Currently Watching (Fall 2012 Edition)

[Nikopol]

Well, here's a short rundown of the stuff i'm currently watching. Episodes watched include the most recent one in all cases. Not commenting on any dropped shows .

1) Girls und Panzer
Of course the surprise hit of the season. Didn't expect much at first, was intrigued by the staff's Strike Witches and Squid Girl backbround and, well i'm blown away. So far it's my second favorite show of 2012, only bowing to the allmighty Mouretsu Space Pirates.
Import: preordered

2) Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!
Didn't really get into this show at first, was almost at the point of dropping it, since i didn't really like the slapstick humor of the beginning. And KyoAni's "copy&paste K-On!" artstyle seems a bit repetitive, though pretty flawless in execution. As soon as they started including the more serious stuff about Rikka's past though i was hooked.
Import: preordered

3) Shin Sekai Yori
This is turning out to be some sort of a phychological horror and i really like it. It's pace is kind of broken, the randomly changing art style feels forced. However i love the world it is creating and the many moral shades of grey its characters display.
Import: preordered

4) OniAi
Started out so good (guhehehe) and then ran out of steam fast. The later episodes still have their good moments, but mostly they just keep dragging. Too bad. :(
Import: preordered, though will probably cancel except for volume 01.

5) Robotics;Notes
Hmmm. I guess i keep comparing it to Steins;Gate. Still waiting for something significant to happen in this show.
Import plans dropped.

6) Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb
It's a really nice, feel-good show. Probably won't watch it again, so no import plans

[Nico87]

Short and simple!

1) Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - vol. 1 pre-ordered from HMV.jp
2) Girls und Panzer - vol. 1 pre-ordered from Amazon.jo

..and that's it for Fall imports. Still got about 5 Hyouka volumes to wait for and the remaining volumes of Tari Tari and Kokoro Connect. There are also three BD boxes coming out soon-ish that I plan on getting (True Tears, OreImo, Another) while I also need to get the Toradora!, Dennou Coil, Clannad:AS and the three CC Sakura BD boxes at some point.

[something]

Originally Posted by Nico87

1) Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - vol. 1 pre-ordered from HMV.jp
...
Still got about 5 Hyouka volumes to wait for

Reminds me that someone on 2ch noted earlier today that we'll probably have two months where three different KyoAni shows are coming out. The last two Hyouka should coincide with some later Chuunibyou volumes and the first two (or at least one) of Tamako Market.

[Buckeye]

Yesterday, I finished watching Sword Art Online. This is one of the best shows of the year with two very different stories in this. While there were some down episodes in this where the story seemingly has little relevance to the main storyline, it's the main storyline that carries this show. The story moves quickly as it covers two years worth of story in just 14 episodes, and it sets the stage for a nice ending to this show. The animation is amazing, and the music is really nice seeing how it is the same composer as the one who did the .hack series, which this show is an awful lot like.

Up next, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse is finishing up, which is the only other simulcast coming to an end as the final episode for Girls und Panzer has been delayed until March and the other simulcasts I am watching are all continuing into the winter. In the meantime, I have watched the first half of Steins;Gate and I plan to watch the Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVAs.

[Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Buckeye

Up next, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse is finishing up.

I just finished watching Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse yesterday. This show was pretty inconsistent in the quality as it was up and down throughout the series having me considering dropping the show at times. But I stuck with it and it slowly got better during the second half (except for the hot springs episode), and the final story arc with the RLF was nicely done and a great way to finish this show. The two-episode prologue was really depressing and tough to watch, and the first episodes of the real story were good to watch. The story spends lots of time with the pilots interacting with each other given its visual novel roots, while not spending much time with the pilots fighting the BETAs which is one thing this show does right. This helped me connect with the characters. But at times, the characters were acting obnoxiously, and it happens one-too many times from what I can recall. It was fun enough to watch, but there are better mecha shows out there.

That puts a wrap on the simulcasts for this season as Magi, Pet Girl of Sakurasou, and Robotics;Notes are continuing into the winter, while the end to Girls und Panzer will not be available until March. The only other thing I have planned to watch for the end of the year is the OVAs for Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

[something]

2012/12/15

Since it hasn't been long since my last update and I still have a few one cour shows to finish, I'll be keeping comments very short.

R2 Import Tier
(01)　　Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - ◄0► - 11 eps - Best show of the season confirmed. That Natsume episode, goddamn. But really, this series just gets better and better every season. Hidamari gets my nod for 10/10 show of Fall, making it the third one of 2012. [Import - Ordered.]

(02)　　Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - ▼1 - 12 eps / complete - Damn that was a good ending. Episode 11 is one of the most amazing things KyoAni has ever put on screen, just riveting emotional drama, and so well integrated into the rest of the show. But I did decide to make the distinction that this was #2 and not tied for #1, because I wish the series had more time to flesh things out. A cour and a half wold have been a perfect amount of time, I think. I feel like this did what it wanted to do as well as anyone could have done it with just 12 episode, but it would have been even better if the drama had longer to play out. [Import - Ordered.]

(03)　　Girls und Panzer - ▼2 - 10 eps / complete for now - Fantastic cliffhanger, but the waits begins. I was going to leave this and Chuunibyou tied at #2, but I'll need a tiebreaker for the yearly favorites list anyway, and GirlPan has really earned a penalty for failing to deliver in a timely manner. Two recaps and a three month delay in a 12 episode show what the hell? [Import - Ordered.]

(04)　　Little Busters! - ◄0► - 11 eps - Still waiting for the drama to really kick in, but we'll get there in good time, I hope. [Import - Tentatively ordered.]


Potential imports?
(05)　　Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - ◄0► - 13 eps / complete - Nice final stretch, especially the focus on Natsume, but talk about a "go read the manga now" ending, blargh. [Import - I think I'm going to cut back to four this time, so probably not. But damn this needs a sequel... if it were cheaper like Sukinayo I'd probably go for it. =/ ]

(06)　　Sukitte Ii na yo. - ▲1 - 12 eps - Beautiful endin-- oh right there's one more. I said this in the Kaibutsu thread, but if you could combine what I like from this with what I like from Kaibutsu-kun, you'd have a definite import. I think liking both of these is actually hurting them, because I can't choose, and thus am drifting towards just saying neither. [Import - Unlikely now, unfortunately.]

(07)　　Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo - ▼1 - 9 eps - [Import - Probably not at this point.]


Non-imports
(08)　　Magi - ◄0► - 10 eps

(09)　　Bakuman. 3 - ◄0► - 10 eps

(10)　　Robotics;Notes - ▲4 - 11 eps - I caught up! Bet it doesn't last. But damnit episode 11 was interesting as hell, Aki and Airi continue to be stupidly adorable, and Kona-chan is hilarious. I really like this show, so I don't know why I find it so hard to keep up to date.

(11)　　K - ◄0► - 11 eps

(12)　　Shinsekai Yori - ▼2 - 11 eps

(13)　　Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei nai yo ne - ▼1 - 10 eps

(14)　　Kamisama Hajimemashita - ▼1 - 10eps

(15)　　Zetsuen no Tempest - ◄0► - 10 eps - ...I didn't realize this was two cour. Oh my.

(16)　　Ixion Saga DT - ◄0► - 7 eps


2-cour shows from previous seasons:
　n/a


OVAs, Specials, other oddities:
　Fairy Tail - 161 eps
　Hunter x Hunter (2011) - 59 eps
　Smile Precure - 39 eps - Reika really stole this stretch of eps.
　Uchuu Kyoudai - 37 eps


Dropped:
　Aikatsu! - 1 ep
　Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de - 1 ep
　Ebiten - 1 ep


2+ cour previous season drops:
　Sword Art Online - 20 eps


Still need/plan to try (may not have aired):
none


(Blah blah disclaimer, the number on a tier is not at all indicative of a show's absolute quality, merely its quality relative to the other shows on the list).

Way to screw up my plans for a Year in Review post, Kokoroko, Achiga-hen, and GirlPan! How do I rank shows missing their last two episodes? -_-

I'm going to have to do it anyway, as I don't want to wait until like March to decide. I know Kokoroko will be subbed before too long, but that one is the least problematic because I think I'm pretty clear already how I feel about it. But not getting an ending to the other two for a while yet sucks.

I'll update next when all the one-cour shows that end soon are done, then do a year in review. But at least my top 3 of 2012 are now set beyond all doubt:

1. Mouretsu Pirates [10]
2. Hyouka [10]
3. Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb [10]

Exact ranking is uncertain after that, but 4-10 will be some arrangement of:
Ano Natsu de Matteru [9]
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! [9]
Dog Days' [9]
Girls und Panzer [9]
Saki Achiga-hen [9]
Yuru Yuri♪♪ [9]
Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita [9]

With these just outside:
Acchi Kocchi [8]
Inu x Boku SS [8]
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon II [9]
Nisemonogatari [8]

[Glamrgrl104]

Initial D second stage-episodes 1-13- AWESOME! now I need to watch Third and fourth stage!

Big O- episode 11- A nice Christmas episode lol. I might check out the whole series later.

You're Under Arrest- Christmas special- A funny series and also might check out this one later.

Ranma 1/2-christmas special- A funny series just a long one lol.

[Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Buckeye

The only other thing I have planned to watch for the end of the year is the OVAs for Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

And I just watched the Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVAs. This set of OVAs is certainly better than the original season OVAs as it was just all craziness and other jokey stuff. These are some pretty good episodes there. With this set, there are episodes that dig deep into the characters in this show. That, and a bunch of mini-episodes that are quite hilarious to watch, which is what the first set of OVAs were all about. Overall, the episodes and mini-episodes are pretty enjoyable.

With that, it looks like my viewing slate for the winter season is complete. I might check out one more series until next year comes, but chances are I am finished.

[Buckeye]

With the fall season (and for that matter, 2012) in the books, it is now time I shared my thoughts and reviews for everything that I watched during this simulcast season. As usual, grades are for the episodes watched and if my thoughts deviate greatly from the overall quality, then I will make a note.

Completed

[SLE] Soul Eater: B+
I had previously watched the first half and never got around to finishing this show, but I did this time. The show is just a lot of fun to watch with the Halloween-themed setup. The characters are quite quirky, but it has a pretty nice story to it.

[DMA] Dusk Maiden of Amnesia: B-
The show is fun to watch if only for Yuko's antics for being a ghost that only Teiichi and Kirie can see. The storyline was uneven for the most part, but it was still fun to watch the mystery unfold.

[JST] Humanity Has Declined: B+
This show starts of as being totally weird with the headless renegade chickens and all. But while the weirdness goes down in the following episodes, it still remains weird. And it was all crazy great stuff as everything was fun to watch.

[SA7] Sacred Seven: C
Due to the fact that the streaming rights were about to be lost, I opted to watch this show and while it is pretty generic, the action was good and the artwork was pretty nice. But with all that action, the storyline suffers and there is just not much buildup.

[EFF] ef ~a Tale of Memories~, ef ~a Tale of Melodies~: A
This show is Shaft Studios doing what it does best with a lot of flashy visuals to accompany the story. The characters are great, the character development is just off the charts, and animation is superb, all resulting in a masterpiece. The first season spends too much time jumping between characters, while the second season does a great job developing the last two couples.

[EU7-AO] Eureka 7 AO (23-24): C+
After a long delay, I finally finished watching this show. While the show's first few episodes are great, things go downhill really fast starting with the monster-of-the-week format until midway through the show. Then things slowly improve with a huge twist in the story regarding the quartz. Then after a long delay, the show ends with a weak ending. While it was disappointing after a strong start, it was fun to watch at the very least.

[SAO] Sword Art Online (14-25): A-
This is one of the best shows of the year, as Kirito is really that great a character. While the structure of the show seems pretty odd with a bunch of side stories that apparently do nothing to the main story, they are necessary. Much like the first half, the show starts off strong, then wavers with some side stories before really taking off with the conclusion of the arcs. The music is amazing, and the atmosphere is just great.

[MUV] Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse (13-25): C
The show starts off with a prologue that was hard to watch, followed by a bunch of nice episodes with the pilots training and interacting, then battles, followed by new characters and more interactions, and ending with a battle against an unexpected enemy. Most episodes were hit or miss, and while the good ones were very nice to watch (with the best ones being the climax of the show), the bad ones are very hard to watch.

Ongoing

[GPZ] Girls und Panzer (1-10): B-
A show like this could have been a great opportunity for fanservice and action, but it avoided that trap. The show does a great job managing a large cast list as it spends most of the time developing Miho ad a character. While this show could have shown a bunch of battling in tanks, it's a relatively small part of the show. This show has a nice storyline to go along with great characters in this show. It will be until March before I could finish this show.

[MGI] Magi (1-12): B+
This show does not waste any time getting the story moving as it brings on the characters in a carefully laid-out manner, and the stories are just developed nicely up to this point. There are side stories, but they take up only a few episodes. Then there are the characters that are well-designed. Overall, I am really enjoying this show.

[PET] Pet Girl of Sakura Hall (1-12): B-
This show started out looking like it was going to be a complete train wreck with the quirky characters and an even quirkier story. But things righted itself from the third episode onward and since then, this show has been a lot of fun to watch. The characters are great even if they are weirdos, and the characters are developing pretty nicely.

[RBN] Robotics;Notes (1-10): B+
Here is the successor to Steins;Gate, and so far the storyline is very good overall. There are robots, conspiracies by prestigious organizations, and an AI goddess, whose connections between everything are still yet to be explained. There is a lot of buildup in each episode, and it is all great to watch.

[STG] Steins;Gate (1-12): A
This show takes awhile to get going, but once it does it really gets going. Okarin is such a colorful mad scientist and a guy whose madness knows no bounds. Then there is a colorful cast of girls who are in this time traveling project team together. All of this draws the attention of an organization and has led to lots of problems. The storyline is great, and the second half will really be something to watch.

[BLE] Bleach (266-278): B-
Finally, I am all done with fillers for the time being as the main storyline continues. These episodes cover Ichigo's fight against Ulquiorra and more battles back at the fake Karakura town. The greatness in these battles is just back on full display, and it's as good as I can remember.

[PKM-BW] Pokemon Black and White (74-86): C
Not much is different about these episodes compared to the rest of the BW season.

[CSS] Casshern Sins (7-10): D
This show is pretty boring for me seeing how the artwork is so not my style. There is a plot slowly developing, but one that lacks any spark.

Movies and OVAs:

[HLS-U] Hellsing Ultimate (5-8): A
Lots of bloodshed in these episodes, and we get to see Seras the vampire in action after being cornered by zombies. It's all great stuff as while the bloodbaths are the main highlights, there is a great storyline that connects everything. Then there is the one revelation at the end that sets the stage for what should be an explosive finale.

[CLV] Children Who Chase Lost Voices: A+
This movie is just amazing as Makoto Shinkai produces another masterpiece that rivals a typical Hayao Miyazaki film. It's about a teacher and a student who are upset with their lives embarking on an adventure that will change their lives forever. The characters are changed for the better by the time the show ends, and the way it happens is amazing.

[FMA-M2] Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos: A-
While I prefer watching the TV series episodes, this movie was pretty nice to watch, and certainly I think better than the first movie. Just about everything that made the Brotherhood series so great carries over for the most part in this movie as it is a side story rather than a sequel to something that Hiromu Arakawa did not write himself. The new characters certainly are interesting and the storyline is pretty good.

[FMA-OB] Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVAs: B-
These short episodes were amusing to watch seeing the back stories of the characters. While these were nice episodes and certainly better than the original series OVAs, this show was just a kick back thing more than anything.

Rewatch

[HMN] Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere: B+
I previously watched this and the first nine episodes were just confusing. I watched it again, this time in marathon fashion and it makes a huge difference as I was able to understand it a lot more this time around. The characters are great and the battles are just spectacular to watch.

On Hold

[SSY] Shin Sekai Yori (1-4): Incomplete
This was the last show dropped from my simulcast slate as I didn't have time to watch it. There is just a lot of mystery surrounding this show, and with kid shamans going out and doing stuff that leads to some dark secret. The show is good so far, and I plan to revisit this show soon and since this is a two-cour series that it could join the winter simulcast list.

[PPS] Psycho-Pass (1-2): Incomplete
This is the second-to-last show dropped as again, I didn't have time. The show starts off with an interesting, but very confusing and dark, first episode. Then things improve with a good second episode about the life of the agents. Seems like an interesting show with the setup much like Minority Report and the character designs looking good.

[IXS] Ixion Saga DT (1-3): C
This show is pretty funny with the groin kicks and the crazy characters in this show. But that's about the only nice thing going for this show as it contains a colorful cast of characters. There isn't much of a story to speak of, but the show is very funny.

[ZTP] Blast of Tempest (1-2): Incomplete
This show starts off pretty nicely, but given how busy the last three months were, I didn't bother continuing with this show.

[BTM] Btooom! (1-2): D-
This show is just terrible overall. It's set up much like Deadman Wonderland with the survival game where everybody throws bombs to kill each other thanks to some conspiracy or whatever. This show just fails on several levels for me and it's definitely not my cup of tea.