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I don't know what's with KyoAni lately, but they keep undershooting my expectations. KnK had shitty writing, Free2 was riddled with melodrama and both it and Chuuni overstayed their welcome, Amagi Brilliant Park was the fanservicey kind of nonsense I'd expect JC Staff to pick up, and Hibike Euphonium was kinda boring, despite not having bad writing and production. It was really great at first, but then it never picked up the pace. I know I said I wished K-On had more actual music, but applying this to orchestral music here didn't really do anything for me. Each time show dealt with actual music and ... practice I just wanted it to skip to the character development, conflict and drama instead, or even random comedy gags. Didn't think I'd see the day when I'd call the music in KyoAni show mediocre. I don't hate orchestral, nor do I particularly like it, but I do love modern orchestral. And this wasn't modern at all, and I feel it would have benefited from it.

As far as the actual story goes, there's nothing to talk about, as it's LN based and suffers from being underdeveloped and unfinished. We met some characters, learned about their relationships, there was some ship tease, some drama, half of which was okay, half of it meh, then there was a lot of practicing and a concert finale and... that's it really, nothing touching, nothing memorable, nothing engaging or compelling, at least to me. There wasn't enough conflict, and what conflict there was most often felt petty. I suppose it was a story about trying really hard, but that theme has been so overdone by shounens that I'm kinda tired of it, and Euphonium doesn't really make a compelling case for it. It's just okay regardless of how I look at it.

The highlight of the show is that it had some characters that were really really great, namely Kumiko, Reina and Asuka, which pretty much carried the show. I also loved the way Noboru was portrayed, but I can't help feeling his character wasn't explored enough to realize its potential. Kumiko-Reina relationship was by far my favorite part of Euphonium, so not having any of that really resolved by the end felt rather disheartening. Overall, an okay show is not what I would expect from KyoAni.

Unlike first season, it failed in the balance between silly magical logic / naive plot and amount of awesome needed to properly excuse it with rule of awesome. Amount of awesome is slightly less than first season, while amount of the former is considerably higher. The disparity is almost enough for the whole thing to fall apart.

So what this results in, is that one moment I'm like ''oh fml this is so retarded/naive I can't possibly recommend this to anyone'' and then next moment I'm like ''fuck me this is so fucking awesome everyone should see this''. First season had more of the latter, ... second season has more of the former. It could have also worked if it tried to be less dramatic, then it would genre shift into a silly moe comedy with awesome concert battles, and it would be excused one half with rule of funny and other half with rule of awesome.

Some scenes and episodes in second season are really good and really enjoyable to watch. If you're in it just for the moe, you'll have an easier time enjoying it. If you're in it for the story and original setting, you will probably have a hard time not quitting. If you're in it for the awesome and liked the first season, definitely give second season a shot.

Music wise, It's slightly disappointing that most songs are the same ones from first season, but if we count OP/ED, I think there are 4 new ones. OP is not as good as s1, but isn't bad I suppose. ED is quite close to being as good as s1. Other two songs seem okay, but all the really awesome ones are the same ones from s1.

What this show needs is less talk of succession, radiance, elections, competitive spirit, center nova, and the magic of their succession system... and more of political, psychological and social aspect of entertainment ban, and actual fight against it. Then it would have even been a masterpiece.

I at first dropped this after 8 episodes as it was getting progressively worse. Characters weren't clever enough and there's no spotlighting where it was needed so the story seemed a bit naive.

The idea seemed to be to put slice of life characters through a non-everyday problem and then watch them fail their way through their ordinary lives affected by the supernatural problem. Considering the idea itself, first problem they faced was kinda fun to watch, had some potential, and wasn't handled badly but the second one just felt like an obvious and lame plot device, it seems forced in a way and characters ... all get negative because they can't deal with the problem because they are stupid and non creative. I guess I was bothered by plot logic in a way?

At some point around middle there was a really cool opportunity for a genre shift into something a lot darker that could have made the story a lot better for me. Romance is at first fun but then becomes exceptionally bad and infuriating to watch. Characters are essential for a slice of life derivative such as this, and Kokoro Connect at first seemed good, but then failed halfway through with both characters and story.

I later got talked into finishing it regardless of disliking it, so I watched it up to episode 13, but I didn't feel it got considerably better in any way.

Title is a bit misleading. At first glance it sounds like it could be some highly perverted harem or something, but truth is just the opposite. In fact there's no blunt fanservice at all. The catch is that Sakurasou is not a person but a place. Romance mentality is very anime-ish (indecisive nearly asexual beta male, but it makes more sense than usual). However, with that said, it's still one of the best romance anime, on similar level with Toradora. This is mostly due Mari Okada being in charge of script and series composition for both of them, and with being in the same genre ... they end up feeling similar, but note that they do have different writers when it comes to source material.

It's hard for me to be objective about Sakurasou because I'm as target audience as it gets. It's like they asked me what kind of romance comedy anime I'd prefer to watch, and then made it to my specs,... almost. Pretty much every complaint I had had some sort of excuse to be found about it. All I can say is don't expect too much from the ending, it's the journey that matters here, not the destination, though that said, I did love the ending myself. Also note that this is adaptation of an unfinished novel series, while Toradora is an adaptation of a finished work. So naturally, one shouldn't expect an actual resolute ending in Sakurasou.

How do we know when romantic comedy is doing it right? When you're crying and laughing at the same time. Same as with Toradora, the animation, sound and visuals are very dynamic and in perfect harmony. Animation quality is just beautiful to look at, and character design is absolutely amazing, both visually and personality-wise, it has pretty much all the qualities that made Toradora great. Soundtrack and OPs/EDs are awesome. Voice acting is god tier.

How much you'll love this anime, depends on where you draw you disbelief line. It depends on your taste, and it will decide if you'll be annoyed by half of the stuff that happens or if you'll enjoy every second of it. Moe is god tier as well, I don't even know why. It took me 2-4 episodes to figure this anime out and really start enjoying it fully, so I'd say that the 3ep rule applies. I'm finding it incredibly difficult to compare this with Clannad and Haganai, as in which deserves a higher grade. Because Haganai is great in a totally different way, and it's been too long since I've seen Clannad for me to say anything for sure. Finally an anime that deserves as many episodes as it has, and doesn't waste a single one (again, kinda like Toradora in that regard).

After discussing this anime a lot with bobduh, I'd like to add that writing itself is not very good in Sakurasou, unlike in Toradora. But then again, neither is it in Clannad and yet it very much succeeds in it's goals of making the audience experience a huge range of emotions very effectively, and is famous for it. I argued that writing isn't everything there is to an anime, and that even with imperfect writing this is still a great anime overall. Still, it really depends on the following questions: are you romantic type, one that wants to be emotionally manipulated by the show, to be brought to tears. Are you willing to forgive its writing/narrative flaws to embrace and enjoy it in an intended way? If so, then it's an anime for you. Or in other words, if you liked Toradora and Clannad, chances are you'll love this. If you're very critical, and care mostly just for story, chances are you'll both love and hate this.

If you want actual detailed review of why this show is awesome, bobduh covers it quite well (google: wrongeverytime oregairu). Or if you prefer to stick with me keep reading:

It starts off with a premise similar to Haganai, but is completely different. To start off, it's not harem. Also it's way more serious. Primary reason why this is awesome is clever character dialogue, and a touch of philosophy. Story-wise it's quite ordinary high school stuff, but it's characters and their personalities being clever that make this stand out, and that make it really enjoyable. Relatable protagonist and plot also help, but that's assuming you weren't ... the popular kid in class. OP/ED are great. There's definitely hints of romance being thrown around. Though with ''romantic'' being part of the title, one could expect a bit more romance overall, or if not that, then at least that show would be more oriented towards resolving those tensions in more fulfilling way. However, this was based on an ongoing LN so it's understandable.

Aww it's only 12 min per episode. But I quite like it. Silly little stupid comedy but the art style is kinda nice, even if it's cheap. Design of Muromi is what got me hooked (get it? ok, I'll show myself out).

...She just looks visually amazing (or I might be just weak to that particular nuance of green hair... yeah). But the humor is genuinely funny so I like it for that. I wish it was more solid, plot and duration wise, like Ika-musume, but this is charming in it's own way.


And it keeps getting better towards the middle, I almost fell of ... the chair laughing around episodes 3 and 4. Mid season was good as well, but unfortunately, the show starts going downhill after episode 6, as it doesn't feel as inspired anymore. So later episodes are quite meh.

Overall, it's way too ecchi and that's its biggest problem. Ecchi just wasn't necessary in this show, it doesn't make it any better, it just takes away from it. Along with second half not living up to first, it's not something I can easily recommend, other than maybe watching first 4 episodes for the kicks.

"Tried to watch this because of artwork I saw. I was hoping for something like KamiNomi, but it's way more like Sekirei, except a little more crazy, which is good. If it was even more crazy it would be bad enough to be good again probably. But idk, it didn't seem like a straight out parody, more like just blunt fanservice with a touch of shounen, same like Sekirei."...

...is the wrong impression you can get after seeing only one episode.

After seeing two or more, one realises that the show doesn't really take itself seriously at all. Rather, it has a serious plot at times, ... but at the same time, it isn't making any pretenses as to its ridiculousness. From the silliness of the ''hot spring'' episode to the imouto-crazed second in command and then some, the show is definitely not pretending to be anything more than it is. The girls are all fantastically designed and have great fighting abilities, the action is good, the humor rarely misses its mark, etc. If you're not the type of person who pooh-poohs at anything that isn't some hugely intellectual deconstruction and can actually enjoy anime that is so quintessentially anime to be basically a self-contained definition of the medium, I would not miss Date-a-Live.

I enjoyed it. It was, to me, a strange mixture of ''so bad it's good'' syndrome and moe. The show seemingly takes its outrageous plot too seriously and it's quite hilarious, but at the same time there's a bunch of cute girls and there are a lot of good jokes. There is a serious plot somewhere in there, and I guess its okay, but the overall tone of it was fairly silly. Its an interesting experience, I would say watch at least 2 episodes, cause with the first you won't get the full idea of the show.

Overall, it's like Hanasaku Iroha without more episodes than it needs, and with music as it's central thematic. It's primarily a drama and only then slice of life comedy. Production quality makes this a real pleasure to watch. It's perfectly balanced in all regards. There's excellent moe as well, but one that wouldn't be able to annoy anyone.

Which brings us to a great point, that this is completely free from all the otaku stuff, but it still succeeds in completely keeping it's anime charm. If you're not into dramas, this might seem like too much praise. If you prefer fast paced crazy or ... hilarious stuff with action, then stay clear from this as it's the complete opposite. Story isn't epic with amazing plot twists, but it's a real pleasure to watch and characters are very deep and really great.

Another interesting thing is that it doesn't deal with romance, there's very very little romance involved, and it's not even teased in a wrong way (like Hyouka). And on top of that, the music is great. It features several story arcs. Story progression feels natural, and culmination at the end also delivers. Definitely the best non romantic non otaku drama anime I've seen so far.

I had no idea what I was going into, literally, I didn't know to expect a harem. And at first it seemed like a love triangle anime, and it was what first 4 episodes were about. And they were really really great! Then after that, with introductions of other girls, quality fell off. Some silly things started happening. It wasn't terrible but it was a sharp contrast to how great first arc was. But then when things settled into place, it just keeps getting better all the way to the end, and ends up surpassing the first arc.

It has great characters, with actual development ... (at least some of them). It's cute and funny, it has a distinct visual style that was pulled off well. It has high production quality. Great OP/ED. Great voice acting. But where it really shines among other anime, is that in the second half it takes itself seriously. It actually takes a bite at the harem genre and freaking deals with it! And deals with it well. Not in the School Days kind of way, but second closest thing to seriousness.

The whole harem setting is set up in an impressively believable way. The character dynamics just work. Though some of its tropes are stuff we've been seeing a lot lately in the genre, so I wouldn't say it's a deconstruction of the genre, but it the next best thing. I'd say this is the best harem anime. The only ones in league with it are Haganai and Korezom, but for completely different reasons. Haganai is incomplete so it cannot be fairly compared yet. And KoreZom is a parody full of craziness. And School Days is a full on deconstruction.

Mayo Chiki is generic traditional harem done right. In comparison to that, Oreshura is not something I'd classify as generic harem. It's a step above that. It's a great romcom that happens to tell a story that falls into a harem genre. But it goes so far and beyond in seriousness, quality writing and actual romance that it's a step above Mayo Chiki. But note that it is different from it, it even has no blunt fanservice. Fanservice is in the league with Sakurasou or Haganai, and maybe even tamer.

Season 2, ep 1-16:

An emotional rollercoaster done right. Damn I love them! There are still a couple of situations that I frowned upon that I'll address in the spoilers section.

Direction, art and animation, music and voice acting are all outstanding, and succeed in giving the show unique kind of charm and appeal. I heard people accusing this of shallowly pandering to unhealthy aspects of otaku culture. The second season, and especially last few episodes do an outstanding job at attacking and criticizing the said culture aspects, while still examining it from different viewpoints. However, the culture itself doesn't get presented in a way for ... outsiders to it to really get it, granted this would be ridiculously hard to pull off. This is clearly targeted at the otaku culture itself. It goes without saying that the possibility of incest is a theme that gets most of attention, however it's infinitely less shallow than many other incest themed anime out there.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

I did not expect it would be emotionally satisfying to see my favorite girl break down while being rejected. But the feels were so intense, and so well articulated via direction, art and dialogue, that it was easy to experience it with her, and for her. Overwhelming emotions in art are always a great experience, be they positive or negative.

Situations that I frowned upon: The way Manami was unphased by the Ruri/Kyousuke relationship, just for it to later turn out she was in love with him all along, as hinted much earlier on. The negative way Kirino first reacted to a confession made little sense considering how she intended to do it herself. And then she suddenly completely changes her mind just because Kyosuke worded it differently? A bit of a stretch. The support that they got from Kuroneko with the car speakers incident was a bit unthinkable. Considering how great her breakdown was, seeing her moving on that easily and helping her rival was strange. Why is she not pissed off? She was quite pissed off with her breakdown, when her plan both sinked and backfired, what exactly calmed her down and made her cooperative? That should have been addressed.

I loved the Manami showdown in the last episode. Her critical and clever mind, coupled with nice and pleasant exterior really make her an outstanding character. Instead of character development, we get to see and understand what's behind her facade, peeling back the layers and taking peeks inside her psyche, until it all comes down crashing and pouring down in the last episode. In adapting the novel, anime fails at the end of episode 8. Ruri's thoughts and intentions were misrepresented, and knowing this on time made a world of difference to me, and made the show deeper. Similar problem happens with the very ending. Taken on it's own, it's the worst ending in any show ever. Reading between the lines, with the help from the note by author, it starts making sense, c/p from a reddit comment:

''No. Not just that. It's clear from what he says, that ''1. I couldn't just write full retard incest end because editors''.''2. But I did what I could so that you get it anyway'', and ''3. If you still don't get what I'm saying, Kirino WINS FULL SCALE wink THEY HAVE A SHARED SECRET wink''

Personally I find it sad to see artistic expression limited by this kind of censorship.

I loved that the anime tried to make a point. And that point was that we don't choose who we love. And that this very fact can have brutal consequences. It also criticizes both incest, and social norms surrounding it. It even goes as far as criticizing eroge in stimulating this kind of behaviour.