Currently Watching (Summer 2012 Edition)

[something]

Originally Posted by superdry

Not going to check out Joshiraku?

Not unless someone else subs it. I'd much rather just skip it entirely.

[superdry]

Originally Posted by something

Not unless someone else subs it. I'd much rather just skip it entirely.

You should check out the OP and ED at least. They're both pretty cute and catchy, especially the ED.

Overall, the translator (and after reading his TL notes) has done a pretty damn good job with the translation of the series (its only been two episodes). I'm not entirely familiar with his style, but its working well for this show at least. One other group was suppose to do it (sage), but dropped it.

[Glamrgrl104]

Deadman Wonderland-episode 8- This series gets more interesting with mystery and action.

Pretear-episode 1-2-I love reverse harem series, but I would have to watch more of this to really see if I like it.

[Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Buckeye

Princess Jellyfish is the next show on deck.

I just finished watching Princess Jellyfish tonight after being sidetracked by all those new shows that I have been checking out. It's a great show, and the craziness that goes on at Amamizu-kan with the sorority and Kuronosuke is really fun to watch. And the opening with all those pop culture references is great as well. Despite all the wacky things that happen there, it manages to build up a nice story.

Next up, I will be watching the first half of the second season of K-On!!. The next regular series that I am going to start watching and complete is H2O: Footprints in the Sand. I also am planning to watch the Hidamari Sketch x SP and the Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVAs as well.

[stardf29]

Hey guys, I'm alive! Right, now to go over my impressions of the shows this season so far, but first, some of the other shows I watched and finished this week...

Shows finished this week

AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day: I had only watched one episode of this show about when it first came out, wanting to see the rest but never quite getting around to doing so as it was a bit of a busy time. I did pre-order the NISA copy soon after it was licensed, and now that I actually got it, I went ahead and watched through the Blu-rays.

It was a thoroughly amazing show. It had an advantage going in in that I love shows about childhood friends, and that angle was definitely covered well throughout. The main theme of (not) moving on after the death of someone close was also done very well, incorporating not just the friends but also family. The characters are great; Anaru in particular is one of the most well-rounded and well-developed characters I have ever seen.

I could go into a whole bunch of specific praises about this show... To summarize, though, it is currently my 2nd favorite anime, under Clannad + After Story, and quite honestly, the two are really just about tied. (It's hard to compare a 48-episode visual novel adaptation to an 11-episode anime original...) Completely and totally deserving of a 10/10.

School Rumble Second Semester: For the record, the first series was a very solid 9/10, most enjoyable when the comedy was at its most ridiculous. There were several moments in the second semester when I felt that the show had lost the sense of comedy that made the first season so enjoyable... thankfully, it usually wasn't too long before it would get right back to form, and when it decides to be hilarious, it can still be hilarious. This show is still worthy of a 9/10.

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Summer 2012 Shows

Outstanding

Humanity Has Declined (Ep. 3): I absolutely fell in love with the show over the first two episodes. Random wackiness, social satire, snarky Mai Nakahara... it's just a total blast to watch. Latest episode was less wackiness, more satire, though still funny as I find everything about the hardcore fujoshi culture to be absurdly amusing and the show played on that well (thanks to even more snarky Mai Nakahara). And, of course, that last scene. Can't wait to see what goes on from here. Why is this only 1 cour?

Kokoro Connect (Ep. 3): Shaping up to be yet another great interpersonal character drama, thanks to the body-swapping being treated seriously and not just as a tool for laughs. Though there are definitely laughs to be had, I am really liking how the show is showing the different parts of the main cast, and how the swaps are starting to expose those parts to the others. It's definitely going to be a fierce battle between this and Jintai above to see which one gets to be the top show of the season, and I'm going to love every moment of it.

Excellent

Moyashimon Returns (Ep. 3): First of all, thank you, Crunchyroll, for finally picking this one up! Must have been a bit more of an ordeal than normal, considering they still have yet to get the HD streams working, and I hope they get the first season. Anyways, episode 1 had all the classic Moyashimon flavor of educational microbial hijinks, episode 2 had more of the character side that was strong in the first series, and episode 3 seemed to have found a good balance between the two and has brought this show to a complete brew.

Tari Tari (Ep. 3): Episode 3 was much better pacing-wise than the one before, and is starting to incorporate the guys in a good manner, so this one is shaping up to be yet another great show. It helps that it is a music show, and I seem to have quite the love for music shows.

Natsuyuki Rendevous (Ep. 3): Ah, the other flower-themed noitaminA show about the ghost of a dead person that only one person can see! It definitely is interesting watching this after AnoHana, because while the ghost element is there in both stories and the theme of "moving on after a loved one's death" is there as well, beyond that, the two shows almost can't be more different! The ghosts themselves are radically different, as Atsushi has no tangibility (though he does have some kind of power), is seen by the person he least wants to see him, and is quite the jerk. (He and Hazuki do play off each other quite well, though.) Putting aside comparisons to AnoHana, though, the show does handle the drama well and having the story be about adults still makes this show fairly refreshing. I'm still enjoying it, for sure.

Good

Joshiraku (Ep. 2): I'm definitely getting Lucky Star vibes from this show (minus most of the otaku elements), and that is not a bad thing at all. The girls are cute (though I wish their names were easier to remember), the conversations are funny, Kukuru (the dark-haired girl) reminds us who wrote this, and the references and meta-elements are also there... it really is too bad this show seems to be so overlooked.

Sword Art Online (Ep. 3): Well, the latest episode felt more like a sidestory (an important one for character reasons, perhaps, but still a sidestory), so I'm waiting for the show to really get going with the main plot. As it is, it's pretty much on the lower end of Good.

Satisfactory

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (Ep. 3): Lots of setup with different characters and no answers in sight? Yep, this is a visual novel adaptation, all right. Whether it can jump up a level, and if so, how far, depends on how well this show does in taking those setups to their ends.

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna (Ep. 2): Picked up this one after dropping Nakaimo. It's an interesting play on history, and what having someone who knows history can do if they get sent to the past, and what happens as that history starts to change... and in the middle of that, girls of varying-degrees-but-overall-high-levels of awesomeness overriding the usual cast. Still not particularly stand-out, but a good enough show that I'll keep with it for now.

Fail (dropped)

Nakaimo (Ep. 2): Eh, it's just not doing enough to really interest me. That, and they really are playing up the ecchi elements, which just isn't to my taste. So it is dropped.

[stardf29]

New shows finished this week

Yuru Yuri: So I figured I'd test my yuri goggles since I haven't used them in a while. (Yes, they do work.) Anyways, what to say about this show? It was funny, I enjoyed it, and looked forward to watching more of it. The characters are overall pretty good. Chitose is my favorite, with her crazy yuri fantasies. A bit of a tsundere-overload between Ayano, Sakurako and Himawari, though they're interesting enough regardless. I feel bad for poor Akari, though... I know what it's like to be the one among a group of friends who oftentimes gets ignored or feels like he/she has a lack of presence there. Anyways... a rating? 8/10, I guess. Nothing stuck out too much to me, but it was a fun show that didn't take itself very seriously and I enjoyed marathoning it over the week.

Sora no Manimani: This show got me interested in astronomy again. It's hard to name shows that have had that kind of effect on me, so this vastly underrated show already has that to its advantage. And I think that is this show's greatest strength; there's a passion for astronomy contained within that comes out so strongly that it's hard not to get swept away with it. Past that there's a solid cast and some nice character moments all around, which help round out this show. I'll give it a 9/10. I'd love for this show to be licensed, though the chance of that happening is *cough* astronomically low.

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Summer 2012 Shows
No comments unless something made me really like or dislike a show or some other important circumstance arises.

Outstanding

Humanity Has Declined (Ep. 4)
Kokoro Connect (Ep.4)

Excellent

Moyashimon Returns (Ep. 4)
Tari Tari (Ep. 4)
Natsuyuki Rendevous (Ep. 4)

Good

Yuru Yuri♪♪ (Ep. 4) - What, you thought I'd watch all of the first season of this show and not catch myself up with the second season? Same thing I said about the first season applies here, really. That, and I'm waiting for Akane to speak.

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (Ep. 4) - Dang, this show is growing on me. I think the unusual school system and look into the student council election process is really helping to distinguish this one as a VN adaptation, and makes it more interesting to watch overall. Though the character aspects typical of a VN adaptation are there, too, if still only in setup mode right now.

Sword Art Online (Ep. 4)

Joshiraku (Ep. 2) - Yeah, lack of new subbed episodes for this one is a big problem. Because of this, I'm putting this show on hold and it will not be followed any more this season. When all the episodes for this are out, I'll put it on the queue to be watched through all at once.

Satisfactory

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna (Ep. 3)

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Next week I'll be plowing my way through Dog Days, including catching up with the second season.

[something]

Ahh I wanted to do a full update tomorrow, but I'm going to be short on time and need to use that for Hyouka and stuff. Maybe I'll try to do a real post early next week. For now, I'll stick with the not-quite-as-but-still-kinda-abbreviated format. Typing something out about every show takes so very long so I'm still skipping that.

Definite or Highly Likely Imports
　01) Dog Days' - ▲2 (4 eps)
　02) Yuru Yuri♪♪ - ▼1 (4 eps)
　03) Kokoro Connect - ▼1 (4 eps)
　04) Sword Art Online - ▲2 (4 eps)
　05) Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita - ◄0► (4 eps)
　06) Rinne no Lagrange S2 - ▼2 (3 eps)

Potential Imports or Import Worthy
　07) Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon S2 - ◄0► (3 eps)
　08) Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - ▲1 (4 eps)

Second Tier
　09) Natsuyuki Rendezvous - ▼1 (4 eps)
　10) Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! - ◄0► (4 eps)
　11) Moyashimon Returns - ◄0► (4 eps)
　12) Oda Nobuna no Yabou - ▲1 (3 eps)
　13) Hakuouki: Reimeiroku - ▲1 (3 eps)

Third tier
　14) Konatsu Konatsu - ▼2 (4 eps)

Borderline
　15) Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu Uta Koi - ◄0► (3 eps)

Dropped
　Dakara Boku wa H ga Dekinai (2)
　Arcana Famiglia (2)
　Chitose Get You! (2)
　Muv-Luv Total Eclipse (2)
　Campione (1)


Utakoi will probably fall prey to lack of time but at this point anything else that gets dropped, will need to self-destruct to get dropped. I'm pretty much done dropping due to early impressions/cutting for time.

I don't think I'm getting away with less than six imports this season. Good thing I cut back to three (well, Hyouka should count as two but whatever) in Spring, so 6 is no problem.

Kinda can't get over how phenomenal a sequel Dog Days' is. Everything I loved about the original, increased exponentially, and stuffed with brand new awesome things. Everyone in this show is amazing and the new characters are perfect. Cou-sama is one of the most delightfully high tension Yuuki Aoi roles ever. Yay for gay squirrels!

Some of the shows I like a lot more than I expected:
　∙ Sword Art Online - I expected another Accel World, and I'm very pleased that this looks to be a more substantial title. From the very first episode it was clear there was just more to it, and having A1 Pictures behind it is proving a massive boon. With the Amazon/Aniplex debacle finally over, my reservations about importing this are significantly lessened, because I don't have to go to HMV for a two cour series. One of the best things AO has going for it right now is that most elusive of qualities: a really goddamn good male lead.

　∙ Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - Annoyances at the heavy-handed handling of a certain plot event aside, this one is entertaining me more than I expected. I was anticipating it, as I do any visual novel adaptation. But frankly, romance visual novel adaptations just end up in the "fun, but not good enough to import" column in these post-Key (well, until Fall) days. Now KoiChoco doesn't necessarily buck that trend, and competition is brutal this season so it probably won't. But I really, really, really enjoy everyone in it so far. I expected to have a lot more problems with it by this point.

All the other highly ranked ones I either knew for sure or expected I'd like (DD', YRYR♪♪, LagRin2, Kokoroko, Horizon2), or didn't have expectations for either way (Jintai) so I can't be positively or negatively surprised.

[Glamrgrl104]

Natsuyuki rendevous- episode 1- AN interesting premise, it does have humor and kind of a bittersweet anime, but I believe it is worth watching.

SGT frog- episodes 41-55- This is the most sgt frog episodes I've watched because they didn't have the 3rd season out to rent at hastings, but luckily they have all the episodes on funimation.com.

[ultimatemegax]

A bit small given that I'm only watching four shows, but I've not been participating in threads lately. I grade according to the academic standards in the US (5 and below-failing, 6-below average, 7-average, 8-above average, 9-xcellent, 10-Haruhi). Spoilers up to today's airing of Yuruyuri♪♪.

8-range:
Hyouka (15/21(22?)): The current arc has amused me tremendously. I feel that the ensemble has gotten much-needed development outside of Houtarou. Mayaka has struggled lately, but hopefully she can recover during the last day(s) of the cultural festival. Eru has learned (maybe) how to get people to do what she wants and is starting to trust people outside of Houtarou. We can assume she has, but this is the first time for what we've seen. Satoshi appears to verbalize his feelings towards Houtarou, and it's a combination of jealousy and envy. He's envious that Houtarou is starting to open up and become more active due to Eru, but jealous over his natural talent. I hope he plays a big role in catching the thief.

7-range:
Tari Tari (5/13): I really really enjoy the music in this series. It keeps me interested every week to hear a new song or enjoy the OST playing. I'm enjoying Wakana's journey to rekindle the music inside her that she had as a child, but lost around the time her mom died. Konatsu is tolerable, though nothing special to me. Sawa reminds me a lot of Hisa from Saki and I like her about as much. Would like to see more development from her. Taichi seems to be a one-trick pony with badminton; I'd like to see something else from him. Wien is the same. He's goofy foreigner, nothing more, nothing less. The speed of the plot is much more fast-paced than Iroha and seems to compress the series into two-episode chunks, which is both interesting (to see where they're going) and hurtful (speeding through challenges that could've been more developed).

Kokoro Connect 4/(17?): The past two episodes have been "Taichi solves a problem with either his dick or balls." I don't mind the drama necessarily, but the way that the author used Taichi to help the girls feels too convenient. I think having Aoki help Yui would've added a lot of depth to his character and boost the potential relationship there. As-is, it feels like they're building Taichi to be some saint character like Touma, which I also disliked. I've read some details ahead, so I'm curious how those stories will be adapted, so it's not in danger of dropping (yet).

6-range:
YuruYuri♪♪ (5/12): Completely arbitrary, but I dislike the new OP/ED as replacing the older ones. I also dislike how we've yet to get a "TOSHINO KYOUKO!" even once. To me, the beginning felt much more flat than S1, but recent episodes have improved. Not as good as the first season, but it's got time.

Random (Considering how much more time I've spent on it, I want to comment about it):
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! 2 (48% translated; 5/11 chapters): I'm impressed at how well Torako improved between novels. This story has a much more fluid flow from the start until where I'm at now. My favorite character has had enough screentime to make me happy, yet not overwhelmed the story. There's a part in chapter 3 that I wish would be animated, but I'm not going to spoil it. Chapter 4 was difficult, but 5 looks to be simpler, though longer to work on. I'm slightly worried about one aspect of the story and how it's begun, but I hope it's decently expanded on later.

Edit: No need to worry, in fact that aspect worked much better than I imagined. Wow.

[Glamrgrl104]

Deadman Wonderland episodes 9-10- This series just gets better XD

Shiki-episode 17- This gets more freaky and yet it is pretty cool.

Secret world of arriety- AWWW still love this! I haven't watched this once since I saw it in theaters. A nice Ghibli film in my collection.