Oct 4, 2013 2:57 PM
Summer 2013 Wrap-Up & Assorted Things
Anime Relations:
Kiniro Mosaic, Golden Time
1. Railgun S: Was consistently in first place through the entire season and ended it that way. We went from the Sisters arc to an ITEM filled arc, and ITEM is one of my favorite parts of the entire franchise. Taking into account the fanservice filled finale episode (Shokuhou cameo!), we've got a contender for the show of the year on our hands here.
Final Score: 9.5
2. Tamayura 2: Tamayura: More Aggressive (while still not particularly aggressive) did just what it set out to do - be exceptionally cute and relaxing. They even made Potte likable. I hated Potte the first go-around. Somehow the introduction of Kanae and the interactions with the other characters worked out for her. Good job, Potte. Feel free to come back again.
Final Score: 8.8
3. Monogatari 2nd Set: It took until the final two weeks to get us some Nadekos, but even before that, this show was actually... really good. The Hanekawa arc was solid, but the Shinobu-centric Mayoi Jiangshi story was closer to standard shonen stuff than the empty wordy nothings I've become accustomed to from *Monogatari.
Score: 8.4
4. Toriko: This season was all about the Four Beast, one of the manga's weakest arcs. It was adapted about as well as one could hope. I think the Cooking Fest comes next. I really don't know what the manga is trying to accomplish with its direction recently.
Score: 8.2
5. Love Lab: Slapstick is always a great way to go. The characters (except for square-glasses) grew on me as the series progressed. I liked meeting Riko's family and their interactions, not so much the newspaper club. My feelings on Dakky are... mixed. He's the kind of guy that generally steals a show, instead he just stood there and took it. Poor... guy?
Final Score: 7.7
6. Servant x Service: Started out around a 7.5 and pretty much ended around there too. I thought I would like Hasebe more than I did, same with the talking pink rabbit. Nope. Lucy was the best part. That surprised me.
Final Score: 7.7
7. Kiniro Mosaic: This year has been light on blob fare, so we'll take it where we can get it. Shino, Alice and the red one never really did anything for me. Ayaya was my favorite, with the silly teacher in second. Karen was the puntable one. If they come back, I think this could be a very enjoyable sequel. Just... less Shino and less Alice.
Final Score: 6.6
8. Fate/Kalied Liner Prisma/Ilya: Had potential but never quite put everything together. I think they're bringing it back and adding Dark Ilyas.
Final Score: 6.4
9. Going Home Club: The bizarre airing schedule didn't help. GHC tried to be this season's slapstick and boke/tsukkomi extravaganza but it just never went anywhere. The characters were static, flat, and wholly uninteresting, and none of the situations really lent themselves towards actual humor. For some reason, this show is not actually done airing yet, and could see itself drop a little further. Natsuki's the only one I particularly like watching.
Score: 6.3
10. Rozen Maiden 3: This season was light on the bizarre comedy that made Rozen Maiden what it was, and that is because of criminally underused Suiseisekis. If a ~desu count doesn't even reach triple-digits, did you guys even try? Kanaria did her best to bring levity, but Kanaria isn't very interesting. I also thought they managed to undersell Kirakishou's batshit craziness somehow.
Final Score: 6.3
11. Symphogear G: Symphogear's biggest problem was the lack of a good villain. Dr. Ver was so outrageously cartoony and impossible to take seriously, that it made for a straight up bad viewing experience. I never really liked Chris but Hibiki was never an issue for me, she was a watchable heroine.
Final Score: 6.3
12. Kami Nomi III: The plan for this season was to minimize Elsie's screentime and up the seriousness. Why? Elsie is the best one and Haqua is just generic tsundere interest #11,440. Old Hell's plotting to overthrow New Hell to go back to the Hell we all know and love and I could not give a damn.
Final Score: 6.2
13. Silver Spoon: Managed to have moments of brightness and silliness interspersed into some generally dull material. Somehow they're getting another 12 episodes out of it, and I'm not exactly sure how. I really never learned anyone's names outside of Hachiken and the overweight capitalist girl.
Final Score: 6.1
14. Milky Holmes 3: Completely unworthy of the Milky Holmes name. It took place in the same universe and the girls made cameos, but that was it. I know this is closer to what the Milky Holmes staff had in mind to start with, but I mean... it's just not good, you know? I would absolutely welcome a comeback of the retarded girls Detective Squad, and not this Galaxy Angel Rune equivalent.
Final Score: 5.1
15. Watamote: Most of the time this show tried to be funny, it just ended up being cringe-inducing instead. Tomoko will have a shot at claiming the "Grossest" award at this year's awards post though.
Final Score: 4.6
16. C3 Airsoft Club: This show was about a club of girls who played airsoft. There is no reason drama or angst should be figuring into a show like this. That is a swift ticket to a bottom five finish in just about any season. I thought we had an interesting thing going with the reality-warping, if other people could sense it, but it was never heard from again after episode 5.
Final Score: 4.5
----------------------------
The five most memorable characters new to Summer 2013, keeping in mind BBcode still doesn't work on MAL.
Most of the shows this season were straight up sequels or spin-offs. Not a lot of room for new characters, and the ones that were new weren't really all that memorable.
5. Lucy, Servant x Service: None of the SxS characters really stood out all that much (not even Hasebe, who one would think would be my favorite). Poor Lucy, being forced into the outfit and sent on that date, probably gets the nod. Yes, even over the section chief.
4. Pork Bowl, Silver Spoon - Rest in peace, little pig, you were delicious.
3. Maki(o), Love Lab - The elegant princess of Fuji Girls High ended up being... well, a buffoon. I'm not sure what my favorite Maki moment was, but it was probably any time she was beaten repeatedly with a paper fan.
2. Karen, Kiniro Mosaic - Mostly credit for Pirate Karen in episode 12. Regular Karen generally annoyed me.
1. Aya(ya), Kiniro Mosaic - The twintailed blobular tsun frontrunner for blob of the year.
----------------------------
On tap for Fall 2013:
Blazblue: Alter Memory (Sure to win Best Tager Award)
Golden Time (Kaga Kouko: #1 most aesthetically pleasing design)
Infinite Stratos 2 (What countries will we meet this time around?)
Kyoukai no Kanata (No idea what to expect)
Little Busters Refrain (who is ready for angst and crying and wafuus?!)
Magi 2 (the return of Morgiana!)
Monogatari 2nd Season (continuing, more Nadekos)
Teekyuu 3 (more retarded than ever!)
Toriko (continuing, eps 124 and on)
Yozakura Quartet 2 (DADADADADADADADA...) [Projected Winner]
Wait? That's all? That can't be right.
Final Score: 9.5
2. Tamayura 2: Tamayura: More Aggressive (while still not particularly aggressive) did just what it set out to do - be exceptionally cute and relaxing. They even made Potte likable. I hated Potte the first go-around. Somehow the introduction of Kanae and the interactions with the other characters worked out for her. Good job, Potte. Feel free to come back again.
Final Score: 8.8
3. Monogatari 2nd Set: It took until the final two weeks to get us some Nadekos, but even before that, this show was actually... really good. The Hanekawa arc was solid, but the Shinobu-centric Mayoi Jiangshi story was closer to standard shonen stuff than the empty wordy nothings I've become accustomed to from *Monogatari.
Score: 8.4
4. Toriko: This season was all about the Four Beast, one of the manga's weakest arcs. It was adapted about as well as one could hope. I think the Cooking Fest comes next. I really don't know what the manga is trying to accomplish with its direction recently.
Score: 8.2
5. Love Lab: Slapstick is always a great way to go. The characters (except for square-glasses) grew on me as the series progressed. I liked meeting Riko's family and their interactions, not so much the newspaper club. My feelings on Dakky are... mixed. He's the kind of guy that generally steals a show, instead he just stood there and took it. Poor... guy?
Final Score: 7.7
6. Servant x Service: Started out around a 7.5 and pretty much ended around there too. I thought I would like Hasebe more than I did, same with the talking pink rabbit. Nope. Lucy was the best part. That surprised me.
Final Score: 7.7
7. Kiniro Mosaic: This year has been light on blob fare, so we'll take it where we can get it. Shino, Alice and the red one never really did anything for me. Ayaya was my favorite, with the silly teacher in second. Karen was the puntable one. If they come back, I think this could be a very enjoyable sequel. Just... less Shino and less Alice.
Final Score: 6.6
8. Fate/Kalied Liner Prisma/Ilya: Had potential but never quite put everything together. I think they're bringing it back and adding Dark Ilyas.
Final Score: 6.4
9. Going Home Club: The bizarre airing schedule didn't help. GHC tried to be this season's slapstick and boke/tsukkomi extravaganza but it just never went anywhere. The characters were static, flat, and wholly uninteresting, and none of the situations really lent themselves towards actual humor. For some reason, this show is not actually done airing yet, and could see itself drop a little further. Natsuki's the only one I particularly like watching.
Score: 6.3
10. Rozen Maiden 3: This season was light on the bizarre comedy that made Rozen Maiden what it was, and that is because of criminally underused Suiseisekis. If a ~desu count doesn't even reach triple-digits, did you guys even try? Kanaria did her best to bring levity, but Kanaria isn't very interesting. I also thought they managed to undersell Kirakishou's batshit craziness somehow.
Final Score: 6.3
11. Symphogear G: Symphogear's biggest problem was the lack of a good villain. Dr. Ver was so outrageously cartoony and impossible to take seriously, that it made for a straight up bad viewing experience. I never really liked Chris but Hibiki was never an issue for me, she was a watchable heroine.
Final Score: 6.3
12. Kami Nomi III: The plan for this season was to minimize Elsie's screentime and up the seriousness. Why? Elsie is the best one and Haqua is just generic tsundere interest #11,440. Old Hell's plotting to overthrow New Hell to go back to the Hell we all know and love and I could not give a damn.
Final Score: 6.2
13. Silver Spoon: Managed to have moments of brightness and silliness interspersed into some generally dull material. Somehow they're getting another 12 episodes out of it, and I'm not exactly sure how. I really never learned anyone's names outside of Hachiken and the overweight capitalist girl.
Final Score: 6.1
14. Milky Holmes 3: Completely unworthy of the Milky Holmes name. It took place in the same universe and the girls made cameos, but that was it. I know this is closer to what the Milky Holmes staff had in mind to start with, but I mean... it's just not good, you know? I would absolutely welcome a comeback of the retarded girls Detective Squad, and not this Galaxy Angel Rune equivalent.
Final Score: 5.1
15. Watamote: Most of the time this show tried to be funny, it just ended up being cringe-inducing instead. Tomoko will have a shot at claiming the "Grossest" award at this year's awards post though.
Final Score: 4.6
16. C3 Airsoft Club: This show was about a club of girls who played airsoft. There is no reason drama or angst should be figuring into a show like this. That is a swift ticket to a bottom five finish in just about any season. I thought we had an interesting thing going with the reality-warping, if other people could sense it, but it was never heard from again after episode 5.
Final Score: 4.5
----------------------------
The five most memorable characters new to Summer 2013, keeping in mind BBcode still doesn't work on MAL.
Most of the shows this season were straight up sequels or spin-offs. Not a lot of room for new characters, and the ones that were new weren't really all that memorable.
5. Lucy, Servant x Service: None of the SxS characters really stood out all that much (not even Hasebe, who one would think would be my favorite). Poor Lucy, being forced into the outfit and sent on that date, probably gets the nod. Yes, even over the section chief.
4. Pork Bowl, Silver Spoon - Rest in peace, little pig, you were delicious.
3. Maki(o), Love Lab - The elegant princess of Fuji Girls High ended up being... well, a buffoon. I'm not sure what my favorite Maki moment was, but it was probably any time she was beaten repeatedly with a paper fan.
2. Karen, Kiniro Mosaic - Mostly credit for Pirate Karen in episode 12. Regular Karen generally annoyed me.
1. Aya(ya), Kiniro Mosaic - The twintailed blobular tsun frontrunner for blob of the year.
----------------------------
On tap for Fall 2013:
Blazblue: Alter Memory (Sure to win Best Tager Award)
Golden Time (Kaga Kouko: #1 most aesthetically pleasing design)
Infinite Stratos 2 (What countries will we meet this time around?)
Kyoukai no Kanata (No idea what to expect)
Little Busters Refrain (who is ready for angst and crying and wafuus?!)
Magi 2 (the return of Morgiana!)
Monogatari 2nd Season (continuing, more Nadekos)
Teekyuu 3 (more retarded than ever!)
Toriko (continuing, eps 124 and on)
Yozakura Quartet 2 (DADADADADADADADA...) [Projected Winner]
Wait? That's all? That can't be right.
Posted by
Anise_Punter
| Oct 4, 2013 2:57 PM |
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