Rating System - Overall Opinion:
More bad than good = 1-4
Pretty much 50/50 = 5
More good than bad = 6-10
This is probably the seventh time I've adjusted my scoring policy, because I always come across a show that I find difficult to rate, and that ends up fucking with the entire system. Scores are pretty arbitrary anyways, so I'll keep them as broad as possible from now on.
Also, scores for dropped shows are to be taken with a grain of salt.
Very rough outline of how I rate stuff.
Anime ratings first consider enjoyment, then (in no particular order) characters, visuals, story, atmosphere, soundtrack, and genre. Manga and LNs are basically rated the same way, except soundtrack is not considered for obvious reasons.
I generally try to avoid bad shows, hence the high average. Especially for shows I watch while airing, if I don't think it has potential to be at least a 7, I'll probably drop it. Not gonna repeat the clusterfuck that was 2014, where I stuck with way too many shows that I had no business watching.
Quick rundown of my history with anime.
I started watching anime, recognizing that it was a distinct medium, in June 2013. My first was the infamous Sword Art Online, which I thought (despite confirming a lot of stereotypes I associated with anime) was unrealistically good. I was pretty surprised that anime was really entertaining, and was pretty happy to find even better shows out there.
Since I started anime, my tastes have been pretty broad. I watch and enjoy most genres. I'm not a completionist, and I drop most stuff I don't think are good. I also (try to) avoid bad shows. That's why most of my ratings are 8/10 or 7/10.
Non-MAL Manga (Reading/On-Hold):
1. Henai Girl [Webmanga?] (Chapters 10/-)
Miscellaneous Spinoffs and Oneshots:
1. Then, I'll Go First - 8/10
2. Musume-iri Hako - 8/10
3. RKD-EK9 - 7/10
4. Nani made nara Koroseru? - 5/10
5.The World God Only Knows: On the Train - 5/10
6. Keiko and Fuuko and the End of the World - 7/10
Dropped:
1. Counterattack, Demon King! (Ni Xi Ba Mo Wang!) [Manhua] (Chapters 12/-)
Anime Seasonal Impressions:
Here I talk vaguely (to avoid spoilers) about what I liked about, didn't like about, and why I drop shows.
Week 1 impressions only include premieres (i.e. no leftovers/sequels). Week 13 impressions include shows whose season finales have aired. Possible minor meta-spoilers in the Week 13 summaries, although I try to keep them to a minimum.
AOTY: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
Honorable Mention: Girlish Number
Worst Show Finished: Prince of Stride
Season Rankings: Fall > Winter > Spring > Summer
Best Visuals: Flip Flappers
AOTY: Land of the Lustrous
Honorable Mention: Kuzu no Honkai
Worst Show Finished: Akashic Records
Season Rankings: Fall > Winter > Summer > Spring
Best Visuals: Made in Abyss
Best OST: Made in Abyss
Pre-Season
Originals: A Place Further than the Universe, Darling in the Franxx, Toji no Miko
Adaptations: Fate/Extra, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, Mitsuboshi Colors, Violet Evergarden
Sequels: Overlord 2
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Thoughts:
- I half expect Toji no Miko to suck; no-name staff and the guy in charge of series composition don't inspiring much confidence. Still hoping for the best though
- Citrus in manga form isn't exactly good, and I expect the anime to be the same, so no watch for me
Week 1
Top-Tier: Yuru Camp
Pretty Good: Darling in the Franxx, Mitsuboshi Colors, Violet Evergarden
Fairly Good: Takunomi
Alright: A Place Further than the Universe, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, Toji no Miko
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Fate/Extra isn't airing until the end of the month, so it's excluded from this.
Week 6
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Dropped:
- Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san @ Episode 2: comedy is repetitive
- A Place Further than the Universe @ Episode 2: not a particular fan of the characters, comedy, or the art style, and it's too corny for my tastes
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Picked Up:
- Märchen Mädchen: has more than it's fair share of QUALITY, unfortunately. The narrative does however have an unexpected amount of heart, despite being sometimes clumsily executed.
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Continuing:
- Darling in the FranXX: I think this show has established itself as having pretty corny dialogue. But I do find the story/world interesting, and it's generally a fun watch, so I'm sticking around
- Fate/Extra (Episode 4): "Intriguing" is all I can really say, since the story is so wrapped up in mystery and unknowns at this point. Kind of messy in execution, but not to the point of being bad.
- Mahoutsukai no Yome: Pretty consistent; still the same show as 12 weeks ago
- Mitsuboshi Colors: after a weaker second episode, this show has risen to become one of the top shows this season. Gets a lot of points for nostalgia and all-around consistent, good comedy.
- Overlord 2: still a very solid show. I think I'm liking it more than season 1, which took me a bit to warm up to.
- Sangatsu no Lion 2: I feel like it's starting to lose it's charm.
- Takunomi: Has really grown on me. It's essentially a milder, slice-of-life Shokugeki no Soma.
- Toji no Miko: there's a lot of things I like about this show. There's also a lot holding it back. It's certainly improved in general, so we'll see how it goes.
- Violet Evergarden: It's okay. Story honestly isn't too impressive, but I think hope it'll get better.
- Yuru Camp: fuuuck this show is already half over
Week 13
What does it say when the best shows this season are SOL comedies? Is story-centric anime finally dead?
--- Fate/Extra: Fantasy mystery-action. Chyuu (1-7), Kooritsukai (8-10). It's always hard to have an opinion on incomplete shows. I'll give this arc the benefit of the doubt and assume everything unexplained will be explained in the next/finale arc this summer. But even with that in mind, this show still bit off more than it can chew, and is really rushed. Interesting, but leaves a lot to be desired. Märchen Mädchen: Fantasy comedy-drama. Crunchyroll. Obvious train-wreak of a production cycle aside, this show's still a mixed bag. You can pretty much separate it into three components: the grand plot that doesn't really kick in until episode 6 or 7 (and even then, is still a background thing), the character drama featuring mostly Hazuki that makes the core of the first act, and the comedy. The first just sucks. The second lacks polish, but I can't call it bad; I liked it quite a bit. The third is actually good: a hell of a lot better than what some self-proclaimed "comedies" can muster. I don't regret watching this show, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Mahoutsukai no Yome: Arc-based fantasy drama in a Celtic setting, with slice-of-life elements. Crunchyroll. A mixed bag. Pacing, both fast and slow, killed this show. Consequently, towards the end, the story feels shallow. In general, needs to take a page out of Sangatsu no Lion, and realize that it's okay to end an episode in the middle of a manga chapter. Setting is fantastic, but is only sometimes utilized well. Likes to use a visually-cliched representation of evil, unfortunately. Final arc was also of questionable quality, despite it's moments. Mitsuboshi Colors: Slice-of-life comedy mostly about kids doing dumb shit. Sentai. Man is this show relatable; what does that say about my childhood? It had a weaker start, and I didn't expect to like it as much, but damn did it turn out good. Overlord 2: Arc-based fantasy. Crunchyroll/Funimation/Scum. Just like the last, this season peaked towards the end. Take notes, Violet Evergarden: this is how you make side characters interesting. The show is essentially a better SAO, and delivers in most departments; goes to show you can have OP characters and a coherent story. Also, Evileye having the same VA as Nadeshiko entertains me to no end. Sangatsu no Lion 2: TBD Slow Start: CGDCT slice-of-life with light dramatic elements. Crunchyroll. Picked up late into the season. Quite the surprise. Holy fuck this show is sweet; I can't even watch more than one episode at a time. Pretty good writing and great chemistry between characters; definitely one of the top SOL shows I've seen. Takunomi: Slice-of-life comedy. Sentai. This show peaked in the middle. Unfortunately, suffers from Shokugeki-no-Soma/Koufuku-Graffiti-syndrome, where the core idea of the show begins to overstay its welcome by the end. Overall still liked it though. Violet Evergarden: Episodic-ish drama in an alt-history European setting. Vivid-Asenshi. Where's the literally award-winning story? Yeah, this show dropped the ball, and fairly early on too. Main story is awkwardly paced and pretty shallow, and most of the episodic stories are uninspired. Somehow Märchen Mädchen manages to have a more interesting dramatic narrative, despite its problems. Looks great, though. Yuru Camp: Iyashikei slice-of-life with comedy. Asenshi. When's the last time a show was fantastic from start to finish, without skipping a beat? Top-notch direction, atmosphere, comedic writing, music; really glad I picked this up on a whim.
Season Wrap-up:
AOTS: Yuru Camp
Honorable Mentions: Mitsuboshi Colors, Slow Start
Best OPs: Darling in the Franxx, Slow Start, Yuru Camp
Best EDs: Mitsuboshi Colors, Overlord 2
Best OST: Yuru Camp
Best Visuals: Slow Start, Violet Evergarden
Pre-Season
Sequels: Steins;Gate 0
Spin-offs: SAO Alternative GGO
Originals: Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai
Adaptations: Comic Girls, Golden Kamuy, Hinamatsuri, Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
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Holding off on Persona 5 because I'm about halfway through the game right now.
Skipping Tokyo Ghoul 3 because 2 was terrible.
Week 1
Rankings:
1. SAO Alternative GGO: wtf I love SAO now
2. Golden Kamuy: Bears aside, pretty good premiere. I think this one has the most potential.
3. Comic Girls: I think I like this style of comedy
4. Hinamatsuri: what in the hell am i watching
5. Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai: "let's make a romance featuring Nozaki-kun and a weeaboo, and Maki is literally a side character" no but actually, this one's fine so far
6. Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: not entirely sold yet; I'll give it a few
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