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Ishura has a few weird things.

First thing, certain fights did not last long. It's one of the weird tropes where victory is decided in one or two exchanges. The excuses being, when there is a clear gap between two fighters' strengths, the fight would be settled quickly; and realistic fights, where both fighters go for the kill, don't go on for more than two or three exchanges. It's a very unpopular trope, obviously because we're all here to watch cool action of strong characters trading blows. Like imagine every boxing or MMA match always ends with a knockout in one exchange, no wrestle, no ... dodges, no guard, people would be bored of it quickly. Two characters we've spent multiple episodes being hyped up finally met, and their session ended in two blows. It's quite shocking ngl, because other fights lasted a little longer. The shock value is nice, but it also feels like a waste of time and buildup.

Second thing, Ishura avoids writing likeable characters. Now, we all know likeable characters does not equal good character. I personally enjoy watching flawed, realistic characters, and I think Ishura did pretty well on that front. The main girl is absolutely pathetic and insufferable, but she represents the toxic POV of normal people in contrast to the superhumans, which is important to the plot's theme. Almost every core character in this show is an asshole and it makes sense because in a battle royale, the participants have to desire killing each other. Due to the large number of characters introduced, there aren't any complex or deeply developed characters, but that's not the focus of the show.

Third thing, Ishura has an otherworldly theme that is not introduced properly. "The True Demon King has died. The enemy of the world was defeated by somebody..." Every episode starts with this line, but most of the time is spent on introducing core characters, rather than exploring the lore and implications behind this line. However, that does not directly degrade the viewing experience, it's kind of like a magic trick. There is no urgency to learn the lore because we're busy knowing the current characters and their situation. I think it's an interesting focus of the story.

So far, despite several flops, I still feel Ishura is worth watching out for as it hasn't reached its full potential. Its fights are strategic and engaging. The characters are slightly deranged and interesting to follow. Whether Ishura is worth your time could depend on the next season and if you enjoy the slow burn.

Under Ninja would be my best anime this season (Sorry, Ragna Crimson). There were many points where I was caught off guard by its storytelling and comedy, even though I'm aware that it is one of those wacky Seinen genre manga/anime. Unlike Naruto and other ninja shows, Under Ninja depicts its ninja as human being just as vulnerable to cuts and bullets just as we are, and rather than magic, they rely on scifi gadgets in combat. In fight scenes, the ninjas' analysis on their opponents and situation are heavily monologued, and often laced with the emotions of caution or fear as their odds of ... surviving are never in their favor. There are also a lot of deranged characters in this anime, some just mildly absurd, some creepily funny.
Unfortunately, Under Ninja did not do well. I believe it's because of the lack of sexual appeal in the character designs. The character designs are mostly "ugly", they're not too realistic either. The main character isn't all that interesting either and a lot of the mysteries remain shrouded to the end of the anime.
Still, I'm a fan of wacky titles from the Seinen genre. It's been a while since I've watched one too so 10/10. I laughed pretty hard one certain scene.

Easily the best anime of the season for me. I've watched plenty of sci-fi works depicting how the future would look like with AI or robot developed beyond human intelligence. They usually get stuck up in the repetitive "WHO AM I!? AM I EVEN HUMAN!>!>!!>?!?!?!" idea, it gets boring real quick. However, by using an episodic formula facilitated by Sudo's clinic setting, AI no Idenshi goes around the idea with multiple scenarios and perspectives. There is a variety of characters of different issues, showing wider possibilities of the future AI.

Not just that, the AIs in this anime have a distinct feature that separates it ... from other AI fictions. That is, they are not limited to one type of body or level of intelligence. The majority of AIs in this anime are called Humanoids, pretty self-explanatory, but Humanoids do not have a steel frame wearing skinsuit like we usually envision. Rather, this future has developed some black magic that replicates the human body for these AIs to live within. Humanoids grow, age, fall ill, are physically limited and die in similar fashion to humans. This distinct feature opens up a lot more fresh ideas for the story.

AI no Idenshi also has this conservative flavor in writing its characters and script. Most of the characters are very normal, thus realistic. They don't yap about their thoughts 24/7 or do comedic skits randomly. They don't suffer from the wacky anime tropes. It's one of those old school writing, you know, like Monster. There's just a mature tone to it. It's not entirely cold and boring though. As Risa, a young girl with a cheery and expressive personality, plays a major role in the anime. She is the one who yaps about her thought a little too much, which serves as a good balance to Sudo's cold quiet boring behavior. I love Risa. She's so damn cute. Long twin tails are so damn cute OMFG. I may have overlooked her flaws due to my bias.

Finally, there is one thing about this anime which may be a hit or miss for viewers. With each episode presenting two stories, that may or may not be connected at all, AI no Idenshi almost never concludes its story with a definitive answer. It constantly brings up a question, and viewers will not get a revelation or satisfaction. The objective of the story is to present the possibility, not to send a moral message. AI no Idenshi is extremely bad at hiding this too. The stories can just end without a cool one-liner or musical exit. One anime that's extremely good at closing its melodramatic episode with one-liner is Cowboy Bebop. It also helps that Cowboy Bebop has the hardest ED in anime history. So viewers may find AI no Idenshi's endings abrupt and incomplete, leaving a bad aftertaste. In its defense though, too many one-liners get obviously corny and they don't have a genius to make a banger ED.

"Doug, you're a fantastic speaker. What's your secret?" And he said, "Oh, I always finish with a joke. And that way, people think they had fun the whole time." --Patrick Winston in MIT How to Speak, IAP 2018

Right after the season when Gundam: Witch from Mercury brought back mecha hype yet again, we get Synduality: Noir, a brand new mecha title of opposite values.
While WfM was a little revolutionary for its big old franchise, Noir is just dead ass generic. No yuri or yaoi in space capitalism, just good old harem with a dense MC in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by aliens, a setting that plagues the mecha genre. The only new stuff that Noir brings to the mecha genre is borrowed from other works. Magus, a humanoid assistant who is bound by contract, is obviously inspired by Fate's Servant and ... JoJo's Stand. Then it hit me, this is literally Takt Op. Destiny but mecha. Luckily, Noir isn't off-the-rails like Takt Op. Destiny for now.

Cliche done right is no worse than unique done wrong. Despite the generic premise, characters tropes and fanservice, I still enjoy Noir a lot. The character designs are nice. The animation is surprisingly high quality. Every episode comes with mecha action scene that is 3D CG. The characters although tropey, acts mature for their young age and often have humorous banters, making them easily likable.

Noir follows an episodic formula, most of the showtime is used to introduce characters rather than progressing the plot. It's hard to tell if Part 2 can pick up the pace and switch to a serious tone, but for now, Part 1 serves well as a lighthearted introduction.

You guys, I have to admit something. I don't actually like MiA. Partially the anime itself but mostly the overrating hype around it back then. I felt it had obvious storytelling issues.
Season 1's had two big problems, main characters and pacing. Riko is an inconsistent, insane character, she just keeps going into her suicide mission without a second of doubt despite being nearly dead a few times. This is not the behaviour of a child, and yes Riko is implied to be a special monster but the fact that Reg being such a beta dog obeying all her wishes, enabling her selfish and dangerous ... behaviour just adds fuel to the fire. The duo is like a train speeding down a cliff, which would be an interesting formula if only they weren't the main characters granted the highest plot armor. They just won't die even when they actively tried.
Nanachi appeared in the last four episodes. Her story with Mitty was not impactful for several reasons. First, they were children with very little backstory and personality. Second, their interaction happened in a confined setting with repetitive routine. Third, not enough screentime. Mitty's end rather than tragic felt more like reading horrible news about child abuse. It's disgusting and pitiful, but I do not resonate with them as I do not know them deeply.

MiA 2 on the other hand... is a MASTAPEECE! *HERE COMES THE MONEY* Ohhh! Look at the OP! Look at the ED on that thing!
It's like the storyline of MiA but with the writing of Gundam.
Vueko has to find the Golden City, okay? So she can trade a compass to adopt a daughter. OKAY?? MiA 2 even has a new move! Cradle of Desire! Trans Am Reg! Getting Over Mitty!
Season 2 has a whole season to build up Vueko x Irumyuui. Their backstory ties to the present major event of S2 while still hidden behind layers of mystery to keep you intrigued. Something that Nanachi x Mitty lacked. Oh, don't forget they're side characters too so you don't know if they will die, or do you? *Vine boom*
While not entirely good, as Riko is still in the story to spout her MC speech then pass out whenever it's morally convenient, I feel MiA S2 fixed a lot of mistakes in S1 and does a better retelling of "Two Girls One Abyss". It doesn't have as many banger OSTs(literally only Vueko's theme is memorable) and its art is less impressive, but it's a good trade for better storytelling.

SEED is horrible. Too much teenage drama, crying and blatant plot convenience.
I must start with Flay. Flay takes up too much screentime for her own good. Her purpose is to sexually manipulate Kira because she hates Coordinators. Not the worst role but Flay is terribly limited. In the first half, she's always stuck in the battleship, never meeting new people other than Kira and friends. So she's constantly repeating the scenario of manipulating Kira, sitting in a room with depressed or hateful monologues. A few times she gets a new stuff like a longing for her ex and competing against other Kira fans but ... those never developed. It gets worse, her purpose is destroyed when Kira suddenly dumps her without any discussion(Kira's a bitch too). From there on, she was incapable of doing anything, but the writers has a weird obsession with her and insists she overstays her welcome. In the most bizzare fashion, Rau the masked man abducts her mid battle even though they've never met before. Rau then pretends he has plans for her. It was a weak excuse, he only sent her to deliver a disc, something that any mailman or drone could do. Sure, Flay would still be useful as a human civillian, but not necessary. It really just an excuse to keep Flay in the second half and develop her racism. Unfortunately, Flay's time in the second half is mundane too. She's just stuck in another battleship but with Rau and more strangers that she rarely talks to.
Kira... is just the typical pacifist-in-war protagonist, repeating his inner conflict and struggle until he reaches the ultimate resolution of, surprise surprise, "I won't kill anyone anymore." Which is an answer I'm not so happy with. Right after, he becomes so OP he can afford to disable and spare his enemies which takes away the weight of his previous conflict which hinges on "kill or be killed in battle". Kira is bland and overly assisted by plot armor/convenience. Athrun is the same, but comes to his resolution in a slightly better way.
Lacus is bland. Cagalli... is okay, she's forcibly involved in a lot of events, her father is a cool dude.
I'm just talking about characters at this point. I could rant about how cheap the romance develops, how overdramatic everyone is, how plot convenient the princesses meet their pilots, how predictable and pathetic Tolle's death was etc. SEED is full of narrative and logical flaws, it's hard to immerse in the show.
The action sequences are great. However, Kira was so damn OP, Athrun and his 3 friend were pathetic against him. Yzak would yell when he attacks Kira, next second he gets destroyed in one shot and yells again in defeat. This scenario happened at least TWICE in a row! It's not even fucking funny. Athrun's Aegis would run out of battery before Kira's Strike does despite starting battle at the same time, TWICE in a row! Throughout 50 episodes, probably only 3 times Kira was posed with a challenge, he only lost once, arguably a draw. There's just no stake, you know Kira's gonna come out on top. Ha! Battle's not the only thing he comes out on top of.
Sound is mediocre. None of the soundtracks are memorable. The sound design is outdated and pretty standard for old anime.
I'm Reviewholic. I watched some Gundam and mecha anime recently, and I'm disappointed by most of them. At this point, I can't tell if I'm a mecha hater, or mecha anime just sucks in general.

Very cool concept. Cute girls doing cool things. Too bad I'm a big hater for OP MC tropes. It is also especially unforgivable in urban, semi-scifi setting, which has a threshold of realism, that the anime goes on and break anyways.

At the very first action scene, a heavy sin is committed. Black hair JK girl sprays the shit out of a machine gun recoilless, continues even when dust is clouding her vision, and the hostage is unscathed.
But it's just the first scene, maybe they won't do it again. And they do.
Chisato Christ, can dodge bullets. That's tolerable until you witness how a ... full auto AK47 for whatever reason recoils the fuck out and skips Christ's whole torso. The only way this sin can be redeemed is if the anime reveals that Chisato Christ actually cannot dodge bullets, but it's because of a plot armor named Lycoris Recoil, then I will be yelling "HE SAID IT HE SAID IT!".
I'm serious btw. There's a similar character in Dragon Dentist, who is stated to be too lucky to die and no bullets will touch him, which I could accept because they were at least honest about using cheat, and he's in a more bizzare setting/genre.

It also saddens me that, the side characters in this show, are intentionally designed ugly. Fuki(and two more characters) has a yee yee ass haircut and less kirakira pupils, which make her(them) seem like an angry lesbian/tomboy, which you would think fit the stereotype of being more athlethic, but Chisato Christ is simply better in every aspect, whether looks, social connection and physical performance, so Fuki is just here to be a punching bag and make Christ look good.

Watching an OP MC living such a perfect life, I can only feel sad about my own. But I will continue watching. I'm seriously looking forward to the big reveal of Chisato Christ's secret ability, Lycoris Recoil.

I have never seen any form of Black Rock Shooter other than reading negative reviews of the first few anime. So I watched Dawn Fall with low expectation.

For the most part, this anime heavily reminds me of Mad Max.

Some extremely vulgar stuff like sex and gore that aren't fully displayed or animated, so it feels a little light-hearted despite the horrible context.

Most the characters are messed up and stupidly volatile. The main protagonist and friends have the classic plot-convenient amnesia and rely on it for easy development. The plot is straightforward.

Despite mainly using 3D animation, the show doesn't have stellar action scenes. ... Throughout the show, most of the action sequences are sloppily animated, and some important boss fights are awful. However, the first and last episodes have solid action.

At least the sound is done right, music is constantly played and build up to the scene. Sound effects are decent, sometimes wonky.

Unfortunately, I did enjoy the ending. It has the right amount of tension and some nice character moments. Not enough to redeem the overall quality of the series, sadly. At the very least, Dawn Fall isn't a horrible show.

Not only most of the significant characters are revived like Jesus, diluting the ending of season 1; the plot completely simplifies into good versus evil, with the politics too simplified into a world wide dictatorship.
A lot of charms in season 1 are just completely discarded. The variety of characters and their perspectives to the story, the portrayal of real word political conflicts, all gone. The only thing that kept me curious is the background and secrets behind this whole Aeolia's Plan, but in the end, it sounds too ridiculous and uncalculated to even impress me.
I think what really holds back Gundam 00 in ... S2 is having too many characters with little variety of perspective, then attempting to distribute even depth for each of them. A lot of pairings are forced onto them and create this artificial romance that I cannot appreciate. Princess Marina is a pain in the ass. She just becomes this broken radio repeating her pacifist bullshit to somehow serve as an inner conflict for Setsuna. And it's just laughably pointless, because while Setsuna seem to develop from that conflict, he still does the same shit of killing people and yell TATAKAE every time. A lot of depth could be focused for just certain characters but then you get this dude named Mr. Bushido holy shit can you believe it? Mr. Bushido wasn't as useless to the plot in season 1 because he still represented the soldier perspective, but now he's this absolute insane weeb American pretending to be a samurai and comes in to fight Setsuna whenever he likes. The character I like most, Colonel Sergei, out of nowhere, gets a son, it's horrible. Wang Liu Mei transformed from a mysterious, neutral, cruel enabler into an ugly uninteresting yandere. She used to have so many cute hairstyles and outfits in season 1(Sumeragi too), but she keeps this yee yee ass hair cut throughout season 2.
I really want to talk about how illogical and unrealistic some events in this anime work but they're just abysmal when I think about how many characters are botched.
Needless to say, there are plenty of action sequences and all of them are wonderfully animated. The mecha designs are really cool. What you would expect from the famous Gundam series. Despite noticable effort in creating meaningful characters and a philosophical narritive, Gundam 00 still falls flat and is only entertaining as a high graphics cool mecha action anime.
Season 2 gets a relatively lower score from me simply because it is a downgrade from Season 1, and how many potential characters are just butchered like dog. Not to say Season 1 didn't do the same thing, but Season 2 did it harder.

I love the wide array of politics Gundam 00 touched at the beginning. A few real world politics and conflicts are portrayed with some alteration and fake names. A lot of these politics are blatantly explained through the unnatural amount of blabbering, which is great for dummies like me albeit cheap. Although mostly touched on the surface level, it's nice to see the representation of these real world issues in entertainment media.
There are also a huge amount of characters introduced into the anime. Even VETO countries' leaders get significant screentime throughout the season. Other than those old bastards, there are different perspectives to the ... events set up within various recurring characters. There's the peaceful civillians, journalist, militaries, researcher, royal and a few mysterious roles. Each of these characters have their own unique purposes and it's amazing to see 2 or 3 of them progress balancedly despite the limited screentime.
That is until after the third quarter of the season, a lot of these routes set up are suddenly destroyed in random yet successive pattern before they achieve any significant conclusion. I was first left dumbfounded, because they were developing quite well, and were essential to the story. Before I could even recover from my bafflement, the story started to throw in a literal deus ex machina for the military and they started going ham. BTW, the Thrones are also the most hilarious addition to this series, they do nothing but sell more designs and figures I guess.
The political themes are quickly discarded and the plot starts simplified into a conflict of only two sides. A lot of the mysteries and questions about Celestial Being's background are completely ignored from here on throughout the series.
Despite moving into a more intense and unique storyline, Gundam 00 started to lose its bold charm of exhibiting political issues, the experimental theme of playing God and the tension of absolute power falling into the hands of human.
I gotta say the girls in this anime are hot as hell so I kept watching anyways.