As per the request of a few commentors on last week’s post, here’s a threadstarter post for Summer 2015’s seventh week of the anime season! I’m still in the midst of my business trip (aka not even halfway through this 80-hour work week) so I’m actually writing this from the past and have no idea how much anime I’ll have actually watched. But respond in the comments with what you’ve been watching—and let me know what I should be prioritizing when I have time.
Also, I’m planning on watching Heartcatch Precure!, so keep your eyes peeled in the comments for a potential blurb from me on what I think about it so far.
Mage in a Barrel 
Take your time, buddy. Work comes before anime watching. Anyway, here are a few anime I have checked out between this post and the one about week 6:
Gate: This week’s episode is mostly build-up, but I will say it is better and more believable than other build-up episodes we have seen so far. I like how the fantasy people finally realize they stand no chance against tanks, helicopters an machine guns. The fan service is still out of place, though. And why the heck does Itami get beaten up like that?
Charlotte: Pretty emotionally intense. But some parts really irk me, as though they crammed too much content and character development into one episode.
Rokka no Yuusha: Feeling sleepy watching this. Too much pointless talking, not enough fighting and mystery solving.
School-Live!: Excellent execution and great use of soundtrack. Overall, I am most impressed with this one during the week, even if it feels a bit slow.
Overlord: Epic hamster fight. That is all I have to say. The rest is info-dumping, which I am less concerned about.
Snow White: It is as relaxing as usual…until prince Raj shows up. I hate him in the first episode, and I still do now. He reminds me why democracy ultimately triumphs over total monarchy, because if leadership is passed along a bloodline, there will inevitably come a time where the king or queen is an incompetent meat-head.
Castletown: Not a good episode. Humor is dry. No fan service.
I will NOT torture myself anymore by watching those shameless ecchi anime. Too busy recovering from mental breakdown to laugh at the humor, if there is any. Dropped. dropped, and dropped. I remember enjoying good time with High School of the Dead and High School DxD (except BORN), but ecchi this season is technically guys getting f@#%#.
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I do agree with you about the fanserviceshows which I am still watching but having second thoughts aboutb some ! I complained about violence against women in one ecchi anime and got nasty replies ! I didnt even diss the show just one scene and the fanbase erupted with nasty attacks after being polite ! I kinda knew I get feedback but not attacked the way I did !
BTW most of those shows are at the bottom of 48 shows as just watching ! A couple are midway but they have a different objective and one has been around and the other copycats!
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Overlord is the master of the infodump… It’s amazing that it’s as good as it is and keeps the attention despite so much of each ep being an infodump of one form or another.
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Well thanks for a place to post ! Went from a 7 way tie for first to 5 ! It is from week to week ! I wish contunitywould be better in some !
EPISODE(S) of the WEEK
Week 6 / 7 Split Went 10 to 8 Not as strong as last week !!
Non Non Biyori Repeat EP 6 / “We Made Friends With Fireflies” Not as strong as others but still showing Natsumi’s smarts about nature! / then the Fireflies was a nice touch !
Seiyu’s Life! EP 6 / “Music Video Filming” Besides working on their song / Futaba is looking forward to The Sprial Case anime on which she played a part along with the Cameo VA This week Rie Kugimiya.on a drama CD thinking she would be asked again / She then finds out at the radio show Rin is takiing her place and id really upset / Just a good life lesson EP !
Rampo Kitan Game of Laplace EP 7 / “Strange Tale of Panorama Island” Actually based off the 1926 novella of the same name by Edogawa Ranpo ! I been down on this show buy have a new respect with some of tnhe retro art ! BTW this looks quite interesting !
Castle Town Dandelion EP 7 Split / “Worrywart King” and “Secret Idol” This was touching funny and lots of Life Lessons . Akane is sick home with Kanade and Shiori only and Soichiro sends a Squad of Soliders to protect them! he 2nd part Hikari gets to duo with Sacchan must to her dislike ! Oh the reference to the Black Monolith / Space Oydessy
Aoharu x Machinegun EP 7 / “We’ll Have to Crush That Hope” This is just getting good ! Any athat wakes me up at 6AM desrves this ! Not only interesting game play but the great insert music besides the cool OP and ED made this a joy to watch !
Charlotte EP 7 / “The End of the Exodus” This was a dark sad EP Ayumi dying was enough where Yuu suvives but withdraws leaves town / beats up thugs but un a evil way / and akmost started using drugs ! Nao stops him and convinces him to return to a normal life !
WORKING EP 7 / “Goodbye Girl (Yamada)” Aoi explains why she ran away from home / but the truth was Aoi and her mom had problems talking , but her brother Kirio did too and wrote manuals for both which nAoi didnt read but found out later. She runs away again only to bump into Otoo’s wife . Aoi’s mom finds Aoi and hug each other and all 3 go back to the diner where Otto and wife are reunited too. A nice wrapup ! I just hope Aoi keeps working !
Gangsta EP 7 / “Birth” A very good episode that gives even more of backstory betweem Worick and Nic. Also something about the “Tags being at certain gates is some kind of honor! A lot of angst between Monroe / Cristiano / Paulklee Guild (Gina ) and Corsica factions.
TIER 1 Top Favorites
Weeks 6 / 7 Split
5 WAY TIE FOR FIRST
1 Non Non Biyori Repeat Doinf a very good job!
1 Gangsta. / The backstories and Nick / Worick aren;t as close as you would think ?Very good anime
1 Gakkou Gurashi! No WOW but still peforming well
1 Working!!! 3 / Wagnaria!! 3 Yamada stiil at a high level but the story about her mom gets resolved
1 Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX / S3 Still lots of action story going on
This next group is hard to rank / next week will give a cleaner idea of what to do hopefully !
6 The Heroic Legend of Arslan / Just a good watch
7 Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri / A llittle relaxed EP but will pick up again!
8 Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma / moving into the election arc but is there enough time left?
9 Baby Steps 2 Just a great sports anime
10 Jokamachi no Dandelion / Castle Town Dandelion I just liked the close family love in this one !
11 Durarara!!×2 Ten Things are going to get intense !
12 World Trigger Continues to be interesting with the Ranking Battles to set off the Fall Spinoff
13 Akagami no Shirayuki Hime / Snow White with the Red Hair Izana is a jerk the way he does things in a way
14 Gatchaman Crowds Insight The total happy thing went bust!
15 Rokka no Yuusha / (Heroes of the Six Flowers) Lots of talking but no reslutions !
16 Sore ga Seiyuu! / Seiyu’s Life This wiil move uo next week
17 Himouto! Umaru-chan Funny as always
18 My Love Story / Ore Monogatari. Takeo has a sister !
19 Charlotte CR / That was a dark sad episode
20 Ultimate Otaku Teacher Lots of Life lessons as always
Special mention
21 Aoharu x Kikanju (Aoharu x Machinegun) This has really gained Traction I kinda overlooked but it had twists and the great insert music was a joy to listen to!
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I’m usually the first outta the gate, but slept in today because I worked my tail off yesterday out at the Fairgrounds helping with the setup for the photo dept… with that said, herewith the weekly wall;
Akagami no Shirayukihime ep7; The good – Zen and Shirayuki acknowledge they have feelings for each other, even if they stop well short of an actual confession. The bad – Prince Raji is just not funny nor a character sufficiently well drawn to the get the screen time he did. The ugly – Izana is… well, I don’t know what they heck he is and I’m not entirely certain the staff know either.
Gangsta ep7; Wow. Just… wow. As more of Worick and Nic’s background and shared history is filled in, the darker the story gets and the less I understand (in a good way mind you!) what’s going on. There’s something big coming down the pike.
Gate ep7; A very slow paced filler episode, something this series is starting to have entirely too many of. But, along the way we learn two things; First, Princess Pina definitely realizes what I surmised last week – the Empire only exists because it hasn’t sufficiently provoked the People In Green (the JSDF), yet. (However she hasn’t quite figured out that mores of the JSDF aren’t those of Imperial culture and what that really means.) Second, this is indeed a fantasy world, a fantasy that includes catgirl (and bunny girl and medusa girl) battle maids. (Oh, and third – busty noblewomen willing to give their all [together] at need.)
The IDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls Second Series ep5; No comment this week.
Million Doll ep6; Not yet watched due to this weeks busy schedule.
Miss Monochrome 2 ep7; The central pun to this weeks was subtle – and excruciating once I got it. My lovely lady, unschooled in and largely innocent of internet memes and otaku culture, missed it entirely.
My Love Story ep 19; Once again the camera swings away from out two lovebirds – to find it’s focus on Takeo’s mom and the impending birth of his sibling. We learn more about his parents, and where both his caring attitude and bad-assery come from. Very well done, though I could have done without all the impending tragedy flags they set and then ignored at the end.
Non Non Byori Repeat ep7; A loving peek into the world of secret bases in the woods and lazy summer days spent splashing about in the river.
Overlord ep7; I know that I said I should accept Overlord‘s pace last week… but this week’s ep was grindingly slow even by the standards set to date. (And after massive setup, the attempt at comedy fell excruciatingly flat.) But, there’s the cliff hanger… so maybe we’ll get crawling again.
Sore ga Seiyuu! ep7; Kinda lackluster, stuff happens, the girls learn some life lessons, they realize how far they’ve come in the seven episodes they’ve been together – roll end credits.
Wakaba*Girl ep7; Not yet watched due to this weeks busy schedule.
Working!!! ep7; Meh, the only saving grace this week is that the plot centered around Yamada, who is entertaining in her cluelessness even if the ep is nominally serious rather than comedic. Watching the balance of the season is going to become something of a chore at this rate, much of the charm and life is steadily being sucked out.
In other news;
Finished re-watching Wake Up, Girls! and wow… I remain a rabid fanboy, and the plot and writing are still outstanding… but with near to two years more experience with anime, just how bad the animation is really stood out. But the signs and portents say that I’m not the only one willing to overlook that.
While I was at the Fairgrounds on Saturday, my lovely lady finished her housework and spent the balance of the day on the couch cuddling her guinea pigs and marathoning the first season of Non Non Byori… she pronounced the combination the perfect one for relaxing after a stressful week at work.
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So I’m obviously way late responding this post, but better late than never.
Food Wars 19 was an interesting episode, as it set the table for the last arc and also gave us and Souma interesting tips on blending spices and getting the most out of them. Some of it was good practical advice that I can apply to my own cooking, as long as I can remember it!
Back Catalog Stuff:
A quick note before I get into these. I started keeping a running anime ranking list for myself, like Bless does, covering TV series and multi-episode OVAs or ONAs. From now on, instead of giving those shows a 10-scale rating here, I’m going to give a quick comment on where I ranked them on my ongoing list instead, because I think it’ll be more interesting (and illustrative) that way. Movies and one-shot OVAs will continue to get 10-scale rankings, though.
Cardcaptor Sakura
Finished! At 70 episodes, this was the longest series I’ve watched since I was on my Naruto kick about five years ago. I’ve gotten spoiled with all these one and two-cour late night shows! It was more than worth taking the time for, though. Last week I pointed out the potential entry barriers for some folks, but if those don’t trip you up, then you’re in for a treat. There’s no question this series deserves its reputation as a classic, and even though it’s vintage late 90s (it actually premiered in the same season as Bebop and Trigun!) it hardly felt dated at all to me. I think that’s partly because the rather moe-ish characters look more contemporary than most 90s designs, and partly because so many anime have borrowed liberally from it over the last 15 years. Also, this was SO much better than the Cardcaptors version it’s not even a fair comparison. Anyway, if you’re a magical girl fan CCS is definitely a must-watch, or at least a “must-try”. Or, if you just enjoy a good mix of action, gentle romance, and slice-of-life, then it’s at least worth checking it out.
Current List Ranking: #15, just behind the first season of Lyrical Nanoha, at #14, and just ahead of the original Macross at #16, all of them well within the “solidly buy-worthy” range.
Summer Wars
A good movie, if perhaps not quite as good as its reputation. It was pretty entertaining for the most part, and the visuals were terrific, while the plot wasn’t too farfetched when you consider how dependent everyone is on computer networks these days. Unfortunately, there were also a few too many plot contrivances for my taste, and while the male lead was a good character, the female lead spent too much time on the sidelines, which made it harder to buy into the romantic subplot as it developed. It also took me a little while to get into it – I was slightly bored through the first half hour or so until the plot started to pick up, and I don’t know if I would’ve stuck with it if I hadn’t seen it at the theater. Score: 7/10. Still worth watching despite the flaws, especially if you enjoyed the 80s classic WarGames.
Love Live!
Full disclosure: I was not expecting to watch this anytime soon, if ever. But when I went to see Summer Wars, the theater had promo cards in the lobby announcing that they’re screening the Love Live movie next month. At first I was debating whether I could get away with going to the movie anyway, even knowing nothing about the series, but when I saw that the first season was only 13 episodes, I decided I might as well just go ahead and watch it. And even though I’m not a big fan of pop idol music, I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than I expected to. This is really just a simple, fun, feel-good show, and the whole package works really well. The only part that fell a bit flat for me (besides some of the bad CG) was the injected drama in the last few episodes, which felt a bit forced in what was otherwise a pretty fluffy series. Frankly, Love Live reminded me a lot of K-On, except with more of a plot and less random 4koma-style comedy, and while I still prefer K-On (being more of a rock guy than a pop guy), I could definitely see myself going back and re-watching episodes of this show to relax sometimes. Oh, and I will keep going with season 2 and the movie as well.
Current list ranking: #28, behind another “fun” series in Kaitou Joker at #27, and ahead of the not-nearly-as-fun-or-relaxing musical drama of Your Lie in April at #29, all shows in the “wait for the discount release” category.
Hiyokoi
A charming 23-minute one-shot OVA from 2010, adapting the first two chapters of a fairly obscure shoujo manga. Anyone who’s a fan of shoujo romances should absolutely watch this, though – it’s not hard to find subbed on YouTube. It’s not only very cute, but it manages to pack a pretty complete beginning-middle-end story and a decent amount of character development into its short running time. Score: 8/10
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So I’m the only one who’s actually enjoying this season’s ecchi offerings? I think Shimoneta is brilliant (though they tend to go for conventional S/M comedy, when going past that would strengthen the satire, but that’s a minor quibble in a field that’s so easily messed up). I also quite enjoy Monster Musume which isn’t bad for a show I originally intended to skip entirely. I admire the show’s dedication to the concept; the animation of snake/bird/spider movement is spot on. It’s like the ecchi version of Shirokuma Café. (Nobody thought I’d compare those two shows, right?)
That said, I think the season’s most consistent offering is Gakkou Gurashi. Every episode has a very clear concept and adds to the overall show. And there’s the gradual deterioration of the OP/EDs. This is a great example of a well-directed show: a clear concept, excellently executed. Last episode (or the one before that?) they reprised the special ending (“We hold each other’s hand”) in an instrumental version in the background of a scene, wonderfully complementing Miki’s mood. I bet this is a show where you’ll miss half the staff’s effort on the first viewing.
Gangsta has its ups and downs, and last episode was tending downwards rather than upwards. But the general mood is perfect, and characterisation is great. Anime and film noir combos usually don’t work for me, but this one does. Even the latest episode (which might have been my least favourite so far) had great moments, especially ones that use silence for great effect.
I like Idolmaster – Cinderalla Girls quite a bit, so this season’s introduction of the “businesswoman” isn’t something I enjoy. The show’s fairly good with low-key industry troubles played for entertainment, so her introduction stands out (to me) as a caricature of a stereotype someone who uses “Career Woman” as a dirty word would come up with. The reactions of the girls are the usual quality, but whenever she’s onscreen the show feels flat and uninspired. Last episode, the “rock” episode, was quite fun to watch. (And it was a good example how well they modulate the sempai/kouhai system without making a big deal of it.)
I’m not as taken with Akagami Shirayukihime as most people seem to be, but my interest in the show rose a bit with the introduction of Prince Izana. He adds an element of tension the show dearly needed (IMO), without actually upping the threat level. The show feels as safe as ever, but it’s more engaging to watch. Mind you, besides tending to bore me on occasion, this is certainly one of the prettiest shows of the season.
Working currently has a stellar run, with a lot of development going on. And Non Non Biyori is as relaxing as ever. I do wonder whether familiarity improves the show, or whether the second season is actually legitimately better than the first one.
I’m seeing diminishing returns from Shokugeki no Souma. After the first cour, I’d have missed the show. Right now I’m in a comfortable groove; I’m enjoying the episodes, but the initial magic is gone. Last episode was a good example of that. It all felt so… been-there/done-that.
Classroom Crisis, I think, is one of those shows where the entire cour will rate higher than any of the individual episodes. It’s not very exciting on an episode-by-episode basis, but it knows what it’s after, goes for it, and it’s actually working. Every episode has some highlights, and the more attention you pay, the more you’re going to be rewarded. I’m hoping for it to get good word-of-mouth after it’s finished, but it’s probably not the type of show to win a week-by-week contest.
Charlotte has the distinction of being the first PA Works show I dropped, so I have no idea what’s currently going on.
Gate is unintentionally funny, which is why I can still watch it. It’s such a blatant power fantasy, with an entire world mined for fanservice mostly. Oh, how I’d love this ending: In an arms race, international forces drop a few A bombs into the gate, rendering a large area around it uninhabitable. The SDF hurry to get out but find the gate is gone! The last image is Rory cackling evilly in Akihabara, opening another random portal. UFOs stream through and lay waste to Tokyo, with any of the world’s military being completely helpless. (A Brit named Wells suggests biological warfare, but that’s another show. 😉 )
Rokka no Yuusha is hugely entertaining, and every episode goes by in a flash. I expect little re-watch value from the show, but watching is a great pastime.
Overlord is actually good fun to watch. Having an overpowered hero works, here, because the battles aren’t what matters. And as long as Albedo’s not on screen, the humour actually works for me, and last episode was a prime example of that. And the non-human theme actually continues to matter, and serve as a means of empowerment as we see normal villagers being trained by Goblins for self-defence. Compare this with Gate and how that show handles another world…
Joukamachi no Dandelion is good, straightforward entertainment. Family relations are fun and often a little touching (without ever getting cheesy). But the show’s biggest draw for me are the character designs. I really love the character designs. They’re pretty, they move well, and they’re good at giving away emotion (which is espicially noticable when you have character multiplication, and what distinguishes them is mostly body language). Last episode was, I thought, one of the better ones.
Miss Monochrome isn’t as good as the first season, though last episode, which has her befriend a bishounen battery, was a stroke of genius. And Wakaba Girl is reliably cute, but ultimately nothing special (and last episode didn’t stand out).
I’ve dropped Sore ga Seiyuu!. 15Fan’s comments make me want to reconsider, but then drekl’s comments are pretty much in line with what I remember the show to be like. Maybe it’s one of those shows that either click or don’t?
I’m still watching Ore Monogatari, and it’s the same mix of cuteness and vapid idealism, but it has its moments of poignancy. For example, I really enjoyed the baby-centred episodes, but the Valentines Day episode (this week if recall correctly?) was a good example of what I don’t really enjoy about the show. I’m ambiguous about the set-up that happened this episode. Could go either way.
@WingKing: I didn’t think I’d ever see anyone mention Hiyokoi. To be honest, I remember little except that it was cute. I think I felt the OVA wasn’t really self-sufficient, but that it could serve as a great set-up for a 12-episoder. I’d certainly watch that.
PS: I have troubles with weekly reviews, because I can never remember what happened when. So there’s that. Heh.
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I am watching 48 shows including the Ecchi ! ( which are at the Bottom for most )
Our views are somewhat similiar ! You should see my ramkings for this week 4 way tie for first / 4 way tie for 2nd !
I will pick a couple of shows for MY POV and some on your list are in my 2nd Tier including Classroom Crisis / Overlord / Dirty Jokes etc
As far as Gangsta i am liking it a lot especually after the new EP !
Sore ga Seiyuu!. I like it especially the look at the VA side / the guest VA’s resumes are quite impressive
Charlotte the last 3 episodes have been reall good IMO quite surprising actually
Akagami Shirayukihime I like it a lot but doent havent rnough to get into my brutal Top 10
Rokka no Yuusha This strarted out good but turned into a talk fest like FSN / UBW
Food Wars / the elections are upcoming and there wiil be some interesting episodes ! It is very true to the manga!
This is my new ranking
TIER 1 Top Favorites
Weeks 7 / 8 Split
Lots of changes 4 WAY TIE For First
1 Non Non Biyori Repeat
1 Gangsta. /
1 Gakkou Gurashi! READING MANGA
1 Working!!! 3 / Wagnaria!! 3
4 Way Tie For 2nd
2 Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX / S3
2 The Heroic Legend of Arslan
2 Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri READING MANGA
2 Jokamachi no Dandelion / Castle Town Dandelion
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I am getting a bit bored with Gangsta here. It’s not an action anime I was hoping for. It’s more like a drama. I would rather watch gritty drama made by Americans.
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Heh, I’m watching 28 shows, and what I’ve mentioned is mostly random. My post is long enough already, isn’t it?
I can’t easily rank episodes, because I tend to forget what happened when. I don’t have a good episodic memory.
From the shows you’ve put on your top list and I haven’t mentioned:
Symphogear has a really great season. I find this a series that gets better season by season. The first season was okay, had strong emotional moments, but didn’t tie it together well. The second season ramped up the camp, which was exactly the right decision. Emotionally, it was weaker than the first season, but overall it ended up being a more entertaining show. And season three kept what was good from the second season and improved the pacing, leading to great suspense. Also, it’s good to hear Yuki Aoi having so much fun with a role. Love her singing, too.
Arslan I just can’t take seriously. It feels like someone took an interesting story, and dumbed it down to unintentional comedy level. I just don’t click with Arakawa sensei (didn’t like Silver Spoon either, and now I’m really not in the mood to watch Full Metal Alchemist). But I do think last episode was one of the better ones.
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The only ecchi I can somewhat enjoy is Prison School. Call me a sexist, but the male characters in there have way more personalities compared to spineless, generic, idiotic main male characters in Shimoneta and more so Monster Musume.
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I’d probably agree that the male characters in Prison School have more personality than the characters in the other ecchi shows, but they have the sort of personality (and the show the sort of feel) that make me run for the hills. I dropped it after about half an episode. I appreciate that the show’s well done, but it’s exactly what I don’t want in my ecchi.
I tend to agree that Americans are better at gritty drama, in general, than anime. Anime attempts at noir tend not to work very well for me. I never got into Cowboy Bebop, for example, and Psycho Pass was okay until the ending which was just silly. But Gangsta mostly works for me. I’m actually glad the focus is not on action.
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Gangsta, while still pretty good, can’t make up it’s mind whether it wants to be an action anime or a drama anime and the constant flipping back and forth just pulls the whole thing down.
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Well Hiyokoi was only adapting the first two chapters of a 14-volume manga series, so naturally it was going to leave a few loose ends, but it covered what it needed to and the ending was entirely satisfactory, which was all I really wanted for 23 minutes. The other thing that’s kind of cool about it is that it’s a total throwback. A lot of shoujo manga in the 80s and 90s got short 1-4 episode OVA adaptations when they couldn’t get the funding for a full-length TV series. You don’t see that much anymore, especially with the decline of the OVA market over the last 15 years, but Hiyokoi came out in 2010, so it’s an exception to that trend.
I felt the opposite way you did about turning it into a full series, though. I haven’t read it, but since the protagonist is a painfully shy girl, I’m willing to bet it’s full of failed confession attempts and “will they or won’t they” stuff – that kind of thing is cute in small doses, but for me it starts getting tedious after a while in a longer series (case in point: The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato).
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