Currently Watching (Fall 2012 Edition)

[something]

I found it simpler to do my first few updates as straight lists with broad groupings in Summer, so let's do that again this season. Especially because I've only started a small number of shows.

Definite or Highly Likely Imports
　01) Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb (2)
　02) Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! (2)
　03) Little Busters! (2)
　04) Girls und Panzer (1)

Will Continue, High Expectations
　05) Bakuman 3. (1)
　06) Magi (1)

Will Continue, Medium Expectations
　07) Shin Sekai Yori (2)
　08) Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (1)
　09) Kamisama Hajimemashita (1)

Will Continue, Low Expectations
　none

Not Tried Yet, But Planned (alphabetical)
　Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de
　BTOOOM!
　Ixion Saga DT
　K
　Onii-chan Dakede Ai Sae Areba Kankei nai yo ne
　Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo
　Seitokai no Ichizon S2
　Sukitte Ii na yo.
　Zetsuen no Tempest

Undecided on Trying or No Acceptable Subs Yet (alphabetical)
　Code:Breaker
　Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken
　Psycho Pass
　Robotics;Notes
　To LOVE-ru Darkness

Dropped
　Aikatsu


I will skip some if no acceptable groups pick them up. Dropped Aikatsu when I got to the singing/dancing and saw it all would be full 3dcg.

And man do I really have this many shows left to try? Granted only a few of them are of particularly high interest: Oniai, Sakura-sou, Robono, and Ichizon. The latter is only getting streamed, so unless CR picks it up the quality will be bad and it'll have to pull an Ebiten and maybe get wider release in the following season.

But hell I think I could have a really satisfying season even if the only thing I added was Oniai.

[stardf29]

So, this post will contain stuff about this season's shows, last season's shows, and some other shows.

---

Fall 2012 Projections

All shows have 2 episodes watched unless noted with a *.

Guaranteed to be following:
1. Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb
2. Little Busters!
3. Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!
4. Robotics;Notes*
5. Girls und Panzer*
6. My Little Monster
7. Magi*
8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

(As a reminder, I'm planning to follow 10 shows this season.)

Will possibly follow:
K
Hayate the Combat Butler: Can't Take My Eyes Off You

(If either of these shows don't end up being followed, they will end up in the category below...)

Won't follow, but will watch sometime after show finishes airing:
From The New World
Busou Shinki

Still need to try an(other) episode:
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou*
Ixion Saga DT*
Seitokai no Ichizon Lv. 2 (still waiting for an episode)

Dropped:
Blast of Tempest*
BTOOOM!!*
Code:Breaker*
OniAi
To-LOVE-Ru Darkness*

Not bothering with for now:

No episodes of these shows were watched; for various reasons, I don't feel the need to try these shows out. I may watch them all at once after airing if I hear good things about them (or in the case of sequels, if I watch the preceding seasons).

Suki-tte Ii na yo
Psycho-Pass
Any sequel other than what's been listed
Any show that's essentially an ad for children's toys (including Aikatsu!)

---

Summer 2012 Shows

Outstanding

Humanity Has Declined (already finished)

Kokoro Connect (Eps. 12-13): It might not be as fully amazing of a show as it maybe could have been had it been longer and had a bit better writing, but I'd still give it a 10/10. This is mainly because for me, 10/10 is not a "perfect" score; it's a score indicating that a show has left an extremely profound, practically life-changing impact on me. And honestly, that's precisely what this show has done, with its unique use of its gimmicks to draw out all sorts of aspects of the human psyche and the relationships involved. Anyways, it'll be a while until Michi Random, and obviously this show is on hold until then, but this is definitely my second favorite show of the season.

Excellent

Tari Tari (Ep. 13, finished): In the end, it didn't quite hit that 10/10 mark, but a very solid ending puts this one at a high 9/10 (which for me indicates a series that left a big impact on me, possibly life-changing, but not to the extent that 10/10 shows leave). It is a show with great characters, great interactions between the characters, a great group ensemble... oh, and music! Sure, choir music isn't quite as awesome as K-ON!'s rock or Kids on the Slope's jazz, but it's still nice and part of why I love this show so much. In particular, the 5P version of the ED is my favorite song of the season.

Moyashimon Returns (already finished)

Love, Election & Chocolate (Ep. 8): Various reasons why I haven't outright finished this one, though at least I squeezed one more episode in, which was fairly standard visual-novel-adaptation material, but still great.

Good

Yuru Yuri♪♪ (already finished)

Binbougami-ga! (Eps. 11-12, finished): A good show with a solid ending. Ichiko undergoes quite a lot of development through the series and it all comes together in the end, though obviously leaving room for more of the manga to be adapted, which I definitely wouldn't mind.

Natsuyuki Rendevous (already finished)

Satisfactory

Sword Art Online (Eps. 12-15): Well, this one did well for a moment, then the writing went all wrong. There are still some great characters in this that makes me want to keep watching, but I'm not expecting this show to particularly rank high for me... not that I ever really expected that out of this show, anyways.

---

Other shows watched

Hyouka (Eps. 8-22 finished): An interesting series in which the mystery aspect is more of a framing device for the extremely well-done character relationships. Simply put, another winner from KyoAni. The only real flaw is that it feels incomplete... mainly because it is, with the source material not fully written yet. But for what it has, it just barely reaches 10/10 for me, setting the standard for other series looking to get full marks from me.

Haganai (Eps. 1-12 + OVA, finished): Absolutely hilarious show with a quirky cast of total misfits misfitting with each other, and it has some time to get in some good character moments with each other. Can't wait for NEXT! (Score: 9/10)

Stellvia (Eps. 1-7): For various reasons, I'm getting into space anime, particularly those that cross with school life significantly, like this one, which is pretty much everything I could ask of a "space school" anime so far. This really looks like it could be a real personal favorite of mine.

Bodacious Space Pirates (Eps. 1-6): And the other space anime I'm getting into; this one is also turning out fantastic. Marika is a great character, and just the most perfect space pirate captain out there.

---

Next time: the 10 shows I will be following this season, and I'll see if Stellvia and Pirates can be finished in the meantime.

[Glamrgrl104]

Excel Saga episodes 1-6- Wacky and goofy. I understand some of the Parodies, but I am not sure about this anime. It is just out there and a little annoying group of characters. I am thinking about dropping this series or maybe because I wasn't in the mood for it.

Gunslinger Girl-episode 1- Interesting premise, but seemed too much like Elfen Lied although much tamer meaning no pre-teen nudity.

Slayers episodes 14-15- Hilarious!

Tiger and Bunny-episode 1 eng dub- Epic! I can't wait to see more.

Blue Exorcist-episode 1 eng dub- AWESOME reminds me of Fairy tail.

[Buckeye]

While I still have a few other shows I am looking to check out, I think I have some strong feelings about the shows that I am watching to decide whether or not I will go forward with them.

Watching:

• Sword Art Online (continuing from summer)
• Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse (continuing from summer)
• Magi

Likely Watching:

• Girls und Panzer
• Robotics;Notes

Still Deciding:

• Blast of Tempest
• Psycho-Pass
• Ixion Saga DT
• OniAi
• From the New World

Likely Going On Hold:

• Pet Girl of Sakurasou
• Btooom!

Still need to Check Out:

• Code:Breaker
• My Little Monster
• K
• Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!
• Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb

Given how busy I am usually during the fall, I probably am looking at five or six shows this season, and even so, I will probably fall behind on some of them. This season isn't as loaded as the summer season was, but that's probably a good thing for me considering how most of my free time is spent watching football during the fall.

[Glamrgrl104]

Slayers episodes 15-20- Not bad it is getting more back into the plot.

Wolverine anime series-episodes 1-end- AWESOME I marathoned this yesterday. Intense action and great story telling, some parts were a little obvious in the plot, but overall very good series.

Kimi ni todoke 2nd season 1-12- I also marathoned this last night, a wonderful cute series at least it ended on a good note. A sweet school romance comedy.

[stardf29]

And here is what my official plans for the Fall 2012 season are:

These are the 10 shows I will be following throughout the season (note: order does not have to do with how much I like the show or my expectations for it):
1. K
2. Little Busters
3. Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb
4. My Little Monster (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun)
5. Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World)
6. Girls und Panzer
7. Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!
8. Robotics;Notes
9. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
10. Magi

K and Magi are definitely the two biggest surprises for me. K in particular didn't impress me with its first episode, but a strong second episode won me over.

My Little Monster won out over Kamisama Kiss mainly because I'd rather deal with Crunchyroll's streams than Funi's/Hulu's streams. Both shows were equally great, but I only wanted to follow one of the shoujo shows. I might still watch an episode or two of the show here and there, and then once all the episodes are out, I'll catch the whole thing in a marathon.

Seitokai no Ichizon Lv. 2 is notably absent from this list, mainly because I don't want to deal with erratic subbing schedules for this one; again, I'll watch episodes here and there and marathon the show at its end.

Other shows I may catch an episode of here and there:
Busou Shinki
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

As for Hayate the Combat Butler: Can't Take My Eyes Off You and Ixion Saga DT, they have been put on hold for some point later.

Dropped:
Blast of Tempest
Btooom!!
Code:Breaker
OniAi
To-Love-Ru Darkness

The first three personally don't interest me at all. OniAi had a fairly entertaining first episode but lost the entertainment in the second; I might pick it back up later if I hear better things about it. To-Love-Ru is iffy; the Yami storyline is interesting, but the rest is aggravating. Probably won't watch any more of that.

As for stuff I left untried, Suki-tte ii na yo is one I decided I didn't really want to deal with at the moment (partially because it's heavier shoujo and I'm more in the mood for light-hearted stuff like Monster and Kamisama, partially because right now there are no streams for it and I prefer streams over subs when following shows), but one I'm hearing good things about. Chances are decent it'll go on hold for a later viewing sometime in the future.

Psycho-Pass is definitely a no-go, though. I'm sure it's a good show, but I just don't want to deal with Gen Urubochi's hyper-dystopic writing at the moment.

Finally, Sword Art Online, the lone continuing show from Summer 2012. Lately, it's been an oddball for me, being at points fun and engaging and in other points aggravating with its writing. I'll probably watch an episode or two of the new arc, but past that, I'm probably just going to put it on hold.

[FUNiOP]

UPDATED 11/3/12 (technically early 11/4/12): New series added to list, grades and rankings updated, movement icons blatantly stolen from something. Will remove/change if requested. Movement indicators are based on changes in rank compared to the rest of the list, not grade. I'm counting everything below Say, "I Love You". as being one rank lower in the original post, so they don't just all end up appearing to have declined. More information in this follow-up post.

I've watched all episodes that have aired so far for everything listed. The grades are my opinion as of this moment and nothing else. I've only included my thoughts on the new ones this time because I feel like I've probably said enough about the older ones by now.

Watching (Fall 2012):
01. Gintama' Enchousen (A-) ◄0► None of it has been as good as the first episode of Gintama' was, but it's still the best anime in a couple of seasons.
02. My Little Monster (B) ◄0► Considering it's just a simple little shoujo romance show, it's actually kind of amazing just how good this ended up being.
03. Jormungand Perfect Order (B-) ◄0► I wish White Fox were doing Robotics;Notes instead, but this has been a big improvement over the first series.
04. Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai! (B-) ◄0► Similarly, I wish KyoAni and Ishihara were doing Little Busters! instead, but every series they make is great.
05. Say, "I Love You". (B-) ◄NEW► Another surprisingly good shoujo school romance to add to My Little Monster, although not quite as good as that one.
06. Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic (B-)◄0► Just like Blue Exorcist in that it would be nothing special if not for the top-notch production values it gets.
07. The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (B-) ▲1 And since J.C. Staff is doing Little Busters!, I wish they put this budget to that, since this looks much prettier.
08. Psycho-Pass (B-) ▼1 I expect a little more from Urobuchi at this point, but being an original, I'll just have to keep watching to see where it goes.
09. Blast of Tempest (C+) ◄0► After a very promising first episode, the series fell into mediocrity, where it has remained since. Still hoping it recovers.
10. Kamisama Kiss (C+) ▲2 Finally got around to watching this, and it's nothing special, but I find it more enjoyable than plenty of other shoujo stuff.
11. Medaka Box Abnormal (C+) ▼1 Also better than the first series, but still nothing special considering how special both Gainax and Nisio Isin can be.
12. From the New World (C+) ▲4 So apparently this turns into something very sexual? I can't imagine. As it is, pretty good but I'll need more to go on.
13. Btooom! (C) ▲2 The opening theme song easily moves this up at least one spot, maybe even a grade. The content itself is not quite so amazing.
14. K (C) ▼3 Almost nothing in it makes sense yet, but the animation, music, and seiyuu cast are all good, and the main characters are all very fun.
15. Little Busters! (C) ▼2 KyoAni and Ishihara get Key. J.C. Staff and the unremarkable people working on this do not, and it doesn't even look great.
16. Robotics;Notes (C) ▲1 White Fox isn't necessarily better than I.G, and Hanada is doing series composition again, so I'll blame the source material.
17. Code:Breaker (C) ▼3 Being generic is the opposite of being amazing, but I'm kind of amazed at how generic this is (and that I'm still watching it).
18. Hayate the Combat Butler: Can't Take My Eyes Off You (C-) ◄0► More Hayate, but Manglobe is doing a worse job than either of the other studios.
19. Ixion Saga DT (C-) ◄0► Does this trope as poorly as Sword Art Online does it well. The only thing keeping me watching it is Fukuyama's character.

Watching (Ongoing):
01. One Piece (B+) ◄0►
02. Sword Art Online (B) ◄0►
03. Hunter × Hunter (B) ◄0►
04. Fairy Tail (B-) ◄0►
05. Space Brothers (B-) ◄0►
06. Kingdom (C) ▲1
07. Polar Bear's Café (C-) ▼1
08. Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse (C-) ◄0►

SEE FOLLOW-UP POST:
Aoi Sekai no Chūshin de

Dropped:
01. OniAi (D+) Incest-themed show of the season. I always hate them, so I have no idea why I tried this at all.
02. Ebiten: Kōritsu Ebisugawa Kōkō Tenmon-Bu (D) I guess it's cool that it's getting the full TV treatment now, but it's nothing for me.
03. Busou Shinki (D) Ended up watching it despite not being familiar with the previous ONA, and it not looking like something I'd like. Bad idea.
04. Girls und Panzer (D) I wanted this to be something so ridiculous that I could just watch it for laughs, but it's even worse than I thought.
05. Teekyū (F) I always hate anime that's only 5 minutes (really 2), and I probably wouldn't like this even it if wasn't.
06. Litchi DE Hikari Club (F) Same as above, but slightly worse even still.
07. Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (F) And something that I definitely wouldn't like in any format.

New simulcasts I didn't watch any of (this season, that's just sequels to anime I haven't seen):
To Love-Ru -Trouble- Darkness
Hidamari Sketch × Honeycomb
Hiiro no Kakera Dai-ni-Shō

Recently Finished:
01. Sket Dance (B-)
02. Binbogami ga! (B-)
03. Humanity Has Declined (B-)
04. Accel World (B-)
05. Oda Nobuna no Yabō (C+)
06. Tari Tari (C+)
07. Campione! (C)
08. Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle (C)
09. Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne (C-)

Almost Finished:
01. Kokoro Connect (B-) Final four episodes will be released on home video releases, starting next spring.
02. Eureka 7: Astral Ocean (C) Final two episodes will be aired this month.

[something]

Something like 21 eps of anime watched tonight and I still haven't tried everything I need to... tomorrow will be busy too.

Definite or Highly Likely Imports
　01) Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - ▲1 (3 eps)
　02) Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - ▼1 (2 eps)
　03) Girls und Panzer - ▲1 (2 eps)
　04) Little Busters! - ▼1 (3 eps)

Will Continue, High Expectations
　05) Bakuman. 3 - ◄0► (2 eps)
　06) Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - ▲2 (3 eps)
　07) Sukitte Ii na yo. - ◄NEW► (2 eps)
　08) Shinsekai Yori - ▼1 (2 eps)
　09) Magi - ▼3 (2 eps)

Will Continue, Medium Expectations
　10) Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei nai yo ne - ◄NEW► (3 eps)
　11) K - ◄NEW► (2 eps)
　12) Kamisama Hajimemashita - ▼3 (3 eps)
　13) Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo - ◄NEW► (1 eps)
　14) Zetsuen no Tempest - ◄NEW► (2 eps)

Will Continue, Low Expectations
　15) Ixion Saga DT - ◄NEW► (1 eps)
　16) Ebiten - ◄NEW► (1 eps) [technically summer]
　17) Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de - ◄NEW► (1 eps)

Not Tried Yet, But Planned (alphabetical)
　Robotics;Notes

Dropped
　Aikatsu


Dropped a few (Psycho Pass, Code:Breaker, Jojo, Btooom, Darkness) from consideration without seeing an episode either because I'm not interested enough to bother, or no good subs came out. And because maaaaaaaan I have a lot lined up already, with these plus SAO, FT, HxH, Uchuu Kyoudai, and Smile Precure all continuing.

I'm removing Ichizon Lv.2 from the list only because I'm guessing it'll get a Ebiten-like broadened distribution (probably with CR) in the Winter season.

Since I usually import more than just 4 shows and Bakuman and likely Magi are out of the running (length for Bakuman, 10+ disc release for Magi plus expecting multiple seasons of it), one of the two amazing shoujo romance manga adaptations this season has a very good chance of an import. Kaibutsu has a slight edge over Sukinayo, but they're both really phenomenal. Best shoujo manga adaptations since the good parts of Kimi ni Todoke. (Kamisama Hajimemashita is really fun too, so good season for shoujo!)

Beyond Kaibutsu and Sukinayo, there's not a lot in the running actually, although Shinsekai has a chance maybe. And of course I still need to get around to Robono which I might love.

Girls und Panzer is the #1 most pleasant surprise of the season. I'm not surprised I like it. I knew I would. But I absolutely love it, like superultramega love, cubed. Everything about it so far has made me incredibly happy. It's such a joy to watch.

Edit: just modified this for Shinsekai Yori eps 3-4. Goddamn this show is good.

[Glamrgrl104]

Shuffle!-episodes 1-4- My BF got me interested in this series, it reminds me alot of My bride is a mermaid. I just thought it was another fanservice show, but it is pretty funny.

[pianocello]

Currently watching (episodes watched up to in brackets):
Outstanding
Rinne no Lagrange season 2 (finished)
While not as good as the first season, the yuri dynamics between Madoka and her two wives make this show worth watching.

Yuru Yuri season 2 (2)
Sure there's not plot and it's just a bunch of yurified girls doing silly things but it's fun to watch.

Natsuiro Kiseki (finished)
After a shaky start, this show turned out of be one of the better shows of the year.

Very Good
Aquarion Evol (2)
This seems to have gotten off on a stronger start than Sousei no Aquarion. I like the character designs and the show seems to have promise.

Good
None

Average
Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu (finished)
Think Saikano with truly crappy animation, a just-as-annoying male lead, the same depressing tone but slightly more optimistic ending. It did keep me watching but I honestly can't recommend this. And I just didn't give a damn about the romance between the main couple.

Below Average
None