Dashiawia's Blog

Back to Dashiawia's Blog

This season looks quite promising so far, to my surprise. I'm going to be following quite a lot of shows from this season, or at least, that's the plan. How many shows I'll end up following will depend on the quality of the first three episodes, assuming that I liked the first. Here're my first impressions of the airing shows thus far.

Kyoukai no Kanata - A good start. The characters and setting are similar to that of Hyouka and Chuunibyou's. The fight scenes look well animated, too, as expected from KyoAni. How this will end up is still in the air, but as of now it's a very fun watch.
Update: Fuyukai-desu! Turned into a bloody mess by the second half.

Golden Time - Since this is written by the same author who wrote Toradora, I have high expectations for it. The college setting is a nice change of pace from the typical high school one; and the characters are looking pretty fun, too. Should be a very enjoyable series.
Update: A great combination of comedy and fun character interactions. Kouko can be a bit obnoxious at times, but she's an endearing character nonetheless. I have faith that she will mature throughout the series.

Kill la Kill - The art style, along with its over-the-top presentation are definitely reminiscent of TTGL's, which is a good thing considering that I did enjoy that one [albeit I also think it's a little overrated]. As one would expect, this show is all about the action and the fanservice; the plot has potential as well, but I don't see it going too far. Still, it's a fun show to watch if you liked TTGL or if you're an action fan.
Update: Mindlessly entertaining. Essentially a show to watch for the shits and giggles. For unadulterated enjoyment, it's a masterful work. The characters are surprisingly well-written. Not the best plot, though.

Infinite Stratos 2 - As someone who actually kinda enjoyed the first season, I figure I should watch the sequel just for the heck of it. Like, it's obvious that there won't be much of a plot going on in this show, so I will just turn off my brain and watch it for the cute girls. It's actually not too bad when Ichika's not acting like a clueless idiot (which, unfortunately, tends to happen a lot).
Update: A notable downgrade from season one. It would seem that, by increasing the amount of harem candidates, Ichika's denseness is also increasing proportionally. That, my friends, is never a good sign...

Yuushibu - This show is just awful. The abundant fanservice, coupled with archetypal characters did not leave me with a good impression at all. Since I doubt I will ever grow to like this show, I'm dropping it early.

Nagi no Asukara - The unique setting is certainly interesting, and the character dynamics are reminiscent of AnoHana's. Should be a nice romance/drama.
Update: The cute, relatable characters really make this show worth following. Hikari's character development is something to be lauded.

Strike the Blood - This is actually a pretty decent start. The setting's interesting, and the characters are pretty likable, too. The only thing I can see that might ruin the experience is the ecchi content, but as long as it stays tame (like it did this episode), then it should be fine.
Update: Has an average plot, but contains affable characters. It's an enjoyable harem show, with minimal fanservice. To me, that's always a plus. Also, Yukina's easily one of the most likable harem heroines I've seen to date.

Log Horizon - This is kinda petty. Not necessarily awful, but certainly lacks flavour. It's essentially a SAO carbon copy without the cute character designs. Going to give it a few more episodes before I decide to drop it.
Update: The plot is actually pretty decent, and I can somewhat appreciate the mature direction this show's taking. Unfortunately, the lack of interesting characters makes this one a hit-or-miss, as there's nothing in it that motivates me to watch it.

Freezing Vibration - Cool actions, but the unadulterated fanservice kinda undermines the former. Characters aren't exactly lovable either, which means its entire appeal comes from the action and ecchi. Not really desirable for my taste. But since a friend told me the story will get interesting this season, I'll take his word for it and keep watching for now.
Update: Cool fights and somewhat decent characters. The ecchi is abundant, but generally don't get in the way of making the fights look nice. None of the characters really stand out to me, though.

White Album 2 - Now this is what I would call a worthwhile drama. The premise isn't completely new, but it's not exactly generic either; it's interesting. I like how the protagonist feels proactive, rather than the unmotivated types we see in every other harems. The vibrant art style combined with a beautiful soundtrack also help to make it aesthetically pleasing. Definitely has potential to be something amazing.
Update: A simple premise that is brilliantly executed. Easily one of the most entertaining drama shows I've seen in some time.

Little Busters!: Refrain - As someone who didn't really love the prequel, I was rather dubious when I heard the amount of praise for the Refrain route of the visual novel. But so far, the anime sequel is certainly an improvement from the prequel in terms of drama, and I have faith that it will aspire to even greater heights if it's anything like Clannad: After Story.
Update: Certainly emotional, but also somewhat weaker than most other Key adaptations for me. Maybe it's the lackluster heroine cast that is preventing me from fully loving this series. The male characters, however, are all superb.

Magi: The Kingdom of Magic - Not a bad episode, but also not a good one. I've been informed that the first season was a mediocre rendition of the manga, due to some changed scenarios. Therefore, I'm afraid I don't have much hope for the sequel now that those changes are permanent. I will give it a try regardless, though.
Update: More enjoyable than season one so far. Morgiana's still the best character. I hope she gets more screentime, while Alibaba gets less.

Unbreakable Machine-Doll - This was actually pretty entertaining. Despite not liking the ecchi contents, I found the action scenes to be cool. I'm neutral on the protagonist, but the heroine is certainly cute.
Update: A rather enjoyable ecchi without too much fanservice. Has a nice plot too. Raishin's a competent protagonist, and the comedy is consistently funny. It's a decent watch.

Tokyo Ravens - Pretty enjoyable first episode overall. I don't see too much potential in the plot, but the characters should be enough to carry the show. Will likely be following this one.
Update: Not bad at all. It's slowly becoming more enjoyable now that the characters are growing on me. Still, Harutora's denseness is a bit ridiculous... He may be on his way to become a Ichika 2.0. That'd be awful.

NouCome - As awesome as this season has been so far, it's not without its fair number of shitty titles. This show rivals Yuushibu for being the worst title of the season out of the ones I've seen. Maybe I'm just not the biggest fan of perverted jokes when they're blatantly presented... Anyway, I'll probably give it a couple more episodes at most.
Update: So I tried one more episode and still hated it. I'll admit the absolute choice concept is original; too bad it's wasted on a generic harem/ecchi with retarded characters. And to add insult to injury, the comedy is beyond trite; I was stone-faced the entire time while watching this shit. Dropping it now before I regret wasting any more of my time.

Valvrave 2nd Season - Man, this show is so retarded that it's virtually impossible to hate it. Best comedy of the season by far (ironically).
Update: Hmm, this is a fun watch as long as you ignore the shitty writing. Taking it seriously would be unwise.

Outbreak Company - Picked it up after someone recommended it. The premise is kinda interesting and the characters are pretty likable too. Should be a decent show.
Update: A mixed bag for me. On one hand, we have fairly affable characters, along with an interesting concept; on the other hand, the plot is often muddled by pointless fanservice scenes and generic character interactions. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Kyousou Giga - Well, it's certainly unique, but none of the characters really interest me. Thus, it's difficult for me to care about the storyline. Dropping it for now.