Accel World
akinari-kun
Accel World has not failed to impress, chugging along from the previous season with its vibrant visuals and unique story line. The show has taken a turn for the worse however, as the main focus has shifted to the absolute power of the new antagonist. Too much attention is being directed towards making the antagonist overpower the protagonists, to a point where it's becoming silly. A successful show, no matter how great, simply becomes a chore to watch when the strong protagonists suddenly become weaklings. To make matters worse, chances are the current antagonist isn't even the main antagonist of the show, since there's still about 1/4 of the show left. The sudden loss of confidence from the main protagonists, along with the trust built up between the characters, certainly isn't a very pleasant feeling. Accel World is becoming much too predictable for its own good, all the tricks up the sleeve have been shown, and the ones that have yet to be shown, can probably be deduced just from educated guesswork. The show can still be rescued, but it's in a risky and unstable situation at the moment.
Suri
The second part of this season seems like it's hit a horrible arc. The new antagonist has left me wanting to just skip that arc so we can just get on with the rest of the season before it ends already. Instead of having the main characters continue to battle against the other legions, we now see them struggling against some underclassmen? It kinda feels like are right back to beginning and all those battles were a waste. It seems as though the including Chiyu in the drama really did the anime bad than interesting. The anime is close to finishing up it's season and at this point, I am hoping that there is a second season for this anime, since because there is still so much that needs to be done. I will keep watching it, but I fear that the ending will leave a sour taste in my mouth.
Binbougami ga!
akinari-kun
This show is hands-down one of the funniest things I've seen in awhile. The perfect blend of drama, slapstick comedy and melodramatic humour makes this show an absolute blast to watch. Binbougami ga! manages to take a relatively simple, lifeless and cliche idea, and turn it into something truly unique. I'm a sucker for cute girls like Ichiko, and I'm also a sucker for slapstick comedies. Combine the two together and we have a winner. With that being said, the story is progressing at a very steady rate. Being a comedy it's thrown a couple curveballs here and there, including the above mentioned drama, which came as a total surprise to me. Having a more brilliantly executed, serious underlying purpose, masked by tear-jerking humour is something that rarely comes by. So far so good.
Suri
Ichiko has to be Kana Hanazawa's funniest role in her career. We were always accustomed to seeing her voice the moe or serious characters. So with Ichiko, we start to see why Kana-chan is racking up so, many lead roles. The animators did a good job with not piling on the characters too quickly. I hate it when a cast it rushed too quickly just so the anime can get on with it's plot. Binbougami ga!'s episodes seem to flow well even with all the random slapstick moments. What really gets me laughing so much are the random Dragonball references that are placed throughout the anime. I've seen other comedies that rely too much on it's slapstick only to ignore it's plot, thus leaving me thinking that the episode went nowhere. Surprisingly, Binbougami ga! isn't the most popular comedy in Japan. That honor belongs to Joshiraku. If you are a fan of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, then you will love this anime.
Campione!
akinari-kun
You like kissing yes? Then this is the show for you. Guaranteed to have a kissing scene in nearly every episode, if not every single episode. This is the kind of show that I find a hard time grasping the concept, in regards to whether or not I'm supposed to take this show seriously or not. It's presented in a confusing manner, where, similar to the above show Binbougami ga! many different traits are brought forth, including drama, humour, and some seriously sexy ero. The issue here is however, these traits aren't exactly integrated very effectively. The drama isn't very dramatic, the humour doesn't really make me laugh, so essentially the only thing that makes this show worth watching is the provocatively sexy female characters, but even that's censored, so why even bother watching this show? A harem centered around a god who doesn't act like a god, with godly powers and no clear motive, is doomed to fail. On the bright side, there's always the uncensored Blu-rays?
Suri
Campione! is one of those harem/comedy animes that uses a kissing to unlock a special hidden power that pretty much is overpowered and use that to defeat the bad guys. The main heroine, Erica, changes from tsundere to dere-dere too quickly for my taste. At least we are treated to a moe' shrine maiden played by Kana Hanazawa. As far as the plot goes, the whole guy and girl have sexy powers thing is kinda getting boring for me. We have too many of those this season. The humor mostly comes from the random, embarrassing moments between Erica and Godou. The action scenes are good but seem rather short. I can't really remember them well, so I guess they aren't so memorable either, but at least the visuals are nice. Fans of harems should try and give this a chance, just don't go in expecting amazing actions scenes.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita
akinari-kun
With its slightly odd-to-pronounce title and interesting art style, my seinen fantasy anime can't be this weird! One question I find myself constantly asking while watching this show is, is there such a thing as "too weird?" Apparently not. It's certainly a kick-in-the-groin, albeit a very strange and pleasurable one (masochist please), when compared to the rest of the shows this season. It's a show that's fully of surprises. Oh and did I mention it's a strange? I mean, evil hairless and headless chickens running a factory, little magical fairies, set in a dystopian future. Unfortunately there hasn't been much insight into why the world has declined into a 17th century-esque society, and I don't expect there to be, but it would've been nice if humanity's decline had been shown. One must seriously pay close attention to the show in order to be rewarded, there's so many miniscule details and symbolism which makes the show come alive. Jinrui is a strangely invigorating show filled with dark humour and utter weirdness that's just one of the most understated shows of the year.
Suri
Humanity has Declined was the first anime that I saw for this season. I went into it thinking that it might just be one of those animes that are cutesy with a sprinkle of happy sunshine and fairies. Well, I was almost right. Those sprinkles happen to have a bit of darkness in it that really warps the way you see "cute". The first two episodes, I very much enjoyed the dark humor, Watashi's sarcasm and, of course, those damn chickens. From episode 3 and on, it seems like the series has lost a bit of that shock factor that really made the first two episodes awesome. I am really hoping that this show picks up and finishes strong. It's one of animes that quickly get discarded by someone just because it looks cute on some pictures of it. This is one anime that I am rooting for since the beginning of the season. Watashi is an interesting character who seems like a sweet girl, but underneath the smile is a grin that spits out sarcasm. I'm glad to see Mai Nakahara back and being able to voice Watashi who reminds me of a mix between Nagisa (Clannad) and Rena (Higurashi). Both of those characters are roles Mai Nakahara has played in the past. If you are a fan of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei then you should really give Humanity has Declined a chance.
Joshiraku
akinari-kun
Complete nonsensical humour to the max, I mean really, just watch the OP and ED sequence! It may not be worth watching for anything more than the laughs, but that in itself is worthwhile, as this is some real amusing stuff.
Suri
Joshiraku is already one of the most popular comedies in Japan right now even though we are just half way into it's season. I'd be lying to you if I said that it's one of the most funniest shows that I've seen, because most of their jokes are intended for Japanese only. Majority of the show takes place inside a room where the girls take turns firing back jokes at each other. So, you best be careful, or the jokes will fire right over your head. In order to get the jokes, you will need to know about Japanese locations, kanji, and Japanese history. If you like cute girls acting weird, then this might be your cup of tea. If you are looking for a good laugh, well you might find some things funny but be a bit confused as to what they are talking about.
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate
akinari-kun
One of my favourite shows this season hands-down. This show is a very clever one, if that makes any sense at all. At first, it disguised itself as a typical visual novel adaptation with all the traits of a silly romance-filled harem. As the show progressed, different sides of the story were shown, revealing a much deeper themes, boosting the character interaction and plot progressions to the maximum degree. The potential is there, and I'd have to say KoiChoco is using that potential to the fullest at this point in the show. The first stumbling blocks have been defeated, the rest of the show will be key to the final conclusion which determines the success of this wonderfully remarkable show.
Suri
KoiChoco just might have this season's best cast of characters. It seems like each time I see a new heroine, I just can't wait to see anything about her back story. But, the main problem with this anime is that it is scheduled to have only 13 episodes in it's season. This anime needs to take up this season and the next to really bring out the magic out of each character. I am sad to say that I don't even know anyone's name. The only one that I can think of is Chisato and Yuuki, since they always make fun of his name. I am really hoping that KoiChoco can manage to get a second season so that they can show us more about the other girls. If not, I hope they can manage to overcome the lack of episodes and really amaze us with a great ending.
Kokoro Connect
akinari-kun
Kokoro Connect arguably offers the most unique story out of all the shows airing this season. What happens when supernatural traits and romance traits are mixed in with a K-On!-esque slice-of-life comedy? Kokoro Connect happens, featuring a group of friends who swap souls at random. I was rather skeptical with the concept at first, but a couple episodes in, this body-swapping works like a charm, and really works to bring the characters closer together, strengthening their bonds of friendship. What I love about this show so far is a deeper, underlying meaning, where each individual character is trying to discover their true self, and how the soul cannot be measured by appearance. This adds a totally three dimensional feel when watching this show, and it allows the viewer to delve increasingly deeper into the story, making the viewer one with the characters. All the occurrences the characters face all seem very realistic and believable, to the point where it becomes emotional to watch certain scenes of happiness or sadness. All in all, Kokoro Connect presents a great story with an even better group of characters. It's currently at the top of my summer season favourites, let's hope it stays there for the rest of the season with 50% of the show left to go.
Suri
Kokoro Connect is probably one of the best animes to come out this year. The anime is about five students in a club who are experiencing some supernatural miracles. Even though these experiences tend to push them close to the edge, it always seems to be best to fix their friendships. The anime will pull you into it's plot and tug at your heart's strings. Even though it's impossible to experience such supernatural events, I can relate to some of their situations and problems that these High School students are going through. The cast happens to be voice by two of some of my favorite seiyuus out there, Aki Toyasaki as Iori Nagase and Miyuki Sawashiro as Himeko Inaba. Kokoro Connect still has a some more episodes until it's finale, so we'll definitely still be watching till the very end. Fans who like K-On!'s art but want something with a darker theme should surely check this out!
Kono Naka ni Hitori Imouto ga Iru!
akinari-kun
My little sister can't b- wait, who's my sister again? This show essentially revolves around a rather unintelligent male lead, attempting to find out who his real long lost sister is in order to prevent marrying her. It's a simple story, and themes are rather repetitive, so it certainly can get rather tiring to watch the same things over and over again, I mean just find your damn sister already! Putting that aside, there's a bit of mystery, a bit of romance and drama mixed in somewhere, but really, I'm watching the show for the character design and all the cute girls.
Suri
NAKAIMO, is one of those animes that I watch it for the fanservice. Even though they added some mystery, it really just comes down to the cute girlies in the show. I don't have a favorite right now since it kinda makes it hard to choose. It is one of those harem animes that has the main guy explore the different girl's in order to find out who really is his long lost little sister. If he fails then he will end up marrying his little sister and possibly bring down his late father's company. I recommend this anime to anyone looking for moe', fanservice, a bit of mystery, or if you are a fan of some of today's young seiyuus.
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
akinari-kun
Here we have the obligatory mecha show of the season. Now, I've never had a chance to play the Muv-Luv or Muv-Luv Alternative visuals novels, so my opinion of this show will be based solely on the anime itself. As I'm sure everyone can recall, the first two episodes of the show involved quite an unusual amount of gore and despair in general. I for one have never seen a mecha anime with so much blood and spine-chilling terror involved. The way everything is presented in those first two episodes is really quite a shocker, in a positive sense so to speak. The next few episodes slowly build up character relationships and painstakingly slowly leak us information on each of the pilot's backgrounds. I'm quite fond of this show, since all the pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together and I'm sure once some real action scenes start happening, the excitement factor will jump up quite high.
Suri
I've never played the visual novels before, so I went into this anime thinking it was a coming of age story about a girl having hard times at a mecha academy an eventually becoming this awesome student and surpassing her classmates. Well, I was almost right about the whole surpassing her classmates part. The first episode introduced us to Yui, a student at a military school in Japan and how she was striving to be a great mecha pilot. The next episode really took the series and turned it upside down on us. There were some pretty disturbing scenes that left me rather speechless and excited for more. But, after that it felt like the series was starting off new again by going into the future and introducing us to new characters all over again. It was almost as though my excitement was pulled down all over again and has to start over from scratch. I was almost thinking of dropping the show, but now the show seems to be picking up where it left me in the second episode. Oh, and Mamiko Noto playing a loli is always nice. If you are a fan of mecha, military, gore, or action, then Muv-Luv Alternate: Total Eclipse is for you.
Sword Art Online
akinari-kun
First things first, I am absolutely thrilled whenever I watch this show. The thought of being able to essentially be yourself in an MMORPG is a very exciting idea, but being unable to exit the game is the exact opposite. Sword Art Online has taken an abstract idea and created it into a fully-fledged anime with various themes. The action is there, very fast-paced and adrenalin-filled. The quality of the show's setting is second-to-none, thanks to the way the plot is setup where each level of the game is a different "floor". One issue I'm having with this show so far, is how the plot progressions are being put in place. The timeline is somewhat of a mess, making it difficult for the viewer to keep up. I would much rather have a single continuous motive in the plot, rather than having so many "mini-arcs", so to speak, pop up out of nowhere. The characters appear and disappear, which is a little disappointing since no strong character interactions are really evident. It is understandable however, since the light novels tell the story retroactively, making it difficult to adapt into an anime, which is what has been done. The timeline isn't too late to salvage, so it'd be a good idea to wait and see what goodies are in store for the coming episodes, including some developing romance which we've seen in the latest episodes.
Suri
Sword Art Online is probably the most hyped series coming into this season. The idea of having to be stuck in a game and literally fighting for your life is something that quickly caught my attention and I'm sure yours as well. I've never read the novels before, but fans who have said that this anime adaptation is moving too fast and cutting out important things that are in the novels. Right now, the anime is in the "introduction" stage where it is still trying to introduce some important character that will later impact the story down the line. This anime still has a ways to go, so it's still too early to really get into it just yet. One thing I'm not liking though is that Kirito is just too strong right now that it doesn't leave much room to make him grow into a great character. So far, the only big issue with him right now is that he is losing people who get too close to him. So, maybe him having a huge advantage over the others is his weakness?
Tari Tari
akinari-kun
I had my doubts about this show when I first watched it. It really came off as nothing more than a generic slice-of-life high school show. Other than great animation, there wasn't really anything that pulled me in. It's supposedly a show about music, however music hasn't been brought into the main spotlight. I guess it could either be a good or a bad thing. With shows like K-On!, the plot revolves around music, whereas a show like this, music revolves around the plot. Tari Tari is by no means a bad show, I'm just a little puzzled at what exactly the main focus of the show is, since it's difficult for me to grasp. Nevertheless, character interactions are progressively becoming stronger, with the few episodes acting like an extended introduction to put all the characters on the same page. Each character has his or her own troubles which they are trying to overcome, so in another less prominent sense, this show could be about the coming of age, though it's more of an idea rather than a major theme. This show is becoming progressively deep, grabbing the viewer and pulling us into the world of the characters, something which I enjoy very much. Let's see where this show gravitates to from this point on.
Suri
I like Slice of Life animes. But, Tari Tari is one of those that I just can't seem to get into. I don't know if it's the characters or if it's the pacing that is making me lose my interests in the anime. It's almost like this anime doesn't know what direction it's suppose to take. Either the music direction where the girls are trying to revive the new choir club or go into the drama side of losing a member of the family. The anime seems like it's not making any progress. It still feels like we are stuck on episode 1 trying to get the club going and get Wakana to finally join. The characters don't seem to really mix in with each other either. Even though Wakana and Sawa have different hairstyles, they almost have the same hair color which makes me forget who is who. As for the male characters, they seem out of place. Maeda, the transfer student, doesn't get much screen time. So, Maeda seems is more like a supporting character than a main character. Taichi, badminton guy, gets some screen time, but not nearly as much as all the other girls do. It's almost as though Tari Tari first intended to be with only female characters at first and then the producers later added male members in. Saori Hayami voicing Sawa is the only reason I'm still watching this anime.
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