Thom "Tama" Langley
Let's be honest here. I wasn't expecting much from this show. An
adaption of a free to play, pay to win phone game doesn't generally make
for good anime (Unless you're Rage of Bahamut Genesis.) I was
honestly expecting your usual harem awfulness. What I got...well,
how underwhelming it ended up being is breathtaking.
Each episode centers around one major issue, which is stretched to
near-breaking point in an attempt to make it last an entire episode.
With more lively characters, this would be at least somewhat
interesting. For example, little actually happens in Clarks, Seinfeld or Lucky Star, but
their respective characters and their conversations make the time pass
quicker, and flesh out personalities and how they deal with the issue of
the week. Girlfriend Beta, however, imbues each of its
characters with the least possible characterization, boiling each of its
moe-blobs down to one or two "quirks", be it "foreign", "athletic" or
"likes other girls". Do yourself a favour. Avoid this. Avoid the game
it's based on. Do not encourage these people. A new low for the
moe-fluff genre. Five Episodes: 1/10
Hi-sCool! Seha Girls
Walter Holleger
The last time I talked about Seha Girls, I mentioned that while the
humor was forced, it did get a chuckle out of me about twice. I want to
expand on this a bit. Each episode of Seha Girls, up to what I watched,
was about eleven minutes and twenty seconds long each. At seven
episodes, that's about eighty minutes of content, about the length of a
made for TV movie. This show made me laugh twice during the whole
affair. Seha Girls was a terrible excuse for a comedy, with one-note
characters, forced dialogue and lousy jokes more suited for a teenager's
internet review show, and what seemed to be a blatant marketing mindset
for products decades old. This was a confused mess of a show that I'm
happy to have behind me. Seven Episodes: 2/10
In Search of the Lost Future
Jonathan Kaharl
This was just a drag. While watching this time-travel science drama, all I could think about was how much better handled all this was back in Steins;Gate. The plot is barely existent and is born slowly from a personality devoid love interest being a tragedy magnet due to her own stupidity. The characters are tired tropes barely given any development. Most every mystery is easily solved just through some basic genre awareness. There's just nothing interesting here besides the engrish lines coming from Kenny. Remove him from the equation, and there's just nothing left you haven't seen before and better. Six Episodes: 4/10
Terraformers
Jonathan Kaharl
I dropped this one less because of its quality, but more for time sake. Oh, and watching the televised broadcast is incredibly pointless. With all the ultra-gory action censored so poorly, there's not much else to take away from it. Characters are poorly developed and the pacing is shot. It takes forever for things to get anywhere, and the show's habit of killing off red shirts for quick drama is just a tired strategy for cheap drama. If the action was visible, I may have liked the show, but as it is, get the blu-ray and don't bother with streaming. Three Episodes: 6/10
Trinity Seven
Stephanie Getchell
I barely remember this series, and,
what I do remember from it, isn’t all that wonderful. I’m sorry but that
really stupid peeing thing just sent me overboard. I get that people do
have weird interests, but you’d have to be the biggest weirdo to like
seeing a girl holding in her pee. But that isn’t the only reason why I
let Trinity Seven go so early on. What made me leave this one behind was
the writing after our lead starts school. From there the quality just
plummeted into... well… the peeing thing. The series did have a lead that
was accepting of his perverted ways and some rather amusing dirty
humor, but the writing took it a little too far for my preferences. Two Episodes: 2/10
World Trigger
Stephanie Getchell
I never use this phrase when
describing something, but if I had to describe what World Trigger is,
then it is a hot mess. As one of the series I really really wanted to
like, it just dished out disappointment after disappointment. Not only
is the writing lacking and characters poorly done, but, for some reason, it
doesn’t even understand the basic concept of story telling and writing
structure! What could have been something awesome and fun to watch
turned out to be boring and stereotypical like some of the most well
known shonen series we all watch…. Except World Trigger is even worse
then those ones. Now THAT is saying something. Six Episodes: 4/10
Final Thoughts
A Good Librarian, Like a Good Shepherd
Jonathan Kaharl
Why are the ignored shows always shows I seem to love? Samurai Flamenco, C3-bu, and now Shepherd. The visual novel adaptation and Hoods Entertainment production had the writing of an absolute disaster all over it, but it somehow managed to work and end up as one of the better shows of the season. It's a bit of what you'd except from its source and studio, but also goes out of its way to be much, much more, and it really pays off. The show goes with familiar subject matter (school drama and a bit of will-they-won't-they with a sprinkling of magical plot device), but the execution is what sets it apart from so much of its ilk.
The writing and presentation are both above the expected average significantly. Hoods put a lot of effort into the colors and lighting, creating a really pleasant atmosphere in the academy scenes, while covering the world of shepherds in this veil of mystery. It's really impressive, and most of the animation is very well handled. Characters all look very distinct and pleasing to the eye, while backgrounds are given a lot of detail and little touches. Hoods also held back their usual talents of animating ...uh, the jiggly parts, sneaking in a little moment here and there, but remembering that this isn't really meant to be their usual smutty garbage. To my surprise, the staff really did care about representing the original visual novel properly and not just phoning it in to cash in on the property. That isn't too surprising, but this is Hoods I'm talking about. The people who did the show about boob milk alchemy.
Kakei is still a tad on the bland side, but his conflict gives him a bit more personality he'd otherwise lack. The library club is all made up of lively personalities, even if Ikkei gets pushed aside once the cast starts to fill up and the shepherd plot line gains more focus. Tsugumi really makes for the best central character, as her desire to make others happy, even if initially born through selfish reasons, ends up being central to the show's positive message. It twists around the goals and views of the shepherds in an interesting way, which I was not expecting. Kana and Senri ended up really surprising me and became my two favorite characters of the season (exceptions to Inugami and Yuji). Kana's complex is very relatable and given proper focus over a single episode, really getting a lot of emotion out her back story and worries. Senri, on the other hand, completely surprised me by turning out to be a mischievous sprite instead of a silent doll, giving her some of the best scenes later in the series. I also loved Kodachi's entire presence around Kakei, especially when her true identity is revealed (though there is one element of her back story that felt really out of place, thankfully saved a tad by the staff choosing not to make it specific what was supposed to be happening). Every character has great chemistry with every other around them, even Kakei, and their lively dialog matches with the show's simple and lovely art like peanut butter and jelly.
I really enjoyed my time with Shepherd, mainly through it's wonderful execution and all the care the animators put into nearly every scene. What flaws I found were incredibly minor, and and the greatest strengths are above most of what the season had to offer. I have a real soft spot for this show, and I really hope it finds its audience one day, because it really deserves one.
Final Score: 8/10
Ai Tenchi Muyo
Joe Straatmann
What a weird state of affairs to be a fan who came into anime during
the late 90s where Tenchi was a staple of the niche seeing him today
only continuing his existence at the behest of a city wishing to promote
tourism. This series of shorts was paid for by the town of Takahashi,
and they should honestly ask for their money back. The show mostly takes
place in one building, they only briefly describe the castle in town,
and it even suggests visitors stay away from the scenic hills due to
dangerous animal and plant life. It's not exactly first on my list
should I ever get out of the massive debt I'm in and scrounge up enough
cash to go to Japan.
So how's the series? Like a lot of Tenchi, it has its moments, but as a whole, it's a bit lacking and not nearly as good as you remember. I think I had a good laugh once every five shorts, as there's a sight gag that works or a really nice character moment that makes me wish that more of the franchise was like this instead of broad slapstick and bickering. If you like the old gang, the original Japanese voice cast return and all the gals get at least one moment for the fandom to enjoy. The new cast is hampered by not only the length of the shorts, but by mangled storytelling. The story centers on Momo, a girl who disappears down a pocket of space-time and re-appears in Takahashi where she becomes the school president with her band of eccentric all-girl council members in tow. She tries to deal with the rambunctious all-girl science club who demands more funding to mine for valuables under the school (Don't look at me. I didn't write it), but her council and the science club's cronies would rather fight it out than negotiate. Tenchi is installed as a teacher with his entourage secretly investigating the school for reasons that aren't made entirely clear until about halfway into the 60-episode run. After introducing the setting and getting acquainted with the new cast, the story takes way too long to step back and give the plot some proper bearings, so for awhile, it's a bunch of chaotic nonsense. It's still a bunch of nonsense afterwards, but at least it makes sense.
Most of time is filled with wacky antics as the feuding school organizations take their fights to the extreme, and most of the new girls are limited to one defining trait, whether it be obsession with statistics, extreme fangirlism, or arachnophobia triggering massive burst of strength. Many of the same buttons get pressed over and over, the creative jokes are few, and it takes far too long for the series to get any heart. Not making matters better is the villains and climactic finale virtually appear out of nowhere. Is it the worst of Tenchi? Not really. It's exceptionally light fare and its brevity at least makes sure the experience doesn't turn painful. On the other hand, even if you're a Tenchi fan who hasn't had their rose-colored nostalgia glasses smashed, it's best to just walk past this one without looking back.
Final Score: 5/10
Amagi Brilliant Park
Stephanie Getchell
Well Seiya and the crew managed to
save the park by the skin of their teeth, AND Latifa’s condition has
been cured! I say alls well that ends well! …..Wait there’s still one
more episode…. And it’s an extremely pointless one involving an attempt
to create a promo video. Okay… I think we need to have a conversation
about all this.
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Jonathan Kaharl
I love Sunrise. They're either so impressive with their original works that they blow me away, or they go so far into absurd territory that they become immensely entertaining. Sometimes, those two extremes cross into brilliance (Code Geass is still in my top three to this day), but with such a large amount of works under their belt at any given time, Sunrise tends to slip up every once in awhile. Their major dud for the year was Buddy Complex from back in Winter, a lifeless Gundam rip with dull characters and a been done time travel tale. Cross Ange, on the other hand, if basically if you took Code Geass and Valvrave, painted over a all female cast in the usual roles, and then embraced the worst qualities of both shows to absurd extremes. It's a trip up ...but I hesitate to call it "bad." Sunrise is at its worst when it's not trying new, insane things and chooses to be safe and boring. Cross Ange is anything but.
Ha, I made a play on words cause there's a lot of butt shots on the show. Butts. Heh.
Cross Ange is essentially a fantasy/mech show about xenophobia and poisonous ideals held by those with political majority power. It handles this subject matter with the same tact you'd expect from a man screaming in front of a large audience to kill the pope while ripping off all his clothing and throwing broken beer bottles at audience members. That also sounds insanely entertaining to me, so that is what I'd consider a good thing. Unlike Sunrise's other grim and overblown works, Cross Ange is fully aware of what it is and takes the time to poke fun at itself from time to time, usually in the episode previews that openly complain about the director being a pervert or how shockingly violent the first few episodes were. That self-awareness makes its dumber moments much easier to swallow, like how shockingly stupid the people of mana are, or the idiotic shenanigans at the prison base that somehow happen not far from murders, attempted rape, and people being eaten alive by dragons. It also doesn't take its themes too seriously a lot of the time, aware that they're saying something important, but in a completely ridiculous way.
The interesting thing is that the show manages to have its cake and eat it too. Characters do have depth, and the more is revealed about the world, the more interesting everything becomes. Jill's past surprised me and perfectly explained why she doesn't just tell Ange the truth outright, while other characters like Salia and Hilda prove to have far more complexity than initially appears. Ange's arc is strong and doesn't pull back punches, and even when it goes too far, it makes sense in hindsight from new information. For example, Jill's harsh actions can be pinned to her own self-loathing and how Ange represents a younger her. Sunrise has a lot of great character writers on staff, and they really came through here. The current revelations on the world's true state are also truly horrific ...though how they're revealed is a bit messy. The big bad of the series just gets revealed in a long info dump in episode twelve; he is never hinted at before in the series (besides short, out of context appearances in the opening). Animation is also on the lower end for Sunrise, and mech designs look too busy. The CG work is fine, the problem is there's not really a good focal point once mechs go from jets to humanoid shape. The humor also slips up with some unfunny running gags, mainly anything involving Tusk and Ange being on screen at the same time (I hope to god these two aren't supposed to be a couple by the end of this).
I'm interested in seeing where Cross Ange is headed. I don't consider shows like Code Geass and Valvrave as train-wrecks, but it fits Cross Ange to a tee, in a good way. The series is very entertaining in its own trashy way, but there are still qualities of a show far greater than what it actually is sewn in. It's not a Sunrise masterwork, but it's definitely a welcome addition, depending on how many horrible acts shown you can stomach before you get disgusted. It's immature, violent, clever, and idiotic, but with a smug awareness. It's a mix of brilliant and brilliantly terrible, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, except maybe with less Tusk.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
Denki-Gai
Jonathan Kaharl
Three good romantic comedies in one year. Did three different production teams all simultaneously make a deal with the devil at the same time or something? Spring's Kawai Complex and Summer's Nozaki-kun are both absolutely fantastic entries in the genre, and Denki-Gai is no exception, though it starts in a different direction. Where Kawai Complex was from the viewpoint of an aged and wise person looking back and laughing, Denki-Gai is told from the viewpoint of the young, and also from the pathetic. It deals with the world of otaku and perverts, and it celebrates that weird culture while slapping it around at the same time. That's becoming increasingly difficult to do, but Denki-Gai gets the balance just right. It starts out focused on this angle, with gags including a government worker proclaiming her love for pornography and a girl obsessed with zombies hitting anything that reminders her of them with a bat, but soon moves into exploring the romantic relationships of the store employees.
This is actually where the series starts to work for me. Early on, things are very slapdash and ridiculous with little care for logic, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty more highlights I can mention from this part of the show (especially the waifu speech), but the stable stories that start to appear once characters start getting more serious with each other really elevate it. The referential and manic humor remains, but now there's a foundation to build on. Characters start becoming better defined in more subtle ways beyond the clown or the weird girl, and it leads to better built gags. For example, Hiotan starts out as the shy normal girl, but her relationship with Kantoku starts revealing new bits of her personality, like her inability to realize when she's unwelcome.
The later episodes also focus more on the challenges within relationships, and it's surprisingly engaging. It helps that this is mostly focused on with Hiotan and Kantoku, whom have the most interesting and fastest moving relationship, plus allows for Tsumorin to butt into the story for reasons beyond jokes. Sensei and Umio's relationship also makes great use of how generally awkward the two are, not to mention giving Tsumorin another couple to mess with (the Sensei girl-power joke somehow never gets old for me). Only Fu-Girl and Sommelier are on the dull side, though the series is fully aware of it and keeps their development on the side. Surprisingly, the G-Woman and Kameko get a strong bit of development towards the end, despite both being single, and it's pretty impressive in how the series does it.
The series never reaches the same laugh out loud hilarity of Nozaki-kun, but it comes close. I'd ranking it under both Nozaki-kun and Kawai Complex, but it's not a series to be ignored. If you're an experienced anime viewer or manga reader, you need to watch this one.
Final Score: 8/10
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Jonathan Kaharl
After Fate/Zero, I started to get a bit obsessed with the Fate series. All the world building is intricate and complex, far more than I initially thought from my few run-ins with the franchise before, and just gets me in my more obsessive moods. Unlimited Blade Works really uses those rules and concepts better than Zero did ...but it comes with the cost of dialog. See, Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night were both handled by different writers. Stay Night is the starting point for the Fate series, written by the franchise creator Kinoko Nasu. Zero was a prequel series instead written by Gen Urobuchi, working alongside Type-Moon. The two each have their strengths and weaknesses, and after watching both adaptations of their work from Ufotable, I've started to notice the major differences between their writing styles.
Nasu's ability to create engaging rule sets and complex mythology is masterful. Many of the concepts in the Fate franchise are simple to understand, but there's countless details hidden under the surface, and Unlimited Blade Works makes great use of them, especially with the storyline's first major villain of Caster. How she's able to bend around the entire structure of the holy grail war starts to become fascinating. The rules of magic are also expertly used to move Shirou's character arc and create drama with Archer. This sprawling foundation makes for one of the most structurally sound plots I've ever seen, allowing a gripping story to be told with little effort ...which is where the problems started to crop up.
Urobuchi excels at writing characters that ooze depth and complexity. While Nasu has some really interesting ideas at work, mainly Shirou's heroic code compared to Archer's more realistic but troubling code of action, he drops the ball when it comes to people acting like, well, people. Don't get me wrong, the cast here is really likable. Shirou seems boring at first, but the show slowly reveals the interesting parts of his personality. Rin's talks with Archer and her growing feelings towards Shirou work far better than I was expecting. Saber is just so awkward yet so confident that it's hard not to like her. I could go on and on, but as I watched, I noticed that the characters acted or talked strangely. Several characters will go on and on in flowery, junior high poetry level monologues to explain very simple concepts (seriously, comparing being saved to money, the hell?), or use words that shouldn't fit anywhere in their dialog (Rin calling herself a hedonist is still a big head-scratcher). They also react in ways that make sense for their character, but somehow feels false. For example, Rin will go into tsundere mode at moments when she's embarrassed, but whenever she does it, it feels like an artifact of trite writing from about a decade or more ago ...which it is. Characters are all very stereotypical, and while several subvert those stereotypes brilliantly, they also play those types straight more often than not. Caster is probably the worst offender, making for a great villain, but also a poorly explained character. I'm not even sure the show has explained her motivation yet.
I really do like this show, and I plan to finish it once Spring rolls around. However, Fate/Stay Night's age is starting to show. It's thematically rich and incredibly interesting to break down the given lore, but it's hard to ignore the tired style used to write the characters. At least Saber comes up pretty strong from all this; the latest episode had her as the third wheel on a date between Shirou and Rin, and she just enjoyed herself like a little kid the entire time. She's basically the Rukia of this story, and that's always a plus in my book.
Final Score: 8/10
The Fruit of Grisaia
Joe Straatmann
The two words that most come to mind with this series are bizarre and
inconsistent. My experience with visual novels is limited, but I get
the general feel of trying to mash genres to find the right bend of
punching emotional buttons and harem romance. In this
based-on-an-erogame concoction, we have a harem of girls who have to be
completely isolated from their peers in an walled off, ocean-side high
school. The male thrown into the mix is Yuuji, a teenage mercenary
attached to a shadowy organization known to do some black bag operatives
for the ministry of defense. He simply wants the ordinary life of a
high school, and this is the best they could do for him. What follows is
Yuuji experiencing the various sob stories of the handful of girls in
the school and helping them come to grips with the tragedies of their
lives in the outlandish ways only Yuuji can.
I was surprised to find some great aspects here where I was expecting to be tuned out and treating weekly visits to the series as twenty-four minutes of dead air. For one, Yuuji is probably one of the best and most distinct characters you could ask for as the lead of a harem show. I described him in one of my seasonal updates as Sosuke Sagura in Full Metal Panic maybe a year after getting kicked out of every public school in Japan with a little more self awareness and the desire to try to have some kind of normal high school life. He has a good heart and wants to genuinely help everyone, but his brand of emotional healing comes in burying people alive, teaching the little sister how to properly be a sniper, and the occasional assassination. Yuuji also isn't some wussy wannabe womanizer who suffers a nose bleed every time he witnesses a moment of fan service. He has nothing against romance and tends to find amicable agreements with the various girls at the high school, but if you get intoxicated by his smell and start masturbating on his bed, he WILL make a marching song about it that will be shouted to the rest of the campus.
What can be said for the rest of the series really depends on which storyline you're watching. The various confrontation with each girl's backstory are wildly variable as far as quality and length, and just because a certain is arc is long doesn't mean it's good. In fact, the longest of the girls' stories that acts as the build-up to the climax of the series is an absolute snoozer of a Lord of the Flies wannabe. Amane is the "big sister" of the group and she has a three-episode flashback called "Angelic Howl" in which she experience a bus crash off a hill that eventually leads to deeper suffering. The cage of a visual novel is very limiting as far as what can be shown and explained, but it can also be liberating in that all you need is a backdrop and some text, and you have an instant situation that can be whatever you want it to be. When expanded to something like a full-blown anime, the logical loop holes are magnified intensely and the audience is less forgiving of them. So, asking why one of the reasonably healthy students can't pack a lunch and follow the hill until they find the highway is more more of a big deal with an actual world than a simple backdrop. Even with that, these stories are simply not that interesting, not bringing much new to the table, and being as predictably bland as the sixth season of a procedural drama.
When it keeps to the basics, like when Yuuji has to find the core cause of Michiru's multiple personality disorder, it works well, playing to the drama of messed up people with its own streaks of character. When it tries to expand its scope, it's a dull and tedious echo of much better things like Higurashi and Studio Bee Train action series (which aren't normally good to begin with). Unfortunately, the latter makes up almost entirely the second half of the series making it very hard to recommend, though I'm sure Jonathan will find a way. It's not that it doesn't have it charms. As much as most of the dialogue and going-ons are the usual harem and fan service antics that go in one ear and out the other, there are flashes of extremely funny, gripping, and touching developments. But they are flashes and as isolated to themselves as much as the high school is to the rest of the world. The pacing until the final arc is also breezy, and there's something to be said for brevity. As a whole, though, I was left wanting a lot more of the smaller moments than the grander plot. However, as a teaser of two separate projects seem to suggest, future Grisaia tales will likely not give me what I want.
Final Score: 6/10
Garo: The Animation
Stephanie Getchell
This is the one series I play with
in the final fall report that only has me watching one episode. Kinda
makes my life slightly easier, and with Garo one of the series I’ve been
covering that is heading into a mid season finale rather than finishing
up, that means we at least get a final fight between Leon/Alfonso and
Mendoza….. Or not really. The episode decides to take a bit of a
different approach and focus a bit more on Leon’s rage and vengeful side
that, with some unnecessary help from Mendoza, causes him to go out of
control and almost destroy the entire city. From here we get a shift in
authority as, after freeing Leon, Alfonso takes on the armor of Garo and
essentially becomes the new Garo. Mendoza is defeated, Alfonso reunites
with his family, German is left an wandering and injured mess, and Leon
is even worse off now that he is no longer fit to be Garo, let alone a
Makai Knight. It’s a rather interesting jump in story as we reach the
half way point of the show.
Gonna be the Twin-Tails!!
Jonathan Kaharl
Curse you unforeseen production issues, CURSE YOU! *fist shaking in endless rage*
Twin-Tails went from my season darling to a disappointment, and it can almost entirely be blamed on whatever unknown troubles put production in a tail spin. The bizarre comedy about fetishism and obsessions had a brilliantly stupid idea (giving a man obsessed with a hairstyle the power to turn into his fantasy plus superpowers to fight monsters representing fetishes) and managed to execute it pretty well with surprisingly likable characters through most of it. Soji avoids being a bland lead through his ridiculous obsession, while Aika was a funny turn on the tsundere archetype in just how far she serves in and out of girly and violent (and how often). She's probably my favorite character in the cast, though Erina ended up being a surprise once she joined the team and turned out to be an exhibitionist. That joke somehow never got old. Twoearle and Soji's mom rounded out the rest of the regular cast well, and every single villain was just a laugh riot. I could seriously quote them all day.
But something happened about midway through. I don't know what, but the already unimpressive animation took a nose dive during the most action packed episodes. This resulted in a lot of off model characters during still scenes, chopped together fight animations, and sudden disappearances of fight choreography. It was hard to not notice these drops in quality, and while I'm no animation snob by any means, Twin-Tails somehow crossed my threshold to accept these errors. I'll defend Sailor Moon Crystal, just to give you an idea of how tolerant I can be over animation errors. Well, at least it wasn't World Trigger bad.
Still, I liked Twin-Tails, animation problems aside. It's so stupid and self-aware at times that it's really hard to hate it. Every character gets a mess of good gags and weird personality quirks (Dark Grasper being a stalker and hikkimori at the same time especially stands out), and old jokes somehow never manage to wear out their welcome (minus one weird moment where Erina puts on a collar for seemingly no reason). The gag ratio lowers later in the series, but there's still plenty of great gags being thrown around (OH MY GOD SPIDER GUILDY), not to mention a weird story turn that tries to take the obsession and fetishism angle seriously, all with tongue in cheek. It sort of reminds me of the Daimidaler finale, except dumber. And yes, that is a compliment.
Twin-Tails could have been much more than what it ended up being, but damn if I didn't have a good time. It ain't for everyone, but if you want to enjoy something beautifully stupid, this is definitely the ticket you want. If Daimidaler is too dirty for you, that is.
Final Score: 6/10
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Jonathan Kaharl
2014 was one hell of a year for comedies. When Kokkuri-san is on the weaker end of the comedy spectrum for a yearly showing, it's been a pretty funny year (I watched seven full show comedies only one was outright bad). It also ended up being the comedy with the most heart, which is weird, because the usual tone it presents is one of cynicism and anarchy. It's a series all about one really strange girl attracting the attention of three spirits of wavering sanity (neat freak, using degenerate, and obsessive stalker), then watching everything that ensues from these people being who they are. It's pretty funny when doing this, and the early issues of a lack of gags and weird pacing are quickly fixed once Inugami joins the cast. It's all uphill from there, then sadly stopping on episode twelve as it feels like the series has just found its groove.
This is definitely a character based comedy, light on references and heavy on lunatics. Out of the entire main cast, not a single character is "normal," not even Kokkuri (whom can actually interact with the outside world). I love that Kohina is basically a screw loose loner that acts like a doll, it lets her be apart of a lot of the comedy instead of being the dull straight-man I was expecting her to be. Kokkuri works better there anyways, what with his shrill personality and complete lack of authority. Inugami and Shigaraki end up being the scene stealers, and they're incredible. Shigaraki is simply despicable, so much so that it actually becomes impressive. Inugami, on the other hand, is just a force of nature powered by endless obsession, and every single scene where he's given center stage is instantly hilarious. Oddly, it's when he's in female form that I find her funniest, because Chiwa Saito's performance has a surprising amount of range for every possible emotional state. All the other wackjobs that appear (including an alien with a xenomorph tongue) just add to the show's chaotic stream of lunacy.
There are little moments sprinkled around where the series shows a surprising bit of sweetness and heart, even giving some layers to the characters that you'd not expect there at all. Inugami's status as a demon of hatred, Shigaraki's soft spot for children, and Kokkuri's issues with abandonment each give them a bit of humanity at times, allowing the show to pull out a few surprises when least expected, especially in the final episode during a plot involving a lawyer. These moments never feel out of place somehow, and that's difficult for any show to do, especially for one where the normal mode is destruction and madness.
Kokkuri is the forth best comedy of 2014, as far as I'm concerned. It gets a glowing recommendation from me, a short watch and a lot of fun from beginning to end. It has a style all its own, but not too different that more general viewers can't enjoy it.
Final Score: 8/10
Gundam: G no Reconguista
David O'Neil
Gundam: G no Reconguista doesn't really feel like most modern
anime out there. From its animation, to its story, to its overall
direction, it harkens back to the early days of mecha anime, using
similar techniques and touting a similar tone. This is thanks to the
director at the help being none other than Yoshiyuki Tomino, the man
credited not only the creator of the prolific Mobile Suit Gundam series, but even the father of the mecha genre as a whole. And it really shows, as G no Reconguista is one of the most uniquely executed shows of the year.
G no Reconguista follows the exploits of Bellri a young cadet of the Capital Guard (the main force defending the Capitol Tower) who eventually gets wrapped up in a conflict between multiple forces, including the a new Capital Army, a group of pirates, and a mysterious new force coming from space. He fights using the G-Self, a powerful mecha that only responds to a select few people, including him. The plot of G no Reconguista can be a lot to take in at times, especially for those not knowledgeable of the expansive lore and timelines that make up the Gundam series. The show doesn't spoon feed every bit of exposition to you, instead just letting you pick everything up as you go along. That said, in the end I was still able to follow along fairly well. I had a basic grip on plot as a whole and important details, even if there were on occasion a few bits of information I didn't fully understand. This was especially true when the show would through around new terms and concepts in regards to how the mecha work and fight without giving a proper explanation.
The animation of G no Reconguista can best be described as conservative, but high quality. The show uses a lot of techniques that could be seen as "cutting corners", like using still frames or cuts to multiple characters in a single shot. These decisions are presented less as budget decisions though, and more for the sake of helping the show's retro tone. In addition, it's also fairly common for much more advanced, movement oriented cuts to be interwoven within these more still shots to keep things interesting and visually pleasing, keeping the show from ever looking too outdated. The action of G no Reconguista is most likely its biggest strength. Almost every battle in the series feels big and exciting, with a variety of different mecha types fighting in a well choreographed trading of lasers and beam-swords. Nearly all the battles felt totally unique while always throwing in new curve balls to keep things fresh. If that wasn't enough, the action also greatly benefits from the show's exceptional soundtrack, with a grand orchestral score giving the battles even more impact and scale.
G no Reconguista's biggest drawback was its characters. While the cast is both diverse and likable, they all felt noticeably lacking in depth. Almost none of the characters seemed to have any significant development as characters, nor did any of them face any major conflicts that were explored to their full potential. In a few instances conflicts began to arise, like Bellri feeling guilt for killing a comrade, and Aida having resentful feelings against Bellri for being responsible for the death of someone she cared deeply about, but the show only touches on these subjects rather than actually addressing them. But still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't thoroughly enjoy G no Reconguista. It tells a decent story, has great action sequences, and is a distinctly animated homage to the past of mecha anime. For those looking for a fun show that delivers on mecha action, G no Reconguista's got you covered.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying
Thom "Tama" Langley
...It's oddly difficult to end this series. Surprising, considering
that I essentially regarded it as the "other" series I was to cover
alongside Girlfriend Beta (which you already know my dim view of). And
yet, it's wormed its way into my heart, with its charming odd-couple
dynamic, its (actually pretty funny pop-culture references) and most of
all its sweetness. From the beginning, we've followed them from their
first date to their honeymoon, through wild nights (and their
aftermath), baby-sitting and other adventures. Kaoru and Hajime are the
heart of this series, and they're intensely likable if flawed
characters. They have the chemistry of screen duos with which we've
spent far more time-I'll even go as far as to regard them as my
favourite anime couple of 2014.
But Husband is an even stronger series than this; its supporting cast are more than just straight men to bounce jokes off. Step forward Mayotama (everyone's favourite crossdressing younger brother) and Miki (AKA DESTINY FUCKER). Both are well executed characters that, whilst occasionally being a little two dimensional, never fall into their respective stereotypes. Kaoru's uncle is protective, but knows (eventually) that Hajime means well. The series is well animated, the gags better and better executed as of late (and anything that can push in an Evangelion reference without feeling forced gets my approval). So, ten episodes down, three to go. And Kaoru is transferring to sales! Though she doesn't want to. Because, Kaoru, like us, hates working in retail. And drowns her sorrow in booze and cigarettes. Going to a friend's wedding, she realizes her life alone is...a little lonely. And it was all a terrible nightmare...and she wakes up next to Hajime. Cue utter adorableness. They have their ups and downs, but they love each other. This episode...was very sweet, and really showed the heart in this series.
Next episod-IT'S CHRISTMAS. YES. I LOVE CHRISTMA-Oh. I'm being told that Christmas will be over when this goes out. Oh. Hajime, sadly, is spending Christmas alone...because Kaoru is working. So, he decides to go to a friend's house. Who is...less than pleased to see him. More friends have also come to visit! Meanwhile, Kaoru works, before heading home. And both of them have cake. Though, unfortunately, Hajime, Kaoru is working tomorrow. And thus, we come to our final episode. And we start...with a meta-joke about the series ending (though never fear, dear reader, we're due for a second season in April). And Hajime has a bromance with another character, having...activated his flag. Or something. Kaoru comes home ill, and, eventually, Hajime realizes that she's suffering from morning sickness. Buying a pregnancy test, he bumps into Miki and...they make the mother of all Evangelion references. Congratulations!
If ever there was a show that made good use of its limited budget...Husband is surely a contender. Lean, in places incredibly funny, and most of all, heartfelt. Nothing about the series ever seems forced or artificial. The pacing of the episodes differs, certainly, but it never seems overly drawn out nor rushed. A diamond in the rough, and one of the big surprises of 2014. If you know a Kaoru or Hajime, (or heck, see a little of yourself in them), then introduce this show to them. Roll on April 2015, and Season two.
Final Score: 9/10
JOKER
Walter Holleger
During JOKER’s run, I kept thinking to myself that I’m not sure if I’m comfortable having a children’s show that glorifies theft to this
degree when the thief very rarely is shown in a hard place for his
actions, though I think with sci-fi/fantasy setting and the use of
non-existent gadgets, the show can get away with such. And that’s what
JOKER is, a show made for a more elementary audience.
Each episode focuses on the theft of a different treasure, with it's entertainment coming from the mystery of how Joker stole an item or the rivalry between the other phantom thieves to obtain the treasure, with the occasional comedic clumsy nature of Joker's assistant, Hachi, Throughout the series, there is also an ongoing plotline pitting Silver Heart's disciples, Joker, Spade, and Diamond, against the evil Professor Clover and his nefarious sidekicks, and this all works pretty well together. Each character has a memorable appearance, if a bit gaudy at times, and their own distinguishable traits, though they each share an air of confidence that comes naturally with the job. The crimes themselves are pretty lacking however, as the repetition of the same tricks wears thin over the course of the series, and even worse is when the entire show stops so Silver Heart can explain to the audience how the trick was even pulled off. The best points in the show are when Professor Clover steps in, as it creates the only real source of conflict for these characters, though we learn little about the villain outside of foreshadowing for the second season. There's also a subtle lesson in each episode, revolving around how phantom thieves can create miracles, though these miracles are just the smoke and mirrors of the tricks they use. This delivers a strong message of how miracle are just what we build ourselves, especially brought home through flashbacks to Joker's youth and training, where his skills weren't as polished.
JOKER isn't a bad show for what it is, but it’s nothing great either. Much of the story seems to build up for season two, which takes away here as characters and storylines are only every scratched upon and never fully developed, simply foreshadowed. Despite that though, the character have their own charm to them, and the show does have a good message to it, so I can at least appreciate that. If you have a kid who is too young to watch Magic Kaitou 1412, then this would be a good show to show them in the meantime.
Final Score: 5/10
Laughing Under the Clouds
Joe Straatmann
Here's something I didn't expect to end this season. What might've
been a great twenty-six episode action drama tops out at twelve relatively fast
episodes, and the result naturally feels truncated. Here we have a large
cast of distinct, likable, and fairly interesting people with a variety
of secrets, evolutions, and abilities with mostly only the main
characters getting a wide berth for characterization. The series takes
place in the 11th year of the Meiji era where the samurai are disbanded
and Japan begins to transition into the modern world, yet after a
certain speech on how rare it is to actually be witness to history, that
essentially doesn't matter so much. Guns are almost an afterthought
(There's one whole scene near the end where they remember they exist
now), the towns that showcase more western styles disappear, and the
heroes mostly handle business the way they've always handled business,
only with a saber instead of a samurai sword. The animation follows
suit, having some really good artistry at times with their character
designs and backdrops, yet not having the animation to back it up, so
despite a few flashes of solid fight sequences, most of the action is
relegated to shortcuts.
The series is a little bit of Fullmetal Alchemist, a little bit of Rurouni Kenshin, and a lot of plot twists. The base of the story involves the Kumoh brothers: Tenka, Soramaru, and Chutaro. They manage a shrine in a rural Japanese village where they ferry escaped criminals to an island prison. This basic setup only lasts for a couple episodes until the motherlode of plot threads unleashes itself upon the world. The main thrust of the plot involves the arising of the Orochi, a serpent that arises every 300 years to destroy all of Japan. The vast wealth of story elements spin off from there, including a secret plot in the prison, a decimated clan of ninja, finding the person responsible for killing the Kumoh brothers' parents, a team of government agents with special abilities called the Yamainu which Tenka used to be a part of, a possible reincarnated lover, a failed assassin, the rules for destroying the Orochi, the REVISED rules for destroying the Orochi, the ominously-named Minister of the Right, and far more things than I have time to list.
Clunky exposition and forced humor cause the series to stumble out of the gate, as Greek choruses of villager gather around the Kumoh brothers to discuss their tortured past and Tenka engages in cross dressing to spy on his youngest brother which didn't score any laughs from me. Eventually, the story settles in a fine groove, revealing enough information while at the same time, keeping its best secrets under wraps. I could even manage when it occasionally tried to shove in inappropriate humor at odd times because it at least caught me off guard when it should've. However, after a certain mid-season development, the series becomes an absolute carpet bombing of story turns. The last four episodes are a sheer rush of twists, revelations, fake-outs, showdowns, reunions, and information. They range in quality from poignant to predictable to, "Wait, their family pet is doing what now?!" If nothing else, it's a standard anime for busy people. It doesn't allow the characters to develop enough to have more than decent dimensions, but they get the basic essence of all of them down enough to grow an attachment to them. That's not to mention the last four episodes have a certain verve and excitement to them even as it doesn't allow any lingering emotions as it bowls through the checklist of events.
It can best summed up by discussing the underlying theme of the Meiji Era. It was a time of great chaos as the old ways were unceremoniously dumped for the new and tens of thousands were left in turmoil and limbo. The ultimate goal of the villains is to use a traditional beast of the land to destroy the new era in flames and bring back the reign of the old ways while they attempt to destroy a group who has transitioned yet still managed to keep enough of their identity intact. There are plenty of fascinating angles to take this, and it would add a ton to the story if the people on the antagonistic side were more tragic than the typical villain path they take. As it is, the anime doesn't quite pull its larger idea together and the result is simply a good series that is very rushed when it had the opportunity to be something more.
Final Score: 7/10
Lord Marksman and Vanadis
Jonathan Kaharl
What a confused, sad mess this turned out to be. I can't find any anger for it anymore, nor can I point out anything I particularly liked now. Lord Marksman and Vanadis is just a pointless thing that's existence remains a complete mystery to me. I can see why the original light novel was chosen to adapt; it has all that usual harem trope garbage otaku eat up, but also has an interesting political framework and a mess of clashing conflicts and characters to play with. There is the potential for something great in this property, but trying to squish down several books into one thirteen episode run and not giving it the room it needed to be told (like with Log Horizon's original double-long run) resulted in one of the most pointless shows I have ever bore witness to. I mean, it started out as a slightly exciting parade that shifted from interesting to perplexing, but the ending was just a limp walk to the finish line.
A large part of the problem is that very little is explained properly or cemented. The major villain of the show didn't have an explained motivation until the very last episode, and said motivation was idiotic. Worse yet, the show treated him as some major evil in the distance so often to try and build him up, and he went down easier than most every other villain shown before (including his douche rapist of a son). The conflict between Brune and Zchted doesn't have anything interesting going on beyond border disputes, and the ties between smaller skirmishes in each nation were barely made clear. I know Ludmila had ties with the big baddie because of family ties or something, but she tosses them aside so fast that it left me wondering what was even the point of this information besides a forced way to have her and Ellen fight. The sudden intrusion of a massive army from a third empire during late series was interesting and brought some actual drama to the otherwise limp proceedings, but the arc ended as soon as it appeared. That should have been the real finale, instead of all this mess with some random duke.
Character writing is also trite and reliant on otaku pandering cliches. Tigre is a good looking but otherwise personality devoid blank slate for the viewer ("brave" and "kind" are his only notable traits, and they're barely present as well), Ellen turns out to be overly rash and needs a man to save her, Ludmila is a tsundere, Titta is the awkward maid, and so on and so forth. The villains are presented as evil with no real explanation of their motivations until far after the fact, making it near impossible to care about any of them. Zion was a cartoonish ass and all, but at least he had a personality. When one of the major side characters died in the twelfth episode, I could not care at all, especially because his killer was just some guy with a funny haircut who was presented as this super badass warrior who could take on Tigre ...only for him to be killed as fast as he was introduced by falling rocks. There is absolutely no depth present with any character, which is a huge deal when you're dealing with political conflict. Differences of ideas or methods is what makes political drama interesting, and when characters barely have any definition, there's nothing to fill out the framework. It's just a bunch of cliches fighting other cliches and nothing else.
This series needed massive changes made to the material given in order to work in any meaningful way. It's just a mess that tries to combined two different styles that just fundamentally do not work together. I'm not saying you can't combine harem based "romance" with political fantasy (just about anything can work with an insane enough writer), but you have to be aware that one is almost always free of depth or thought for the sake of simple entertainment, while the other is drenched in world building and complex plots. The two are completely different, and setting them next to each other without any attempts to weave them into a single whole is just asking for problems.
But hey, at least we'll always have a prison of bees--a hell of bees.
Final Score: 5/10
Magic Kaito 1412
Joe Straatmann
Whether you got into anime in the 90s or early 00s, here's a
refreshing throwback. The lesser-known little brother of Cased Closed
creator Gosho Aoyama, this series is the story of budding high school
magician named Kaito who learns his father was the legendary Kaitou Kid,
a famous jewel thief who mixed a David Copperfield-esque bravado to his
heists. His father disappeared years ago, and the reason may be
involving the race to find the Pandora Gem, a jewel that may hold the
secrets to immortality. An evil syndicate is after the gem for nefarious
reasons, so Kaito must assume the mantle of his father and use his
amazing illusions to steal as many valuable jewels as possible to beat
them to the punch. Making life difficult is his childhood friend,
next-door neighbor, and romantic interest Aoko is the daughter of the
police chief, putting him in plenty of Clark Kent situations.
What struck out me outright is just how cheesy and relatively old-fashioned this series is. It's one of those titles DiC could've picked up in the 90s, edited a bit, and thrown in a PSA at the end for good measure. Cornier than the entire midwest, filled with gigantic questions and plot holes not made to be questioned in a series for young teens (It introduces nearly a half-dozen of opponents for Kaito to go up against and nearly half of them vanish after they're introduced even though they would still have a great interest in stopping him), and framed with one of those plots set to run forever that's built on success more than originality, somehow this is easily some of the most fun to be had this season, or many future seasons to come should it choose to make an attempt at equalling its more popular brother's staggering length.
The animation has plenty of confidence behind it, and it's supported with Taku Iwasaki music that meets his high standards. Further than that, its lives off a screwball romance between Kaito and Aoko that rarely misses its timing, and is somehow charming and sweet despite Kaito being a bit of a perv at times. Kaito's heist's are properly slick and entertaining, but should one begin to get weary of them, it introduces a new wrinkle to the mix: Sorcery. There's only Lady Akaka right now who serves to make a romantic triangle out of Kaito's love life, but she has a direct line to Lucifer and summons the minions of Hell to do her bidding, so that's about as good of an introduction to the supernatural as it gets. Plus, there are bits of story more than worth checking out, such as how Kaito's mother and father met which involves Parisian police officers getting dismembered or killed and somehow still manages to be romantic.
I'm glad Crunchyroll eventually decided to pick this one up. It's certainly made for as wide as an audience as possible, it deserves that audience, and that audience doesn't deserve searching through the more suspect parts of the internet with their janky codecs and intrusive advertisements for cheap MMORPGs just to watch it. It's nothing particularly new and by episode 100, it might get tedious, but for right now, it's one of the most consistently entertaining shows out there.
First-Cour Score: 8/10 (Staff Pick)
Orenchi no Furo Jijou
Megan R
Final Score: 7/10
Parasyte -the maxim-
Stephanie Getchell
I’m going to skip talking about what
happened in these recent episodes, this last time, as best as I can
because I do feel that there are some things in there that are possible
spoilers a lot more compared to the other series I’ve been covering all
season. Just know that the episodes center around Kana and her strange
ability to sense Izumi. Instead, I’ll just talk about how I’ve been
feeling about this series since this is one from my favorite genre as
well as one of my favorite animation studios. As a series from the
Horror/Psychological genre, the pacing does, at times, seem like a
slow burn. It’s something rather reminiscent of Monster, another series
from the same gene as well as another series from studio MadHouse, from
which Parasyte is also produced. What this really comes down to is how
close of an adaptation Parasyte is. All things considered, the original
manga was ten volumes, and this series is set to be a twenty-four episode series,
giving MadHouse the chance to stay true to the original source material.
This is a similar tactic taken, I’m sure, with a lot of their adapted
work (including Monster). I’ve been both reading the manga and rewatching
the anime as of late, and the two are practically identical. This tells
me that Parasyte may be another series like Monster with a near perfect
adaptation. Hell, I’m pretty sure Ace of the Diamond is in the same
boat, but I’m way too far behind in that series to make a judgement
call. There's also another interesting problem. Parasyte was originally
released from 1988 to 1995, which does mean there are times where the
writing and context is slightly outdated. Things can change in to course
of nearly two decades since the manga was first released, so this may
also put the anime at a bit of a disadvantage.
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Thomas Zoth
It's with not a small measure of regret that I have to downgrade Rage
of Bahamut from dark horse anime of the year candidate to a mere top ten
anime of the year. The energy and momentum of the early episodes isn't
entirely able to overcome the drag of the show having to be a vehicle
for stock JRPG storytelling. Which is not to say that Bahamut is by any
means bad, or even anything less than great. But as the story concludes
the elements of these twelve episodes that would have been given room to
breathe in a full twenty-six episode series become immediately apparent.
In episode eleven, for instance, we are once again brought to Jeanne d'Arc's side as she faces her execution. As Martinet changes the shape of the flames about to consume her body into heavenly visions of angels abandoning her, Jeanne succumbs to temptation and becomes a powerful demon. It's tragic, sure, but only in the abstract. Had the recap episode instead been given to Jeanne so that we might know her specific struggles more personally, it could have been a much more meaningful tragedy. As a demon, Jeanne flies off on a dragon and manages to slay the angels fighting Bahamut's resurrection, even her beloved Michael, who entrusted her with holy weapons to begin with.
The above description hints at a different problem: When did tragic become a word to describe the joyful swashbuckling of Bahamut? The trailers and even the opening presents footage that suggests Amira is the very holy knight that has been prophesied. This would fit in with her seemingly invincible powers in battle that Amira has demonstrated since episode one's jaw dropping battle sequence. However, Bahamut has a much darker fate in store for her: Amira is merely just a vessel for the reawakening of Bahamut, a destiny that she doesn't even have the ability to fight. The haunting ending theme suddenly becomes a song of sorrow rather than one of hope, and it's an unfortunate fate for such a bright character.
While I can't help but be disappointed by these developments, the series remains wonderful entertainment. Kaisar's pompous heroics, Favaro's tricks and double crosses, and Rita's dry wit and capable attitude still shine with life and humor, even in the series darkest moments. Episode eleven is the show's weakest production, and an episode that must have been finished last chronologically, but the animation and design quality we've come to expect returns in episode twelve. A flight amidst flaming dragon breath on the back of an oversized duck is a great setpiece that gives the final showdown with Bahamut an epic feel. Plus, an open ending and end card promising "I'll be back!" suggests that we might see more of our heroes in the future.
A lot of people became disappointed by what Bahamut became after the halfway mark, and I can't really blame them. The first few episodes presented such a different feel from anime that we're accustomed to that it's natural to wish the carefree adventures could have continued another ten episodes before switching to grimdark, end-of-the-world conspiracies. Even with these drawbacks in mind, though, MAPPA and Cygames have clearly made one of the best video game commercial anime of all time. That people are disappointed that this advertisement for a mobile app didn't quite make it as anime of the year says quite a lot about the talent and skill on display here. More of this! And bring Amira back!
Final Score: 9/10
Ronia, the Bandit's Daughter
Joe Straatmann
It's hard to make any grand statements about Goro Miyazaki or the
state of Studio Ghibli from their first TV series. For one thing, it's
technically more a Polygon Pictures animation production done with
Ghibli's blessing. It's like heralding Ghibli for Level-5's work on Ni
no Kuni. As for the work itself, it's shockingly normal. Not average or
bad, but as far as adaptations of well-known work, there's no going
crazy with the source material like Ponyo and no taking the basic
premise and going off on a plot of its own like Arrietty. Despite a few
liberties taken here and there, it is as straight an adaptation of
Astrid Lindgren's fantasy book as an adaptation can get. And it's a
pretty good one.
The titular Ronia lives in a gigantic castle occupied by her father Mattis and his bandits. They rule the forest dotted with mystical creatures like harpies, dwarves, and fairies, but they mostly have turf wars with Mattis' rival Borka and his robbers. Ronia eventually forms a bond with Birk, Borka's son who was born on the same day, and they save each other's lives throughout their misadventures they can tell no one about without igniting their parents' unending hatred for each other. This may sound like a basic setup that only takes a couple episodes to establish, but the pace of this series is far more relaxed and much of its runtime is dedicated to how these people live. If you're someone who loves it when fiction goes into these detailed depictions of daily life, you'll find plenty to like. Most of Ronia's encounters involves her being released into the woods, being amazed at the wonder of the news things she's discovering, suddenly being absolutely frightened by them, and finding a way to survive and become stronger from the experience. The main conflict for Ronia doesn't quite start to set in until about eleven episodes.
One of the most obvious aspect to criticize is the visuals, which brings Ghibli character designs into the 3-D CG world to mixed results. Taken on their own, they're not bad save when the people have awkwardly jutting jaws in some scenes. But when stacked up against Ghibli's traditional work, especially when there are hand-drawn sketches of the characters during the end credits, the hair is a little too stiff and the motion lacks a little bit of the human touch, though they certainly make an effort to do the best they can. If you can get used to it, it's fine. The characters have spouts of lovability from Mattis' manchild parenting to his wife Lovis, who is a no-nonsense, take-care-of-business mother worthy of the great Ghibli pantheon of moms. Within the deliberate pacing, there are great little stories, mostly about Ronia and Birk's growing relationship and how they learn to completely trust and care about each other. If there's one part of the show I have been lacking in complimenting in my updates, it's the music. Satoshi Takebe's music is absolutely terrific and a perfect companion to everything else the series has going for it. I must say, though, I've gone through the ending theme a couple times doing nothing but paying attention to the lyrics, and I still have no idea what the singer's going on about.
I don't like assuming what doing certain titles mean for directors as to why they take them on, but if I could derive one thing from Goro Miyazaki's recent projects, it seems to be he's currently making stuff he liked when he was younger. From Up on Poppy Hill is a collection of conventions from various other movies with a few personal quirks thrown in, and now, here's a modern version of the fairy tales that might've run on the NHK during the 70s and 80s. The CG is certainly not retro, but watching the opening and hearing the music box tune of the theme feels like taking a trip into the time machine back to Nickelodeon in the 80s when they picked up syndicated fantasy from all over the world, like David the Gnome. Even though it's mostly aimed at kids, it's something with enough life and joy that adults can enjoy, too. Just don't come in expected an outrageous anime re-telling on the level of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.
First-Cour Grade: 7/10
Seven Deadly Sins
David O'Neil
I've always been a fan of adventure stories, but in anime such
stories often come with a drawback, and that's pacing. There are
exceptions to the rule but for the most part adventure anime often seems
to fall into the tradition of taking as long as humanly possible to get
to the important parts. The cast can't find the One Piece, or defeat
the Saiyans before going through an endless parade of trials and
tribulations, which often take up to dozens of episodes or more to get
past. When The Seven Deadly Sins begun, it introduced a goal: To
gather all of the legendary warriors known as the Seven Deadly Sins, to
fight off the traitorous Holy Knights that were threatening the kingdom.
I thought to myself, "well, can't wait until the end of the first cour
when we encounter the first one, if we're lucky that is". By episode 13,
four of the seven Sins had been gathered. Well then.
And that's the greatest strength of The Seven Deadly Sins, similar shonen adventure shows have moments of great excitement and fun, but to get to it you have to slog through episodes and episodes of aimless meandering, pointless filler arcs, and substance-less fluff. This show on the other hand, never wastes a moment. Every episode feels important, every episode feels eventful, and most of all every episode feels incredibly fun in the most straightforward but endearing way. Whether it's the over the top fight scenes or the funny as hell banter between the Sins, I had a big grin on my face throughout the majority of the series. Where the show doesn't succeed quite as much is when it isn't trying to make the audience smile, but instead trying to make them feel something. I'm not saying this is something it shouldn't try, or even that it doesn't at all succeed, but it doesn't quite the impact it seems to be working to achieve. As likable as the characters are, their motivations and conflicts just aren't (or at least haven't been) explored thoroughly enough to really create any emotional depth, resulting in emotional moments that are trying to tug at the heart strings but don't quite hit their mark. As much as I like the show's brisk pacing, it may benefit from occasionally slowing down just a bit so we could better know the characters and what exactly it is they're feeling.
But still, it's a remarkably well executed show. Studio A-1 Pictures did a great job with the series as an adaptation, effectively capturing the charming art style of the manga while still escalating the presentation to new heights with quality animation and some top notch music. And even with it's flaws from an emotional standpoint, the show is still an absolute blast to watch thanks to likable characters and fun action all wrapped up the show's steadfast dedication to never wasting the audience's time. For those looking for a helluva good time, The Seven Deadly Sins is definitely worth checking out.
First-Cour Score: 8/10
Shirobako
David O'Neil
In the lead up to Shirobako, I had somewhat low expectations. I
was a fan of P.A.Works, and the concept of an anime about making anime
was promising, but all of the PVs I'd seen seemed to point towards
it being yet another "cute girls doing cute things" slice of life,
focusing on a school club who made anime rather than the industry
itself. And I thought to myself, "it sure would be cool if we got an
anime about what it's like to work in the anime industry, a show about
an anime studio and the people who work in it. About the challenges, and
obstacles the people who work on the shows face, rather than just a
bunch of cute girls in a school club. That sure would be nice." As it
turned out, Shirobako was exactly that.
The show follows five girls who had formed an animation club in highschool, and dreamed of one day all making an anime together. Now as young adults, they're all in different situations in or out of the industry. One of them is in college, one is working for a 3D modeling studio, one is a struggling newbie voice actress, and two are now working for a small anime studio known as Musashino Animation, which is the main focus of the story. A big part of why Shirobako works so immensely well, is that in it's tone it manages to strike a perfect balance between wackiness, and reality. The show knows how to have a good sense of humor for sure, with everything from animator street racing, imaginary talking teddy bears, and overall a somewhat over the top comedy style scattered throughout the series.
At the same time though, the show manages to say somewhat grounded in reality as well. There's a lot of actual, fairly accurate insight into how it is anime is really made. From meeting deadlines, to finding animators, to finishing storyboards, MusiAni grapples with a lot of real problems that anime studios deal with, and the same goes for the characters. Despite the show's overall relaxed, positive tone, Shirobako actually dealt with some pretty heavy, very real stuff in terms of its themes. Self doubt, how expectations clash with reality, and the nature of following one's dreams and aspirations (and what it takes to do just that) make up just a few of the topics Shirobako tackled, and tackled with a surprising tactfulness and emotional depth. Its not exactly subtle, often looking at its questions through somewhat obtuse visual metaphors, but in the end there was enough sincerity and strong execution to make it all work. In addition to all that, Shirobako is just a really well made show as a whole. The characters are all very likable, the pacing is solid, and it has great animation. All this makes for one of the best shows of the season, that's worth watching for anyone interested in how anime is made, or just anyone looking for an well crafted story that's both fun and thoughtful.
First-Cour Score: 9/10
Tribe Cool Crew
Jonathan Kaharl
Sunrise put this out the same season as Cross Ange. I still can't get over that. The only other similarity between the two is that I'm giving them the same score, though for significantly different reasons. Tribe Cool Crew is a kid's targeted weekend morning cartoon about dancing, but there's much more here than what that description says. It's sort of like a strange blend of slice of life and sports drama, and its themes have higher ambitions than you'd expect from a show like this. Well, sort of. The show is very much a follow your dreams and live your life sort of thing, but also with one very important bent that puts it above the usual stuff of its kind; it wants the audience to chase those goals and ideals while not forgetting that the world isn't just you, it's everyone and you.
The basic set up is that two kids who are really into dancing form a dance crew, eventually merging with another group and joining an international competition to find the next dance group that will stand side by side with Jey, the greatest dancer in the world. The interesting thing is Jey himself; he's not a vapid celebrity, but revealed to be a man who came from a war torn area of the world and wants to inspire people to help each other and celebrate artistic merit over aggressive competition through his dance and words. We see his influence through Haneru reciting a speech Jey gave once in the first episode, and as the show moves on, the series goes from simply showing Haneru's growth to the full impact Jey's teachings are having on not just Tribe Cool Crew, but all sorts of people in the country.
As a result, the show has a very lax mood. There are rarely any real stakes and no dramatic motivation beyond a character's pride. Instead, competitors are friendly, and what conflict that is there comes from initial misunderstandings. This is shown through Haneru's initial attitude around Kumo, as the two fail to see eye to eye for the longest time, and the two communicate in such wildly different ways that they can only get through to each other through their dancing. Kumo sees Haneru's development as a person through the dance he does during a battle rematch, and the two start forming a bond from there. The show's grand message is that artistic expression is central to human growth, and that art should focus on being a positive message or lesson that can help improve society as a whole. It brings us together and can change the world, in other words. That's a really interesting idea, especially for a show targeted at kids.
The series itself is loaded with cute comedy bits and some really cool urban based art. The designs are like a smoothed down redesign of Jet Set Radio, capturing familiar sights with a new coat of paint that makes everything seem fresh and new. Even the CG dancing can grow on you, if you can get through those early episodes. The sets get more abstract and lively afterwards, for the most part, though early dancing feels very stiff and strange with how off the character movements and expressions are. It's the show's major flaw that keeps it from being great, but it still manages to be constantly entertaining and smile educing. Out of every show I watched this season, this was the one that always kept me ...happy. So yes, Jey's song, I can be happy.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
Jonathan Kaharl
This one is a bit of a disappointment, but not a huge one. Inou Battle (a shortening of the Japanese title) was Trigger's first attempt at an adaptation, and they chose pretty solid material to work with. It's a series all about a bunch of teenagers fucking around with superpowers, with none of the expected drama that would entail. It seemed right up Trigger's wacky alley, and it mostly is. Andou is an amazing protagonist in just how childish he is, yet somehow not idiotic. He's fun the entire series and keeps finding new ways to steal the spotlight. The four other members of the lit club also end up being really enjoyable as well, each a bit more goofy than you'd expect. Sayumi is the exception, but there's a bit more to her that I really appreciated. Mixed with all the great supporting characters, like Tomoyo's brother and "Cookie," and the show has a lot going for it and fast.
The problems I had came from how the series decided to subvert expectations. The series is really clever, playing with audience expectations and even openly admitting it with a few characters, making it unclear where it's headed. This ends up being an issue, as the series chooses to focus on romantic drama between the girls and Andou. This is not very interesting. It's nice getting to know a bit more about the characters and seeing why Andou means so much to them, but this takes an abnormal amount of the series run. Despite the highlight that is Hatoko's huge rant, these events just start to become dull and uncomfortable, especially when the series reveals what's really going on with the whole superpowers thing. The joke is that we're watching a much larger story from the perspective of minor characters, but the joke doesn't work when you'd rather see that much more interesting story instead of obnoxious will they or won't they play with the very disconnected Andou.
Trigger's animation style is very rough and noodley, and it works best when there's a lot of action present. They're able to animate more reserved stuff adequately, but that's not what I watch a Trigger show for. There's only a handful of scenes I can think of that actually make use of that style, while everything else is rather dull. The designs really make up for this, especially the colorful uniforms and powers, but this really doesn't feel like Trigger brought their A-game to the project. Thankfully, the writing makes up for this considerably, throwing out some strong jokes and dialog. Every single character has a distinct style of speech, and not just from what's added by the actors. That's not something many writers can do, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was a major reasons Trigger staff were attracted to the project.
Really, despite Inou Battle's issues with where it wants to focus, it never does anything badly. It's a well executed show that blends comedy and drama in unexpected ways, but there could have been so much more done with it. It's a missed opportunity, but not a particularly bad one, just lacking. I'd still give it a thumbs up if you want something a little different, just don't expect the first few episodes to be representative of the whole show.
Final Score: 7/10
Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Joe Straatmann
I don't know which half is worse: The first six episodes in which two
hateful and insufferable people are forced together because the world
surrounding them is much more terrible, or the latter six that forces a
standard-issue shojo romance upon the couple where all of their
conflicts are artificial and easily solved to meet the quota of sweet,
romantic moments. The premise makes it easy to see why it doesn't make
the best first impression: When typical girl Erika enters into high
school, she is separated from her childhood friend Senda and has to make
new friends. To accomplish this task, she resorts to pathological lying
to meet the standards of two snobbish girls in her homeroom who
seemingly have unlimited money and college boyfriends into weird sexual
things. We never find out if these stories are true or really, anything
further about the girls, for that matter. Like most of the supporting
cast, they present a conflict and then act as window dressing when the
conflict has served its purpose. When her new friends call her bluff,
she takes a picture of a random hottie on the street and passes him off
as her boyfriend. It turns that not only is this boy in her high school,
but he's Kyoya, a sadist who is onto her scheme and agrees to pretend
to be her boyfriend in exchange for her becoming his pet.
The series doesn't improve much when establishing why this romance is better than any other options Erika has. The second episode almost explicitly tells Erika that even though Kyoya is so controlling that he smashes her cell phone when she even tries to get the number of another boy, the rest of the world is far more terrible and her best bet is sticking with him because deep down, he actually means well and has a good heart. The rest of the first half follows with Kyoya disappearing for weeks at a time, and when he returns, he actively sneers at her typical notions of girly romantic things until she's so emotionally crushed, he eventually gives in just enough to make her happy. This is not a healthy relationship. Erika's only lifeline to sanity is Senda, who is a sensible person and tries to give the best advice possible, but poor Senda, making sense and being a decent foil to what's going on in the show only means your screen time gets drastically reduced with every reasonable thought you have.
Then the second half switches over when it turns out Kyoya really, truly loves Erika, and they live on as a typical romance between the wallflower high school girl and the beautiful-but-rough-around-the-edges guy. This isn't much of a spoiler if you pay attention to how little the opening and closing animations dedicate to other potential rivals, and that's this series essential failing: There is no romantic tension in this entire thing. It's clear no matter how nasty things get or what it tries to bring to the table that whatever problems introduced essentially won't matter. It introduces a womanizing character to throw a wrench into the plot who's so lazily written, I make it a point to not remember his name. Only in the last two episodes does anything resembling a reasonable conflict appears when Kyoya has to confront his family he's tried to keep himself separate from. His sister Reika is actually a fairly good character in that she has a shred of complexity. She has extremely high expectations for men, but only because she constantly sees men try to so cheaply pick her up that she has to have them. Unfortunately, when Erika has to interact with her, the discussion falls to her other character aspect of being obsessed with dessert, and their main issues are resolved with an eating competition. The climax of the series is similarly simplistic and childishly contrived at that. Let's just say that not only is it an anti-climax, but the precious necklace it revolves around would have to be made out of strung together cocoa powder for the scenario to be remotely probable.
Technically, Wolf Girl and Black Prince is a competent series. It has a bright color palette that is never overwhelming, and the animation takes the dog metaphor much farther than the writing ever does. But this series stands on how much the viewer cares about the main couple, and I simply don't buy the relationship, I'm not emotionally invested in their trials and tribulations, so I certainly don't get any dividends from the experience. I do prefer series that aim at college level and beyond like Honey and Clover and Nana because, among other things, they deal with how love fits into people's lives rather than simply as an extremely nice feeling you get when you spend time with certain people. That doesn't mean I don't like the occasional teenage romance story, but I bring this up because it gets me to thinking about Kyoya and Erika attempting to live an adult existence somewhere down the road, and the thought absolutely frightens me. It should frighten you, too.
Final Score: 3/10
Yona of the Dawn
Jonathan Kaharl
Hooray, shojo fantasy with no rape fetishism (which is somehow a popular trend in shojo which confuses me greatly)! Yona of the Dawn turned out way better than I expected, thought it was on a very slow burn. With two cours to work with, the show decided that taking its time to get everything in was the right course of action (unlike Cross Ange, which mostly bought time to have a shocking twist for the mid-finale). This really paid off and resulted in a well paced, really enjoyable series. It gets the core right with Yona, who makes for a relatable main character. She's vulnerable and unskilled, but she's not really "weak." She sees her own father get killed by the person she loves, basically shuts down, and only starts to regain herself when she realizes just how much her existence is going to bring trouble to the people she holds dear. Her half series arc is very well handled, showing her go from spoiled but kindhearted princess to hardened and determined survivor.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. Hak's slow transition into bored, sarcastic observer strangely fits, while Yun ended up being a far more welcome addition than I'd expected. His sheer ego and self-awareness gives him so many great lines, and he does a good job as the team's brain (since none of them are particularly worldly or learned). The two dragons that have been introduced so far also contrast nicely, one dorky and awkward, the other tragic and kind. Soo-won has made a wonderful villain, especially with the hint that he may not be that different from the king he replaced. There's some depth to be found in the cast, and every new character gets an episode or two of back story or development. The series really wants you to care about the people in its tale, and it succeeds with flying colors. This comes at the cost of quick pacing, but the show never really feels like its wasting time either. The goal is obvious from the first and second episodes, everything in between is setting things up for the finale and providing context for the short flash-forwards. In other words, it's about the journey and not the destination, because we already know what's coming once we reach the destination.
Pierrot has had an abnormally strong year, and Yona is the perfect cap to it (while Tokyo Ghoul's second season is going to be the big starting hit for 2015). I definitely plan on finishing this one and giving it a proper review, but from the half of it I've seen, I only have good things to say about it. Keep this abnormally good output up, Pierrot!
First-Cour Score: 8/10
Your Lie in April
Stephanie Getchell
So the question on
everyone’s mind is, “So how did Kousei do in that competition?” Not very
well. After his rocky start, including the hauntings of his mother, he
stops mid way through his performance, which gives him an automatic
disqualification. But he doesn’t panic and run away, no. Instead, Kousei
tries from the beginning once again, this time playing for the person
who’s been inspiring him since they met, Kaori. This ends up creating a
beautiful performance that leaves many mixed feelings among it’s
audience, including Takeshi and Emi who have looked up to Kousei for
different reasons. When all is settled, Kousei suddenly feels a kind of
energy that he hasn’t felt in a long time, while Kaori gets an
invitation for her and Kousei to play at an upcoming gala. By the end of
episode eleven, Kaori asks Kousei who he had while he was playing,
since many have personal feelings that fuel their music. He responds to
her with, “I had you.” But it doesn’t seem like all sunshine and
rainbows as while Kousei begins to walk off, Kaori thinks to herself, “I
won’t be here to help you forever, Charlie Brown,” and giving us a bit
more foreshadowing to take us into the second half.
Yuki Yuna is A Hero
David O'Neil
If there's one thing I'd never call Yuki Yuna is a Hero, it's
consistent. The show starts off strong, but simple, introducing a fairly
basic but unexpected magical girl twist to what at first seemed like an
ordinary slice of life show. It carried that premise with confidence
for a few episodes, but then began to meander around, feeling less as if
it was actually committed to the tone and story it had created, and
more biding it's time and building up suspense towards a big upcoming
shift in focus. When that did happen though, it was surprisingly
effective. It subtly introduced dark and unsettling concepts and themes
into the mix without doing so through a "gotcha!" twist or totally
shattering the show's tone. It was a rough ride getting there, but Yuki Yuna is a Hero had finally found it's groove, all that was left was to stick the landing.
Unfortunately, it did not stick the landing. Instead, the series fell flat on it's face, (this could be seen as a spoiler in a way, be warned) abandoning all the interesting themes and dark atmosphere that was making the show work well, in favor of one of the most bafflingly moronic "and then they all live happily ever after" endings I've ever seen. I'm not saying I'm against optimistic endings, but when an ending goes so out of it's way to contrive a situation where everything works out great, even at the expense of the themes, tone, and just story as a whole, is damn near infuriating. It's an ending so poorly conceived, it actually damages the show as a whole, making a lot of the darker aspects and questions totally null and void, and boiling down what was an interesting look at heroism, friendship, and sacrifice, and boiling it down to "everything will work out if you believe in each other".
As a whole, Yuki Yuna is a Hero is a fairly well made show. It has good animation, it has likable characters, and it even has a good soundtrack. My only major problem with it was that they should have gotten to the darker aspects of the story quicker than they actually did, as it felt as if a few in the middle there were pointlessly biding time. Yes, Yuki Yuna is a Hero was a quite good darker twist on the magical girl genre....until the last episode. This really is one of those cases where a truly awful ending does more than leave a bad taste in your mouth, but actually sully the entire series as a whole. If you're a fan of this kind of show, I still would be hard pressed to not recommend it, but be warned that it may leave you in a poor mood when it's all said and done.
Final Score: 4/10
Second Opinions
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Stephanie: This is one of the few series this
season that I didn’t think I would enjoy. In all honesty, it was a last
minute decision to even add it to my long list of series to watch when I
was doing my seasonal impressions for my own blog. Some how, some way,
Ange has managed to surprise me. Granted I do still get the impression
that it’ll get really really bad really quickly, content wise. I mean,
the series has decided to use Tusk landing his face in Ange’s crotch as
some kind of running gag. Plus is doesn’t help that it’s Sunrise and
Valverave is a thing that exists (though I haven’t seen it yet, but I do
hear things), but Ange has managed to keep from getting that far while
still maintaining the mature content very high. The story, itself, is
also a surprise because it is something that keeps my interest. Overall,
this first half of Cross Ange has been interesting to follow and I will
be interested to see where the second half takes me. First-Cour Score: 7/10
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Stephanie: Yup. This one is a lot more
interesting than the original DEEN series. Maybe not better 100% in terms of
writing, since there are some things that aren’t that
strong as the last Fate anime (remember this isn’t the exact same director as Fate/Zero), but
this version deals with a more interesting route than DEEN's Fate story line adaptation. The story fits much
better and the characters are developed much more, notably when compared to the
original with Archer’s story in the
2006 version. It’s thrilling to know that this adaptation gives me
surprise after surprise and it’s what makes me happy to say that this is
an enjoyable one. It’s not my favorite of the season, nor is it the
worst I’ve seen (considering I have seen the 2006 Fate/Stay Night). No, this one is very much in the
middle of series that I’ve enjoyed this season, but it’s still well done
none the less. Final Score: 8/10
Garo: The Animation
Jonathan: I really enjoyed it every week, and I have high hopes for the second season. The series works because it knows how to entertain in similar ways to Bahamut, but it deals with a far darker story dealing with hatred, revenge and duty, and somehow makes it work without being hokey. My only major complaint is that the end before the break is really poorly built up. I get what they're going for with the while revenge theme of the series, but that bit of character development was handled several episodes ago and simply feels like a cheat for quick drama. Also, some of the CG poorly blends with the 2D animation (though its amazing this wasn't a common occurrence). First-Cour Score: 8/10
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Stephanie: 2014 has been really good to the
comedy genre, and Kokkuri-san was a great way to end the year. It has an
easy set up and is executed well in its episodic format, where
we get to meet new characters every week or so. Our main cast of
characters each have fun quirks that make them slightly different than
what you would think, helping it stay away from the possibility of it
being really cliched and overused. To be fair, there are some jokes and
gags that have been used in other series before, but it’s because of the
characters and those personalities that help make them a bit more
fresh. Kokkuri-san isn’t the strongest comedy of 2014, but considering how great the series has been,
this isn’t meant to be an insult either. Final Score: 8/10
Magic Kaito 1412
Stephanie: Twas the night
before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was
stirring, but Kaito Kid is knocking down trees and stealing girl’s
hearts. Ok, that may not be all that poetic, but I found it rather
amusing. Throughout my time with Magic Kaito, the majority of the
enjoyment I got from it was that nostalgia factor since it is a series
that takes place in the more well known Case Closed universe, Conan and
all. But it’s become more than that to me. Kaito is a fun series with
some rather funny, and sometimes cheesy, humor with a simple and rather
episodic story and rather well developed characters, thus far. Sure the
appearances by Jimmy/Conan are what will draw the viewers in, but I feel
that Kaito’s character is the true selling point. And, now that
Crunchyroll has picked the series up for legal streaming as of the new
year, it makes me ever so happy to see it getting much more deserved
attention. First-Cour Score: 8/10
Orenchi no Furo Jijou
Jonathan: As far as shorts go, this is definitely a good set. I love all the chibi art the series uses, it's cute and allows for some really great visual punchlines and expressions. All the characters have interesting personalities that all add a new joke upon introduction, while the main man and mermaid leads do a good job with their opposites attract schtick. It's not outstanding or especially interesting, but it gets a good laugh here and there with a creative premise and lovely art. A good way to kill a few minutes. Final Score: 7/10
Parasyte -the maxim-
Jonathan: This was just frustrating. I really want to love Parasyte, but there are so many issues with the writing that I can't ignore. Kana turned out to be a truly pointless idiot that was just the worst of old female character tropes, human response to the parasites took forever, and the larger picture of what's going on is largely ignored so the series can layer a new guilt trip on Shinichi. Parasyte has a great premise ripe with interesting stories, but it series just feels tired and outdated, despite the snazzy production values. Maybe a bit less stealing from the Spider-Man school of guilt ridden hero and pointless damsels in distress, and a bit more gore and psychological horror. First-Cour Score: 6/10
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Jonathan: I love this show. It's an explosive fantasy adventure that takes mostly from old school adventure serial sensibilities and caps off with one hell of a finale. Bahamut reminds me of older fantasy anime, focusing on loud and simple emotions and actions, but the extra production values really add a ton to the experience. I wish that instead of a second season, they produce a movie or a series of movies and really use that budget and talent to its fullest. This needs to be seen as fast as possible. Final Score: 9/10
Stephanie: From the start, I didn’t know what to make of Bahamut. I had very little information, making me very wary when it came time to start the series weeks ago. Now that I’ve finished, it was a hell of a lot of fun. It didn’t let pacing become a large problem, though there were some small moments that either seemed out of place or were rushed. The story was straightforward and kept it’s complexity very minimal and with it’s characters in order to develop them further. This one is certainly one of my popcorn material series this season along with Garo (though I do favor Garo over Bahamut a little bit). In the end, Bahamut saw, came, and I would say even conquered the fall season as one of it’s many unexpected surprises. Final Score: 8/10
Shirobako
Jonathan: Best show of the season, bar none. It's also the most important. I've never really seen an anime explore what it takes to work in the anime industry, not to mention getting one done. It's a real eye opening experience, but presented in a way that anyone can easily get into its whimsical style. This is a must for any anime fan, and I really do mean a must. Shirobako is basically Anime 101 and should not be skipped up if you're enjoying the medium. First-Cour Score: 10/10
Thomas: If Shirobako had ended after episode twelve, it would have easily been my anime of the year. Sure, none of the character story arcs were finished out, and it ended at a bit of a weird spot, but that's just how good the character writing in this show has been! But we get another twelve episodes, and Shirobako is disqualified for contention in 2014. My enthusiasm for this show can be best summed up by the Christmas episode, where production assistant Miyamori turns to Hideaki Anno's doppelganger for assistance, and he re-introduces her to a key animator on her beloved childhood series Andes Chucky. It's full-hearted affection for animation and anime fans balance out its stressful and exasperating perspectives on the working world to make a truly one of a kind viewing experience. Watch Shirobako. First-Cour Score: 10/10
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
Stephanie: Since Inou Battle doesn’t go the easy route and
throw our characters into battles all the time, it gives the viewer a
chance to watch something completely new and fun. Though the numerous
love interests are ever prominent, the series never really feels like a
harem because the main character actually doesn’t really respond to any
advances. Mostly cause he’s a bit of an idiot at times. Andou is really
the heart of the show as he brings a different perspective to various
situations while the rest of the cast is more grounded and mature.
Supernatural Battles has been fun and easy to get through with some
great moments and humor. It’s far removed from Studio Trigger’s previous
work, Kill La Kill, but it’s probably the best decision they could make
for their second outing. Final Score: 7/10
Yona of the Dawn
Stephanie: White and Blue Dragons in the span
of three episodes? Sure! I’m fine with this development! What Yona has
been managing to do and that I really enjoy is make a Romance/Fantasy
series that is rather enjoyable. It doesn’t stick too hard to the
typical romantic troupes that most other romance series have, but it
adds that to the fantasy element to make a really interesting and well
balanced show. The writing also helps keep that balance as well, with
interesting wit and great characters, including Yona herself. It’s
certainly one of the better romance series from 2014. Though not as good
as The World is Still Beautiful, it has something all it’s own that
makes it just a bit special. First-Cour Score: 8/10
Yuki Yuna is A Hero
Jonathan: Really impressive show. I was expecting it to be another Madoka take-off, but it goes in a different direction and really earns its ending. It's nice seeing a happy ending that isn't completely sunshine and roses, not to mention hard earned. This could possibly be an interesting counterpoint to the Precure series, and I'd like to see that come to pass. It's a darker but still welcome take on the magical girl genre that I didn't know I needed. Also, Yuki Yuna is quite possible the most badass magical girl ever. Final Score: 9/10
Staff Picks
The Fruit of Grisaia (Jonathan Kaharl)
I had a lot of shows to choose from this season for my pick. I thought hard on it. Should I go with Shirobako, a classic in the making, Bahamut, the grand spectacle? Give Log Horizon some more love? Of course, WIXOSS always needs a recommendation, and Yuki Yuna really shocked me by how good it was, but I decided to be honest with myself. These are all fantastic shows, but I don't think a single series has appealed to me in quite the way The Fruit of Grisaia has. I heard bad things about the original visual novels, and everything about it in preview material screamed awful harem series. I wanted to see something bad, so I picked it up.
It was my single favorite show of the season.
I have never seen a show like Grisaia before. It destroys almost every expected plot beat and genre normality in favor for new extremes of familiar ideas. The bland viewer stand in main character is replaced with an unbalanced mercenary who helps his classmates through military tactics and doesn't take shit from anyone (I do believe Joe already mentioned the masturbation marching chant). All of the girls he meets are unbalanced, damaged, and at least two of them are incredibly dangerous (and one more dangerous to herself). It creates a series of stories that should be far darker then they actually are, but the show decides to keep the tired and cliched anime comedy, and then gives it a shot of adrenaline. Even stranger, it uses this sense of humor to hide countless plot developments and bits of character development from the viewer, only to reveal them later and turn all this strange behavior completely on its head.
The Fruit of Grisaia is basically a magic trick done by a sleazy pervert, one that is fully aware they are a sleazy pervert and kind of hates themeslves for it. In other words, this show is me if I was a magician. I do have my issues with it (mainly the loli girl's weak arc), but it just appeals to me in a way I didn't know a piece of media could. It's almost like a work of dada, but relents from becoming full anarchy to try and deliver actual drama and action, and it manages it quite well. The execution of the darker material is near perfect in spots, even if it takes massive logical stretches to reach there. The show is just so weird under normal circumstances (such as our main character instructing one of the girls to whip her citrus sceneted pony-tails at a cat or banging his head against a wall while screaming about the importance of sleep) that these leaps feel like the naturally expected outcome. Complex morality is cast aside for more ridiculous situations (what happens to the gunman in episode thirteen is way more amusing than it should be), characters avoid talking seriously after their arcs for more schick, and Yuiji's absolutely awful ideas keep managing to save the day by just how much of a sheer inhuman monster he can be.
I love the characters. I love the general tone. I love all the weirdness and the strange dramatic turns. I especially love the direction, with really detailed colors and flowing character movements. Grisaia can best be described as an insane mismash of all sorts of random elements that shouldn't work together at all, yet do. Visual novel plot structure, military and crime drama, psychological horror, madcap comedy, perverted humor, straightman snark, tense sniper scenes, brutal hand-to-hand fights, slice of life cool downs, human survival stories, political intriege, and whatever you classify the masturbation marching chant. This all works perfectly with each other, and I don't know what sort of deal with the devil it took to make that possible, but it was worth it. This is a show I'm never going to forget.
Final Score: 10/10
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis (David O'Neil)
At the beginning of the 2014 Fall Winter season, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis was
more than just under my radar, it was on my "actively keep out of
radar" list. I don't blame me, after all the concept of "an adaptation
of a mobile phone card game" was hardly a promising one. Yet, as it
began to air I actually started hearing good things about it, and
knowing that on more than a few occasions shows I expected to be
terrible turned out to be good, I decided to give it a chance. And
before I knew it, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis was my favorite show of the season.
In a world of magic, demons, gods, and angels, there was once an immensely powerful dragon known as Bahamut. It was so destructive it nearly caused the decimation of everything, but after a last ditch effort by both angels and demons he was sealed away. Two thousand years later, a mysterious half-demon half-angel named Amira steals the key capable of freeing Bahamut from his slumber. She enlists the help of a conniving bounty hunter named Favaro to help lead her to a place called "Helheim" all while being pursued by angels and demons after the key, and a knight named Kaisar out for revenge against Favaro. The story is a strong one, although the plot isn't the most unique out there the execution is strong and puts enough twists and unique takes on an otherwise fairly typical fantasy story to stay interesting and engaging throughout.
The show's cast is damn near massive, with characters including but not limited to bounty hunters, knights, demons, gods, angels, dragons, kings, zombies, and even a talking duck. Nearly all of them are brimming with personality from the dramatic flair of the demons to the stoic chivalry of the knights, but what the show really nailed was balancing all of these characters and this massive conflict well while still keeping the primary focus of the narrative where it belongs, on the main cast. Favaro, Kaisar, and Amira all develop into great characters who I genuinely enjoyed watching progress and by the end was really rooting for. Favaro is the perfect mix of slimy but sympathetic, his relationship with Kaisar had a lot of depth to it, and Amira was both incredibly fun and an interesting as a character. The more intimate, emotional moments the characters face shouldn't work as well as actually they do, and they do mostly just because the bonds they form are so genuine and believable that it made me care more than a show with weaker characters would have.
And most of all, the show is just a ton of fun. It's goofy as hell, but at the same time takes itself just seriously enough and what results is a perfect swashbuckling tone that makes the show incredibly entertaining from beginning to end. It's kind of show that totally lines up with my tastes: A large, diverse cast of characters, well developed central characters, fun action, great humor, an interesting world, and most of all, being able to nail both a terrific sense of fun along with a powerful feeling of tragedy, especially towards the end. It's one of best examples of a definitive fantasy adventure in anime I've ever seen, and I'm very glad I decided to give it a chance.
Final Score: 9/10
Yowamushi Pedal: Grande Road (Stephanie Getchell)
Here I am, once again, to talk about
another sports anime that has it’s second season coming in…. Or is it
fourth since season one technically is equal to three cour. Beats me.
Anyways, I really wanted to cover something that hasn’t been talked
about all season just to give it some love and attention like I did with
Haikyuu!! last season. Although someone has decided to give an upcoming
full review of Selector Spread WIXOSS (*cough* Thomas *cough cough*),
that doesn’t quite leave me too many options. So why not go for the one
with road races and a lead character who’s a major otaku and is adorable
to boot?! And, in talking about this, I’m going to be talking about the
entire series in general because I kinda have to if I’m going to be
talking about Grande Road. Also, I now have an excuse to talk about the
series since this new season has started up.
But, as always, the cream of the crop comes after the cream of the crap.
Dropped Shows
BONJOUR: Sweet Love Patisserie
Megan R
Celestial Method
Jonathan Kaharl
Girlfriend Beta
Thom "Tama" Langley
Hi-sCool! Seha Girls
Walter Holleger
In Search of the Lost Future
Jonathan Kaharl
Terraformers
Jonathan Kaharl
Trinity Seven
Stephanie Getchell
World Trigger
Stephanie Getchell
Final Thoughts
A Good Librarian, Like a Good Shepherd
Jonathan Kaharl
The writing and presentation are both above the expected average significantly. Hoods put a lot of effort into the colors and lighting, creating a really pleasant atmosphere in the academy scenes, while covering the world of shepherds in this veil of mystery. It's really impressive, and most of the animation is very well handled. Characters all look very distinct and pleasing to the eye, while backgrounds are given a lot of detail and little touches. Hoods also held back their usual talents of animating ...uh, the jiggly parts, sneaking in a little moment here and there, but remembering that this isn't really meant to be their usual smutty garbage. To my surprise, the staff really did care about representing the original visual novel properly and not just phoning it in to cash in on the property. That isn't too surprising, but this is Hoods I'm talking about. The people who did the show about boob milk alchemy.
Kakei is still a tad on the bland side, but his conflict gives him a bit more personality he'd otherwise lack. The library club is all made up of lively personalities, even if Ikkei gets pushed aside once the cast starts to fill up and the shepherd plot line gains more focus. Tsugumi really makes for the best central character, as her desire to make others happy, even if initially born through selfish reasons, ends up being central to the show's positive message. It twists around the goals and views of the shepherds in an interesting way, which I was not expecting. Kana and Senri ended up really surprising me and became my two favorite characters of the season (exceptions to Inugami and Yuji). Kana's complex is very relatable and given proper focus over a single episode, really getting a lot of emotion out her back story and worries. Senri, on the other hand, completely surprised me by turning out to be a mischievous sprite instead of a silent doll, giving her some of the best scenes later in the series. I also loved Kodachi's entire presence around Kakei, especially when her true identity is revealed (though there is one element of her back story that felt really out of place, thankfully saved a tad by the staff choosing not to make it specific what was supposed to be happening). Every character has great chemistry with every other around them, even Kakei, and their lively dialog matches with the show's simple and lovely art like peanut butter and jelly.
I really enjoyed my time with Shepherd, mainly through it's wonderful execution and all the care the animators put into nearly every scene. What flaws I found were incredibly minor, and and the greatest strengths are above most of what the season had to offer. I have a real soft spot for this show, and I really hope it finds its audience one day, because it really deserves one.
Final Score: 8/10
Ai Tenchi Muyo
Joe Straatmann
So how's the series? Like a lot of Tenchi, it has its moments, but as a whole, it's a bit lacking and not nearly as good as you remember. I think I had a good laugh once every five shorts, as there's a sight gag that works or a really nice character moment that makes me wish that more of the franchise was like this instead of broad slapstick and bickering. If you like the old gang, the original Japanese voice cast return and all the gals get at least one moment for the fandom to enjoy. The new cast is hampered by not only the length of the shorts, but by mangled storytelling. The story centers on Momo, a girl who disappears down a pocket of space-time and re-appears in Takahashi where she becomes the school president with her band of eccentric all-girl council members in tow. She tries to deal with the rambunctious all-girl science club who demands more funding to mine for valuables under the school (Don't look at me. I didn't write it), but her council and the science club's cronies would rather fight it out than negotiate. Tenchi is installed as a teacher with his entourage secretly investigating the school for reasons that aren't made entirely clear until about halfway into the 60-episode run. After introducing the setting and getting acquainted with the new cast, the story takes way too long to step back and give the plot some proper bearings, so for awhile, it's a bunch of chaotic nonsense. It's still a bunch of nonsense afterwards, but at least it makes sense.
Most of time is filled with wacky antics as the feuding school organizations take their fights to the extreme, and most of the new girls are limited to one defining trait, whether it be obsession with statistics, extreme fangirlism, or arachnophobia triggering massive burst of strength. Many of the same buttons get pressed over and over, the creative jokes are few, and it takes far too long for the series to get any heart. Not making matters better is the villains and climactic finale virtually appear out of nowhere. Is it the worst of Tenchi? Not really. It's exceptionally light fare and its brevity at least makes sure the experience doesn't turn painful. On the other hand, even if you're a Tenchi fan who hasn't had their rose-colored nostalgia glasses smashed, it's best to just walk past this one without looking back.
Final Score: 5/10
Amagi Brilliant Park
Stephanie Getchell
First
and foremost, the thirteenth episode didn’t have to exist. How the twelfth
episode ended could have been the best ending for the series, but it
decided to give us one more instead, almost as if it wants to show a
possible second season, but it didn’t really do anything to give us a
hint that there would be one. Instead, it’s back to every day life for
the folks at Amagi. There have been series that have used this tactic
before, and, for me, it never equates a good end to a series; especially
one that falls into the one cour category. Instead, what we get is some
pointless filler for a show that should have and did finish. However,
this isn’t the largest problem I’m having with this series.
What’s
really affecting my thoughts is that some of the plot holes that are
still hanging out in the series. I mentioned previously that Seiya’s
power hadn’t been used since the second or third episode, but suddenly
it’s used again in the eleventh episode. Almost as if to say, “Oh hey
guys! We didn’t forget that Seiya had these special powers! Honest we
didn’t!” Bet you can imagine how irritated that makes me. But it doesn’t
stop there. In a prior episode, when Latifa’s condition is finally
explained to Seiya, we learn there’s an evil wizard involved, but we
don’t know his identity nor are there any hints to it. Guess who that
person is? Remember glasses guy who wants to shut down the park? TA
FREAKING DA!!! Not only do we find this out, but his so called defeat
seems rushed and extremely pointless since he had almost no impact on
the story what so ever! If there was more involvement from him, then I
could say his defeat works better, even if it’s sloppily done. However
it’s something I really can’t ignore, especially with the worthless
final episode the series gives.
What
I think happened to Amagi Brilliant Park is that it had a strong start
and just slowly caved in on itself, with the final few episodes probably
the worst part of the entire series because of those writing problems
and rushed moments. That’s not to say everything else about the series
is bad. Kyoto Animation made a fairly solid series, animation wise, and
some of the characters have been rather entertaining. In fact, I think
there’s some online meme of Seiya being called the Kanye West of anime
or some silly thing, which I do get a kick out of. But with writing that
just degraded over time, it certainly takes points away from the series
overall. It was a nice experience to have, but one I’m unlikely to
revisit for a good long time.
Final Score: 5/10
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Jonathan Kaharl
Ha, I made a play on words cause there's a lot of butt shots on the show. Butts. Heh.
Cross Ange is essentially a fantasy/mech show about xenophobia and poisonous ideals held by those with political majority power. It handles this subject matter with the same tact you'd expect from a man screaming in front of a large audience to kill the pope while ripping off all his clothing and throwing broken beer bottles at audience members. That also sounds insanely entertaining to me, so that is what I'd consider a good thing. Unlike Sunrise's other grim and overblown works, Cross Ange is fully aware of what it is and takes the time to poke fun at itself from time to time, usually in the episode previews that openly complain about the director being a pervert or how shockingly violent the first few episodes were. That self-awareness makes its dumber moments much easier to swallow, like how shockingly stupid the people of mana are, or the idiotic shenanigans at the prison base that somehow happen not far from murders, attempted rape, and people being eaten alive by dragons. It also doesn't take its themes too seriously a lot of the time, aware that they're saying something important, but in a completely ridiculous way.
The interesting thing is that the show manages to have its cake and eat it too. Characters do have depth, and the more is revealed about the world, the more interesting everything becomes. Jill's past surprised me and perfectly explained why she doesn't just tell Ange the truth outright, while other characters like Salia and Hilda prove to have far more complexity than initially appears. Ange's arc is strong and doesn't pull back punches, and even when it goes too far, it makes sense in hindsight from new information. For example, Jill's harsh actions can be pinned to her own self-loathing and how Ange represents a younger her. Sunrise has a lot of great character writers on staff, and they really came through here. The current revelations on the world's true state are also truly horrific ...though how they're revealed is a bit messy. The big bad of the series just gets revealed in a long info dump in episode twelve; he is never hinted at before in the series (besides short, out of context appearances in the opening). Animation is also on the lower end for Sunrise, and mech designs look too busy. The CG work is fine, the problem is there's not really a good focal point once mechs go from jets to humanoid shape. The humor also slips up with some unfunny running gags, mainly anything involving Tusk and Ange being on screen at the same time (I hope to god these two aren't supposed to be a couple by the end of this).
I'm interested in seeing where Cross Ange is headed. I don't consider shows like Code Geass and Valvrave as train-wrecks, but it fits Cross Ange to a tee, in a good way. The series is very entertaining in its own trashy way, but there are still qualities of a show far greater than what it actually is sewn in. It's not a Sunrise masterwork, but it's definitely a welcome addition, depending on how many horrible acts shown you can stomach before you get disgusted. It's immature, violent, clever, and idiotic, but with a smug awareness. It's a mix of brilliant and brilliantly terrible, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, except maybe with less Tusk.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
Denki-Gai
Jonathan Kaharl
This is actually where the series starts to work for me. Early on, things are very slapdash and ridiculous with little care for logic, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty more highlights I can mention from this part of the show (especially the waifu speech), but the stable stories that start to appear once characters start getting more serious with each other really elevate it. The referential and manic humor remains, but now there's a foundation to build on. Characters start becoming better defined in more subtle ways beyond the clown or the weird girl, and it leads to better built gags. For example, Hiotan starts out as the shy normal girl, but her relationship with Kantoku starts revealing new bits of her personality, like her inability to realize when she's unwelcome.
The later episodes also focus more on the challenges within relationships, and it's surprisingly engaging. It helps that this is mostly focused on with Hiotan and Kantoku, whom have the most interesting and fastest moving relationship, plus allows for Tsumorin to butt into the story for reasons beyond jokes. Sensei and Umio's relationship also makes great use of how generally awkward the two are, not to mention giving Tsumorin another couple to mess with (the Sensei girl-power joke somehow never gets old for me). Only Fu-Girl and Sommelier are on the dull side, though the series is fully aware of it and keeps their development on the side. Surprisingly, the G-Woman and Kameko get a strong bit of development towards the end, despite both being single, and it's pretty impressive in how the series does it.
The series never reaches the same laugh out loud hilarity of Nozaki-kun, but it comes close. I'd ranking it under both Nozaki-kun and Kawai Complex, but it's not a series to be ignored. If you're an experienced anime viewer or manga reader, you need to watch this one.
Final Score: 8/10
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Jonathan Kaharl
Nasu's ability to create engaging rule sets and complex mythology is masterful. Many of the concepts in the Fate franchise are simple to understand, but there's countless details hidden under the surface, and Unlimited Blade Works makes great use of them, especially with the storyline's first major villain of Caster. How she's able to bend around the entire structure of the holy grail war starts to become fascinating. The rules of magic are also expertly used to move Shirou's character arc and create drama with Archer. This sprawling foundation makes for one of the most structurally sound plots I've ever seen, allowing a gripping story to be told with little effort ...which is where the problems started to crop up.
Urobuchi excels at writing characters that ooze depth and complexity. While Nasu has some really interesting ideas at work, mainly Shirou's heroic code compared to Archer's more realistic but troubling code of action, he drops the ball when it comes to people acting like, well, people. Don't get me wrong, the cast here is really likable. Shirou seems boring at first, but the show slowly reveals the interesting parts of his personality. Rin's talks with Archer and her growing feelings towards Shirou work far better than I was expecting. Saber is just so awkward yet so confident that it's hard not to like her. I could go on and on, but as I watched, I noticed that the characters acted or talked strangely. Several characters will go on and on in flowery, junior high poetry level monologues to explain very simple concepts (seriously, comparing being saved to money, the hell?), or use words that shouldn't fit anywhere in their dialog (Rin calling herself a hedonist is still a big head-scratcher). They also react in ways that make sense for their character, but somehow feels false. For example, Rin will go into tsundere mode at moments when she's embarrassed, but whenever she does it, it feels like an artifact of trite writing from about a decade or more ago ...which it is. Characters are all very stereotypical, and while several subvert those stereotypes brilliantly, they also play those types straight more often than not. Caster is probably the worst offender, making for a great villain, but also a poorly explained character. I'm not even sure the show has explained her motivation yet.
I really do like this show, and I plan to finish it once Spring rolls around. However, Fate/Stay Night's age is starting to show. It's thematically rich and incredibly interesting to break down the given lore, but it's hard to ignore the tired style used to write the characters. At least Saber comes up pretty strong from all this; the latest episode had her as the third wheel on a date between Shirou and Rin, and she just enjoyed herself like a little kid the entire time. She's basically the Rukia of this story, and that's always a plus in my book.
Final Score: 8/10
The Fruit of Grisaia
Joe Straatmann
I was surprised to find some great aspects here where I was expecting to be tuned out and treating weekly visits to the series as twenty-four minutes of dead air. For one, Yuuji is probably one of the best and most distinct characters you could ask for as the lead of a harem show. I described him in one of my seasonal updates as Sosuke Sagura in Full Metal Panic maybe a year after getting kicked out of every public school in Japan with a little more self awareness and the desire to try to have some kind of normal high school life. He has a good heart and wants to genuinely help everyone, but his brand of emotional healing comes in burying people alive, teaching the little sister how to properly be a sniper, and the occasional assassination. Yuuji also isn't some wussy wannabe womanizer who suffers a nose bleed every time he witnesses a moment of fan service. He has nothing against romance and tends to find amicable agreements with the various girls at the high school, but if you get intoxicated by his smell and start masturbating on his bed, he WILL make a marching song about it that will be shouted to the rest of the campus.
What can be said for the rest of the series really depends on which storyline you're watching. The various confrontation with each girl's backstory are wildly variable as far as quality and length, and just because a certain is arc is long doesn't mean it's good. In fact, the longest of the girls' stories that acts as the build-up to the climax of the series is an absolute snoozer of a Lord of the Flies wannabe. Amane is the "big sister" of the group and she has a three-episode flashback called "Angelic Howl" in which she experience a bus crash off a hill that eventually leads to deeper suffering. The cage of a visual novel is very limiting as far as what can be shown and explained, but it can also be liberating in that all you need is a backdrop and some text, and you have an instant situation that can be whatever you want it to be. When expanded to something like a full-blown anime, the logical loop holes are magnified intensely and the audience is less forgiving of them. So, asking why one of the reasonably healthy students can't pack a lunch and follow the hill until they find the highway is more more of a big deal with an actual world than a simple backdrop. Even with that, these stories are simply not that interesting, not bringing much new to the table, and being as predictably bland as the sixth season of a procedural drama.
When it keeps to the basics, like when Yuuji has to find the core cause of Michiru's multiple personality disorder, it works well, playing to the drama of messed up people with its own streaks of character. When it tries to expand its scope, it's a dull and tedious echo of much better things like Higurashi and Studio Bee Train action series (which aren't normally good to begin with). Unfortunately, the latter makes up almost entirely the second half of the series making it very hard to recommend, though I'm sure Jonathan will find a way. It's not that it doesn't have it charms. As much as most of the dialogue and going-ons are the usual harem and fan service antics that go in one ear and out the other, there are flashes of extremely funny, gripping, and touching developments. But they are flashes and as isolated to themselves as much as the high school is to the rest of the world. The pacing until the final arc is also breezy, and there's something to be said for brevity. As a whole, though, I was left wanting a lot more of the smaller moments than the grander plot. However, as a teaser of two separate projects seem to suggest, future Grisaia tales will likely not give me what I want.
Final Score: 6/10
Garo: The Animation
Stephanie Getchell
Something’s
been gnawing away at me while watching this episode and that’s that
some of the pieces that play a huge part weren’t really touched upon all
that much. Of course I’m talking about Leon and his vengeful attitude.
There was an episode that explored this early on, and included the
introduction to Zaruba, however we never really saw that come up ever
again after that. Instead he seems to be rather calm and collected, but
with a hint of something else that could go wrong if it really wanted
to. The fact that once Leon starts fighting against Mendoza, the person
who is the reason for Anna’s death, and he starts going a little too
crazy just seemed almost unwarranted. There wasn’t a lot in order to
really build on, making this turn of events something almost completely
unexpected. And then there’s Alfonso character as who gets more
development than Leon throughout this half of the series, but I don’t
quite think there’s enough to really justify his actions. Also, let’s
not start in on Mendoza’s death because that was kinda a load of crap. I
guess what makes me a bit upset about all this is that the build, I
thought, was pretty good and did what it needed to do, however the end
result was just a little lackluster. Though it did leave itself off at a
rather interesting place.
Throughout
the course of the fall season, I’ve been singing nothing but high
praise for Garo and what it has given us. It not only has it’s action
packed moments, but it also has a mix of maturity and yet rather cheesy
humor reminiscent of both the original Garo live action series as well
as tokusatsu in general. The story and the characters aren’t the
strongest parts of the series, but it also hasn’t been bogged down by
terrible pacing or terrible writing. There are a lot of positives and
negatives to Garo, and I believe the good ways out the bad in this case.
Although, if I had to compare Garo’s midseason finale to other series
from this year, this one isn’t one of he best. Sure, it doesn’t hold a
candle to Tokyo Ghoul, but Garo’s midseason actually isn’t as great as
Shonen Hollywood. Yeah, guys, I just went there. Garo has reached where
it needs to be, but the build up wasn’t all that there, making that high
point something rather rushed.
As
much as I enjoyed Garo, it’s not the best of the fall season has to
offer. There are some better series you could go and watch. However, I’m
not going to tell you to not watch Garo. No way in hell! It stays true
to it’s roots as it gives us a brand new story and a brand new world to
consume and enjoy. While it does have it’s problems, and the mid season
left much to be desired, it will sure take me on an interesting ride as I
continue on into the winter season and finish up Garo.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
Gonna be the Twin-Tails!!
Jonathan Kaharl
Twin-Tails went from my season darling to a disappointment, and it can almost entirely be blamed on whatever unknown troubles put production in a tail spin. The bizarre comedy about fetishism and obsessions had a brilliantly stupid idea (giving a man obsessed with a hairstyle the power to turn into his fantasy plus superpowers to fight monsters representing fetishes) and managed to execute it pretty well with surprisingly likable characters through most of it. Soji avoids being a bland lead through his ridiculous obsession, while Aika was a funny turn on the tsundere archetype in just how far she serves in and out of girly and violent (and how often). She's probably my favorite character in the cast, though Erina ended up being a surprise once she joined the team and turned out to be an exhibitionist. That joke somehow never got old. Twoearle and Soji's mom rounded out the rest of the regular cast well, and every single villain was just a laugh riot. I could seriously quote them all day.
But something happened about midway through. I don't know what, but the already unimpressive animation took a nose dive during the most action packed episodes. This resulted in a lot of off model characters during still scenes, chopped together fight animations, and sudden disappearances of fight choreography. It was hard to not notice these drops in quality, and while I'm no animation snob by any means, Twin-Tails somehow crossed my threshold to accept these errors. I'll defend Sailor Moon Crystal, just to give you an idea of how tolerant I can be over animation errors. Well, at least it wasn't World Trigger bad.
Still, I liked Twin-Tails, animation problems aside. It's so stupid and self-aware at times that it's really hard to hate it. Every character gets a mess of good gags and weird personality quirks (Dark Grasper being a stalker and hikkimori at the same time especially stands out), and old jokes somehow never manage to wear out their welcome (minus one weird moment where Erina puts on a collar for seemingly no reason). The gag ratio lowers later in the series, but there's still plenty of great gags being thrown around (OH MY GOD SPIDER GUILDY), not to mention a weird story turn that tries to take the obsession and fetishism angle seriously, all with tongue in cheek. It sort of reminds me of the Daimidaler finale, except dumber. And yes, that is a compliment.
Twin-Tails could have been much more than what it ended up being, but damn if I didn't have a good time. It ain't for everyone, but if you want to enjoy something beautifully stupid, this is definitely the ticket you want. If Daimidaler is too dirty for you, that is.
Final Score: 6/10
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Jonathan Kaharl
This is definitely a character based comedy, light on references and heavy on lunatics. Out of the entire main cast, not a single character is "normal," not even Kokkuri (whom can actually interact with the outside world). I love that Kohina is basically a screw loose loner that acts like a doll, it lets her be apart of a lot of the comedy instead of being the dull straight-man I was expecting her to be. Kokkuri works better there anyways, what with his shrill personality and complete lack of authority. Inugami and Shigaraki end up being the scene stealers, and they're incredible. Shigaraki is simply despicable, so much so that it actually becomes impressive. Inugami, on the other hand, is just a force of nature powered by endless obsession, and every single scene where he's given center stage is instantly hilarious. Oddly, it's when he's in female form that I find her funniest, because Chiwa Saito's performance has a surprising amount of range for every possible emotional state. All the other wackjobs that appear (including an alien with a xenomorph tongue) just add to the show's chaotic stream of lunacy.
There are little moments sprinkled around where the series shows a surprising bit of sweetness and heart, even giving some layers to the characters that you'd not expect there at all. Inugami's status as a demon of hatred, Shigaraki's soft spot for children, and Kokkuri's issues with abandonment each give them a bit of humanity at times, allowing the show to pull out a few surprises when least expected, especially in the final episode during a plot involving a lawyer. These moments never feel out of place somehow, and that's difficult for any show to do, especially for one where the normal mode is destruction and madness.
Kokkuri is the forth best comedy of 2014, as far as I'm concerned. It gets a glowing recommendation from me, a short watch and a lot of fun from beginning to end. It has a style all its own, but not too different that more general viewers can't enjoy it.
Final Score: 8/10
Gundam: G no Reconguista
David O'Neil
G no Reconguista follows the exploits of Bellri a young cadet of the Capital Guard (the main force defending the Capitol Tower) who eventually gets wrapped up in a conflict between multiple forces, including the a new Capital Army, a group of pirates, and a mysterious new force coming from space. He fights using the G-Self, a powerful mecha that only responds to a select few people, including him. The plot of G no Reconguista can be a lot to take in at times, especially for those not knowledgeable of the expansive lore and timelines that make up the Gundam series. The show doesn't spoon feed every bit of exposition to you, instead just letting you pick everything up as you go along. That said, in the end I was still able to follow along fairly well. I had a basic grip on plot as a whole and important details, even if there were on occasion a few bits of information I didn't fully understand. This was especially true when the show would through around new terms and concepts in regards to how the mecha work and fight without giving a proper explanation.
The animation of G no Reconguista can best be described as conservative, but high quality. The show uses a lot of techniques that could be seen as "cutting corners", like using still frames or cuts to multiple characters in a single shot. These decisions are presented less as budget decisions though, and more for the sake of helping the show's retro tone. In addition, it's also fairly common for much more advanced, movement oriented cuts to be interwoven within these more still shots to keep things interesting and visually pleasing, keeping the show from ever looking too outdated. The action of G no Reconguista is most likely its biggest strength. Almost every battle in the series feels big and exciting, with a variety of different mecha types fighting in a well choreographed trading of lasers and beam-swords. Nearly all the battles felt totally unique while always throwing in new curve balls to keep things fresh. If that wasn't enough, the action also greatly benefits from the show's exceptional soundtrack, with a grand orchestral score giving the battles even more impact and scale.
G no Reconguista's biggest drawback was its characters. While the cast is both diverse and likable, they all felt noticeably lacking in depth. Almost none of the characters seemed to have any significant development as characters, nor did any of them face any major conflicts that were explored to their full potential. In a few instances conflicts began to arise, like Bellri feeling guilt for killing a comrade, and Aida having resentful feelings against Bellri for being responsible for the death of someone she cared deeply about, but the show only touches on these subjects rather than actually addressing them. But still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't thoroughly enjoy G no Reconguista. It tells a decent story, has great action sequences, and is a distinctly animated homage to the past of mecha anime. For those looking for a fun show that delivers on mecha action, G no Reconguista's got you covered.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying
Thom "Tama" Langley
But Husband is an even stronger series than this; its supporting cast are more than just straight men to bounce jokes off. Step forward Mayotama (everyone's favourite crossdressing younger brother) and Miki (AKA DESTINY FUCKER). Both are well executed characters that, whilst occasionally being a little two dimensional, never fall into their respective stereotypes. Kaoru's uncle is protective, but knows (eventually) that Hajime means well. The series is well animated, the gags better and better executed as of late (and anything that can push in an Evangelion reference without feeling forced gets my approval). So, ten episodes down, three to go. And Kaoru is transferring to sales! Though she doesn't want to. Because, Kaoru, like us, hates working in retail. And drowns her sorrow in booze and cigarettes. Going to a friend's wedding, she realizes her life alone is...a little lonely. And it was all a terrible nightmare...and she wakes up next to Hajime. Cue utter adorableness. They have their ups and downs, but they love each other. This episode...was very sweet, and really showed the heart in this series.
Next episod-IT'S CHRISTMAS. YES. I LOVE CHRISTMA-Oh. I'm being told that Christmas will be over when this goes out. Oh. Hajime, sadly, is spending Christmas alone...because Kaoru is working. So, he decides to go to a friend's house. Who is...less than pleased to see him. More friends have also come to visit! Meanwhile, Kaoru works, before heading home. And both of them have cake. Though, unfortunately, Hajime, Kaoru is working tomorrow. And thus, we come to our final episode. And we start...with a meta-joke about the series ending (though never fear, dear reader, we're due for a second season in April). And Hajime has a bromance with another character, having...activated his flag. Or something. Kaoru comes home ill, and, eventually, Hajime realizes that she's suffering from morning sickness. Buying a pregnancy test, he bumps into Miki and...they make the mother of all Evangelion references. Congratulations!
If ever there was a show that made good use of its limited budget...Husband is surely a contender. Lean, in places incredibly funny, and most of all, heartfelt. Nothing about the series ever seems forced or artificial. The pacing of the episodes differs, certainly, but it never seems overly drawn out nor rushed. A diamond in the rough, and one of the big surprises of 2014. If you know a Kaoru or Hajime, (or heck, see a little of yourself in them), then introduce this show to them. Roll on April 2015, and Season two.
Final Score: 9/10
JOKER
Walter Holleger
Each episode focuses on the theft of a different treasure, with it's entertainment coming from the mystery of how Joker stole an item or the rivalry between the other phantom thieves to obtain the treasure, with the occasional comedic clumsy nature of Joker's assistant, Hachi, Throughout the series, there is also an ongoing plotline pitting Silver Heart's disciples, Joker, Spade, and Diamond, against the evil Professor Clover and his nefarious sidekicks, and this all works pretty well together. Each character has a memorable appearance, if a bit gaudy at times, and their own distinguishable traits, though they each share an air of confidence that comes naturally with the job. The crimes themselves are pretty lacking however, as the repetition of the same tricks wears thin over the course of the series, and even worse is when the entire show stops so Silver Heart can explain to the audience how the trick was even pulled off. The best points in the show are when Professor Clover steps in, as it creates the only real source of conflict for these characters, though we learn little about the villain outside of foreshadowing for the second season. There's also a subtle lesson in each episode, revolving around how phantom thieves can create miracles, though these miracles are just the smoke and mirrors of the tricks they use. This delivers a strong message of how miracle are just what we build ourselves, especially brought home through flashbacks to Joker's youth and training, where his skills weren't as polished.
JOKER isn't a bad show for what it is, but it’s nothing great either. Much of the story seems to build up for season two, which takes away here as characters and storylines are only every scratched upon and never fully developed, simply foreshadowed. Despite that though, the character have their own charm to them, and the show does have a good message to it, so I can at least appreciate that. If you have a kid who is too young to watch Magic Kaitou 1412, then this would be a good show to show them in the meantime.
Final Score: 5/10
Laughing Under the Clouds
Joe Straatmann
The series is a little bit of Fullmetal Alchemist, a little bit of Rurouni Kenshin, and a lot of plot twists. The base of the story involves the Kumoh brothers: Tenka, Soramaru, and Chutaro. They manage a shrine in a rural Japanese village where they ferry escaped criminals to an island prison. This basic setup only lasts for a couple episodes until the motherlode of plot threads unleashes itself upon the world. The main thrust of the plot involves the arising of the Orochi, a serpent that arises every 300 years to destroy all of Japan. The vast wealth of story elements spin off from there, including a secret plot in the prison, a decimated clan of ninja, finding the person responsible for killing the Kumoh brothers' parents, a team of government agents with special abilities called the Yamainu which Tenka used to be a part of, a possible reincarnated lover, a failed assassin, the rules for destroying the Orochi, the REVISED rules for destroying the Orochi, the ominously-named Minister of the Right, and far more things than I have time to list.
Clunky exposition and forced humor cause the series to stumble out of the gate, as Greek choruses of villager gather around the Kumoh brothers to discuss their tortured past and Tenka engages in cross dressing to spy on his youngest brother which didn't score any laughs from me. Eventually, the story settles in a fine groove, revealing enough information while at the same time, keeping its best secrets under wraps. I could even manage when it occasionally tried to shove in inappropriate humor at odd times because it at least caught me off guard when it should've. However, after a certain mid-season development, the series becomes an absolute carpet bombing of story turns. The last four episodes are a sheer rush of twists, revelations, fake-outs, showdowns, reunions, and information. They range in quality from poignant to predictable to, "Wait, their family pet is doing what now?!" If nothing else, it's a standard anime for busy people. It doesn't allow the characters to develop enough to have more than decent dimensions, but they get the basic essence of all of them down enough to grow an attachment to them. That's not to mention the last four episodes have a certain verve and excitement to them even as it doesn't allow any lingering emotions as it bowls through the checklist of events.
It can best summed up by discussing the underlying theme of the Meiji Era. It was a time of great chaos as the old ways were unceremoniously dumped for the new and tens of thousands were left in turmoil and limbo. The ultimate goal of the villains is to use a traditional beast of the land to destroy the new era in flames and bring back the reign of the old ways while they attempt to destroy a group who has transitioned yet still managed to keep enough of their identity intact. There are plenty of fascinating angles to take this, and it would add a ton to the story if the people on the antagonistic side were more tragic than the typical villain path they take. As it is, the anime doesn't quite pull its larger idea together and the result is simply a good series that is very rushed when it had the opportunity to be something more.
Final Score: 7/10
Lord Marksman and Vanadis
Jonathan Kaharl
A large part of the problem is that very little is explained properly or cemented. The major villain of the show didn't have an explained motivation until the very last episode, and said motivation was idiotic. Worse yet, the show treated him as some major evil in the distance so often to try and build him up, and he went down easier than most every other villain shown before (including his douche rapist of a son). The conflict between Brune and Zchted doesn't have anything interesting going on beyond border disputes, and the ties between smaller skirmishes in each nation were barely made clear. I know Ludmila had ties with the big baddie because of family ties or something, but she tosses them aside so fast that it left me wondering what was even the point of this information besides a forced way to have her and Ellen fight. The sudden intrusion of a massive army from a third empire during late series was interesting and brought some actual drama to the otherwise limp proceedings, but the arc ended as soon as it appeared. That should have been the real finale, instead of all this mess with some random duke.
Character writing is also trite and reliant on otaku pandering cliches. Tigre is a good looking but otherwise personality devoid blank slate for the viewer ("brave" and "kind" are his only notable traits, and they're barely present as well), Ellen turns out to be overly rash and needs a man to save her, Ludmila is a tsundere, Titta is the awkward maid, and so on and so forth. The villains are presented as evil with no real explanation of their motivations until far after the fact, making it near impossible to care about any of them. Zion was a cartoonish ass and all, but at least he had a personality. When one of the major side characters died in the twelfth episode, I could not care at all, especially because his killer was just some guy with a funny haircut who was presented as this super badass warrior who could take on Tigre ...only for him to be killed as fast as he was introduced by falling rocks. There is absolutely no depth present with any character, which is a huge deal when you're dealing with political conflict. Differences of ideas or methods is what makes political drama interesting, and when characters barely have any definition, there's nothing to fill out the framework. It's just a bunch of cliches fighting other cliches and nothing else.
This series needed massive changes made to the material given in order to work in any meaningful way. It's just a mess that tries to combined two different styles that just fundamentally do not work together. I'm not saying you can't combine harem based "romance" with political fantasy (just about anything can work with an insane enough writer), but you have to be aware that one is almost always free of depth or thought for the sake of simple entertainment, while the other is drenched in world building and complex plots. The two are completely different, and setting them next to each other without any attempts to weave them into a single whole is just asking for problems.
But hey, at least we'll always have a prison of bees--a hell of bees.
Final Score: 5/10
Magic Kaito 1412
Joe Straatmann
What struck out me outright is just how cheesy and relatively old-fashioned this series is. It's one of those titles DiC could've picked up in the 90s, edited a bit, and thrown in a PSA at the end for good measure. Cornier than the entire midwest, filled with gigantic questions and plot holes not made to be questioned in a series for young teens (It introduces nearly a half-dozen of opponents for Kaito to go up against and nearly half of them vanish after they're introduced even though they would still have a great interest in stopping him), and framed with one of those plots set to run forever that's built on success more than originality, somehow this is easily some of the most fun to be had this season, or many future seasons to come should it choose to make an attempt at equalling its more popular brother's staggering length.
The animation has plenty of confidence behind it, and it's supported with Taku Iwasaki music that meets his high standards. Further than that, its lives off a screwball romance between Kaito and Aoko that rarely misses its timing, and is somehow charming and sweet despite Kaito being a bit of a perv at times. Kaito's heist's are properly slick and entertaining, but should one begin to get weary of them, it introduces a new wrinkle to the mix: Sorcery. There's only Lady Akaka right now who serves to make a romantic triangle out of Kaito's love life, but she has a direct line to Lucifer and summons the minions of Hell to do her bidding, so that's about as good of an introduction to the supernatural as it gets. Plus, there are bits of story more than worth checking out, such as how Kaito's mother and father met which involves Parisian police officers getting dismembered or killed and somehow still manages to be romantic.
I'm glad Crunchyroll eventually decided to pick this one up. It's certainly made for as wide as an audience as possible, it deserves that audience, and that audience doesn't deserve searching through the more suspect parts of the internet with their janky codecs and intrusive advertisements for cheap MMORPGs just to watch it. It's nothing particularly new and by episode 100, it might get tedious, but for right now, it's one of the most consistently entertaining shows out there.
First-Cour Score: 8/10 (Staff Pick)
Orenchi no Furo Jijou
Megan R
In comparison to the other shorts from this season, Orenchi no Furo Jijo
made the most of its
short running time and one-room setting through its use of the extended
cast
and a solid sense of humor. As much as many fans of the show (myself
included) joked about it being 'the gay merman show,' its strength was
not in pandering to the fujoshi through the Odd Couple-like main
characters, but instead by bringing in fun new characters to bounce off
of our leads and keep the dynamic fresh and new (even if it does come
with the occasional group bath or tentacle backrub. Hey, I didn't say
there wasn't any homoeroticism).
It helps that most of the supporting cast give good, enthusiastic performances. In particular, Yuichiro Umehara's eager, child-like enthusiasm went a long way towards making Wakasa so endearing and giving the show a constant, well-needed injection of energy. While the rest of the cast was equally solid, I ended up being weirdly fond of hermit-crab-man Maki, in part because Kenjiro Tsuda's low, mumbly monotone worked so well with his character's odd, contrary personality. Also, for those keeping track at home, that's the third and final Free! alumnus to show up in the cast. That's not to say that every episode was perfect. Those couple of episodes centered on little sister Kasumi are still awkward as hell, and most of the time when the show aimed for drama it fell flat. That's one of the downsides of a short series - it's a format that rewards the quick punchiness of comedy, but not so much the subtleties and depth of drama without a lot of skill and effort. Still, the show made the most of its simple plots, using them as the framework for a lot of well-timed jokes that often built and built to ridiculous heights before those four minutes were up. No one is going to mistake Orenchi for an anime classic, but it's definitely a show that makes the most of its strengths and its limitations to create an entertaining diversion.
It helps that most of the supporting cast give good, enthusiastic performances. In particular, Yuichiro Umehara's eager, child-like enthusiasm went a long way towards making Wakasa so endearing and giving the show a constant, well-needed injection of energy. While the rest of the cast was equally solid, I ended up being weirdly fond of hermit-crab-man Maki, in part because Kenjiro Tsuda's low, mumbly monotone worked so well with his character's odd, contrary personality. Also, for those keeping track at home, that's the third and final Free! alumnus to show up in the cast. That's not to say that every episode was perfect. Those couple of episodes centered on little sister Kasumi are still awkward as hell, and most of the time when the show aimed for drama it fell flat. That's one of the downsides of a short series - it's a format that rewards the quick punchiness of comedy, but not so much the subtleties and depth of drama without a lot of skill and effort. Still, the show made the most of its simple plots, using them as the framework for a lot of well-timed jokes that often built and built to ridiculous heights before those four minutes were up. No one is going to mistake Orenchi for an anime classic, but it's definitely a show that makes the most of its strengths and its limitations to create an entertaining diversion.
Final Score: 7/10
Parasyte -the maxim-
Stephanie Getchell
What
I’m trying to point out by talking about this is that making a truly
faithful adaptation can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Let’s take
Monster again as an example. Like I said, it’s a completely faithful
adaption of Urasawa’s original manga with a total of eighteen volumes. That
being said, the anime has a total of seventy-four episodes with one to two
chapters of the manga equating to a single episode. The good thing about
this is that you aren’t missing any details and that you tie everything
up in the end with pretty little bows. The downside is that it can mess
with a series’s pace, causing it to drag on at times. It is possible to
take out some pieces and cut the episode length of Monster down, maybe
even to fifty episodes max, but MadHouse chose to take more time telling the story. Now, looking
at Parasyte, the series does suffer from the same problem, though not by
much because it is a shorter piece to adapt. At the same time, it
doesn’t skip out on the details and manages to make a solid story.
Parasyte
is one of those series that has been up and down for me in terms of how
I feel. Granted, I’ve been mostly singing praises for this one all
season, but the same could be said for Garo, and look at what I just
said about that one today. I just have to really sit and look at it
since this is the last time I get to talk about the series, unless I
decide to make it my staff pick next season once the show ends. What
I’ve been feeling is almost the exact same way as I do about Monster
because the production of both series makes it seem like they’re twins.
I’m not saying this is bad, Monster is my favorite anime series, but it
can also lead to a kind of “been there, done that” mentality for me and
that’s not exactly a good thing to have. Parasyte is a good series. It
really, truly is. But, aside from the pacing issues, Izumi’s character,
in general, has begun to fall a little flat to me. It’s just really hard
to talk about this series without being overly critical about it, even
though, it’s not finished yet.
I
would have to say that Parasyte has been interesting to watch. There
are plenty of parts that I do enjoy from it, but there are plenty of
vibes I get off it as well. Maybe it’s because my current rewatch of
Monster that has something to do with it, but it’s gotten me to think,
at least, a little bit more about this series. The writing is great, the
characters are fairly well developed at this point, and the production
value is wonderful. For those who may want to watch Parasyte, in the
future, what it may possibly come down to is how you feel about near
perfect adaptations along with the genre the series falls under. Believe
me when I say that this genre isn’t for everyone, and that I am
probably one of those weirdos who enjoys is a little too much. But also,
there are people who may expect something new and different to come out
of an adaptation in order to make it a bit more original. This gives it
two possible strikes against it for incoming viewers. That being said,
because I am that weirdo, I’m going to tell you to watch it anyways.
I’ve been having a great time with it, so far, and I can’t wait to see
where it leads me next. These past couple of episodes may have been a
bit off to me, but overall it doesn’t just the quality of the show too
much.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Thomas Zoth
In episode eleven, for instance, we are once again brought to Jeanne d'Arc's side as she faces her execution. As Martinet changes the shape of the flames about to consume her body into heavenly visions of angels abandoning her, Jeanne succumbs to temptation and becomes a powerful demon. It's tragic, sure, but only in the abstract. Had the recap episode instead been given to Jeanne so that we might know her specific struggles more personally, it could have been a much more meaningful tragedy. As a demon, Jeanne flies off on a dragon and manages to slay the angels fighting Bahamut's resurrection, even her beloved Michael, who entrusted her with holy weapons to begin with.
The above description hints at a different problem: When did tragic become a word to describe the joyful swashbuckling of Bahamut? The trailers and even the opening presents footage that suggests Amira is the very holy knight that has been prophesied. This would fit in with her seemingly invincible powers in battle that Amira has demonstrated since episode one's jaw dropping battle sequence. However, Bahamut has a much darker fate in store for her: Amira is merely just a vessel for the reawakening of Bahamut, a destiny that she doesn't even have the ability to fight. The haunting ending theme suddenly becomes a song of sorrow rather than one of hope, and it's an unfortunate fate for such a bright character.
While I can't help but be disappointed by these developments, the series remains wonderful entertainment. Kaisar's pompous heroics, Favaro's tricks and double crosses, and Rita's dry wit and capable attitude still shine with life and humor, even in the series darkest moments. Episode eleven is the show's weakest production, and an episode that must have been finished last chronologically, but the animation and design quality we've come to expect returns in episode twelve. A flight amidst flaming dragon breath on the back of an oversized duck is a great setpiece that gives the final showdown with Bahamut an epic feel. Plus, an open ending and end card promising "I'll be back!" suggests that we might see more of our heroes in the future.
A lot of people became disappointed by what Bahamut became after the halfway mark, and I can't really blame them. The first few episodes presented such a different feel from anime that we're accustomed to that it's natural to wish the carefree adventures could have continued another ten episodes before switching to grimdark, end-of-the-world conspiracies. Even with these drawbacks in mind, though, MAPPA and Cygames have clearly made one of the best video game commercial anime of all time. That people are disappointed that this advertisement for a mobile app didn't quite make it as anime of the year says quite a lot about the talent and skill on display here. More of this! And bring Amira back!
Final Score: 9/10
Ronia, the Bandit's Daughter
Joe Straatmann
The titular Ronia lives in a gigantic castle occupied by her father Mattis and his bandits. They rule the forest dotted with mystical creatures like harpies, dwarves, and fairies, but they mostly have turf wars with Mattis' rival Borka and his robbers. Ronia eventually forms a bond with Birk, Borka's son who was born on the same day, and they save each other's lives throughout their misadventures they can tell no one about without igniting their parents' unending hatred for each other. This may sound like a basic setup that only takes a couple episodes to establish, but the pace of this series is far more relaxed and much of its runtime is dedicated to how these people live. If you're someone who loves it when fiction goes into these detailed depictions of daily life, you'll find plenty to like. Most of Ronia's encounters involves her being released into the woods, being amazed at the wonder of the news things she's discovering, suddenly being absolutely frightened by them, and finding a way to survive and become stronger from the experience. The main conflict for Ronia doesn't quite start to set in until about eleven episodes.
One of the most obvious aspect to criticize is the visuals, which brings Ghibli character designs into the 3-D CG world to mixed results. Taken on their own, they're not bad save when the people have awkwardly jutting jaws in some scenes. But when stacked up against Ghibli's traditional work, especially when there are hand-drawn sketches of the characters during the end credits, the hair is a little too stiff and the motion lacks a little bit of the human touch, though they certainly make an effort to do the best they can. If you can get used to it, it's fine. The characters have spouts of lovability from Mattis' manchild parenting to his wife Lovis, who is a no-nonsense, take-care-of-business mother worthy of the great Ghibli pantheon of moms. Within the deliberate pacing, there are great little stories, mostly about Ronia and Birk's growing relationship and how they learn to completely trust and care about each other. If there's one part of the show I have been lacking in complimenting in my updates, it's the music. Satoshi Takebe's music is absolutely terrific and a perfect companion to everything else the series has going for it. I must say, though, I've gone through the ending theme a couple times doing nothing but paying attention to the lyrics, and I still have no idea what the singer's going on about.
I don't like assuming what doing certain titles mean for directors as to why they take them on, but if I could derive one thing from Goro Miyazaki's recent projects, it seems to be he's currently making stuff he liked when he was younger. From Up on Poppy Hill is a collection of conventions from various other movies with a few personal quirks thrown in, and now, here's a modern version of the fairy tales that might've run on the NHK during the 70s and 80s. The CG is certainly not retro, but watching the opening and hearing the music box tune of the theme feels like taking a trip into the time machine back to Nickelodeon in the 80s when they picked up syndicated fantasy from all over the world, like David the Gnome. Even though it's mostly aimed at kids, it's something with enough life and joy that adults can enjoy, too. Just don't come in expected an outrageous anime re-telling on the level of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.
First-Cour Grade: 7/10
Seven Deadly Sins
David O'Neil
And that's the greatest strength of The Seven Deadly Sins, similar shonen adventure shows have moments of great excitement and fun, but to get to it you have to slog through episodes and episodes of aimless meandering, pointless filler arcs, and substance-less fluff. This show on the other hand, never wastes a moment. Every episode feels important, every episode feels eventful, and most of all every episode feels incredibly fun in the most straightforward but endearing way. Whether it's the over the top fight scenes or the funny as hell banter between the Sins, I had a big grin on my face throughout the majority of the series. Where the show doesn't succeed quite as much is when it isn't trying to make the audience smile, but instead trying to make them feel something. I'm not saying this is something it shouldn't try, or even that it doesn't at all succeed, but it doesn't quite the impact it seems to be working to achieve. As likable as the characters are, their motivations and conflicts just aren't (or at least haven't been) explored thoroughly enough to really create any emotional depth, resulting in emotional moments that are trying to tug at the heart strings but don't quite hit their mark. As much as I like the show's brisk pacing, it may benefit from occasionally slowing down just a bit so we could better know the characters and what exactly it is they're feeling.
But still, it's a remarkably well executed show. Studio A-1 Pictures did a great job with the series as an adaptation, effectively capturing the charming art style of the manga while still escalating the presentation to new heights with quality animation and some top notch music. And even with it's flaws from an emotional standpoint, the show is still an absolute blast to watch thanks to likable characters and fun action all wrapped up the show's steadfast dedication to never wasting the audience's time. For those looking for a helluva good time, The Seven Deadly Sins is definitely worth checking out.
First-Cour Score: 8/10
Shirobako
David O'Neil
The show follows five girls who had formed an animation club in highschool, and dreamed of one day all making an anime together. Now as young adults, they're all in different situations in or out of the industry. One of them is in college, one is working for a 3D modeling studio, one is a struggling newbie voice actress, and two are now working for a small anime studio known as Musashino Animation, which is the main focus of the story. A big part of why Shirobako works so immensely well, is that in it's tone it manages to strike a perfect balance between wackiness, and reality. The show knows how to have a good sense of humor for sure, with everything from animator street racing, imaginary talking teddy bears, and overall a somewhat over the top comedy style scattered throughout the series.
At the same time though, the show manages to say somewhat grounded in reality as well. There's a lot of actual, fairly accurate insight into how it is anime is really made. From meeting deadlines, to finding animators, to finishing storyboards, MusiAni grapples with a lot of real problems that anime studios deal with, and the same goes for the characters. Despite the show's overall relaxed, positive tone, Shirobako actually dealt with some pretty heavy, very real stuff in terms of its themes. Self doubt, how expectations clash with reality, and the nature of following one's dreams and aspirations (and what it takes to do just that) make up just a few of the topics Shirobako tackled, and tackled with a surprising tactfulness and emotional depth. Its not exactly subtle, often looking at its questions through somewhat obtuse visual metaphors, but in the end there was enough sincerity and strong execution to make it all work. In addition to all that, Shirobako is just a really well made show as a whole. The characters are all very likable, the pacing is solid, and it has great animation. All this makes for one of the best shows of the season, that's worth watching for anyone interested in how anime is made, or just anyone looking for an well crafted story that's both fun and thoughtful.
First-Cour Score: 9/10
Tribe Cool Crew
Jonathan Kaharl
The basic set up is that two kids who are really into dancing form a dance crew, eventually merging with another group and joining an international competition to find the next dance group that will stand side by side with Jey, the greatest dancer in the world. The interesting thing is Jey himself; he's not a vapid celebrity, but revealed to be a man who came from a war torn area of the world and wants to inspire people to help each other and celebrate artistic merit over aggressive competition through his dance and words. We see his influence through Haneru reciting a speech Jey gave once in the first episode, and as the show moves on, the series goes from simply showing Haneru's growth to the full impact Jey's teachings are having on not just Tribe Cool Crew, but all sorts of people in the country.
As a result, the show has a very lax mood. There are rarely any real stakes and no dramatic motivation beyond a character's pride. Instead, competitors are friendly, and what conflict that is there comes from initial misunderstandings. This is shown through Haneru's initial attitude around Kumo, as the two fail to see eye to eye for the longest time, and the two communicate in such wildly different ways that they can only get through to each other through their dancing. Kumo sees Haneru's development as a person through the dance he does during a battle rematch, and the two start forming a bond from there. The show's grand message is that artistic expression is central to human growth, and that art should focus on being a positive message or lesson that can help improve society as a whole. It brings us together and can change the world, in other words. That's a really interesting idea, especially for a show targeted at kids.
The series itself is loaded with cute comedy bits and some really cool urban based art. The designs are like a smoothed down redesign of Jet Set Radio, capturing familiar sights with a new coat of paint that makes everything seem fresh and new. Even the CG dancing can grow on you, if you can get through those early episodes. The sets get more abstract and lively afterwards, for the most part, though early dancing feels very stiff and strange with how off the character movements and expressions are. It's the show's major flaw that keeps it from being great, but it still manages to be constantly entertaining and smile educing. Out of every show I watched this season, this was the one that always kept me ...happy. So yes, Jey's song, I can be happy.
First-Cour Score: 7/10
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
Jonathan Kaharl
The problems I had came from how the series decided to subvert expectations. The series is really clever, playing with audience expectations and even openly admitting it with a few characters, making it unclear where it's headed. This ends up being an issue, as the series chooses to focus on romantic drama between the girls and Andou. This is not very interesting. It's nice getting to know a bit more about the characters and seeing why Andou means so much to them, but this takes an abnormal amount of the series run. Despite the highlight that is Hatoko's huge rant, these events just start to become dull and uncomfortable, especially when the series reveals what's really going on with the whole superpowers thing. The joke is that we're watching a much larger story from the perspective of minor characters, but the joke doesn't work when you'd rather see that much more interesting story instead of obnoxious will they or won't they play with the very disconnected Andou.
Trigger's animation style is very rough and noodley, and it works best when there's a lot of action present. They're able to animate more reserved stuff adequately, but that's not what I watch a Trigger show for. There's only a handful of scenes I can think of that actually make use of that style, while everything else is rather dull. The designs really make up for this, especially the colorful uniforms and powers, but this really doesn't feel like Trigger brought their A-game to the project. Thankfully, the writing makes up for this considerably, throwing out some strong jokes and dialog. Every single character has a distinct style of speech, and not just from what's added by the actors. That's not something many writers can do, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was a major reasons Trigger staff were attracted to the project.
Really, despite Inou Battle's issues with where it wants to focus, it never does anything badly. It's a well executed show that blends comedy and drama in unexpected ways, but there could have been so much more done with it. It's a missed opportunity, but not a particularly bad one, just lacking. I'd still give it a thumbs up if you want something a little different, just don't expect the first few episodes to be representative of the whole show.
Final Score: 7/10
Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Joe Straatmann
The series doesn't improve much when establishing why this romance is better than any other options Erika has. The second episode almost explicitly tells Erika that even though Kyoya is so controlling that he smashes her cell phone when she even tries to get the number of another boy, the rest of the world is far more terrible and her best bet is sticking with him because deep down, he actually means well and has a good heart. The rest of the first half follows with Kyoya disappearing for weeks at a time, and when he returns, he actively sneers at her typical notions of girly romantic things until she's so emotionally crushed, he eventually gives in just enough to make her happy. This is not a healthy relationship. Erika's only lifeline to sanity is Senda, who is a sensible person and tries to give the best advice possible, but poor Senda, making sense and being a decent foil to what's going on in the show only means your screen time gets drastically reduced with every reasonable thought you have.
Then the second half switches over when it turns out Kyoya really, truly loves Erika, and they live on as a typical romance between the wallflower high school girl and the beautiful-but-rough-around-the-edges guy. This isn't much of a spoiler if you pay attention to how little the opening and closing animations dedicate to other potential rivals, and that's this series essential failing: There is no romantic tension in this entire thing. It's clear no matter how nasty things get or what it tries to bring to the table that whatever problems introduced essentially won't matter. It introduces a womanizing character to throw a wrench into the plot who's so lazily written, I make it a point to not remember his name. Only in the last two episodes does anything resembling a reasonable conflict appears when Kyoya has to confront his family he's tried to keep himself separate from. His sister Reika is actually a fairly good character in that she has a shred of complexity. She has extremely high expectations for men, but only because she constantly sees men try to so cheaply pick her up that she has to have them. Unfortunately, when Erika has to interact with her, the discussion falls to her other character aspect of being obsessed with dessert, and their main issues are resolved with an eating competition. The climax of the series is similarly simplistic and childishly contrived at that. Let's just say that not only is it an anti-climax, but the precious necklace it revolves around would have to be made out of strung together cocoa powder for the scenario to be remotely probable.
Technically, Wolf Girl and Black Prince is a competent series. It has a bright color palette that is never overwhelming, and the animation takes the dog metaphor much farther than the writing ever does. But this series stands on how much the viewer cares about the main couple, and I simply don't buy the relationship, I'm not emotionally invested in their trials and tribulations, so I certainly don't get any dividends from the experience. I do prefer series that aim at college level and beyond like Honey and Clover and Nana because, among other things, they deal with how love fits into people's lives rather than simply as an extremely nice feeling you get when you spend time with certain people. That doesn't mean I don't like the occasional teenage romance story, but I bring this up because it gets me to thinking about Kyoya and Erika attempting to live an adult existence somewhere down the road, and the thought absolutely frightens me. It should frighten you, too.
Final Score: 3/10
Yona of the Dawn
Jonathan Kaharl
The supporting cast is equally impressive. Hak's slow transition into bored, sarcastic observer strangely fits, while Yun ended up being a far more welcome addition than I'd expected. His sheer ego and self-awareness gives him so many great lines, and he does a good job as the team's brain (since none of them are particularly worldly or learned). The two dragons that have been introduced so far also contrast nicely, one dorky and awkward, the other tragic and kind. Soo-won has made a wonderful villain, especially with the hint that he may not be that different from the king he replaced. There's some depth to be found in the cast, and every new character gets an episode or two of back story or development. The series really wants you to care about the people in its tale, and it succeeds with flying colors. This comes at the cost of quick pacing, but the show never really feels like its wasting time either. The goal is obvious from the first and second episodes, everything in between is setting things up for the finale and providing context for the short flash-forwards. In other words, it's about the journey and not the destination, because we already know what's coming once we reach the destination.
Pierrot has had an abnormally strong year, and Yona is the perfect cap to it (while Tokyo Ghoul's second season is going to be the big starting hit for 2015). I definitely plan on finishing this one and giving it a proper review, but from the half of it I've seen, I only have good things to say about it. Keep this abnormally good output up, Pierrot!
First-Cour Score: 8/10
Your Lie in April
Stephanie Getchell
This
series is, by far, my favorite that I’ve had to cover out of my
assignments this season. Maybe even one of my favorites since Rainy Day
started (though Tokyo Ghoul was one of my previous assignments and that
one is pretty awesome). There are so many pieces that this series has
that makes it something I will flat out tell people they have to watch
it! There’s the obvious fact that it’s beautifully animated thanks to
A-1 Pictures, but it’s really the story and the music that bring
everything to life for me. I think it is wonderfully written, and it
probably has some of the best writing in a Drama/Romance series that
I’ve seen all year! The problems our characters face and the trials they
have to overcome are just an emotional roller coaster ride and has made
me not only laugh at the silly moments, but cry like a child at the
saddening ones, especially the ones where I felt the most connected to
the characters; Kousei in particular. When I allow myself to be immersed
into this world and be swayed by the wonderful music, I just can't help
but fall in love with it. Maybe it's due to my love of the arts, or
maybe it's because I do study theatre, but either way it's a series I
just can't put down!
This
may possibly be the one series that I would buy from Aniplex, despite
the outrageous price point because it’s been a story that, I feel, I can
watch over and over again and still bask in it’s sincerity and beauty. I
know the fall season has been full of fun shows like Parasyte, Rage of
Bahamut, and even the new Fate/Stay Night; but do me a big favor and
watch Your Lie in April sometime soon. You’d really be doing yourself a
disservice if you passed this one by, because it has pieces in there
that everyone can understand and relate to in one way or another, like I
did with Kousei’s story about his abusive mother. Just do it. Please.
For me.
First-Cour Score: 9/10
Yuki Yuna is A Hero
David O'Neil
Unfortunately, it did not stick the landing. Instead, the series fell flat on it's face, (this could be seen as a spoiler in a way, be warned) abandoning all the interesting themes and dark atmosphere that was making the show work well, in favor of one of the most bafflingly moronic "and then they all live happily ever after" endings I've ever seen. I'm not saying I'm against optimistic endings, but when an ending goes so out of it's way to contrive a situation where everything works out great, even at the expense of the themes, tone, and just story as a whole, is damn near infuriating. It's an ending so poorly conceived, it actually damages the show as a whole, making a lot of the darker aspects and questions totally null and void, and boiling down what was an interesting look at heroism, friendship, and sacrifice, and boiling it down to "everything will work out if you believe in each other".
As a whole, Yuki Yuna is a Hero is a fairly well made show. It has good animation, it has likable characters, and it even has a good soundtrack. My only major problem with it was that they should have gotten to the darker aspects of the story quicker than they actually did, as it felt as if a few in the middle there were pointlessly biding time. Yes, Yuki Yuna is a Hero was a quite good darker twist on the magical girl genre....until the last episode. This really is one of those cases where a truly awful ending does more than leave a bad taste in your mouth, but actually sully the entire series as a whole. If you're a fan of this kind of show, I still would be hard pressed to not recommend it, but be warned that it may leave you in a poor mood when it's all said and done.
Final Score: 4/10
Second Opinions
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Garo: The Animation
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Magic Kaito 1412
Orenchi no Furo Jijou
Parasyte -the maxim-
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Stephanie: From the start, I didn’t know what to make of Bahamut. I had very little information, making me very wary when it came time to start the series weeks ago. Now that I’ve finished, it was a hell of a lot of fun. It didn’t let pacing become a large problem, though there were some small moments that either seemed out of place or were rushed. The story was straightforward and kept it’s complexity very minimal and with it’s characters in order to develop them further. This one is certainly one of my popcorn material series this season along with Garo (though I do favor Garo over Bahamut a little bit). In the end, Bahamut saw, came, and I would say even conquered the fall season as one of it’s many unexpected surprises. Final Score: 8/10
Shirobako
Thomas: If Shirobako had ended after episode twelve, it would have easily been my anime of the year. Sure, none of the character story arcs were finished out, and it ended at a bit of a weird spot, but that's just how good the character writing in this show has been! But we get another twelve episodes, and Shirobako is disqualified for contention in 2014. My enthusiasm for this show can be best summed up by the Christmas episode, where production assistant Miyamori turns to Hideaki Anno's doppelganger for assistance, and he re-introduces her to a key animator on her beloved childhood series Andes Chucky. It's full-hearted affection for animation and anime fans balance out its stressful and exasperating perspectives on the working world to make a truly one of a kind viewing experience. Watch Shirobako. First-Cour Score: 10/10
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
Yona of the Dawn
Yuki Yuna is A Hero
Staff Picks
The Fruit of Grisaia (Jonathan Kaharl)
It was my single favorite show of the season.
I have never seen a show like Grisaia before. It destroys almost every expected plot beat and genre normality in favor for new extremes of familiar ideas. The bland viewer stand in main character is replaced with an unbalanced mercenary who helps his classmates through military tactics and doesn't take shit from anyone (I do believe Joe already mentioned the masturbation marching chant). All of the girls he meets are unbalanced, damaged, and at least two of them are incredibly dangerous (and one more dangerous to herself). It creates a series of stories that should be far darker then they actually are, but the show decides to keep the tired and cliched anime comedy, and then gives it a shot of adrenaline. Even stranger, it uses this sense of humor to hide countless plot developments and bits of character development from the viewer, only to reveal them later and turn all this strange behavior completely on its head.
The Fruit of Grisaia is basically a magic trick done by a sleazy pervert, one that is fully aware they are a sleazy pervert and kind of hates themeslves for it. In other words, this show is me if I was a magician. I do have my issues with it (mainly the loli girl's weak arc), but it just appeals to me in a way I didn't know a piece of media could. It's almost like a work of dada, but relents from becoming full anarchy to try and deliver actual drama and action, and it manages it quite well. The execution of the darker material is near perfect in spots, even if it takes massive logical stretches to reach there. The show is just so weird under normal circumstances (such as our main character instructing one of the girls to whip her citrus sceneted pony-tails at a cat or banging his head against a wall while screaming about the importance of sleep) that these leaps feel like the naturally expected outcome. Complex morality is cast aside for more ridiculous situations (what happens to the gunman in episode thirteen is way more amusing than it should be), characters avoid talking seriously after their arcs for more schick, and Yuiji's absolutely awful ideas keep managing to save the day by just how much of a sheer inhuman monster he can be.
I love the characters. I love the general tone. I love all the weirdness and the strange dramatic turns. I especially love the direction, with really detailed colors and flowing character movements. Grisaia can best be described as an insane mismash of all sorts of random elements that shouldn't work together at all, yet do. Visual novel plot structure, military and crime drama, psychological horror, madcap comedy, perverted humor, straightman snark, tense sniper scenes, brutal hand-to-hand fights, slice of life cool downs, human survival stories, political intriege, and whatever you classify the masturbation marching chant. This all works perfectly with each other, and I don't know what sort of deal with the devil it took to make that possible, but it was worth it. This is a show I'm never going to forget.
Final Score: 10/10
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis (David O'Neil)
In a world of magic, demons, gods, and angels, there was once an immensely powerful dragon known as Bahamut. It was so destructive it nearly caused the decimation of everything, but after a last ditch effort by both angels and demons he was sealed away. Two thousand years later, a mysterious half-demon half-angel named Amira steals the key capable of freeing Bahamut from his slumber. She enlists the help of a conniving bounty hunter named Favaro to help lead her to a place called "Helheim" all while being pursued by angels and demons after the key, and a knight named Kaisar out for revenge against Favaro. The story is a strong one, although the plot isn't the most unique out there the execution is strong and puts enough twists and unique takes on an otherwise fairly typical fantasy story to stay interesting and engaging throughout.
The show's cast is damn near massive, with characters including but not limited to bounty hunters, knights, demons, gods, angels, dragons, kings, zombies, and even a talking duck. Nearly all of them are brimming with personality from the dramatic flair of the demons to the stoic chivalry of the knights, but what the show really nailed was balancing all of these characters and this massive conflict well while still keeping the primary focus of the narrative where it belongs, on the main cast. Favaro, Kaisar, and Amira all develop into great characters who I genuinely enjoyed watching progress and by the end was really rooting for. Favaro is the perfect mix of slimy but sympathetic, his relationship with Kaisar had a lot of depth to it, and Amira was both incredibly fun and an interesting as a character. The more intimate, emotional moments the characters face shouldn't work as well as actually they do, and they do mostly just because the bonds they form are so genuine and believable that it made me care more than a show with weaker characters would have.
And most of all, the show is just a ton of fun. It's goofy as hell, but at the same time takes itself just seriously enough and what results is a perfect swashbuckling tone that makes the show incredibly entertaining from beginning to end. It's kind of show that totally lines up with my tastes: A large, diverse cast of characters, well developed central characters, fun action, great humor, an interesting world, and most of all, being able to nail both a terrific sense of fun along with a powerful feeling of tragedy, especially towards the end. It's one of best examples of a definitive fantasy adventure in anime I've ever seen, and I'm very glad I decided to give it a chance.
Final Score: 9/10
Yowamushi Pedal: Grande Road (Stephanie Getchell)
For
those who don’t know, Yowamushi Pedal is about Sakamichi Onoda, a
highschool freshman and otaku. After failing to revive the anime and
manga club at school, he discovers the cycling club through fellow
classmate Imaizumi after seeing Onoda’s cycling in action (Onoda bikes
every day from school to Akihabara which is a long friggin distance with
a “mommy bike”). Onoda joins the team and, along with Imaizumi and
fellow first year Naruko AND third years Kinjou, Makishima, and
Tadokoro, they train for the Inter High summer tournament. As for where
Grande Road fits into this, this portion of the series starts shortly
before the start of the race’s third and final day and has a strong
rivalry built already between Sohoku (Onoda’s school), Hakone Academy
(the winner’s of last year’s race), and Kyoto Fushimi (mostly cause
Midosuji is just a slimy bastard and it’s wonderful) prior to this. But
Grande Road also adds a short little tiff with Hiroshima Kureminami
Technical High School because why not?
Yowamushi
Pedal has something very similar to my staff pick from last season,
Haikyuu! and that is a more ensemble cast. Sure, this series is from
Onoda’s perspective as the newbie to road racing, making it much more
relatable to the viewer who more than likely is in the same boat, but
you have so many characters in this series, it’s very hard to think of
them as separate and give specific statuses to characters. Each member
of the cast gets their chance to take the spotlight and share their
story with the viewer, including those from rivals teams. For a series
that will total with sixty-three episodes by the time Grande Road ends next
season, and if there are no plans to adapt more any time soon, it’s
something that you just kinda need. It’s not just there to help push the
story along, in some aspects, and if this was a shorter series you
could possibly do without that. However, it would also lose it’s charm
and wit at the same time.
Speaking
of that charm, the writing is absolutely wonderful! Having your main
character as a rather awkward otaku trying a sport for the first time is
actually rather brilliant! I’m not that versed in sports anime, but
Onoda’s character interests me quite a bit since he is, to a degree, the
glue that holds Sohoku together through his cheerfulness and his desire
to have fun with his friends. This helps bring in some wonderful and
clever humor while we’re at it, such as Onoda helping Tadokoro back to
the rest of the group by singing the opening theme of his favorite
anime, AND getting Tadokoro to join in as well. I couldn’t make this up
even if I wanted to! But the writing just doesn’t extend to the series’s
humor, but also it’s characters. Again, this is a series that I can see
as an ensemble, but looking at individuals is also rather interesting
because they each are well written characters. Some do have a bit more
than others, but that more falls with Sohoku being the main cast. Hell,
there’s even a rather well written villain… or anti-hero…. I’m not quite
sure what he is…. with Midosuji. I’ve never seen such a slimy and
devious character in a sports anime, but his character makes me want to
create a top villains list and put him right in there, cause it’s
wonderful!
Yowamushi
Pedal, overall, has been a fun experience, with Grande Road just
expanding on that experience a bit more. It may go at the pace you may
see most Shonen series in, but, all things considered, that’s perfectly
fine. There’s a lot going on with this show that it doesn’t make sense
to skip out on the details and the intensity. The writing helps support
this even more by creating rather clever moments and fun humor, with
Onoda’s mere existence being the highlight of the series, for me. If you
haven’t seen the series yet, then I suggest you take a gander at it.
And if you’re not pulled in by little Onoda, or, hell, even good old
Midosuji when the Inter High comes around then you have no sense of fun
and should go fix that.
First-Cour Score: 8/10
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